Started using Huel two days ago, with the intention of going on a Huel-only fast for a fortnight, eventually I went off that idea, deciding that it would be too dramatic and opting for it replacing lunch and breakfast, whilst still eating a meal in the night and five portions of raw fruit or veg throughout the day.
I normally eat really healthy meals, but tend to indulge in the evening or in work on foods that are quite high in fat or sugar but low in nutritional value. I have cut all these out on the past 48 hours and I am hoping to try and cut myself off from them for good as I have put weight on in the past six months since working an office job.
I enjoy the taste, and normally add a teaspoon of raw cacao powder for flavour, but last night after a busy week I fell asleep pretty early for me, around 7pm, then woke up at midnight with what may have been the most intense headache I have ever had, it was pounding and worsened with the slightest movement of the skull. Woke up today and it was gone but this has never happened and can only put it down to Huel.
I am 14 stone, 21, and 6 ft tall, so thought that 2.5 litres of water on top of Huel would be plenty of hydration. Was I wrong?
Wondering what the best way to balance Huel is and whether it is hydration, the cutting out of bad food, or the Huel itself that causes the headache.
I too woke one night with a blinding headache, didn’t put it down to the Huel effect till the next day when I realised I had gone from drinking 2ltr of a famous diet cola to none as I was no longer having caffeine cravings or the need for false surgery drinks.
You should also check maybe how much extra water your drinking, I’m no longer thirsty on my 100% Huel but I know from posts and the Huel website that keeping hydrated is very important so I set myself water targets for the day.
I found that, too, though not quite pounding. Just significant fatigue and drowsiness along with mild headaches.
I just started chucking down litres and litres of water to test whether Huel really did sap me of liquid, and it does. My low point is about 3L a day on top of Huel. You’re a touch taller than me and 14st, which is almost 90kg. At 90kg you should really be drinking 4L of water regardless of Huel intake (I adopt the rule of 1L per 25kg bodyweight, rounded). Huel will initially hit you hard in the hydration-station… why not just drink a ton of water and slowly bring it down until you find your optimal level and Huel starts to work in harmony with your body? Try 6L, that’s what I did… (Yes you pee every 30 minutes…)
The fibre in Huel acts like a sponge so yes it is important to keep hydrated. Caffeine and sugar as others have said could well be causes too. I do not believe the headaches are linked to Huel as there are so many other factors to consider.
How are you getting along after drinking a bit more?
I increased my water intake to 4 litres and I’m getting on a lot better, the headaches have pretty much gone apart from a mild ache on Sunday morning. I have also added dark chocolate and manuka honey to my Huel, as well as drinking some fruit juice and green tea during the day, which has balanced out the caffeine and sugar deficit. I am feeling so much brighter and energetic.
Are you using vanilla Huel? I only had a couple of mouthfuls of it once and had a fairly bad headache half an hour or so later, I think it might be the sweetener in it.
If you came off caffeine completely, I’d suggest the pounding headaches might have been down to that. I came off caffeine completely a couple of years ago, and was a zombie for two days straight. It got much better after that.
