Human Being Diet - HBD

[Rugby1971]

Hi, started phase 1 today, anyone else following the reset in 2024?

@Syan7 I went for a longish walk this morning as it's actually sunny here today, we went to the beach with the dogs and I had a black coffee at the cafe even though I bought my husband a mini egg cheesecake when I went into the shop! 😫 roll on Friday/Saturday, see how good I can be.... you're doing brilliantly, at least I don't have any kids at home to tempt me

Hey everyone, just a quick question. I know we are all at different stages with this diet but I can’t seem to kick the tiredness? I was expecting to feel more energised but I’m actually pretty hungry this evening and ready to go bed- it’s not even 9pm and I’m usually a night owl. The issue I’m having is I have 2 small kids to run around after and I’m really struggling for energy and to maintain the house. I think I’ll have to invest in some multi vitamins but was wondering if anyone else having same issue? I expected this in first 2 weeks but I’m in week 4 now and constantly exhausted. I think I’m going to have to have a herbal tea this evening just to stave off the hunger otherwise I’ll end up eating my lunch for tomorrow :/

I can relate a little bit, I’m just at the beginning of week five today and actually the last few days of this week have been the hardest. I’ve just felt a bit hungry and fed up. I don’t have really young children so I can imagine that it’s pretty hard adding that into it too. I don’t know what the answer is, but I have seen people on Instagram saying that the energy kicks in a bit later. Maybe worth asking on there.

@ItsNotEasyBeingGreens thanks for relating to my post and it’s good to know I’m not alone. Unfortunately I don’t have instagram (personal choice) and so I don’t have access to all of the support groups available. I really hope the energy does kick in. I ended up eating my lunch last night - it’s the first time I’ve broken the rules and I have to say I felt like rubbish for doing so but even climbing the stairs has been a struggle! You’d think our bodies would have adjusted to portion sizes by now? I have noticed that the only thing that really staves off the hunger is chicken. I had beef stir fry last night and the portion was so so tiny once it was cooked and I think I ate it too early. Have you been eating the dark chocolate? Or rye bread? I have 2 squares every evening but no rye. How has your weight loss been going? I really hope I’m close to target at the end of the 12 weeks because like you I’m feeling really fed up. I’m having a 4 day holiday from Friday and don’t want to fall off the wagon completely and not go back to it because I think I will struggle with first day or 2

Sorry, just catching up @Syan7 - I can see how it might be tricky not having access to the support groups on Instagram - but also totally understand the decision. I started a separate account for it and only follow HBDers on there and I'm really enjoying how the algorithm only seems to be showing me that and how much less of a scrolling depressing timesuck it is vs my normal account! That's not me trying to sell you on it, just saying that it's actually made me realise how I sort of hate scroll usually on there and it's not good for me - or my feelings about myself and my body.

Anyway! I haven't had the rye bread or chocolate yet because I know what I'm like, as soon as I introduce it I'll start having it every day, particularly the chocolate. But - I do think you should have it if you're struggling because that's why it's there. I keep trying to figure out what's the most filling thing too. I think chicken does help. I made the mistake of having chicken mince though and it seemed to cook down to nothing. Flattened chicken breast seems to go the furthest!

I’m going through stage two but can’t figure out how the community side of things works on Instagram at all, so apologies for the daft question even after reading the book- if I follow it correctly am I doomed to having a meal with any kind of sauce or dressing only one meal a week, the cheat meal?

@McLarenette in stage 3 you can make dressings out of olive oil and apple cider vinegar, plus herbs and spices/mustard powder. Or even whizzing up an avocado to make a creamy dressing. There are quite a few HBD food accounts on Instagram with great meal ideas.

On Instagram people make up specific hbd accounts so follow anyone who has hbd_their name. A good starting point would be to have a look at the authors Instagram and see who she follows, but also look at who comments on her posts and follow them. Most people will follow you back. Just ask questions and people will help.

I wasn't keen on the Instagram way of managing the community but it has grown on me now. If you have a question you can make a post and tag HBD etc and it seems you usually get a response and people are pretty nice. I log on when I'm feeling a bit fed up with it all or losing motivation and it usually gets me through!

Thanks, that’s helpful because I know it now seems obvious but I had been thinking ‘Do I just message people with the diet initials and ask them random questions or what’ and then was reflecting I’d rather eat that horrid slop suggested on phase one again than do that, I’m not very socially forward. This makes way more sense.

Anyway, I’m now a week into this thing and weirdly for me, no longer feeling anything like so hungry between meals despite eating far less.

Am thinking of doing this so posting to follow - sounds like it is really working for you all !

