Got some keto stix, stopped eating bread and drinking sugary drinks, and 15 lbs flew off pretty quickly, maybe 3 weeks.
Great to hear, and yes, this is pretty typical of individuals whose bodies are accustomed to high carb loads, who then dramatically reduce the carbs.
Since then, I've been stuck around 190. I want to get down to about 175, but can't seem to get there. I know nothing about macros and all that, and I don't see myself tracking everything I eat.
It is entirely understandable that trying to learn about macros from what may be close to ground zero might seem daunting. However, arming yourself with a basic understanding of the foods you eat - and what is in them - is perhaps the single most important thing you can do for your health. Think about it - a general wouldn't send an army into battle without intelligence, why should you expect to wage war on unwanted body fat without the proper intel? It's really no different.
The simplest possible approach to "tracking macros" is to eat one gram of protein for every 1 gram of fat, and keep carbs below 20g a day. This doesn't require complex math or even calorie tracking: just look at the labels, and make sure grams of protein = grams of fat. If you want a tool to help you track macros and recipes, check out The Keto Diet App. We have no relation to them, but they are quite popular.
I still eat a lot of fast food, especially for lunch, but I do avoid the bread - lots of salads, taco bell chicken tacos without the wrap, etc.
Honestly, this is probably your biggest problem. Processed foods and those made in restaurants tend to have TONS of hidden carbs, even when you go without the wrap or the bun. They often add in sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, even when the food doesn't taste sweet.
Anyway, I have not been exercising because when I do I get ravenous and will eat anything in the middle of the night.
While we would always condone exercise as part of any healthy lifestyle, everything starts with your diet. Fix this first, then work on the exercise. Even Schwarzenegger said his success was "two-thirds in the kitchen, 1-third in the gym." And he spent up to SIX HOURS a day in the gym.
Any tips or tricks I can do to break on through to the other side? I do plan on re-introducing a more normal diet once I get to every I want to be weight wise, but I'm willing to stay the course until I get there.
Honestly - and hopefully you will appreciate our honesty here - it sounds like you need to get into a rhythm where you are actually sticking to a truly ketogenic diet. This is the hardest part of any diet - actually following it. Success is a product of adherence, effectiveness, and efficiency - in that order. It is very hard to actually adhere to a keto diet if you continue to eat fast foods. It just is. The good news is, this does not mean you have to sacrifice flavor or fullness. It's quite the opposite - especially if you like greasy foods like bacon!
Edit: one other thing I'm concerned about is cholesterol - I can't believe I just wrote that, it makes me feel so old... but the last time I had it checked it was pretty bad. Like, awful. I know that fat is a big part of the keto, but at times I'm wondering if I'm clogging the shit out of my arteries by half assing my diet sometimes.
Yes, you absolutely should be concerned about your cholesterol - and this is a great question. Unfortunately, the myth that dietary cholesterol - such as is found in meats - causes high cholesterol levels has been around for far too long. Fortunately, the truth is starting to become more widely available:
On the other hand, Diets high in carbs and sugars cause significant increases in bad cholesterol, and cause triple the rate of heart disease..
It is no wonder that TIME Magazine came out last year with a front page article on "Why you should eat more butter."
Hope this helped - good luck!