Hi Jamie - during the first 2 weeks, be sure to stick to you list of allowed foods. Even if they are low carb, there's something about staying faithfully in line with that list that does wonders for jump starting your weight loss and getting your body to switch gears faster.
I don't know about the cereals either. My standard breakfast is string cheese and decaf
Weekends are bacon, sausage, or eggs. Be warned, your tastes will change! The things I liked before, I don't want anymore and the things I didn't care for, I find myself liking more and more.
For the salad thing, I read labels constantly. For everything. It's good to educate yourself on how many carbs are in what so when you're eating out or at someone's house, you can guess pretty well how many carbs you're consuming based on the ingredients. (oh, and romaine lettuce has the lowest carb count for lettuce and spinach is incredibly low, too)