Caffeine is mandatory preworkout. You can keep it as simple as a few cups of coffee or a 200mg caffeine pill, or you can go out a spend $60 on something like NO Explode. Another good one is Ultimate Orange. It's got a ton of stimulants (including caffeine) plus a little carb and some aminos. It's very pricey at $40 for 15 servings, though.
As far as protein goes, you could pretty much do with out buying any kind of protein supp. If you only need 125-175 grams per day, then you can easily get that from whole foods. Eat stuff like eggs, skinless chicken breast, fat free low carb yogurt, fat free cottage cheese, lean beef, shrimp, tuna, salmon, lean turkey and even lean pork is okay. You don't need to waste money at GNC on shakes.
As for carbs eat old fashioned oatmeal (add splenda and cinnimon to taste), whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, and whole grain pastas. Always include some of the protein foods in every meal to keep the carbs from digesting too quickly and causing an insulin spike (which sets the gears of fat storage in motion). The exception to this rule is post workout, if you're a bodybuilder. Other wise just stick to the basics.
Builld your meals around the protein foods. Begin each day with your heavy carb meals and taper carb intake as the day progresses. Eat as many green veggies as you can. Eat fruits sparingly (lots of sugar). Go for 4-6 meals a day. Cut back on portion size to cut calories. Good luck.
