So so hungry. What am I doing wrong?

Experiences
21

Yeah, can understand the fear.

I guess one perspective I can at least offer is that I’d rather eat too much of the right nutrition than eat too much of the wrong nutrition :wink: I DO eat too much of the wrong nutrition whenever I’m not being careful.

Really frustrating to have the right nutrition and still feel unsatisfied.

I am going to put it out there that there are some particular foods - ghee is the one I think of - where if I’ve eaten it, I feel like I’ve had a good meal, and then a few hours bend over and want to scream with pain, whilst my stomach feels hollow and bloated. Seriously terrifying stuff that shouldn’t happen.

The few times that HAS happened, I’ve gone for toast as something that seems to soothe it as a very plain food that somehow calms me. If the pain IS like that, it may be that unlikely as it seems, there is some ingredient that is producing the effects.

Easiest way to identify that is a quick question - do you have a history of unusual food problems? I truly hope it’s NOT connected with that, because it’s awful.

If it’s definitely not an intolerance, slow down your intake, drink it over a greater period of time - one thing I’m doing with the product I’m currently using is having a lower powder proportion to water, and increasing the amount of times I’m having it - so I’m essentially having food more frequently but in smaller amounts - that’s helping me.

Could also until your body adapts decrease the amount of it to allow the calories for other foods - do find something other than toast if possible, as although it seems like low calories, it is even so high calories for the nutritional value (and as I say, has that sugar content in there).

It seems MOST plausible to me that this is an extreme body reaction to changes. (Which does not stop it from being real and terrifying)

you’re not just changing the calories, but you’re also changing what’s going into your body. That means that (1) your metabolism is going to be confused - if you’re feeding it the right stuff, it might be burning more, and (2) you’re not eating what your body recognises as food

This WILL change. Our bodies DO adapt. (Same thing happens when I started eating healthily at WW to be honest, just to a slightly smaller degree.

Stay strong <3

1 Like
22

Yes, I can see it’s physical hunger. Fair enough if you don’t want to disclose anything about your disability, I was asking because if it’s something that’s endocrinological, gastro-intestinal or neurological in nature, this may be the reason for the hunger and I could find a work around. Feel free to email me on james@huel.com if you’d like to pick my brains privately, or we can even speak on the phone.

3 Likes
23

Sunflower: It’s not pain, although my stomach is rumbling. I’m obviously not able to make myself understood here for some reason :frowning: It’s when you’re SO hungry that you’re shaking, you’re dizzy, you feel like you’re going to faint.

No unusual history with food, no, apart from some slight intolerances to egg white and bananas, but this isn’t the same. Again, it isn’t pain. It’s blood sugar dropping, hungry, need to eat or I’m going to pass out. (And no, I’m not diabetic).

I know what you mean about the fear of putting on weight, but it isn’t that either, I simply can’t gain. I weigh too much already. If I gain, I’ll have to stop using the product which would be really frustrating because on paper it’s just such a fabulous solution for me.

It’s very very frustrating because although it fills me up initially, when I drink it, it doesn’t stay that way for long enough. I’m ravenous within 2 hours even with 3 scoops.

James - no, it’s not any of those things you mention. It’s connective tissue related and causes chronic pain, hence my level of inactivity - I only really brought it up to explain why I thought 2000 calories would be an overestimation in my case. I tend not to lose on anything near that amount. I keep busy during the day (as in, it’s not an idle mind making me want to eat), but I just can’t do any physical exercise like walking or going to the gym, over and above the physio that I do, and because I don’t work, I don’t have the normal “walking to work/the station/steps during the day” that other people described as “sedentary” do. I always thought that sedentary assumes some level of activity like that, which I don’t have, so I don’t think my BMR is anything like as high as it should be.

24

Yes, that’s what I would have thought - sedentary does involve some activity, but if you’re very restricted then your BMR is likely to be lower.

It might be that you’re better off having one scoop’s worth of Huel every, say, 2 hours. This will keep the energy going in and should curb the hunger. Also, part of this may be adaptation to a lower calorie intake.

Please do keep us posted as to how you’re getting on.

3 Likes
25

Just to be picky here (but this may be important), your BMR is what your body burns just from being alive - heartbeat, digestion, breathing, etc. Even if you stayed in bed and did nothing at all other than blinking for 24 hours, then you’d still burn off whatever your BMR is (assuming the calculation is accurate). Even with a very sedentary lifestyle, you can still add on another hundred calories burned off or so.

It’s a shame you’re struggling, and I really can’t think why, save any undiagnosed digestive issues. Maybe your body just needs an adjustment period - have you tried eating a small amount in the mornings to get you started and then topping off with huel throughout the morning? Eg, eat some toast or something to start with, then have an occasional sip of a 2 scoop huel for the next three or four hours. If that works out for you, then you can start to adjust your ratios.
I found when I first started that I did better if I drank it a little at a time over a couple of hours, rather than drinking it all in one go.

I’m not a doctor or anything, so take my advice as you will. :slight_smile:

1 Like
26

What I mean is the amount of calories I use up. I don’t use up anywhere near 2100 calories a day and I’m almost positive I won’t lose on that. I can’t lose on 1800.

Yeah perhaps little and often would be the best way to go. I’ll try that. Whatever I do, whether Huel or food snack, I seem to need to refuel every two hours, but I simply can’t take in enough Huel to stop this ravenous feeling without consuming too many calories - 2 or 3 scoops every two hours would be a nightmare. I have noticed that when I eat proper food, more protein keeps me fuller for longer. That’s why I thought Huel would be so good for me, as it’s supposed to be high in protein.

