Perhaps you could take the energy you apply to becoming a better engineer and apply it to something unrelated that gives you variety in life and indirectly benefits your job, since it is your passion. For instance, you could set a lofty fitness goal and spend the years it may take figuring out how to get there. It would give you something else to enjoy, and improving your health would probably improve your productivity at work, too. Also, improving your health and fitness can unlock new opportunities for things you could do, so you may find new hobbies that you never would have considered before. It's also possible you could meet people outside of your line of work if you're exercising in a social setting like a spin class, etc.
Keto can be very effective if done right. The best resource on the web for it that I know of is https://www.dietdoctor.com. I'd recommend looking at that to see if perhaps you were doing something wrong with keto first. Good luck!
The answer is no for me as well, but my bigger concerns are:
1. What is the chip made of? I don't want some manufactured object with plastics etc in my body.
2. What if a better chip comes out later? Or what if you leave the company that chipped you? Even if you can have it removed, you're committing to having a scar, right?
I'm trying to be as healthy as I possibly can be. I do this with a ketogenic diet, fasting, jumping rope, stretching, and trying to get enough sleep. I also take a lot of vitamins. I did it by evaluating them one at a time.
But at some point, maybe it's too much. So I'm taking the idea of "email bankruptcy" and starting a "supplement bankrupty." So, at some point this year, I'm going to stop taking everything, see how I feel, and then reintroduce supplements again one at a time. I don't know if this is a good idea or not yet, but hopefully it's helpful, so I thought it was worth saying here.
It seems that a keto diet/lifestyle does this in a far more enjoyable way than restricting calories to such a low level. Mixing in restricting to zero calories (aka fasting) also helps. Either way I'm so happy to see people start to attack this problem with smarter food choices.
Here's one thing I've done to increase exercise in my life: I keep a jump rope in the trunk of my car, and I have a self-imposed rule that it costs 100 jumps to get into the car. I drive a few times per day, so that adds up to many small workouts!
Eat no sugars, no grains, and lots of fat. Also as far as veggies go, avoid potatoes and corn. Avoiding alcohol is best, but if you must drink, go for no-carb options like hard liquor. That's about the shortest version of it I can come up with :)
There is a massive amount of info supporting ketogenic diets and fasting. I'd recommend you look into the Keto Talk and Fasting Talk podcasts and read Jimmy Moore's books: Keto Clarity and the Complete Guide to Fasting. Also, congrats on your progress and keep it up! I dropped over 60 pounds (started at 215 lbs, now at 152 and very lean) doing what you're doing.
But ceejayoz's advice is good advice... always do your own research!
The Tri-Valley is actually quite a bit more expensive than the mid East Bay region (Hayward, Union City, San Leandro, Castro Valley). It's still cheaper than the Peninsula or South Bay, though.
Good luck finding your right balance!