Let me play devil’s advocate for a moment here.
For a person who, as she mentioned, has struggled with diets, going on a mono-diet (100% Huel being the specific example here) may help in some cases. There are many paths to weight loss, but the one unifying factor is discipline and “stick-to-itiveness”. This is a factor of both motivation and ability to deal with any rules to a program. Some of the diets out there are just complicated AF. And this complication could be a reason some people give up or “fail” at that particular diet. In the case of going 100% Huel, that problem has been removed from the list of hurdles that a dieter may face. Make it simple, and it may be easier for someone to follow. Then their brain can be freed up to think about other things. Another way of saying it is that a simple mono-diet can reduce anxiety or apprehension about a diet program because you only need to eat one food. No more having to worry about, “Is this compliant with the diet? How about that food? What will I eat? How will I cook these new foods?” 100% Huel with or without fruit blended in is super easy.
Now, most people will not sustain 100% Huel lifelong, nor is that a goal that anyone should set (IMO). But a period of time set aside for a 100% Huel diet in order to “reset” the body might be good. If it eliminates the sugars and saturated fats, it can help re-establish insulin sensitivity, making weight loss and long-term weight management easier. If it gets results in a rather short period of time, it can also provide positive reinforcement.
Just understand that when the 100% Huel diet period is over, you’ll need a long-term comprehensive diet plan in place. Going back to standard American diet will only reverse any progress made from the 100% Huel time period. But if you look at the ingredients of Huel itself, it can give you a good starting point for a long-term plan. Whole plant foods, low added sugar, decent fiber intake, balanced macronutrients, etc. Eating things like oatmeal, incorporating peas and rice into your meals, sunflower seeds, flax seeds. The foods that Huel is made from. And take it from there.
Now… all of the above said… if your stomach and intestines cannot handle going “all in” on Huel day 1, you may be forced to titrate up to a 100% Huel diet over a period of a week or so. But other than the digestive side effects, there’s no real harm in going all in on Huel for a period of time. And it’s probably better than standard american diet.
The real question is this: when you go into the ocean at the beach, are you the kind of person who gradually wades in or do you just run in and submerge right away? It’s gonna feel cold the first few seconds, so some people prefer to just dive right in and get it over with. Knowing that it will quickly feel warmer.