I just wanted to welcome you, TJ, to this really cool forum. People here will always encourage you to 'keep on keepin' on' - and who couldn't use some really great cheerleaders on this challenging journey?

It is a pain to 'get it together' - all the work involved in learning new ways to cook and shop - But like anything, it gets easier the more you do it. I'm very much still a newbie, so in no way an expert, but I have noticed that with each new day, it's becoming more natural to think "cheese" instead of "cracker" when I want a snack. And by the third or fourth grocery shopping trip, I know which brand of hotdogs have the lowest carbs - I don't have to compare all 18 brands.

And pathetic? No way, TJ, not around here where we all know what you're going through. Congratulations on being brave enough to start on this path!