Welcome!
I don't go for low fat cheese. I basically, for phase 1, followed "lots of veggies, lots of protein, no sugar/bread, carbs only from beans" etc. I'm now bouncing between phase 2 and maintenance type eating, with some splurges. Yeah, I'm not real good at following rules strictly...
I started at 192 pounds, and have been slowly, with fluctuations, dropping weight. I'm down to 183 this morning. Would I lose faster if I followed it more strictly? Yeah... but life is crazy right now, and this is what's working for me.
The folks who follow closely will have better suggestions for you, my take is it's not a sin to modify this to what you need it to be.
Good luck, and welcome!!