My First Week Of Huel
So this week is a landmark week, well sort of. This week is the first in my 6 weeks to shredded programme and the first week of incorporating Huel in my diet. For anyone that isn't aware of what Huel is a nutritionally complete powdered food that contains all the proteins, carbs, and fats you need plus at least 100% of the European Union's "Daily Recommended Amounts" of all 26 essential vitamins and minerals. So you know you won’t be deficient in any essential nutrients.
Now, I'm already well aware that by this point in the article many of you will be sceptical about powdered food, probably because you're thinking along the army rations line. Huel is not a ration, it is however, a convenience tool. My reason for bringing Huel into my diet is because it is nutritionally perfect, which will aid me on a calorie restricted diet and can be prepared in a matter of seconds, which makes it perfect when I am in a rush or on the go. Huel is also hugely cost effective with meals costing me just £1.61, which is a massive bonus as a student who isn't swimming in cash shall we say.
In this article I am going to document daily how I have used Huel on that particular day, what training I've done on that day and how my body has reacted to Huel.
Monday 11th April 2016:
Today was my very first day consuming Huel and as recommended I replaced only one meal today. That said, the meal I replaced was probably the most important meal of the day today; post gym. Anyone who reads my articles regularly will know that I fit my gym sessions in mid-morning, that was no different today and therefore I consumed my Huel about 11am.
I weighed myself a 98g serving out, which comes in around the 400 calorie mark and contains 30.1g of protein, 13.0g of fat and 40.7g carbs. Being as it was my first day using Huel I was nice and boring with my serving, just adding water to the powder in the shaker.
One thing that struck me straight away when I took my first gulp was that I wasn't going to be able to drink it like a protein shake i.e. knock it straight back in a couple of gulps, which I suppose makes sense when you consider that Huel is a meal and a solid meal takes the average person around 12 minutes to consume. The taste I have to say was fantastic, I opted for two bags of vanilla and I definitely made the correct decision as it tasted very much like custard cream biscuits, to which I'm in love with and always have been.
After getting my Huel down me I had to shoot off to my lecture. When I got there I was surprised at just how full I was, it wasn't a bloated full but I wouldn't of wanted to eat anything else at that moment in time. The full feeling lasted around three and a half hours which was perfect for my five meals a day diet which is based on eating roughly every three hours throughout the day.
At no point did my stomach feel any ill affects of replacing solid food with Huel, however tomorrow I am replacing two meals due to being super busy so we shall see how that plays out.
Tuesday 12th April 2016:
My second day on Huel was a little bit different to my first, mainly due to the fact that I've had two meals of Huel today and I've been super busy doing different things across the city, walking between places and having to squeeze two gym sessions to fit in, one weighted, the other sprints. My first Huel was consumed at 11am as my second meal of the day and the second Huel was smashed in as my third meal at around 2:30pm.
Today, however was also different to yesterday in the fact that 2 hours after my first Huel I was starving and it felt as though I was running on empty for an hour or so. However, I do appreciate the fact that I am on a calorie restricted diet and therefore there are times that I'm going to be hungry, especially when you consider that I'd smashed out a heavy leg session first thing this morning.
The taste of Huel definitely isn't getting boring and I'm already finding that the more Huel I have, the thicker I prefer it. Again, I've not had any after effects of replacing solid fuel with Huel but what I have noticed is that I am a lot more energised to work during the day, which I think is probably due to the fact that I don't have to waste time thinking what I want to eat, what ingredients I have, and eventually cooking the meal.
Two days into this experiment (I guess thats what it is) I have already had a significant number of people ask me about Huel, in terms of what it is and why I'm using it. I've also had a few people say that they are thinking about using Huel but were a little bit unsure about it and that I guess is what this blog is for, to both educate people and allow people to watch me be a bit of a guinea pig.
Tomorrow, I've got one meal of Huel planned in another busy but active day.
Wednesday 13th April 2016:
Huel was used as my second meal of the day again today, which was consumed around 11am, post morning run, pre gym and it went in without a hitch yet again. Today, my Huel really filled me up and I still wasn't exactly hungry after my gym session.
What has started to become really evident to me already in the three days since I've started using Huel is how much my relationship with solid food has improved, both in terms of enjoying its taste and portion size. Historically I have always been a fast eater, I'd literally smash meals in as quick as I could. I wouldn't bother eating the last few peas on my plate if they fell off my fork because I knew I was going to be taking on another big meal on in a couple of hours time and if I went hungry between meals I could always just cook an additional sweet potato.
However, being on a calorie restricted diet and replacing some meals with Huel has improved my appreciation of solid food. This is because regardless of what anyone says there is nothing like eating a good meal. Huel is lovely, its taste is beautiful but it's not substitute for a steak or a huge omelette.
Thursday 14th April 2016:
Over half way through my first week on Huel and I'm feeling good, I'm sleeping well, I'm training well and I'm working well. Today, Huel was back to being consumed after my morning gym session around 11am and it was much needed after a pretty grim leg session.
After around 3 hours of consuming Huel today I did start to feel hungry, but as I said on Tuesday my diet involves eating every three hours so that really isn't too much of a problem for me. I'm already beginning to get curious about other things I could possibly do with Huel such as using it to make cookies, pancakes etc. but in all honesty I don't think I'm a good enough chef to do that.
