Welcome, friend, so glad you're here now! As far as shopping, I have decided not to buy those low-carb bars anymore, and sugar free chocolate only occasionally. (They are on sale at Rite Aid right now, 2 for $3.00 for the Russel Stover chocolates!) I buy them, but forget they are there, and so I don't eat them much. Plus, they are kind of hard on the digestion:-( The one thing I do buy now is Diet Coke (sweetened with Splenda, you can find it at Winco.) I only allow myself one can per day, however, because I find that the sodium makes me retain water, and so I have to drink even more water! I already have a hard time trying to get 100 ounces of water in as it is. So one a day for me;-)

I have started baking bread with flax seed meal. It's great to throw tuna or egg salad on. I have also learned a few new ways to make eggs, and we go through a lot of those! I bake with eggs a lot now, and use them in sugar free desserts. I have been buying a lot more veggies, especially salad green, cream and half and half, real butter, and Splenda, so those things are new to my shopping list (and more expensive than the counter parts I used to use.) However, I think I am actually eating less and have needed less groceries, so I guess it's a wash;-) Our bill has stayed about the same, actually.

I think if you search through the recipes and make some convenience foods ahead of time, you will find that you don't need the shakes and bars at all. I have pumpkin-flax seed muffins in the freezer that are great with cream cheese or butter! Yum! I have also started eating string cheese for a snack, because it's so darn handy;-)