I did have some food this morning, I had to. I had 3 scoops at 6.30 for breakfast, and by 9 I was starving (mind you, I did do my physio at 8). I held out as long as I could, but by 9.30 I had to eat some toast. That kept me going for a little while, then I had another 3 scoops at 12.15 for lunch, by which time I was ravenous again and now at 1.30 I’m starting to get hungry after that.

27

I look forward to hearing how you get on with little and often :smiley:

28

Hi,

Here’s a new suggestion: try mixing the Huel with other things that add some volume, while keeping the Kcal target you’re aiming for.

Some fruity yoghurt tasted really nice for my liking, and more recently I swapped the yoghurt for soy-based alternatives, which will add less to the calorie intake.

I’ve been drinking huel with soy/hazelnut/hemp/almond milk replacements before topping up with water, and the 200ml of the drink that I add make quite a difference in terms of taste.

I hope this helps.

NPlima

1 Like
29

@tinkerbell You might find that if you consume more earlier on in the day, you might not be so hungry later on. I would say forget the calories for the moment and just consume enough Huel to satisfy you, then see where you can go from there. At the moment, you are trying to solv two different problems that are pulling you in two different directions.

Your body is telling you you’re not eating enough. I would say go with that. Then once you have been feeling satisfied and stable for a week or two, maybe then try gently easing back.

But definitely consume it slower. That makes a big difference to me. I’ve been consuming my Huel really slowly today (like one mouthful every 15 or 20 minutes), and I’m not sure I’m going to get through it all on top of the dinner I had.

I also recently found that making it ticker kept me more satisfied for longer. You would think it would be the opposite, wouldn’t you? But the same number of scoops per day, with less water, somehow satisfies me better. It must make the body think it’s normal solid food, I don’t know.

2 Likes
30

Hope you find a way that works for you. You sound really disappointed and I’m sorry. Only thing I can add is my own experience in that I started out aiming for three ‘meals’ a day but found I felt starving. Now I consume 2 scoop drinks more often and I find that easier on me.
Really hope you find a way that works for you.

31

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I’m definitely going to try little and often today and see how that goes.

Marcus - how much water are you using? I had been making the 3-scoop meals with about 500 ml - you’re right, the natural assumption is that more water will fill you up.

1 Like
32

Please do feedback to us on the little and often approach

33

Today has been quite a lot better. I followed Marcus’s suggestion of less water and I had 3 scoops in 300ml for lunch; I also drank it more slowly as I was doing something else at the time so it took me about half an hour to get through it - and it filled me up till about half three when I had some toast. On the minus side, less water gave it a bitter aftertaste and I’ve felt pretty sick all afternoon, so perhaps there’s a happy medium somewhere!

1 Like
34

I think I have about 600ml or so with 4 scoops, so perhaps not much different actually.

One additional thing I thought of:

If you are consuming significantly less than the 2000 daily calories, it’s possible you might end up deficient in some nutrients. For example, I’ve read that the mineral chromium is important in blood sugar control. Might be worth taking a good multi supplement.

35

Hi,

Just to cheer you up, I’m the hungry type person also. I need to eat every few hours to have a normal life :smile:

And I think men won’t understand it :wink: I believe it is something to do with blood sugar and if I take chromium supplements I feel better and can last longer without eating.

Never liked calorie counting and so I just try to be close to what I suppose to get per day and still I lose a bit of weight.

My suggestions would be: drink a bit more would it be water or tea (no sugar,can be stevia), eat food high in protein for snacks.

Hope it helps :grinning:

36

I do regular weight training around 4 times a week plus intensive cycling, but my main issue is massive bloating whenever I eat, so liquid food definitely is easier on my digestion and the bloat disappears much quicker. I’ve just got over a recurrent campylobacter infection on top of severe IBS, so I really do need to cut my diet back to basics!

I’m also in recovery from anorexia which is why I’m smaller than most, but one of the main aims of starting Huel was to make it easier to get nutrients without having to eat too much, to get my body used to more regular nutrients again. I’m on large doses of calcium and vitamins to replace several i’m deficient in, and I have a meal of mainly veggies at night because otherwise food sits in my stomach all night.

If I eat even a small amount that equals less calories than huel I’m still less hungry than when i have more calories of Huel?

37

I suppose our bodies are all different, but I am actually experiencing the opposite. I’ve had quite a few 100% Huel days recently and am finding that 100g of Huel (~400cals) as an evening meal around 7pm kills my hunger until bedtime. Last night I instead had a high protein pizza (~650cals and ~65g protein) and was hungry a few hours later.

38

Hi all,

Just a quick update: Doing much better on a thicker mix. 3 scoops in 350ml keeps me going for 3 hours and when the hunger does come it isn’t so all consuming. The only downside is a slight bitter aftertaste which I don’t get with more water but I can live with that. Thanks for that suggestion - I was assuming that the more water you have the fuller you are but it seems not with this!

Early weight loss results are very encouraging, but I haven’t tried a full week on Julian’s suggested calorie level yet so I’ll update as and when I have.

Thanks all!

2 Likes
39

@tinkerbell I agree, it doesn’t seem to make sense, but it works somehow. My only theory is that when you drink a more watered down mix, maybe your stomach empties more quickly.

If you find the taste too much, maybe you could mix it half and half with the unflavoured version? That now has gum arabic in it to thicken it, which it didn’t used to have. So you could have a thick Huel with a milder flavour.

40

Yeah, perhaps that’s it. Maybe it hangs around for longer if it’s thicker. I don’t actually mind the aftertaste, it’s just an observation really.

One other thing I’ve noticed over the last few days - and this is a massive plus, is that when I do eat my real food, I don’t need to eat half as much. I’m fuller much quicker and it lasts much longer. Perhaps because I’m nourishing myself better in the run up to Actual Food Time, I don’t know, but this is a huge bonus that I wasn’t expecting to help control portion sizes.

3 Likes