New here, and (full disclosure) the first bags of Huel haven’t even arrived yet. But I’m excited.
It’s taken me a long time to face up to it, but I’m fairly convinced that a routinized and fairly unconscious relationship to consuming sweets is wreaking havoc on my body. Not in obvious ways (blood sugar within normal limits, not diabetic or pre-diabetic, not overweight but gaining a bit lately as my metabolism slows). I’m hoping Huel and increased exercise will be steps in the right direction. I’m starting with replacing one meal daily (probably breakfast for practical reasons) until my first supply of Huel is gone, and re-evaluating whether to replace additional meals with it. I’m not scared of the taste, as other health mixes (whey protein powders for example) don’t bother me.
Looking forward to the experience and will try to document it here. As for desired results, I’m hoping for (a) reduced sugar cravings in the first month and (b) mild to moderate weight loss in the first 2-3 months, accompanied with better/more natural and more consistent energy levels.
Thanks to all on the forum for providing this outlet.
Yeah I can relate. In my early adult years I was consuming far too much processed sugar. Sodas and deserts were my weakness. No doubt contributed to my weight gain and type 2 at that time. It’s a powerful addiction.
Most of the GI side effects folks have complained about have been mild or avoided me completely, so far. I’ve decided to step up the transition to two meals a day on Huel (breakfast and lunch). Cravings and the urge to snack between meals are pretty strong, but are getting easier to resist. I notice we’re going through our grocery supply slower, so the cost savings are real.
While transitioning I’ve slowed down on trips to the gym, but when I stabilize on 2 meals a day I’m going to reintroduce medium- to high-intensity (for me) workouts.
QUESTION for the group: Do you find Huel to be better as a pre-workout energy source (consumed an hour or so before a workout to give you energy without feeling overfull), or as a protein-rich recovery drink after exercise?
To be honest, I’ve tried it both ways and it works either way. Right now I do most of my exercise in a fasted state or with only a mild snack (e.g. fruit) before exercise. I’ve gotten used to this and I prefer to have little/no food in the stomach when I exercise. It limits my exercise capacity so that I don’t “overdo it” and then make myself really hungry the rest of the day. I tend to eat my meal soon after my morning exercise. But honestly, I think Huel can work well in before or after exercise time frames.
Progress update! Since getting started with Huel just over 2 months ago, I’ve been about 80% consistent with using it for 2x/day meal replacement. Some things I’ve noticed:
Sleep less disrupted; sleep pattern more consistent
Weight still fluctuates +/- 5 lbs (“normal” for me), but this morning I was down about 12 lbs from my starting point
I’ve also started to be more active and more mindful about what and where I’m eating, so it’s hard to fully attribute gains to Huel vs. other positive steps… but I’ll take the results however I can get them.
I feel like Huel acts as a safety net so you don’t have to worry about getting something nutritious all the time, which was the problem for me. It makes the effort/time of eating a healthy non-huel meal once a day a far less daunting prospect that I’m actually starting to enjoy.
Unexpectedly I’ve also dropped a few pounds and I have far more energy than I did before, can’t believe how awesome this stuff is.
