This literally happened yesterday: I was ordering 4 lbs of beef ribeye, 4 lbs of New York steak, and 4 lbs of ground beef at Whole Foods and I caused a line to form. I felt everyone's eyes on me.

"This isn't all for you, is it miss?" The butcher asked me.

"Actually, yes. IT IS ALL FOR ME," I proudly exclaimed with no hint of sarcasm. I looked over my shoulder and gave the lovely crowd behind me a ravenous little grin, not at all apologetic.

Some looked at me with wide eyes, some with amusement. The next customer can't even bring himself to step up to the counter to order. And I know I'm being judged as I haul away my basket of goodies.

Looking back on it, I should have started roaring or something.

Nope. As I carefully stack my meat, bones and offal next to my veggies I feel pretty damn good even though I am "obese"....but I know I won't be much longer. I do, however, feel sadness when I peer into others carts of fluffy white death and packages galore. I've schooled my doctor and she doesn't say a damn word to me about my weight or way of eating anymore. My numbers are fab, I'm losing weight and my skin glows.

I mostly just get grossed out by what everyone else is buying.

The other day I was standing in line blown away because I've never noticed it before. EVERY freaking magazine in the line says "lose 50lbs" or "lose 7lbs this week following these steps." The ridiculous IRONY in it was that all of these magazine's also had cake or pie or something on the cover that gives summer cookie recipes or some thing about eatting pie to stay thin. Maybe I feel obese or even "abeast" but I definitely do not feel swindled like the majority of the cosmo and family life buying should. They probably don't even realize it.

On the otherside when I see a fat man or woman buying diet soda and all sorts of stuff with hearts on the boxes, I don't feel so bad hucking up 5 lbs of meat and the assortment of vegetables. Until the hot chick behind the counter looks at me odd. Damn.

I love sitting in the whole foods cafe area in Boulder, and me eating 3/4 lb of beef brisket with a plate of steamed veggies, and all the lanky people are eating tofu salads. BTW, not obese here, roughtly 5% bodyfat, was 16% before going Primal/Paleo.

As someone who eats Paleo and works in a grocery environment, it's pretty depressing ringing up what people buy knowing it isn't that great for them. I wish I could tell them so many things, and not just about Paleo but about health in general....

Sometimes I feel self-righteous when food shopping, but mostly, when I stop to think about it, I just feel so damn fortunate. Fortunate to have learned the truth about food, nutrition, and health. Granted, I had to learn the hard way (after doing my damnedest to do things "the right way," with lots of running, low- and no-fat foods, lots of whole grains...), but holy moly, I'm glad I learned at all. And I'm glad I learned 8 years ago, instead of 20 years from now. So I guess I'd say I feel like a beast. But more than that, I feel like a true human being -- like Homo sapiens -- WISE man. When I think of what I put myself through for so many years trying to lose weight, I consider myself so freaking lucky that I found all this. ("This" being low carb, Paleo, and WAPF, because I sort of do a mish-mash of it all.)

And this applies not just to when I'm at the regular grocery store, but also the farmer's market and health food stores. Farmer's markets (at least here in the DC area) have the most wonderful fresh produce imaginable, but they're also a bit of a minefield with baked goods. I swear, one of the markets here has more cookies, croissants, and pastries than it does vegetables! (Now, I have to admit, I'll buy some now and then b/c I have no gluten issues, but you all know what I'm getting at. And I feel like at least it's "homemade," (maybe not in my home, but not in a huge factory either), local, and I can identify everything in it -- no weird additives and stabilizers, nothing to extend the shelf-life for 43 weeks.) But still, no shortage of flour and sugar at these markets!

I probably feel even more pity for folks I see loading up on "healthy food" at places like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or the local health food chain, because those stores have "health halos" on them -- people sort of assume anything they buy there is good for them, never mind that organic, gluten-free garbage is still garbage. I see all these young women (usually underweight, imho) shopping with their little children and loading up on organic cookies, organic gummy candy, vegan brownies/bars. I want to grab them and shake them and yell, "Just get a damn steak already!"

It's so easy being in and out of the grocery store in 10-15 minutes... I feel rather smug and kinglike, but that's only because I'm equipped with the metabolism to burn all the meat I buy & eat.

I've always been grossed out by what other people get...not so much grossed out but like, the people that load up on pop/soda and 100 different types of grains(maybe if I get wheat thins and triscuits and chicken biscuits and whole grain Twinkies, I should be in good shape) never fail to confuse me.

I wonder if people feel the same way about us when we're browsing meat as we do when they're contemplating different bread and cereal...it's like dude, obvious choices here - Wonderbread and Count Chocula.

Trying to avoid the supermarket as much as possible these days. I'm lucky enough to live in an area that has fresh produce markets quite regularly and I feel bad if I don't take advantage of that. When I do go, I will admit I've started to feel a bit like 'abeast'. I've also started the habit of trolley spying, but that just tends to make me sad. Still trying to find a Paleo friend.