Hi Atlee:

I hear ya! Nope, you aren't whining and groaning. I went through the same thing when I was increasing carbs. It just didn't seem like I could increase them that much. I'm afraid to eat too much fruit b/c I used fruit to replace my sugar addiction in the past. Then grains are very high in carbs and they induce sugar cravings. It left veggies and nuts.

I don't really understand why your cottage cheese and strawberries were removed. I'm with you on that. Go back to what you enjoy eating.

I'm not convinced that eating protein bars is such a healthy way of eating (I'm from the "whole foods" school), but I also realize that they are a convenient food for many. Problem is that you have to choose between sugar or sugar alcohols. Which is worse? I haven't decided yet, they both cause me grief. If you don't want to eat grains, then have you tried adding some starchy veggies like carrots, corn, squash, yams, or even potato skins. What about black soy beans? Do you hate all grains like barley and oats?

You might find Atkins For Life helpful for increasing your carbs. He has menu plans for 75 ECCs which will give you a great starting point. He takes glycemic index and glycemic load into account when increasing carbs.

For that matter, Schwarzbein might also be a great plan for you to look at for the same reasons. However, she does recommend grains (and her daily counts are total carbs, not net carbs).

Not sure if any of this helps since you probably already know this. But I just wanted to acknowledge that it certainly is hard to break away from a comfortable eating pattern.

Hopefully you start feeling better soon.