Short update: I reached my goal of 60kg / 9.44 stones (actual starting weight in December befor I discovered Huel was 68.8kg / 10.83 stones). I had to go down to the cellar and get my old trousers 
! Luckily fashion rules aren’t that strict anymore 
. I wouldn’t mind losing another kg or 2, but I’m quite happy and proud. And as the new-old clothes nicely fit I can allow myself to shift into “maintaining mode”.
Btw I love the h&s Bolognese, it’s really 
. I also like the m&c, it’s a welcome diversion.
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Getting back into old trousers that were once too tight is a great feeling. Never mind if they’re old, they’re a badge of honour! 
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I’ve noticed that sweet taste increases appetite. Especially sucralose. I don’t know whether this is a general phenomenon, and research on that topic is quite contradictory, but maybe you can report about your experiences.
That’s a very interesting question @mbs I’ve asked myself. That’s why I was a bit worried in the beginning that all the sweet tastes of the powders could trigger my appetite for chocolate and cookies. But I experienced the opposite: after a shake of WE banana or chocolate or berries (where the sweetener is sucralose) my appetite in general but also for sweets was totally satisfied for at least 3 to 4 hours (in the beginning when I had to drop some pounds rather 4 hours, now after more than 4 months mostly 3 hours).
Regarding appetite respectively sweeteners I can’t really tell a difference between WE and BE. For me personally it’s more about my daily routine. Interestingly enough I get significantly more hungry when I’m sedentary and hadn’t time for at least a decent power walk of a few kilometers. I’ve once read that neurons in the hypothalamus respond to increases in body temperature and suppress appetite. Maybe that’s it.
I actually can’t find a correlation between my cravings and sucralose. But that’s just me and maybe it’s also about the amount of the sweeteners: my breakfast is mostly a WE shake and my lunch a BE one. If I also have Huel for dinner it’s sometimes a h&s dish or a shake again. When I’m really hungry I also eat a bar. Hence I get a lot of different sweeteners and my total calorie intake is never more than 1400 (Huel-) calories. Additionally I eat berries or nuts or crisps 
But there are lots of days I cook dinner myself or I eat out (I don’t take Huel with me when I’m traveling. IMO it’s important to have some variety).
There’s a relatively new (2021) in-vitro-study about the influence of sucralose on gut bacteria https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/10/5228. I’m sure there’s a lot more to get to know about gut bacteria respectively our microbiom! As I’ve once read it influences even our emotions. Dutch nutritionists had a program with prisoners where they managed to decrease violence only by giving them nutritionally complete healthy food. And there are increasingly more studies about the influence of gut bacteria on depression. But I’m no scientist and can’t remember the exact details … I assume you’ve already read Huel’s Guide to Sucralose where you can find a lot more studies. Don’t know whether that was of any help 
.
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Yeap I agree, it’s down to the individual really.
For sure! Honestly it’s probably still the one question mark around artificial sweeteners (the concerns regarding cancer for example have been put to bed.
Super interesting and the results have been replicated in the UK too.
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That Dutch study sounds fascinating. Links to it or to any similar research would be great to have if they’re easily available. ‘We are what we eat’.
This is the Dutch study, it replicated the UK study conducted a few years earlier.
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Thanks Dan, will read with interest. Cheers.
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Thank you for the fast reply and the links. Very appreciated 
.
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Just to confirm that I’m still „here“, weighing the same as 3 months ago and still enjoying Huel (mostly 2 shakes / day). I wouldn’t mind losing another 2 or 3 kg. But on the other hand I’m very glad that I manage to stay the same and not getting into the yo-yo effect. Maybe it’s better when my metabolism totally adapts at the current weight and I just wait till I feel ready to go again into a caloric deficit.
Hereby I‘d like to wish everybody good luck who‘s struggling with weight loss. Don’t give up, stay focused and accept that there are weeks where you reach a plateau. It will pass!
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