I started with a blender bottle, the ones they sell in Walmart for like $8. My protein powder was lean 15 fudge flavored. I went with lean 15 because of the high nutrient content, low calorie, low sugar. Be careful of proteins that have a bunch of sugar or calories!!!!!! Lean 15 is the best I've found period!
I began a regiment of replacing dinner as this is where most weight is gained, I wouldn't eat 5 hours before I slept. Each scoop of lean 15 is 50 calories. I would use 4 scoops to start, so 200 calories. This would keep me full for 4 hours. After a week or so when the loss of a meal wouldn't kill me I dropped a scoop from my dinner. So 3 scoops 150 calories
A week later I would bump back up to 4 scoops and try replacing two meals or even add a 3rd shake with all having 3 scoops. All of this happened before Waylon told me about the weight loss competition so when it rolled around I was already in a pretty strict diet. You cannot do meal replacement quickly. It's a gradual process!
During the first week of the contest I had actually attempted replacing all meals with the shake and my first week #'s really show it.
So think of it this way, 1 shake=1 meal. 150-200 calories compared to whatever meal you'd planned on consuming. Complete food replacement with 4 shakes a day would be 800 calories. It sounds crazy, but the lean 15 really filled me up as I gradually built into it. My prize at the end of a week was whatever nasty food I wanted. Typically Papa Johns!
Water water water water water. Stop the sodas. 1 a week as a prize along with the Papa johns. During the 2nd-3rd week I decided it was time to start exercising. The middle weeks where I wasn't losing weight was because of muscle gain from the protein, And eating junks a bit more often. My legs have gotten tougher lol. The last 2 weeks of the contest I've been rock and valley climbing in California and Las Vegas and haven't eaten hardly anything. I've been so active I've forgotten to eat.
I get lean 15 fudge/chocolate flavor from Amazon for like 18 bucks. If it's all you eat it'll last 5 days. That money adds up QUICK!
Here's the link for lean 15:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007XASPWK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1428959232&sr=8-1&keywords=lean 15 fudge&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=51-cWl-BJEL&ref=plSrch
Oh! And if you decide to do this lean 15 has enough fiber In it to keep your pipes from getting clogged. Protein alone is brutal in that regard.