Welcome back, Patrick. What ever you do, do try not to over-THINK it.

I don’t like to track stuff either. In that case, it helps to pick a “list” and use that for your absolute guide. Dr. Westman’s list is excellent. The one at the back of Gary Taubes’s Why We Get Fat is good too (I think it’s Westman’s also). Of course you can find Dr. Atkins’s original list on this site, in the stickies at the top of the Atkins thread.

If it’s on the list, you can eat it. If it’s not not. Easy, right?

The next thing is, as you’ve already discerned, patience. The Weight Creep works quite slowly, both ways.

Enjoy the journey.
Best wishes.