Hi all, I'm on P2D4. Finding it quite tough tbh. Very hungry between meals and really lacking in energy. The portions are tiny. However, I believe it works and I have some strong 'whys'. Need to lose 2 stone. Have got all my smaller clothes down today as an incentive. I'm the heaviest I've ever been 😳 (aged 57) and have put on 1.5 stone since 2021. Good luck to the other newbies. I don't really want to post my food on Instagram (time and it doesn't look very appetising), so am also finding it hard to find a place for questions. Counting the days til my treat meal 😄

@Fluffywithteeth @potkettle1 Hi Both! I’m not on instagram and there’s no support on facebook either. This is the only other platform I could find. All I can say is stick with it: the first 16 days are horrendous for good reason! Once you get through that it’s much easier. To keep you motivated I’ve lost 1st 7lbs since March 1st (& had a 4 day holiday over Easter) and still have at least 1 stone to go. My eating habits are finally changing. The portions are tiny but you get used to them to the point where eating a full plate of food on a cheat meal makes me feel uncomfortably full. The tiredness is only just starting to get better for me and I will start taking some vitamins from next week. I was getting dizziness and brain fog which is hard when you have a busy work schedule and little kids. I am getting fed up of eating single foods/proteins but in all honestly I think by the end of the 12 weeks I’ll almost be at goal weight so it’s a small sacrifice to make for such a limited period. I am really looking forward to mixing proteins and exercise in phase 4. What I will say is don’t bend the rules. I was tempted to by adding milk to tea etc but decided against it. I’ve been having dark chocolate after dinner which although getting boring satisfies my mind that I’ve earned a treat. I still miss an afternoon latte Etc but my treat meals have gone from junk food to homemade carbonara or anything with a good bit of rich sauce! Planning is also key to making it work. I stew 4 days worth of apple at a time and usually plan my meals at least 3 days in advance so I’m not starving when I get home from work and then have to cook something. It’s tough when everyone’s having a roast and I’ve got meat and veg and no pudding but honestly I think it’s a great plan and worth the sacrifice if you can stick at it. Good luck and keep going. You are going to question what the hell you’re doing for the first few weeks - it’s normal! Measure yourself as well: feeling and seeing the inches coming off is a great motivator :)

Thanks @Syan7 that's super helpful and inspiring. Well done on your weight loss, that's brilliant. Very happy to hear that it gets better in p3. And actually last night, after I posted and after dinner, I didn't feel so hungry. Small wins 😉

Thanks @Syan7 ! Really very inspiring ! The small portions are the hit km most worried about - I don’t mind not eating pudding/carbs/not very often etc…. But faced with a small plate of food does something odd to my mind! Well I figure after a few weeks in HUEL having solid food everyday will feel quite novel anyway ! Keep going and keep us posted!

glad @potkettle1 thst it got better after you ate…. Low blood sugar makes everything feel bleaker

@Fluffywithteeth a smaller plate helps!

@potkettle1 yes, I’m thinking of buying myself a really beautiful plate so it feels a bit special … after I’ve seen exactly how small the portions are!

Is almond milk ok in coffee after phases 1 and 2? My book is on the way.

Hi, she recommends black coffee and tea only and I don’t think any milks are on the food lists unless it’s within your treat meal window.

Re small portions - I get round this by finding which food gives me the most for the weight.

So fish gives you pretty large portions, as do chickpeas, veg such as tender stem broccoli and green beans, plus salads if you add in chopped celery/courgettes etc. Chopping salad stuff up into smaller sizes gives the appearance of having more on your plate.

Thanks @MissisBoote , that’s a great tip. Yes I think P3 when I can just have chopped salads will be a bit easier (not fancying salad without oil!)

You can always make a dressing with chopped herbs and acv whilst you're in phase 2.

Anither great tip, thank you @MissisBoote ! Do you feel you’ve had success with HBD? I’m finding instagram so difficult to navigate and I’d love to hear about people’s journeys

Yes I've been doing it for nine months now and I've been at my goal weight since October. I'd noticed my weight creeping up and fat settling around my stomach so didn't want to start peri-menopause overweight. I lost 9kg which puts me at the lower end of my healthy weight range which is where I want to be.

I now weigh less than I did 30 years ago. More energy, don't feel bloated. Generally much healthier. I've lost about 5 inches round my waist and my visceral fat score is excellent so I'm now a much lower risk for heart/stroke issues. Clothes fit me much better now and i find it much simpler to plan food.

I genuinely can't see me ever going back to eating how I did before. I have the odd days off but generally tend to stick to phrase 3 Monday to Thursday and then weekends are still HBD, but more relaxed with a few treats meals thrown in and alcohol. I still stick to the five hours in between meals at weekends.

So give Instagram a try as there are so many excellent recipe ideas - follow anyone with HBD in their name. Have a look through who Petronella follows and start following them too. Her weekly lives are really motivating too where she has other hbder's join her to share their journeys. They're all saved on her grid.

Ah thanks so much @MissisBoote that sounds amazing - and really well done on actually make it your lifestyle not a diet - amazing xx

That's inspiring @MissisBoote . I'm now on P2D9. Week 2 has been way easier than week 1. Much less hungry and now fitting into my jeans. Still need to lose around another 1.5 stone but feeling ok about that. I have now started an insta page but am still unsure how to get questions answered as I don't have many followers yet. Having said that, everything does seem to be in the book. As @MissisBoote says, insta is useful for recipe ideas. Good luck @Fluffywithteeth. Have you started yet?