~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

[mitzimarie]

Hello, Everyone...

I am starting Rung 2 this week. I have some Blue Bunny low-carb yogurt that is 5 carb grams per serving that I ate my first time around on Atkins and I found some Fage Total greek yogurt yesterday that I will try.

I was just wondering if any of you "pros" out there have any advice or suggestions about Rung 2? What was your favorite addition, and what, if any, things "tripped you up?"

Thanks!

[Alexa]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Someone very wise (I think it was Elizellen) said don't try to have the full induction cheese allowance plus 5g net carbs worth of cheese. I think this is a good point. I limit myself to 4oz cheddar.

I would say greek yogurt is the best thing ever! Great with cocoa powder for mousse without the need for splenda. Great with berries (when you get there). Good in a smoothie with cream, berries (ditto) and tofu.

Enjoy rung 2

[skinnymom!]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

I have NEVER eaten cottage cheese in my life, but I tried it and like it! Course I eat it with 1 packet of splenda mixed in and 1/2 cup slice strawberries. I don't think I could eat it plain without berries - would love some more ideas for cottage cheese!

[not2late]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

When you add the dairy, cut back on the Induction cheese by 1 ounce or use 1 tablespoon less added fat (mayo, salad dressing, etc.) Rung 2 is when you have to start balancing the fat. That is, you have to make sure you aren't eating too much added fat. So when you eat your Dairy rung food, but back on the added fat from the rest of your menu. A common mistake for OWLers is to eat the same amount of added fat on top of the Dairy food or the Nut/Seed food. During OWL, your fat percentage should slightly lower and it only takes about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of added fat to lower it 'slightly'.

Take your time during the DAiry Rung. I found that I could only eat 1 brand of Ricotta cheese because the others messed up my losses.

I have the tendency to use the Rung foods as ingredients in my dishes rather than as the focal point of a meal.

[gonnabskinny]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Megs makes a good point about watching the fat. Blue Bunny is a good choice because it is lower in fat. I love the Fage Total yogurt, but in the future will probably switch to the lower fat version to bring the fat grams down. Also, I switched from 4% on the cottage cheese to 2% on the cottage cheese and that helped.

[ValidRouge]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

i noticed, too, that the lower fat cottage cheese and fage yogurt, are only 1 or 2 grams higher in carb than the full fat versions AND half the calories.

[not2late]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

I eat the full fat versions of those foods, because the lower fat version contain additives to make them lower fat. And I just forego a tablespoon of another added fat during the day or forego an ounce of Induction cheese. This prevents me from overeating.

[Kawispice]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

On rung two, where I am right now, I added some aged cheese (like Jarlsberg) and cottage cheese and subtracted some eggs (I have been eating too many). I still have to watch my total carbs like a hawk because I am highly resistant to losing weight and I still keep to the approximate 1200 cal per day. I am still never hungry.

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

When you add the dairy, cut back on the Induction cheese by 1 ounce or use 1 tablespoon less added fat (mayo, salad dressing, etc.) Rung 2 is when you have to start balancing the fat. That is, you have to make sure you aren't eating too much added fat. So when you eat your Dairy rung food, cut back on the added fat from the rest of your menu. A common mistake for OWLers is to eat the same amount of added fat on top of the Dairy food or the Nut/Seed food. During OWL, your fat percentage should slightly lower and it only takes about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of added fat to lower it 'slightly'.

Yes, I need to watch this. I have stayed at Rung 1 for 6 weeks to try every possible veggie and to find my CCLL. At my current level of activity, it looks like it is about 35 or maybe a little higher. (I hope to increase my activity) Even on Rung 1, I found that I need to look for some protien sources that don't have a lot of fat because I was having trouble keeping my protien up to 30%... I had a little too much fat. It just seems that a lot of foods that I eat that contain protien also have fat. I really don't like chicken very much and have never been a fish eater, but I am going to try to eat more fish because I really, really burned myself out on chicken and only like it in my Greek salads. I do really love shrimp and it is readily available since I live near the Gulf Coast, but I don't do it often because of the pain of prepping. I need to get over that!

