Weight Gain and Tiredness Since Starting Huel

Nutrition
1

Hi, Need some advice. I have been dieting for 4 years, lost nearly 10 stone and started huel and to exercise regularly at my local gym, as part of my new healthy regime.

In the 3 weeks since starting huel, I have gone from having loads of energy to feeling hungry and tired all the time. I have also put on nearly a stone, but has levelled out this past week.

My diet consists of two huel shakes a day (3 scoops) and a proper meal in the evening (with either chicken or steak). I was looking to maintain my weight, but feel as though I am consuming less calories than it says in the huel guide. Can anyone help?

2

Are you tracking your calories with something like My Fitness Pal and have you checked your TDEE?

1 Like
3

Definitely use myfitnesspal to check your calorie intake.
I’m only a month or so in, and hadn’t lost any weight for the first few weeks, but now that I’m really calorie counting it’s coming off.
I found 3 scoops to be too much - I’d feel really full, and then have used up most of my calories early in the day. Now, I have 2 for breakfast, 2.5 for lunch and I have some fruit -an apple or watermelon, and then a meal of around 450-600 cals, and possibly a snack of olives or something.

Some days I’m doing 100%(ish) huel, of 3 x 2 scoops, 1 x 3 scoops and bit of fruit.

4
  1. Scoops or heaps? Measured using a scale or roughly thrown in?
  2. Evening meal - Calorie counted? Or loosely thrown together? 32oz steak or 8oz?
  3. Activity levels?
  4. Height/weight?
5

  1. Scoops, measured exactly using the huel provided scoops.

  2. Evening meal is either one portion of a Slimming World batch cook chicken ie low calorie (2 syn per portion) with brown rice or a 227g steak fried in fry light and a can of tin spaghetti or veg (what Ive got in at the moment).

  3. Activity levels, 1 hour walking (per day), 15 mins cardio (in gym - 3 times a week), 45 mins weights (in gym - 3 times a week). I’m following a programme from my PT. He told me months ago that I wasn’t consuming enough calories, so huel was mainly to up my calories, as I was consuming around 1,500 calories per day and have for sometime.

  4. Height: 6ft 1, Weight: 15 stone (was 14 stone 2, 3 weeks ago before starting huel)

6

Hi Bee, I’m not tracking my calories yet. Outside of huel I’m still eating high protein and low calories food. I’ve checked my maintenance calories - 2,963 per day. I eat nowhere near that much.

7

It does seem strange, as I have found Huel to be a great aid to weight loss.

I would second the idea that using Myfitnesspal is a good idea. It can sometimes help you spot where something is more calorific than you think.

8

Please, do use kitchen scales or something similar.
Measuring purely based on the scoop isn’t accurate and can vary between 26-46 grams,
instead of the mentioned 38 grams per scoop.
Using MFP as a food diary, so to say, is an amazing help. I also do this to maintain or even
gain some weight, at least I don’t (can’t afford) to lose any.

Regarding your activities, do you also use an activity tracker or something alike ?
Personally, I’m using one of the Garmin brand but many use FitBit or others.
I have my BMR registered in MFP as my goal and the app that connects to my activity
tracker takes the calories ( goal and consumed) from MFP and adds my activities to it.
Found out I need to consume quit a bit more than I expected, but my weight is no
longer fluctuating as much by now.

Did use a TDEE calculator before, and thought I knew what I needed but it didn’t work.
Now I know that I’m apparently far more active throughout the day.