~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

[julirama723]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Mitzi--
I LOVED the dairy rung! I do eat a lot of dairy, probably too much, but it has not caused me problems. I usually eat cottage cheese with fruit and nuts for breakfast. Cottage cheese is a food that I had never tried before Atkins--growing up in the 80s, it seemed like EVERYBODY was eating fat-free cottage cheese and pineapple...right? But when I finally ate it, I loved it! Ricotta is good, but I've only had that a couple times. I LOVE that you can have more heavy cream--I love eating that poured over berries, or whipped up with cocoa.

I haven't found Greek yogurt anywhere near here, but I do eat Dannon Carb control yogurt--it's 3g per serving. I actually PREFER dannon whole milk plain yogurt (then I can control what goes in it) but I can never finish the tub of yogurt before it goes bad and it ends up being a waste of money.

Try new cheeses--I've found a Mexican fresh cheese that I absolutely LOVE. I havetried switching my sour cream and cottage cheese to light/low-fat to keep my percentages going in the right direction, but I really don't like the taste of these products. So I do what Megs does--I skip the fat elsewhere. I've stopped adding butter to everything.

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Mitzi--
I LOVED the dairy rung! I do eat a lot of dairy, probably too much, but it has not caused me problems. I usually eat cottage cheese with fruit and nuts for breakfast. Cottage cheese is a food that I had never tried before Atkins--growing up in the 80s, it seemed like EVERYBODY was eating fat-free cottage cheese and pineapple...right? But when I finally ate it, I loved it! Ricotta is good, but I've only had that a couple times. I LOVE that you can have more heavy cream--I love eating that poured over berries, or whipped up with cocoa.

Thank you for your response, Julie! I will be trying the cottage cheese tonight for the first time. Can you believe that I haven't used any heavy cream yet since I started almost 3 months ago? I just haven't eaten anything that needed it, so I guess I will have to treat it like a new food when I do have it - and believe me, I plan to have it once I get to fruit.
Also, I plan to give Stevia a try once I am out of the liquid Splenda. I got this 1 ounce bottle of Splenda around March 1st, and I still haven't used half of the bottle yet. It will probably be at least 3 more months until it is finished. I can't believe how far a couple of drops go. It has worked well for me, but I want to try the Stevia. At least I know that if I don't like Stevia, I can go back to the liquid Splenda.

I haven't found Greek yogurt anywhere near here, but I do eat Dannon Carb control yogurt--it's 3g per serving. I actually PREFER dannon whole milk plain yogurt (then I can control what goes in it) but I can never finish the tub of yogurt before it goes bad and it ends up being a waste of money.

Yeah, why do they only have it in those huge tubs? I never see it in the individual containers. I found my Greek Yogurt at the Whole Foods Market. I was soooo glad that they opened one of those here - that store is awesome! The Blue Bunny lowcarb yogurt that I like (and have only been able to find at Target) is 5 carbs per 6 ounce serving. Only like the vanilla, though - never been a big fan of fruit yogurts; I like to add my own fruit.

Try new cheeses--I've found a Mexican fresh cheese that I absolutely LOVE. I have tried switching my sour cream and cottage cheese to light/low-fat to keep my percentages going in the right direction, but I really don't like the taste of these products. So I do what Megs does--I skip the fat elsewhere. I've stopped adding butter to everything.

Yep, I'm going to opt for the full fat versions of these as well... I have already cut out just about all salad dressings. (Can you believe that I rarely use butter, either?) Now I rarely eat salads; just have my veggies raw or cooked.

This OWL thing can be quite complicated. Juggling percentages and calories... Am I getting too much?... Am I not getting enough? It's all good, though! I'm not in any hurry, so I plan to take my time and go through the rungs correctly. Thank heaven for you and others that we can count on.

[julirama723]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Yup, the juggling act does get easier, but it's still juggling! As of recent, I think I've been eating too much fat--too much heavy cream! So I just finished a carton of it, and I won't be opening the new one for a while.

As for salad dressings, I used to eat ranch dressing with everything, now I use this great raspberry vinagrette. Less fat and more carbs and it's awesome!

[attek]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Just wanted to chime in since your original post asked about problem foods. The dairy foods that stalled me were the ones with added ingredients. Lots of cottage cheese brands and even yogurts put pectin and other thickeners in. I buy only products which are limited to milk, cream, whey, and/or bacterial cultures as ingredients. I love dairy products!

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

I appreciate your response, Attek!

I will most definitely keep that in mind. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

OK, I just tried cottage cheese with a couple of drops of Splenda and some unsweetened cocoa... it's one of the BEST things I have ever eaten!

Thanks for the idea, Skinnymom.

[julirama723]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Mitzi, I can't wait for you to get to the berries rung, then! Most mornings, my favorite breakfast is cottage cheese with sliced strawberries and almonds. Sometimes I'll eat blueberries instead, or sometimes with sunflower seeds. THE BEST thing I've ever eaten with cottage cheese is this...

Cut up 1/2 an apple into small chunks and mix with cottage cheese. Add cinnamon and stevia (or splenda) and 1/4c. of walnuts and it tastes like apple cobbler...I swear! I bet you'd be able to replace the apple with jicama or chayote.

[skinnymom!]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

OK, I just tried cottage cheese with a couple of drops of Splenda and some unsweetened cocoa... it's one of the BEST things I have ever eaten!

Thanks for the idea, Skinnymom.

YAY! Isn't it GREAT?!?! I'm glad you like it, cuz I was worried after I posted about it. I had dh try it and he was thoroughly disgusted by it I adore it, and it really has completely cut my "need" for a dessert. I feel like I'm getting a dessert but it's 100% healthy lol!

Julie I'll have to try it with the apples once I get to the other fruits rung, I'm dying for apple. Which is very strange since before I was never much of an apple eater!

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Mitzi, I can't wait for you to get to the berries rung, then! Most mornings, my favorite breakfast is cottage cheese with sliced strawberries and almonds. Sometimes I'll eat blueberries instead, or sometimes with sunflower seeds. THE BEST thing I've ever eaten with cottage cheese is this...

Cut up 1/2 an apple into small chunks and mix with cottage cheese. Add cinnamon and stevia (or splenda) and 1/4c. of walnuts and it tastes like apple cobbler...I swear! I bet you'd be able to replace the apple with jicama or chayote.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!! Every bit of this sounds amazing... thank you so much for the ideas! You're right - the dairy rung rocks, and will be even better when I get to nuts and berries.

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Julie I'll have to try it with the apples once I get to the other fruits rung, I'm dying for apple. Which is very strange since before I was never much of an apple eater!

That's one of the things I love most about this way of eating - retraining my tastes so that I actually want and look forward to the healthy food that I couldn't care less about before.

[thirteenlbs]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

Just wanted to chime in since your original post asked about problem foods. The dairy foods that stalled me were the ones with added ingredients. Lots of cottage cheese brands and even yogurts put pectin and other thickeners in. I buy only products which are limited to milk, cream, whey, and/or bacterial cultures as ingredients. I love dairy products!

I suspect that I was affected by this very thing. I added cream on the dairy rung and GAINED weight-- even if calories were in a normal range. I recently read that some dairy is infused with hormones that cause sensitivity in some people. It was suggested to me to try organic cream to determine whether that made a difference.

I thought I'd reached my CCLL, but it might have been the dairy products I was using. I was surprised that my CCLL wasn't higher, as I've always been pretty active.

We'll see.

[usetababrickhouse]

Re: ~ Let's talk about Rung 2 ~

i know i am weird but ever since i was little i ate cottage cheese in my salads as opposed to salad dressings.