Status:

I find adding 1 packet of Splenda and 2 packets of stevia per glass is enough to completely counteract the saltiness without upping the calories. It ends up being extremely neutral in flavor; almost flavorless or edging slightly on the sweet side with little to no aftertaste. I'm satisfied with where it is right now, though I will do some additional tweaking:

The egg white protein is a lot better than I expected but very expensive. You could go 100% whey to reduce cost, but this would give you a slightly higher fat ratio. I find the whey doesn't agree with my stomach or skin, but egg whites = hydrogen sulfide and Splenda = nitrogen. This is a dangerous mix for those who have lives outside an extremely well ventilated room. My next iteration will probably replace the potassium citrate with potassium chloride so I can cut the sodium in half (and concurrently cut out the Splenda) while retaining adequate chloride levels. Replacing egg whites with vegetable based proteins will reduce sulfites (sulfur) but I'm still on the hunt for decent veggie proteins. Also adding phytase and probiotics may help a great deal as well.

Overview:

This is a frankenstein recipe based off a few other popular formulas, then heavily modified for the notoriously difficult 40/40/20 ratio of carbs/protein/fats to promote weight loss. Except for the carb/protein/fat ratio, I tried to make this a very balanced formula. Omega 3 and 6 are well-balanced and the majority of the DVs are between 100% and 200% with nothing above that being too crazy. Vitamin K is probably too high for people taking warfarin.

Of course, to be certain this will help you lose weight, you need to calculate your resting/basal metabolic rate. You can do that in 30 seconds right here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator

From there you can determine if you need to lower the calorie count (pretty easy to do; just reduce the corn flour and eliminate the maltodextrin) or how much exercise you'll need. To determine the number of calories you'll burn in various exercises refer to this exercise calorie calculator: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/exercise/lookup

Prep:

All ingredients can be sourced from Amazon and in smaller quantities but it'll be more expensive.

Getting the Potassium Citrate from Prescribed For Life, which offers free shipping above $50, making the 5lb package a much better deal. Unfortunately this results in 2+ years worth of potassium citrate in a single resealable bag.

Spices from My Spice Sage are sale prices, but I've noticed they are actually on "sale" more often than they are not (lengthy quarterly sales plus smaller sales in between)

Use a coffee bean or spice grinder to create powder of the flax seeds, chia seeds, soy lecithin granules, and vitamin pill. I crush the pill with a mortar and pestle first so it's not so hard on the grinder blades. This is the grinder I use: http://amzn.to/1cj7OnB

For most measurements you can convert to teaspoons/tablespoons/cups from the serving size info on each ingredient's nutrient label. For converting units, try Google's conversion calculator. For example, entering "10ml to teaspoons" instantly reveals that that 10ml equals about 2 teaspoons (proper measuring teaspoons, not place-setting teaspoons): https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/3284611?hl=en#unitconverter

For more sensitive measurements you'll need a scale. I've tried a couple now and this is the one I'm currently using: http://amzn.to/O1rGmK

To prevent intestinal upset from the phytic acid in the oat flour, you have a few options. First, you could do nothing and see if it affects you. Some have trouble with the amount of phytic acid in the oats and some don't. Oat flour is already pretty low in phytic acid, but it's also very low in phytase- the chemical that neutralizes phytic acid and unlocks the oats' nutritional potential. Soaking the oat flour under a couple inches of warm water (especially if you add apple cider vinegar to increase its acidity) for 8+ hours activates the phytase, but again there's not much of it to activate. Microwaving the oat flour for a couple minutes after soaking will also help eliminate the phytic acid. You can further promote the production of phytase by adding the probiotic lactobacilli to your soak and/or directly to the beverage. If time > money you could instead try taking a phytase supplement such as this plant-based one: http://amzn.to/N4nCRA

After blending a day's worth you'll find it to be about as thin as whole milk. This makes for fast and easy drinking but isn't very filling. Let it sit in the fridge overnight to give the soy lecithin and psyllium husk powder time to work their magic. By morning the consistency should be closer to that of a milkshake and very satisfying.

Fiber for Hunger:

This formulation is very high in soluble fiber compared to most other formulations. This should help stave off hunger and reduce blood sugar spikes. In addition to the soluble fiber, I've also used a mix of different carbs with different absorption rates to help prevent "crashing". Adding soluble fiber thickens water, which isn't pleasant, so a substantial portion is instead taken in gummy form. Besides, chewing is fun! Insoluble fiber is probably higher than listed- I've noticed in many ingredients where the fiber isn't specified as soluble or insoluble, it tends to be insoluble. There's 2.3 grams of Mystery Fiber which is likely insoluble.

Proteins:

The egg white protein might not be ideal for some people. Some don't notice the taste and others don't like it. I just started experimenting with it and I find it really mild- I can't taste it over the other ingredients. I'm basically using it to cut the whey since the egg white is lower in fat than whey.

That said, I've personally started using 100% egg whites (and sometimes the much chalkier rice protein) because whey doesn't agree with me. This makes it a lot more expensive but it's still pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things.

Choline:

About 30% of the choline is from various ingredients, while about 70% is from pure CDP-Choline powder. I noticed most are using Choline Bitartrate powder (probably for the cost) but for a bit more money CDP-Choline has less flavor/smell, is less likely to cause headaches, and acts as a nootropic on its own.