In light of my recent blood test results after doing cheat days with Keto, it's time to try something new.
Game Plan for 2+ Months:
- strict Keto until I get back down to 195 lbs
- replace breakfast with healthy slow-carb snacks
- replace lunch with prepped meals from Macrobox Meals (weekdays only)
- continue with Keto Chow for dinner but switch from heavy cream to skim milk (so a little more carbs but significantly less fat)
- keep up with cardio three times per week
The Thought Process
Once I hit my goal weight (again), I can focus on maintenance. If I want to lower my cholesterol while still eating carbs, I have no choice but to get off required fat intake of the Ketogenic Diet and replace it with high protein.
I think it's the South Beach Diet takes a similar approach: strict carbs for a certain phase and then slowly introduce good carbs once you hit your target weight. I'm hoping to find a healthy balance between Keto and enjoying carbs again.
A few years ago I found some success with meal prep subscription plan from My Fit Foods...but it wasn't sustainable as it costed me about $35/day. If I continue to replace a meal or two with a meal replacement shake, I can totally afford one prepped meal per day. It works out nicely for me because there are a bunch of meal prep services around my office in OC.
Replacing breakfast with my own healthy snacks (e.g nuts and popcorn) will help me manage the me-too temptation to snack on chips when I see my coworkers grabbing chips from the kitchen.
I was originally thinking of switching back from Keto Chow to Soylent, but a friend brought up the (controversial) concern about soy content causing male boobage. Also, a bottle of Soylent includes about 30 grams of carbs, which is much higher than Keto Chow. The owner of Keto Chow suggested that I could simply switch the liquid base from heavy cream to skim milk.
Expectations
I definitely expect to gain some weight back. Hopefully no more than 10 lbs…
If my weight rebounds back up to 210+, I'll immediately change my diet, most likely back to Strict Keto.
I'll ask my doctor for another blood test in a few months so I can monitor the changes in my body.