The 37-year-old Kailua mother of two had put on weight during her pregnancies. Last year, she decided it was time to take it off. After some research, she chose the old-turned-new Atkins diet: a regimen of high-protein, low-carbohydrate and sugarless foods.

Hawai'i businesses are counting on consumers such as Sousa to fuel sales of their expanding line of low-carb products.

Nationally, about 32 million people are on low-carb diets, according to a Harris poll cited by Atkins Nutritionals. Consumers are increasingly bypassing high-carb products to load up on protein and vegetables.

Even with the first U.S. mad cow disease case dampening beef sales, Atkins dieters aren't letting up. "It's almost like a religious sect," said Collette Heimowitz, Atkins vice president of education and research. "They become real zealots."

The revival of interest in low-carb diets is a concern to Dr. Terry Shintani, director of integrative medicine at Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and author of several books, including "The Good Carbohydrate Revolution." He has a line of menu items at Zippy's.

"The biggest mistake is people think all carbs are bad for you," Shintani said. "There's no truth to that."

Atkins is a short-term solution to weight problems, he said. But if people want to stay healthy for the long run, they can't keep eating high-fat and high-protein foods. Such a diet increases calcium loss and the risk of cancer, Shintani said.

Nevertheless, businesses in Hawai'i are pushing through with plans to meet the low-carb demand — and to counter the drift away from carbohydrates.

Love's Bakery is set to introduce a whole-grain bread called Roman Mean Carb Aware as early as March, said Kevin Takaesu, vice president of sales. He believes it would be the first low-carb bread to be distributed widely in the Islands and should be carried by all major markets.

Times Supermarkets introduced its new "low-carb" section several months ago at two of its supermarkets and is planning to expand that to at least one more location, said Times President Roger Godfrey.

"There's a steady movement (of product) off the shelves," he said. "We were confident there was a market for it."

Foodland plans to add to its low-carb offerings as well and is planning to introduce a low-carb cereal and Breyers low-carb ice cream bars this month.

"Because of customer requests for low-carb products, we are looking into bringing more low-carb items in the New Year," said Foodland spokeswoman Sheryl Toda.

So far, there hasn't been a discernible impact on bread sales, the supermarkets and Love's Bakery said. But it could come, if Hawai'i follows Mainland trends.

Nelson Okumura, president of distributor V.I.P. Food Service in Maui, said bread sales have remained steady. But bakeries on the Mainland, where adoption of low-carb diets came earlier, are seeing sales declines, he said.

Restaurants and fast-food outlets are cashing in on the trend as well. Two weeks ago, TGI Friday's in Waikiki and on Ward Avenue began carrying an eight-item Atkins menu.

"It's been going over quite well," said Denise Lindo, general manager of the Waikiki location. "People on the diet are extremely excited about it."

Subway recently rolled out a low-carb tortilla sandwich at its shops, and in mid-January, Carl's Jr. in Hawai'i will start selling a "Low Carb Six Dollar Burger" — patties wrapped in lettuce instead of hamburger buns.

In October, L&L Drive Inn unveiled its Atkins plate after some customers asked to leave out the rice and mac salad from its signature lunch plates. In late November, Miller Brewing Co. marketed its lite beer as a low-carb drink for the first time in Hawai'i, said Sommer Meyer, state sales manager.

This holiday season, Mauna Loa promoted a list of its top 10 low-carb holiday snacks, which included dry roasted mac nuts, an antipasto platter and avocado dip.

Hawai'i also has its first low-carb store — Paradise Foods in Kailua, which opened right after Thanksgiving. Co-owner Hedy Muth said she and her husband were inspired to open the store after running into difficulty finding low-carb items.

She would find items she liked on the Internet, but was daunted by the $20 to $30 shipping cost for perishable food. Muth is on a modified Atkins diet after her mother was diagnosed with diabetes. The former vegetarian still doesn't eat red meat and poultry, but she wanted to cut back on carbs.

Her store carries pastas, cake mixes, ice cream, bread and even a mashed potato substitute. But when asked whether one could make a low-carb Spam musubi that still tasted basically the same, Muth laughed.

"You can't," she said. "There's no rice substitute yet."

These days, the five-foot-10-inch Sousa is a much slimmer 160 pounds after giving up bread, rice, pasta and sweets. She is happy to slip into size 9 clothes; she used to fit into an 18.

"It was nice to give away all my fat clothes," the massage therapy student said. Her least favorite was a size 18 jeans with an elastic waist band, she said.

"It was so big you could probably fit my two kids in it."