This is just my personal preference.
I do it by scoops. Right now I am doing my lunch by 3 scoops and my dinner with 2 scoops (but I add more “stuff” to my dinner shake).
I am in the middle of a body fat loss program. I’ve lost approximately 15 pounds of weight since late last year, and I’d estimate that maybe 3/4 of that is body fat. I’ve been exercising and getting stronger, so I don’t think any of that is muscle. Some of that might be water weight lost. All my current pants are too big on me. So, most of that is likely body fat.
Huel has been an integral part of my 3 part strategy for fat loss:
- Huel at work instead of “regular food” (Huel is real food, but you know what I mean)
- Exercise most days of the week
- Intermittent fasting where I try to go 16 hours from my last meal of the day until the first meal of the next day, therefore eating all my food in an 8 hour window
Any of these methods alone will lower my insulin levels: 1) Huel, because it’s low GI. So, my pancreas will release less insulin as compared to a meal of the same calorie level but higher glycemic index. 2) Exercise, because exercise improves insulin sensitivity, therefore reducing the amount of total insulin my pancreas makes in a day. 3) And Intermittent Fasting (IF), because it lowers insulin the longer I’m in to the fast. IF has also been shown in studies to improve insulin sensitivity. Thus, the combination of any of these will have synergistic effects on me.
I do not count calories or worry so much about what I eat during my fed state. So long as the additives to my Huel are modest GI foods (PB, banana, applesauce, etc>), and my one meal of real food is moderate GI with variety, then I don’t need to worry about measuring anything. The only thing I focus on is the time interval between my dinner and my breakfast the next day. I use a free app to track the time I am in the fasting state. For me, intermittent fasting and choosing low or modest GI foods frees me up. I don’t measure anything and I lose weight with relative ease. Huel is already balanced and has all necessary micronutrients and essential fatty acids, so I don’t have to worry about getting enough of anything.
I am 42 and have a fair amount of insulin resistance. For me, lowering my insulin levels is an extremely effective method of losing body fat. In fact, lowering insulin is really the only way since insulin is the most potent hormone determining body fat storage. If insulin levels are above a certain threshold, fat will not come out of the adipose tissue and body cells will be in carbohydrate-burning mode.
Don’t misunderstand me. Calories do matter. I am eating less total calories than I was before this program. By definition, I must be burning more calories overall than I am consuming on an average daily basis, in order for body fat to get used up. But what I am saying is that for me insulin is the ultimate cause of my extra body fat, while calorie reduction is just the immediate cause. By focusing on lowering my insulin levels, I am better able to “cut calories” to lose body fat. I don’t have to focus on actually measuing my food intake. I only focus on getting my overall, total daily insulin levels lower. More fat is then free to come out of my adipose tissue to be burned for energy, and therefore I don’t feel compelled to eat as much as I was last year. I am able to use some of the belly fat to fuel my workouts or sleep or playing xbox, or whatever I want to do, and therefore I don’t have to eat as much as I did before while sill able to be active.
Agreed, the amounts would have to be really seriously off before it is worse than was I was eating before.