Morning all.
I feel like I have completed wasted the weight-loss opportunities of lockdown by not exercising much, feasting on Dairy Milk and quesadillas and watching a lot of Netflix. However, I’ve finally had a strict word with myself and am on the wagon now. I had some Huel in the cupboard so I have gone old-school and started calorie counting.
A bit of background: a lot of my work involves food/drink writing. This usually involves many visits to bars and restaurants, but during lockdown has translated into being sent a fair amount of meals and products to try. I find Huel a really good way to balance out calorific food.
I’ve been overweight since leaving university and moving to London, ranging between a BMI of about 26 and 30. I lost a fair bit a few years back (2011) by low-carbing and got down to 11s 12.5 (still a bit overweight) and felt really good. Then, over the following two years, I put on two stone. 
Since then, I’ve pretty much always been between 12s 10 and 13s 7, thankfully never seeing the dreaded 13st 12 again.
I do hold my weight quite well (doctors usually guess my weight at around two stone lighter than I am - I must be very dense) and still wear a 14/16 throughout most of this, but I’d love to get down to a BMI of 25, which is a slim-looking size 12ish for me and around 11st. I can’t get my head around being lighter than this yet as I haven’t seen anything below 11st since I was in sixth form (and very slim).
I also need to get back into exercise (mainly brisk walking and free weights - without the gym, cardio is tricky as I have an arthritic condition that means I can’t run much).
Beginning of 2020: 13s 9.5
Beginning of starting Huel/calorie counting: 13s 6.5
First goal: 12s 13.75 (ie under 13st 
)
The plan is to replace one or two meals with Huel each day, plus one or two meals. I’ve downloaded the spreadsheet Vahan kindly posted here to work out my calories and also checked on other sites about calorie ranges. The Mathematical Diet
At the moment I need 1853 calories to maintain, so I’m aiming for between 1350 and 1500 and I’m happy to take this slow and steady. I’m a daily weigher and no, it doesn’t freak me out.
I’m loving the Huel so far - it makes me feel “level” so I don’t get the huge swings of fullness and hunger. It’s a kind of clean, energised feeling. I’m a Vanilla or Mint Choc person, although I’ve ordered the peanut butter and salted caramel bars, plus the flavour-boost taster pack. I’m excited about trying the Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate, Mocha, Peanut Butter, Pumpkin Spice and Salted Caramel flavours, but less interested in the really fruity ones.
So, thanks for reading this far. First weigh-in is tomorrow.
♀ I actually look forward to having them. I liked the mocha flavour boost but I’ve also tried the peanut butter and chocolate ones and could barely taste them. They’re from the trial pack — could it be that 3g isn’t enough?