New here, day 1 of using Huel

Experiences
1

Just thought id introduce myself. Im new to Huel and just started using it Today. So far so good, ordered a mixture of flavours and boosters for the next few months. Only tried using milk so far to ease me into it but will try water at some point.

My reason for using Huel is that a year after my Dad passed away i started having no end of gastro issues, even before i was never quite right, tired and lethargic and never going properly.

In Feb 2018 - July 2018 i had no ends of tests done, mostly CT scan, ultrasounds, blood tests etc and fecal cal protectin tests which measures leves of irritation in the bowels, and every test i had done came back all clear which was a relief. Yet for the rest of 2018 i continued to suffer with bowel issues, bloating, wind, abdominal pressure etc. After a while the doc pretty much said to me that as things stand, all we can do is diagnose you with IBS, ie i had no markers or symptoms that would suggest anything untoward, but this diagnosis did not surprise me given the death of my father but also the stress of being on my own, with a stressful job making poor diet choices at times.

Now strangely i had a flare up in Jan 2019 but from feb 2019 - Oct 2019 i had no flare ups and no issues at all, even going back to eating all the wrong foods again sadly, until in Oct i started experiencing IBS pains again. Again i went back to the docs and got checked out and everything checked out fine.

So the reason for me being here and trying Huel (after finding out about it from some others guys at work trying it) is not only for weight loss but also to try and follow a low FODMAP diet which i would struggle to do otherwise and Huel looks like a good solution to this.

I wouldnt wish IBS upon anyone at all, the cycle of being stressed about my health, job, life then further accelerates the IBS causing more problems. Im looking forward to seeing how Huel can help me and how it can provide relief hopefully in times of a flare up. Theory being that not only is it low FODMAP but also Huel means your bowel / colon is having to do less work and can rest somewhat ?

The one thing i have found that seems to be a major irritant during a flare up is coffee, yet at other times i can drink coffee without issue. Im curious, as i scour the forums looking for ibs threads, if any other ibs sufferers have any advice or tips and tricks using Huel ?

Thanks for reading

Andy

2 Likes
2

Hi, welcome to the forum. If you put IBS into the search box you will find a few threads to read. I too suffer from IBS, am on low FODMAP diet and find Huel helps me a lot. Hope it helps you just as much.
Be sure to ease in gently and drink plenty of water as Huel is high in fibre. It doesn’t bother some people but others have taken some time while their gut flora adjusts to the change.

2 Likes
3

Hey @Bee thank you :slight_smile: yeah that was one of the things i learnt early on is plenty of water and i try and exercise as much as i can. I manage about 2-3 litres of water per day and Im an avvid cyclist, so per month i manage to put in about 100 miles through just going out at weekends, but im considering cycling to work every day. Im determined to not let IBS dictate my life.

Can you remember when you first started Huel would you suggest just using it once per day then upping to 2/3 times per day ?

4

Yes I started on Huel last October, so just over a year. Perhaps start with one meal per day for a couple of days, then two meals per day and so on. I soon settled into a routine of Huel granola (not FODMAP free but I can tolerate it) for breakfast and a Huel shake (FODMAP free) for lunch then cook myself a low FODMAP veg rich meal in the evening. Over time I have found that I can eat small amounts of FODMAPs that previously my gut couldn’t tolerate which is great. I don’t overdo it and push my luck though.
Some days I do 100% Huel, other days I have 2 meals Huel, 1 veggie/vegan cooked meal. I used to be pretty much vegetarian but nowadays I am getting closer to vegan and feeling much better for it.
As a keen cyclist, you are in good company here. I am not, but others are.

5

You may find your bowels will be working overtime for the first few weeks. Huel has been known to have some unwanted side effects when you first start (me included). I hope you get some relief from your symptoms.

6

I’m sorry for your loss Andy.

I have heard of IBS starting due to stressful events and once a person gets everything back to somewhere near “normal” the IBS is resolved, it’s a strange one.

The FODMAP diet is not a permanent diet, usually you undertake it for around 6 weeks to determine what foods are causing you problems so you can reintroduce the foods that are okay. So it’s best to start this with the supervision of a dietitian.

Huel is a high fibre food, so is often not seen as suitable for people suffering with IBS. However, a number of people who do have IBS have Huel successfully as people have mentioned on this thread.

You may find during a flare-up that you can’t consume certain foods you usual can, like coffee so it’s good you’re working that out.

7

FODMAP diet should be termed low FODMAP diet. The IBS sufferer is more comfortable cutting out foods that are high in FODMAPs as they cause pain and other symptoms. Huel powder is FODMAP free and as such should be tolerated well. All high fibre diets should be eased into gradually if the previous diet was low in fibre.

8

Hi Dan thanks for your reply.

That has been half the battle is figuring out what i can and cant eat, then when i get back to a normal level, i fall into the trap of eating foods that used to set me off, find that i have no reaction, continue with said foods and find myself back in the same position.

Funny you should mention about high fibre, one of the things my gp mentioned to me was drink more water and get more fibre in your diet. This is despite eating plenty of fruit, drinking water, and trying to consume foods with plenty of fibre. I’m interested to see what benefits / changes Huel brings. Im not expecting it to magically resolve IBS but if it helps in any way during bad periods then its a win win as half the time when im going through flare ups, i never know what to eat or consume.

I know its early days, and its just pure observation, but often on an evening i have to eat my evening meal by 6pm or i find when i sleep laying down i feel bloated / uncomfortable. Last night i had a chocolate huel around 6pm which kept me full until bed, and i noticed laying down was a lot easier and felt like i slept better as well.

I will be sure to keep notes here if not for myself but anyone else going through IBS as well. I dont know if IBS ever fully resolves ? many articles ive read suggest after a 3 year period people do see a change in less flare ups, but as you say Dan, i have no reason to doubt that stress was a factor for me, even though i didnt feel stressed, i know i was still grieving and stress can affect the human body in many ways.

9

Hey Bee :slight_smile:

Thankfully im ok with Fibre and water but as you mentioned i will be sure to ease myself into it. As it is im pretty disciplined when it comes to water consumption already, so hopefully the only real change / adjustment will be getting used to not sitting down at lunch or dinner and consuming a heavy meal.

10

Thanks for correcting me Bee.

This sounds like a good plan!

This sounds like an issue related to digestion which is aided by gravity which means when you’re lying down everthing slows down a bit and can exacerbate problems.

We’re not fully sure as some people do resolve their issues. The general consensus is that there is no cure but symptoms and treatments allow IBS to be managed.