Hi I have tried to search here and have read allot of posts on different subjects etc but have not found something that directly answers my questions - so here we go (and thanks in advance for anyone who actually comes back to me on this post 
).
Today is my first day using Huel and so far i am very impressed - good taste, texture etc.
I have been weight training for a few months and have been using a meal delivery service which have been creating meals based on my specific macros etc. My problem with this kind of meal service is wastage, quality of food and inconvenience of having to eat 4-5 meals a day around meetings, traveling etc… Hence the reason for giving Huel a try!
So I am 33, 180.6 lbs and train 4-5 times a week with a desk job so am mainly inactive during the day.
Recommended calories based on above to gain for me comes out at 2881 per day, which I have broken down to the following scoops:
Breakfast 3 = 456
Snack 2 = 304
Lunch 3 = 456
Snack 2 = 304
Dinner Cooked meal (around 1209)
Eve Snack 1 = 152
Total 2881 (around)
I am clear on the above and would welcome any correction if its wrong for whatever reason. But my main question comes around additional supplementation. I know Huel has everything needed for normal daily intake but does this count when trying to build muscle in the gym? I mean i take allot of supplements which have been recommended such as ZMA, CLA are these needed on a plan like this or maybe there are things that can be added that are currently not included in Huel?
I would really appreciate some help as i have 3 or 4 other people who are interested in this but have all asked me pretty much the same questions.
This seems a super product but i want to make sure i am personally getting the most out of it.
Cheers
James
If you are thinking of going 100% Huel for your food intake then I would recommend that you do exactly that and don’t supplement with anything for a few weeks. This is the only way for you to understand how Huel and Huel alone works with your routine.
There are various guidelines for managing your complete fitness/nutrition lifestyle. They usually go something like this: sleep > nutrition > macros > supplements. Here’s just one example - http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2014/10/07/dialing-diet-goals/. Huel should handle most of this for you.
As far as I know ZMA isn’t very effective. You won’t need any additional BCAAs beyond what is in Huel already. You should look into Creatine supplementation though as Huel contains none, being plant-based. So while a standard omnivorous diet is likely to contain some creatine (mostly from red meat) you’ll get none here. However, we can generally synthesise all the creatine we need anyway so even this is not essential. I’d look into taking some additional “green” supplements with Huel just because it doesn’t have a huge variety of ingredients and you might be missing some useful phytonutrients.
You might have to keep an eye on your salt or other electrolyte needs, depending on how long you are in the gym and how much cardio you are doing. Caffeine can be very useful, for heavy lifting in particular. Nitrates from foods like dark leafy greens and beetroot can improve aerobic capacity. Vitamin D3 supplementation (add Vitamin K2 with that) might be useful too. But so might fenugreek powder and HMB. Basically, there’s loads you can add to your “Huel Stack” but it’s probably for very slight gains. Ultimately, sleep well, eat nutritious food (Huel fits the bill) at a caloric surplus and work hard in the gym. Simples.
Check this popular supplement (and more) resource if you haven’t already - https://examine.com/.
Edit: Also, you could check out a lot of “vegan bodybuilders” online. Lots of them get all their nutrition from plant foods and very little (if any) from supplements.
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I would have 5g of glutamine before bed, and a pre shake before your work out, PreKaged by Kaged is top stuff, half hour before workout and a Huel (or similar) plus 1.5g (2 capsules of 750mg) of Kaged creatine HCL straight after your gym session. Creatine HCL is not the same monohydrate where you would take 5g.
Forget ZMA and CLA and everything else. Its all bs. 99% of all supps are total bs, get your diet right and you’re all good.
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Thanks for the replies guys really appreciate it - second day in and absolutely loving this. Have had a bug the last couple of days and decided to start this during, today i actually feel awesome!
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Let us know how you get on. Get a good week or two of mostly Huel under your belt and you should feel even better and consistently so. You could probably add some oregano to your Huel to help avoid/mitigate some common respiratory tract infections in the coming months too.
Absolutely loving this so far - consuming Huel all day apart from an evening meal or if out with the family i will switch the evening meal with lunch etc. Not felt any hunger pains or craving anything bad at all - amazing stuff!
Quick question for @t00sp00ky or @huelzcool with regards to the glutamine what would you recommend. I normally buy my supps from Bulk Powders (i did get the Cretine HCL as recommended from Kaged). Do I get GLUTAMINE, GLUTAMINE PEPTIDES or N ACETYL L GLUTAMINE? And is bulk powders stuff really any good?
I have been using there complete greens tablets too.
I just want to make sure if I am doing this I am doing it as 100% near perfect as I can.
Appreciate the help