hey Wendy,

I've been mulling this one over, and I honestly have to say that I couldn't think of any character or characteristics change. Then I started to type out this blurb, and some things began revealing themselves to me ...

Lowcarbing truly is my way of life; how I choose to shop, cook and eat. Grocery and restaurant choices are no more of an issue than selecting foods I like and want to eat, and requesting that foods I do NOT like or want to eat be withheld. Granted, there are still a few significant others in my life who choose to MAKE it an issue; I suspect their motivations stem more from either control (food = "love", you don't like my cooking = you don't love me) or insecurity or twinges of guilt about their own food choices (you're no fun to go out with, you never order dessert). In the first case, I love the person's cooking, I just don't like mashed potatoes. In the second, I think I'm a bloody riot to go out with, and besides, an evening out is more about the concert or show, and gabbing over coffee NOT the "Death by Chocolate" dessert.

So, to that end, I believe that lowcarbing is my CHOICE, my way of eating, and the opinions of others really don't matter any more. Truthfully, I don't feel particularly compelled to explain to people why I choose to eat the way I do; I just smile, continue eating and change the subject. If someone commented or wanted to know how come I don't put salt on my food, or why I have a rather heavy hand with the pepper mill, I'd simply say "because I like it". Same with lowcarbing. End of story, and no defensiveness either .... because my answer is truthful. Feeling the need to defend every bite that goes in one's mouth is stressful, and NOT good for the digestion.

That being said, I still LOVE Ruffles potato chips, and nachos. I always will. But I've calmed down about it. I now know that (to me) it's no longer a matter of "I can't have those ever again" or that those foods are "bad". It's now become about CHOICE. For instance, I KNOW that if I buy a bag of Ruffles, I will binge and eat the whole bag at once (they don't put as much in there as they used to .. ) and will feel wretched afterward, bloated and intestinal gas to the point of being a social outcast. Then, I know that I would move on, my very next meal and very next day would be lowcarb as usual, and I'd accept and deal with any consequences with the scale and/or tape measure. I guess this means that those foods and the desire to eat them is no longer in control of ME, I am in control of them. Right now, I CHOOSE to not eat chips, because the negative consequences outweigh my desire to eat them. Perhaps someday, I will want Ruffles more than anything in the world, so fine, buy a small bag, eat them, drink lots of water, and wear elasticized waist pants for the next two days. And don't grumble when the scales go up, and for goodness' sake, don't use one bag of chips as an excuse to abandon my lowcarb life.

Now, this next may be helpful for your business plan, not sure. That is, my shopping habits have changed. And I'm not just talking about the obvious food choices thing. I'm one of those practical folk, who plans a shopping route to include the important stops along the way. Gas prices are rising hourly, and I refuse to drive all over the city looking for lowcarb specialty items. I'll go without instead. I mostly shop at my neighbourhood NoFrills or Food Basics for the produce, eggs, tuna, chicken, froz. fish and the like, and a local butcher shop for fresh meats and additive-free dairy products. I'm very fortunate that in my city, we have an excellent natural foods store, where the ingredients are fresh (and dated, so you know how long it's been on the shelf) and handled correctly (perishable items are properly refrigerated, etc) but it's in the downtown core, where traffic and parking are a nightmare.

If there was a lowcarb specialty shop in my area, well-located (a mall springs to mind, or any place where parking is convenient) and the shop carried commonly used, basic lowcarb supplies as mentioned elsewhere (the sugar-free treats and highly processed Frankenfoods, bread mix, pasta are nice, but definitely an infrequent splurge) anyway, I would definitely become a regular patron. Doubt that I would be into the drop-in, sit and chat over coffee thing, but the idea of weekly or monthly lowcarb workshops intrigues me. In fact, if I lived in your town, I'd be offering to help you do it, and in fact Wendy, I'm never more than an email away, if I can be of any help or source of ideas for it ...

Anyway, I must stop typing now

Doreen