7 things I learned after 7 months with Huel.
Last year I began to recognize two problems in my life around how I eat lunch at work:
- Because I’m not disciplined enough to pack lunches, I tend to eat out a lot (and that’s expensive).
- Being raised by a frugal mother, I always finish my plate (which by today’s restaurant portions means that I’m overeating).
I did not feel good either. Glut. Lack of appetite. Low energy. I made two Huel purchases over two months (4 bags total) and committed to replacing my work lunches with Huel. I still kept to my normal breakfast routine and dinner with family.
Here’s what I learned…
1. My body got used to it pretty quickly.
I read several reviews of folks who said it took a while for their bodies to accept this drink as a solid meal. I admit, the first cup of Huel feels weird, meaning I wasn’t sure if my stomach felt satisfied with a big milkshake-like drink instead of solid food. The second meal for me the next day felt less weird. The third was enjoyable. After about a week, I started looking forward to it.
2. Is it much easier and faster than buying lunch.
I like the fact that I don’t have to think about lunch any more. When I’m hungry I can walk right to the work kitchenette area, fill my cup with water, drop 3 scoops of Huel in, shake and then drink my lunch with minimal interruption to my work. After I’m done, I would do a quick light wash and rinse, and it’d be clean and ready the next day.
3. I’m saving money, but not as much as I thought I would.
The cost of a 3-scoop Huel lunch is $2.12. This aligns well with the first problem I’m solving for here. The actual numbers for me aren’t as compelling.
I calculated all my lunch spend at work. The meals in my company cafeteria tend to be about $1–2 less expensive than eating out so I calculated them separately.
While there is a dip in overall spending through the spring/summer following my Huel purchase, I had to account for vacations I took over summer. When I averaged out what I spent per day on meals at work, the savings was fairly negligible.
4. I appreciate prepared food more.
There’s something very basic about Huel. I’m not drinking it to get a gourmet meal. It does have an enjoyable taste. I tried some of Huel’s flavor packets and didn’t quite like them. I found just getting the basic Huel Vanilla powder was perfect for me. (Admittedly, it does look gross but I find it has an enjoyable taste.) For me, however, it’s entirely function over form. The unintentional side effect is it made prepared food even more enjoyable. I didn’t feel that glut of a large lunch, so not only was I more hungry at dinner but prepared food was that much more flavorful and enjoyable.
5. It’s not about weight loss.
For me it’s about portion control, convenience and energy. If weight loss is my goal, I exercise. I commonly get asked if I lost any weight by replacing lunch with Huel, and for me the answer is no.
6. After about 8 weeks, the boredom set in.
I underestimated the long-term effects of drinking the same fairly bland thing day after day. Granted, Huel does a good job of suggesting ways to spruce up your drink with varying recipes. Doing this would have overcomplicated Huel for me. The speed and simplicity at which I could drink Huel instead of prepare or buy lunch is one of the primary reasons I like it. That said, it became increasingly difficult to resist the desire to get some variety in my lunch diet. I do love me a good burrito.
7. Food is social
This is something that I knew, but perhaps didn’t quite appreciate enough when I started on Huel. We’re all very busy at work these days and lunch is sometimes the only time we get to connect with co-workers. For a few weeks I would bring my Huel to lunch with co-workers and inevitably answer the same questions (1st question was always, “Are you losing weight?” The 2nd was always, “Do you miss real food?”) Over time I recognized this strange non-meal-like item was impeding good conversation flow and connection from happening, so I started buying lunch when invited to join co-workers, which in my work happens a lot.
Conclusion:
I don’t regret my Huel purchase in the least but in the end, it served to solve only one of the two core problems I wanted it to solve for: the portion control, convenience and energy. The savings didn’t work out as I’d hoped, but may have if I fully committed to it and gave up all prepared food for lunch. For me, given the value of prepared food lunch in terms of social interaction and variety, this is unrealistic.
All that said, I have and will continue to recommend Huel for those looking to simplify their diet or take greater control of their eating habits.
If you try it, here a quick tip on how to Huel better:
Leave the bag at work. Fill up at a water station and then put your 3 scoops in. If you put the powder in the cup at home and add water later, it doesn’t mix properly. For a while I was portioning 3 scoops into little sandwich bags at home which was messy and wasteful.
(If you don’t know what Huel is, here’s their website. If you’re going to try it, use this referral link for $10 off.)
