Not looking to be Arnold or run triathelons

[SlipperySlope]

Hi, I've been cruising the site for a few days now and there is so much info but most seems to be for body building.

I'm 45, male, 6ft 210lbs. I am trying only to lose body fat, gain strength and muscle tone. I'm NOT interested in "bulking up". I live in the boonies and do not have a gym nearby so I'm exercising and practicing some Martial Arts I learned long ago. I've changed my diet and am basically vegetarian. No breads, or pasta, some fish and rarely eggs. I was 245lbs in January. Here's a basic idea of my diet:
Breakfast = 1 cup rolled / steel cut oats with a little honey and almond milk. OR a yogurt, fruit and acai berry paste shake.

Lunch = 1 glass metamucil and maybe a small can of tuna or a can of soup (usually tomato or a veggie soup) or a cup of pearled Barley with a little honey and almond milk.

Dinner = a salad, brown rice, or some veggie dish-- roasted, steamed, stir fry.

This diet along with exercise has slowly dropped my weight but I'm beginning to feel like I may be loosing muscle too. I'm thinking about adding a good protein powder.

So my questions are: hows my diet for my goals and what would be a good, inexpensive protein powder? A friend told me to try this from CVS -
Body Fortress Whey Protein Powder Chocolate
32.0 OZ
2.00 LBS
$18.29

Thoughts?

 

[Typhon]

You want to drop fat and gain muscle? Sounds to me like you have exactly the same goals as a body builder, just not with the same ultimate desired physique!

If you're dropping weight and in a calorie deficit then your diet needs to be high in protein to help preserve the muscle you have already. The protein suppliment sounds like a good ideal but I'd be taking at least 3 a day unless you're prepared to add some other alternative sources of protein to your diet other than the occasional bit of fish.

I don't know much about the brand you mentioned but if you don't want to gain weight then make sure you get one with artificial sweetners as some can be heavy on sugar as well