A little about me - I’m a 32 year old female and I’ve been overweight since I was a kid. No major health problems yet but my VERY heavy father is type 2 diabetic and has lots of other problems and I’m not trying to end up like that. Plus, I live in the Orlando, FL area surrounded by theme parks, I love roller coasters, and when I’m too big I have to ride in the modified seating, which is way less fun because it’s always in the middle. So, back in 2016 I lost 65 pounds counting calories and watching my diet. Unfortunately, last year in 2017 my work situation changed, I didn’t have much time to grocery shop, or to prepare meals, so I ended up eating lots of drive-thru crap and gained most of it back. No bueno.
I usually get off work around 7:15pm so I started replacing my dinner with Huel 5 days ago. I’ve been combining 90g of vanilla Huel, a mix of low-fat unflavored kefir and vanilla-flavored almond milk, and a tablespoon of raw honey that I buy from a local apiary. I’ve also been trying the strawberry, chocolate, and banana flavor packs. (I don’t taste a lot of difference when using them, though, and I don’t care for the smell of the banana at all. I won’t buy that one again.)
So far, I’m enjoying it a lot more than I expected to. The texture is definitely not smooth like a milkshake, but I think the grainy mouthfeel actually makes it seem more like “food” than a drink, and that has a psychological value for me. I’ve tried it shaken and also blended with a hand blender (I don’t own a regular blender) and don’t see much difference, but I do like it better when I make it the day before and let it sit in the fridge for a while, then add water and re-shake right before drinking.
It’s sweet enough to be palatable, but not overly so, and I don’t get an aftertaste from the sucralose, which I was afraid of because I’m generally quite sensitive to artificial sweetener. (I’ve never been able to drink diet sodas.) I think the honey I add in helps with this.
No digestive effects, aside from a bit of constipation, but I’ve had chronic constipation from IBS almost my entire life that comes and goes in cycles so I’m not inclined to blame that on the Huel. I’ve increased my water intake to compensate for the extra fiber so I’m thinking that will help.
I do plan to start replacing my breakfasts with Huel as well - I already eat cups of microwave oatmeal for breakfast on my way to work anyway, so it won’t be a big change. But, I think I’ll continue my habit of packing a Lean Cuisine and a 100cal bag of pretzels for lunch, at least on most days.
