That's the optimization problem. I find one can't always have it all. Sometimes health means have a less than delicious meal or skipping a restaurant.

When I'm on my deathbed, I'm far more likely to regret the things that I did eat opposed to the ones I didn't

I actually think this is an important part of cultivating healthy relationships with food. I needed to stop thinking about boring meals as missed opportunities for consumption.

I mean, there aren't great choices at Sonic, but it's not too hard to find a burger at most restaurants, and a steak at the ones that don't (and just don't eat the bun).

A diner breakfast of eggs and bacon or sausage will do as well. Just don't eat the starches.

I'm much less strict now than I was, because I am comfortable going into ketosis and losing a few pounds if my clothes start getting tight. But in the beginning, I aimed for 10 g of carbs, assuming that due to wrong estimates and "hidden carbs" (anything with less than 0.5 g per serving can be listed as 0 carbs) I'd still likely be under 20 and definitely under 40.

Some would say that's not a varied diet. I would argue that eating a different dessert at every meal isn't all that much variation except in taste - which is not to be laughed at, but I've always been the kind of person who would rather have more steak or hollandaise than a dessert. Poached eggs on ham, covered in hollandaise, is not exactly an ascetic diet.

Yeah, travel would be really hard. We didn't go anywhere more than a night when we were on. You would have to pack food to do it successfully, but yea keto is best when you're fixing most of your food.