there're gonna be some necessary changes

As I've mentioned before, I'll be going full-on keto once this diet is over, and that's going to mean some drastic changes. First, no more Paris Baguette salads, which include non-keto ingredients like corn, dried cranberries, and sweet dressings. Each salad is under 250 calories a pop, but let's face it: the salads may be low-cal, but they drive up the blood sugar. Second, SlimFast (of which I still have plenty) will have to be relegated to cheat days. There's no way around this. I thought about finishing off my SlimFast by regularly drinking it on Saturdays, but that clashes with the goal of going full keto. So SlimFast, which definitely drives up the blood sugar, has to be banished to cheat days, and once it's all gone, I will order no more. That's going to be painful because, frankly, I've come to love the stuff. But when you've drunk your SlimFast down to the dregs, and you see a layer of sugar crystals dancing and sparkling at the bottom of your glass, then you know it's ultimately the Devil's brew. It's way too sugary. Ditching SlimFast will be the ticket to really lowering my blood-sugar numbers.

I'm also going to have to plan meals and shop much more carefully. Planning will also include making certain things ahead and in quantity, e.g., keto sauces like ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayo, ranch dressing, any sauces for keto versions of Chinese food, etc. My downstairs grocery sells quite a few keto-friendly items, and there's always Costco and SSG Food Mart for the other stuff—not to mention Coupang for hard-to-find ingredients. (Out of curiosity, I tried searching for Oscar Mayer bologna on Coupang the other day, but I couldn't find it after searching high and low, so I now know Coupang is not omnipotent.)

Going keto will be less about counting calories and more about counting macros (your three macronutrients are carbs, fats, and proteins). My goal, at least at the beginning, will be to keep my carb consumption under 50 grams per day, and while I won't be counting calories, I'm going to try to keep my calorie count around or under 1800-2000 calories per day.

I've already reviewed the issue of fasting several times in previous posts, so I won't repeat that information here, but fasting will be integral to the new plan, especially if, on an eating day, I manage to go a little overboard. An 18-hour intermittent fast will be a welcome correction; same goes for the 24-hour fasts three times a week.

Am excited to be entering a new phase of this lifestyle soon. I'll be curious to see how it pans out, and what will need to be tweaked along the way as I figure out my rhythm.