Friday tomorrow and then into the weekend, the end of the week where I'm really interested to see how Huel works as I'm heading home, back to mom and dads, which means I'll have less control over meal times and have to Huel more for convenience than as a planned meal replacement like I've been doing during the week.
Joey G
Now, I'm already well aware that by this point in the article many of you will be sceptical about powdered food, probably because you're thinking along the army rations line. Huel is not a ration, it is however, a convenience tool. My reason for bringing Huel into my diet is because it is nutritionally perfect, which will aid me on a calorie restricted diet and can be prepared in a matter of seconds, which makes it perfect when I am in a rush or on the go. Huel is also hugely cost effective with meals costing me just £1.61, which is a massive bonus as a student who isn't swimming in cash shall we say.
In this article I am going to document daily how I have used Huel on that particular day, what training I've done on that day and how my body has reacted to Huel.
Monday 11th April 2016:
Today was my very first day consuming Huel and as recommended I replaced only one meal today. That said, the meal I replaced was probably the most important meal of the day today; post gym. Anyone who reads my articles regularly will know that I fit my gym sessions in mid-morning, that was no different today and therefore I consumed my Huel about 11am.
I weighed myself a 98g serving out, which comes in around the 400 calorie mark and contains 30.1g of protein, 13.0g of fat and 40.7g carbs. Being as it was my first day using Huel I was nice and boring with my serving, just adding water to the powder in the shaker.
One thing that struck me straight away when I took my first gulp was that I wasn't going to be able to drink it like a protein shake i.e. knock it straight back in a couple of gulps, which I suppose makes sense when you consider that Huel is a meal and a solid meal takes the average person around 12 minutes to consume. The taste I have to say was fantastic, I opted for two bags of vanilla and I definitely made the correct decision as it tasted very much like custard cream biscuits, to which I'm in love with and always have been.
After getting my Huel down me I had to shoot off to my lecture. When I got there I was surprised at just how full I was, it wasn't a bloated full but I wouldn't of wanted to eat anything else at that moment in time. The full feeling lasted around three and a half hours which was perfect for my five meals a day diet which is based on eating roughly every three hours throughout the day.
At no point did my stomach feel any ill affects of replacing solid food with Huel, however tomorrow I am replacing two meals due to being super busy so we shall see how that plays out.
Tuesday 12th April 2016:
My second day on Huel was a little bit different to my first, mainly due to the fact that I've had two meals of Huel today and I've been super busy doing different things across the city, walking between places and having to squeeze two gym sessions to fit in, one weighted, the other sprints. My first Huel was consumed at 11am as my second meal of the day and the second Huel was smashed in as my third meal at around 2:30pm.
Today, however was also different to yesterday in the fact that 2 hours after my first Huel I was starving and it felt as though I was running on empty for an hour or so. However, I do appreciate the fact that I am on a calorie restricted diet and therefore there are times that I'm going to be hungry, especially when you consider that I'd smashed out a heavy leg session first thing this morning.
The taste of Huel definitely isn't getting boring and I'm already finding that the more Huel I have, the thicker I prefer it. Again, I've not had any after effects of replacing solid fuel with Huel but what I have noticed is that I am a lot more energised to work during the day, which I think is probably due to the fact that I don't have to waste time thinking what I want to eat, what ingredients I have, and eventually cooking the meal.
Two days into this experiment (I guess thats what it is) I have already had a significant number of people ask me about Huel, in terms of what it is and why I'm using it. I've also had a few people say that they are thinking about using Huel but were a little bit unsure about it and that I guess is what this blog is for, to both educate people and allow people to watch me be a bit of a guinea pig.
Tomorrow, I've got one meal of Huel planned in another busy but active day.
Wednesday 13th April 2016:
Huel was used as my second meal of the day again today, which was consumed around 11am, post morning run, pre gym and it went in without a hitch yet again. Today, my Huel really filled me up and I still wasn't exactly hungry after my gym session.
What has started to become really evident to me already in the three days since I've started using Huel is how much my relationship with solid food has improved, both in terms of enjoying its taste and portion size. Historically I have always been a fast eater, I'd literally smash meals in as quick as I could. I wouldn't bother eating the last few peas on my plate if they fell off my fork because I knew I was going to be taking on another big meal on in a couple of hours time and if I went hungry between meals I could always just cook an additional sweet potato.
However, being on a calorie restricted diet and replacing some meals with Huel has improved my appreciation of solid food. This is because regardless of what anyone says there is nothing like eating a good meal. Huel is lovely, its taste is beautiful but it's not substitute for a steak or a huge omelette.
Thursday 14th April 2016:
Over half way through my first week on Huel and I'm feeling good, I'm sleeping well, I'm training well and I'm working well. Today, Huel was back to being consumed after my morning gym session around 11am and it was much needed after a pretty grim leg session.
After around 3 hours of consuming Huel today I did start to feel hungry, but as I said on Tuesday my diet involves eating every three hours so that really isn't too much of a problem for me. I'm already beginning to get curious about other things I could possibly do with Huel such as using it to make cookies, pancakes etc. but in all honesty I don't think I'm a good enough chef to do that.
Friday tomorrow and then into the weekend, the end of the week where I'm really interested to see how Huel works as I'm heading home, back to mom and dads, which means I'll have less control over meal times and have to Huel more for convenience than as a planned meal replacement like I've been doing during the week.
Joey G
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