carbs can be your friend if timed right. I fight the battle of the bulge in the waist also. a lot of it is just about timing. Going low carb is good if you are just trying to cut at the moment but it is best to make it a lifestyle change. I do the low carb thing from time to time and man is it miserable and when you lose control you overdo it big time. What I am trying to say is over the last year I have worked out a eating plan, not a diet, that I get proper nutriton and the right quanities of protein, carbs, and fat. I have shed a lot of weight and not been feeling like I am always depriving myself. Yes I could have done it faster if I stuck to a strict diet and been miserable, but I am not a bodybuilder and am not preparing for a show, so I had time on my side and have achieved my goals and can eat this way every day of my life. My advice is write down all your food intake and nutrition values, dont just guess or try to calculate in your head. By writing things down and having a definite plan it helped me lose 20 pounds I just could not seem to shake. I know I have said a lot more than what you ask about a protein shake, just giving you some advice. As far as the muscle milk, it does taste great and yes you need fat, but if you are trying to lean out I would look into something else. A lot of peop[le like syntha 6, but it has quite a bit of sodium in it and can cause uneasy stomach in some(me for sure) and I stay to watch sodium intake. I currently am on gaspari myofusion. taste is pretty good and 5g of carbs. I am on a 40/40/20 protein/carb/fat eating plan and alternate to 40/30/30. May not work for you, just my own eperience