First day as a user, intending to replace one to two meals per day.
Reason I’ve started is I’ve been going to the gym 5dpw for approximately a year doing weight training and trying to improve my physique. Gone from around 28% body fat to currently around 20%.
I’d like to get that body fat down around 10% but 15% would be ok. What’s been holding me back is diet and sleep, also age to a degree as I’m 37 now and my metabolism isn’t quite what it was
So this morning I tried Huel for the first time. Went with U+U gluten free, I went with three scoops. I put a rhubarb and custard flavour pouch in and it was basically flavourless😕
Felt a bit acidy and bloated soon after, but blamed that on client drinks last night. After an hour or two started farting pretty bad and needed the toilet. By two or three hours I had stomach cramps and needed the loo several times, my poor wife was cooped up in the car with me for about 20mins and as funny as she found it… well it was bad let me tell you.
After looking on here I’m seeing a LOT of similar experiences but the explanation seems to be high protein or fibre, but I’ve been on a high protein diet for a year now to build muscle. So that leaves the fiber or possibly an allergy or intolerance.
I do have a couple of intolerances, I don’t think it’s anything as bad as IBS just very occasionally il eat a meal and have the same reaction, I’ve narrowed two foods that definitely I’m intolerant to, peanuts and cashew nuts have the almost exact same affect on me as the Huel did but maybe without such terrible smelling farts.
I’m going to persevere for a couple of days, it’s the weekend but if it persists there isn’t a chance in hell I’d take those farts to work with me and needing the toilet so much far from home will never be something I’d do voluntarily.
Anyone with any advice would be greatly appreciated, as it stands in the morning I’m going to,try just a single scoop and see how that goes. I’ll build from there assuming all goes well. But if not what then!?! I’ve already blown my months lunch budget on two bags. I’m feeling pretty apprehensive about the situation.
U/U + Rhubarb & custard for your first Huel?! … that’s hardcore. Lol.
Where you’re going wrong there is, the flavour pouch recommendation (if you’re using a sample) is 1 & a half scoops U/U to one pouch. I gather the flavour systems are bolstered by the sweetness in Vanilla Huel & tend to get diluted in the unflavoured version.
Up the flavour or halve the Huel. But stick with it, the flavour packs aren’t the only way to Huel yourself.
Yeah at that amount and consistency the flavour pouch was useless
I can work on the flavour, the biggest concern for me was the farting and diarrhoea. That’s unliveable with. Woe betide anyone stuck in a room with me with those farts, that was ridiculous
I’ve had a single scoop with lots more water this morning, about 20mins ago.
Will see how that goes, if it’s not too bad I’ll have another scoop later and then another later still.
Tomorrow I’ll go two scoops and see what happens and so on.
I used to get the awful farts too. They were quite incredible at how potent they were! I don’t get them now though, well maybe on the odd occasion, and it seems they settle down for most Huel users after days/weeks depending on your individual digestive system.
I probably still get the odd one due to going through a bad patch of eating or the Huel reacting with something in particular I’ve consumed, who knows.
I think this is just a case that Huel is different. If you switch from one diet to another diet, you can experience flatulence and irregular bowel movements, tiredness and/or cravings, etc. It’s not that the diet is bad it’s due to changes in the gut’s microbiome based on their new food source.
The Flavour Boosts are best with Vanilla. As @MrHUGEs eludes to, the sweetness is almost like a flavour enhancer like salt in savoury food.
Alas ive had to call it a day, I tried it for three days from the Friday through to Sunday but the indigestion was so persistent, i had to ditch it before returning to work.
ive sold the bags to a colleague who does get on with it.
If Huel can figure out exactly whats causing some people to react like this and are able to counter it, then i will of course be back but until then i just cant go for days/weeks feeling sick and having to sleep on the couch. and liek i say, i cant be bringing those kind of farts in to work. just not gonna happen.
Disappointed but never mind. if Huel can let me know when they’ve got this figured out or at least bang the publicity drums loud enough for me to hear id appreciate it.
