I just turned 41. I used to be extremely athletic in my 20’s, 3% body fat, etc. I was terrible to my body in my 30’s. Ate whatever the hell I wanted and ended up fat, out of shape and starting to experience health issues like GERD and other digestive concerns. Not to mention noticing respiratory issues due to my weight and being out of shape…
Anyways, I’ve begun Huel and at first I’m like I’ll just go gangbusters on it, don’t need anything else…We’ll, I’m already feeling 10x better than I did prior to starting, but the craving for “real” food had been insane. I actually drove to a drive through and ended up not ordering and bailing out of line. Like WTF, I feel physically better and like a zombie I almost break my pact of just doing straight Huel.
Pretty eye opening for me. It is my relationship with food that absolutely blows. So here’s what I ended up doing because I figure some of you might have similar issues. I decided that I would eat a full meal when my bag of Huel is finished before moving onto the next. I had homemade chicken and it was splendid. The main thing is, when I had my next serving of Huel, the next morning, I actually looked forward to it. Prior to that I was starting to slip into a slight dread…
Reward systems apparently work. I think this is a fair ratio. I can only handle about 1,200 - 1,400 calories a day right now as Huel leaves me very full, but I am dropping lbs and feel great aside from the issue regarding food cravings. Maybe this will help someone experiencing the same thing?
I’ve had acid reflux pop up, a little Mylanta helps keep it at bay. I don’t blame it on Huel though as I’ve had this issue for years and liquids in general tend to make it flair up, especially in the evening, yypically when I go to sleep. Aside from that, digestive issues that I had prior to taking Huel have actually cleared up.
I suggest using food prep as a mindfulness practice.
Your nutrition comes from Huel, so crafting ingredients into a meal could be an enjoyable experience when you take the time to make it…
Example: I make risotto using the traditional continuous stirring. It takes some patience. The swirls in the rice form patterns that can be somewhat mesmerizing and it’s a good time to think.
I was going to suggest perfecting a traditional spaghetti sauce (or “tomato gravy”) but that’s not as fun with existing reflux/gerd. Maybe teach yourself how to make traditional mole? Or work on your own signature Buddha Bowl.
Maybe that all sounds like too much work, i know i wouldn’t bother with it for myself more than maybe once a week… but cooking skills to share a meal can be worth the learning curve.
Hey @McMunsta! Welcome to the forums! I am also new here, and mostly just read others’ posts…but yours hit close to home. I am almost 38, and also have always had a terrible relationship with food. But mine was more of a “I hate food and if I could take a pill and never have to eat again, I would do it”. So I started getting really close to underweight when I found Huel (about two months ago).
I was also diagnosed with GERD, which made me want to eat even less. All the foods I loved became my worst enemies.
Like you, Huel has made me feel a million times better and I actually look forward to it. Since I am in the process of gaining weight, I am working other foods into my routine as well (greek yogurt, applesauce, granola, stuff like that) and actually have started to turn my food relationship around.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for your post!
It’s fantastic to hear of the changes and impact you’ve made on your life!
Just remember Huel is nutritionally complete (you get all the nutrients you need) at 2000kcal so you might want to have a small nutrient-dense meal or supplement to make up the difference.
For your acid reflux we’d recommend:
Blend Huel well with plenty of water in a blender rather than using the shaker
Sip Huel - 2 scoops should take half an hour to consume
Do not consume hot beverages around the same time as you consume Huel
Wow, thanks for sharing. Quite the opposite manners in which we treated/viewed food, yet we’re on a similar trajectory regarding how we feel on Huel. Best of luck and I find you’re story very encouraging, have a great day!
Hi Dan, I bought a ninja mixer and plan to start blending so your suggestion of increasing water is great. I’ll give that a shot tonight. I admit I have been “chugging” so to speak so I’ll work on slowing my consumption down. I’m thinking of getting back on Esomeprazole but before that I’ll give your suggestions a try.
