My name is Richard and I am the stereotypical middle aged, obese American. At 5’6” 305 lbs (21.7 Stone) the shape I’m in is round.
I found Huel by way of my doctor who told me to lose weight or not be around for my 7 year old son. I am on day 5 of Huel for breakfast and dinner, and a sensible lunch, trying to keep calories about 1500 per day.
My first order was Vanilla, when it arrived at work last Friday I was so excited to try it that I mixed 3 scoops with a bottle of room temperature water, and quite honestly had to choke it down. The oatiness I rather like, the pea protein and sucralose aftertaste were a bit rough.
For breakfast I have found through many threads here that making it the night before and refrigerating it helps. I’ve also been adding 1/2 cup of frozen mixed berries and 45ml of raw, unfiltered, unsweetened apple juice. It’s less than 50 extra calories and helps the taste tremendously!
Dinners I have been alternating between adding a spoonful of cocoa powder and 45ml unsweetened almond milk or 45ml apple juice and some cinnamon.
I’m drinking about 4 liters of water per day and am down 6lbs in 5 days. I know most of that is just water weight, but it’s nice to see the scale going in the opposite direction.
I just signed up for a subscription and ordered a bag of Vanilla, a bag of Chocolate, and 2 bags of u/u. Hoping a 50/50 blend will help me out with my aversion to sucralose. If not, next round will be all u/u.
Welcome bro! I’m gonna try that apple juice / cinnamon jam - that sounds awesome. IDK if you saw that there is an apple cinnamon flavoring powder. I’ve not yet tried it, but it should be in my next box.
Also, at Walmart and Amazon, they have “milk flavorings” which add a nice flavor to the Huel without adding much else.
I started in the 290s and I’m also 5’6 - last weigh in had me at 260. I did take about 6 months off from the Huel-ing though, so that’s my fault the scale hasn’t moved much. I think you’ll enjoy the ease of it, I pre-weigh like four or five containers worth of dry Huel so that if I wake up late or I’m being lazy, I don’t have an excuse. I just snatch one of the extra containers from the cabinet and head out (or head back to the couch )
My triangle of success (if you will pardon the terrible marketing sounding phrase) is Huel / Water / Gym. Truthfully, it could be Huel / Water / Walk because at the gym I’m not like pounding away at weights or whatever, I’m just moving my ass on the treadmill lol. No running, because I value my joints - just… walking fast(ish). I don’t know if your boy is into sports, but even just going out to play catch with him or something like that is better than nothing. The activity paired with the water and Huel is where I really started to see the difference on the scale.
The gym and even walking aren’t really an option for me due to permanent debilitating injuries to every joint on my body. Don’t ever get hit by a car! I do enjoy cycling and rowing machine though, the latter which I will order with my tax return. My son does Tae Kwon Do and is on his dojo’s travel team, so his sport is only spectator for me. For now I’ll stick with riding my bike and a daily caloric intake of roughly 1500 calories as recommended by my doctor.
I did consider the flavor powders, but prefer to add “real” ingredients. I have a culinary background prior to getting injured and have always strived to prepare meals with fresh ingredients. Just too much good eating over the years, combined with lots of couch surfing due to my permanent injuries packed the pounds on.
The apple cinnamon mixture reminds me a lot of apple cinnamon Quaker Oats, which I love! By only adding a shot glass worth it keeps the additional calories low while doing a tremendous job of improving base flavor. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I’ll have to give Apple sauce a try. This weekend I’ll buy a bag of organic apples at the farmers market and make a big batch with the skins on. Thanks for the idea!
Oh sweet! I always wanted to try a rowing machine but I’m awkward and didn’t figure I could get the rhythm down. There’s a rowing machine on the end of the row of treadmills I use and it looks so fun. Man, I hear you on the injuries. Obviously, you are far worse off than I with that, but 20 seasons of softball have eaten me alive. It seems like every morning I wake up and discover a new “memory” lol
Dude, you totally have your work cut out for you with your background and the Huel. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
I lost just over 70 pounds so far just by keeping my apartment stocked with Huel. Why wait a half hour for fast food delivery when I can prepare, consume, and clean up after a Huel shake inside of five minutes? Much cheaper too.
Watch a few youtube videos on proper rowing technique. It’s not as intuitive as you may think, if you haven’t done it before. I have a home rowing machine and was doing it wrong till I checked Youtube. Legs do majority of the work. Improper technique can strain the lower back or tire out the arms too quickly.
Day 6: A quick flashback to day 5, yesterday morning I had to force the shake down, my body craved solid food, eggs, bacon, and a buttery croissant to be exact. This morning I woke up craving Huel, my breakfast shake tasted amazing rather than forced. Oh the difference a shot glass full of apple juice makes for me. This mornings shake was 2.5 scoops of Huel, 1/2 cup frozen berries, 45ml raw, unsweetened, unfiltered apple juice and 450ml water. Blended last night and left in the fridge overnight. This combo will be my breakfast go to until and only if I need a change of flavors. I wish I had made a second one to have for lunch!
Days 7 and 8 did not go so well. I had a nasty stomach bug and was unable to keep anything including water down, so I slept for 48 hours. Day 9 I had no Huel, just oatmeal and chicken soup, day 10 I resumed my Huel regimine and it was a bit rough to drink, though I was still queasy in the gut. That brings us to today, day 11. I am down 10 lbs, 2 days fasting didn’t hurt there, any excess water weight will be gone, so anything further will be real losses. This mornings shake tasted amazing and I woke up craving it, so a good sign for the days ahead!
My new order should arrive today as well, with chocolate and u/u to try.
I’m not much of a fan of the chocolate, too bad as I love chocolate. I’ve tried almond milk with powdered peanut butter, the only way I like it is by adding chocolate syrup, which defeats the purpose that I sought Huel out for. It’s ok though, I love the Vanilla and U/U! I have berry in my next order to try, it may go well with my frozen berries addition to my morning shake.
The scale said I’m down 15 lbs today, which is encouraging since it’s only day 18 of Huel use. Thursday I see my doctor on a 4 week follow up of him taking measurements. Pounds fluctuate daily, inches don’t lie. I’m very curious to see what progress I have made there. I am expecting good results because clothes that were tight on me pre Christmas have extra room in them again.
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