Take your time during the DAiry Rung. I found that I could only eat 1 brand of Ricotta cheese because the others messed up my losses.

I am very glad that you brought this up! In the OWL Stickies, I understand that you can add in the new food group 3 times during the week, and the example they gave was something like this: On Monday, add 5 carbs of low carb yogurt; on Wednesday, add 5 carbs cottage cheese; on Friday add 5 carbs low carb milk. While that may work for many, I am thinking that since I have no problem with the notion of staying on Rung 2 for more than 2 weeks, that I will add each particular food 3 times during the week to make sure that I can tolerate it. I am afraid that if I add 3 different foods, even though they were all from the same rung, in a single week that I would not be able to distinguish which of the foods was giving me trouble if I stopped loosing. I would imagine that which foods each of us can tolerate are very specific to each person.

I have the tendency to use the Rung foods as ingredients in my dishes rather than as the focal point of a meal.

This is a great point and I really loved the way you described OWL in one of the stickies - the analogy about how the induction menu is your dress and the rung foods are your accessories. Really cute way to put it!

Thanks again, Megs... I am sure I will be calling on you again.

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Someone very wise (I think it was Elizellen) said don't try to have the full induction cheese allowance plus 5g net carbs worth of cheese. I think this is a good point. I limit myself to 4oz cheddar.

Yep, I don't plan on adding any more cheese, either.

I would say greek yogurt is the best thing ever! Great with cocoa powder for mousse without the need for splenda.

OK!! That definitely sounds great and I will try it!

By the way, I've been meaning to tell you how cute your picture is in your siggie... Well done!

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

I have NEVER eaten cottage cheese in my life, but I tried it and like it!

I have my fingers sooo crossed that I will like it!

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Megs makes a good point about watching the fat. Blue Bunny is a good choice because it is lower in fat. I love the Fage Total yogurt, but in the future will probably switch to the lower fat version to bring the fat grams down. Also, I switched from 4% on the cottage cheese to 2% on the cottage cheese and that helped.

Back when I did Atkins the first time around, there were tons of low carb yogurts on the market, and they pretty much all were disgusting. I could tolerate the Blue Bunny in the vanilla only. There aren't near as many different brands out there now, but I was able to find the vanilla Blue Bunny. And yeah, the fat content on the Fage Total yogurt made me gasp. They also had the 2% and the non-fat variety, but I went ahead and got 1 container of the full fat variety. I'll taste it and think more about which I will buy in the future.

[not2late]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Dietary fat is your friend on Atkins.

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Dietary fat is your friend on Atkins.

YAY!! It really is what has saved me.

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Hello,

Today marks the completion of 7 days on Rung 2 for me. I ate Fage Yogurt on Monday and Friday and Blue Bunny low carb yogurt on Wednesday. Today was weigh day, and I had no change. I am considering that a success since I didn't gain any. I stepped up exercise this week and didn't drink near enough water yesterday, so I am not surprised that I didn't show a loss. I do feel thinner, though.

I am going to spend another week on Rung 2 so that I can introduce cottage cheese. I'm glad Skinnymom told us about the chocolate and Splenda idea, because I was skeptical whether I could handle it without fruit. Now, I know that I can.

Also, in one of my earlier posts in this thread, we were talking about the high fat content in the Fage Yogurt versus the low content in Blue Bunny and the 2% Fage Yogurt. I discovered something interesting when I entered my totals into Fitday. Percentage wise, there was very little difference between the 2 products - only 1% difference in the fat. The biggest difference between them for me was the number of calories. Sometimes, that is what I need to watch. So, since the percentages aren't the critical factor in this case, I am going to have both products on hand. If I can afford, or may need, the extra calories, I will go full fat Fage. If I need to limit my calories on a certain day, I will opt for Blue Bunny. The Blue Bunny is a lot cheaper, so I am glad that I like it, too.

Talk to you later