selway: Congrats on your new motivation

As for products, I'm using the HNS I already had and I've just purchased some of the Proti Diet Pink Lemonade from Amazon. I've used it before and like it just fine.
Today I just finished my second day of running this week. I'm quasi following MRC at the moment, mostly with using the HNS, and I'm doing a 1200 calorie count on myfitness pal and running 2.5 miles every other day. So far, so good. On day three of my new plan and I'm down 3 lbs already.
I really like MRC, it's just that when I'm thinking of long-term sustainability for me I need to steer away from the "not eating carrots or tomatoes or onions". So I'm modifying my plan. Still low fat and lower carb, just staying within the 1200 calorie a day thing and upping my lean protein and having the HNS after every meal.
Living in Ireland you eat very differently than here: less preservatives, so food is fresher but doesn't last long in the fridge, and everything is more expensive. I know I was eating lots more fruit and veg, but also more bread and potatoes and real Irish butter (!). While I was there I maintained my weight despite not exercising (aside from walking to the Luas or Bus stops and walking from there to work). So this time, I'm just tweaking the MRC plan since I'm doing it on my own.
Good luck to everyone as we head into the weekend. You can do it!