@Vangelista
I'm a late-30s low-carb poster child (went from 220 to my goal weight of 150 and have kept it off about 4 years), omnivorous but involved romantically with a lifelong vegetarian with the metabolism of a hummingbird. Personally, I don't care if the food's got meat in it or not anymore, as long as it's good! You could call me a real hedonist when it comes to food--I eat more healthily now than I ever have, but it's worth the eating now. I'm more sensible-carb and everything-in-moderation now than low-carb, but I've kept the love of "food that's worth eating" that low-carb gave me. My pet peeve: people who say airily "oh I could never give up bread." You know what? You'd give it up in a heartbeat if you were staring down the double barrels of diabetes and daily insulin shots. Another one: people who think they hate an entire category of food. I'm not wild about fish, but if a five-star chef set a plate of it in front of me, I'd at least try it! "At least try it" became a mantra for me years ago. If you hate something, maybe you've just never had it made well. Be open to possibilities.