Protein, Protein and a Little More Protein!

When you are trying to lose weight protein becomes an important factor.  Quality protein that is.  You want to make sure you are selecting protein that is going to help you not only sustain muscle but help you burn fat. Why didn't I ever think of these things before?  Who knows? But honestly now that I do know not only have I lost a bit of weight (28 lbs and counting) but I have so much more energy than I ever had before!  It is amazing.

Right now I am following the following meal plan:

Breakfast:

1 scoop North Coast Naturals 100% Whey ISO (Vanilla) (24g protein per serving!)
1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (Silk)
1 TBSP of Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter (Buy the regular peanut butter! STAY AWAY from the natural and reduced sugar kinds, for example the natural 1TBSP is cal 90, fat 7g, carb 3g, fibre 1g, sugar 1g, protein 4g
Smooth- 90 cal, 8g fat, carb 4g, fibre 1g, 1g sugar and protein 3g, light smooth- 80 cal, 6g fat, 6g carbs, 1g fibre, 1g sugar, 3g protein.  There are more carbs in the light smooth than the regular smooth, the natural peanut butter is way too expensive for what it has, I mean it is not drastically lower in calories, fat etc so stick with the Regular smooth!)
1 or 2 handfuls of ice.

I blend the protein powder, almond milk and the peanut butter together in my blender for 2 minutes.  I then add the 1 or 2 handfuls of ice and set it on the ice crushing setting until it is blended. I then blend on high for a couple seconds.

I also have a yogurt with my breakfast protein shake, I personally like the Astro Zero Cocktail variety.

Lunch:

My protein shake again.
1 cup of Baby carrots, green beans, cucumber or sometimes an apple, sometimes I will have a piece of chicken or pork if there was some left over from the previous night (depending on how hungry I am, I have found lately that I am so full after drinking the protein shake).

Snack:
23  Almonds or 3 slices of either ham, roast beef, pastrami, or turkey (Ziggy's deli meats) rolled up with some cucumber in the centre. If there is

Dinner:
1-2 (depending on how hungry I am) 4oz pieces of Chicken, Pork, Haddock or Salmon
3 cups of Dole Classic Iceburg lettuce salad
3 TBSP Unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
1 TBSP Kraft Creamy Cucumber Salad dressing.

I find that this meal plan fills me up.  I am full and satisfied throughout the day, and the energy I have is crazy.

I use North Coast Naturals 100% Whey Isolate in Vanilla, which is a phenomenal protein powder.

I personally love this protein powder, I have mixed it in the almond milk and water and it mixes very well.  I prefer it with the almond milk because it is a creamier texture.  But it is good with water as well.
I am trying to follow a low carb food plan, right now I am limiting myself to 100g of carbs a day.  I was trying to limit myself to 50g but it was too much too soon, with everything else I was changing as well.  So once I am in the habit of limiting myself to 100g I will cut back to 50g.  I have cut out potatoes, pasta, bread and refined sugars.  I am still eating yogurt because I absolutely love yogurt so I cannot give up dairy totally.

What have you found helps when you are trying to lose weight?