Plan advice

Your plan...

Calories at 1500 were lower than you needed at your size but I suspect something is a bit amiss with your logging by your rate of loss. 2030 isn't all high to achieve a reasonable deficit. Shorter, lighter and older than you and I lose under 2500.

Clean eating - snort!! I don't agree with vague and arbitrary definitions and definitely don't agree with food restrictions based on that. I prefer to start from what I think should include rather than what I "should" exclude.

Protein @ 195g higher than you need. That's OK unless it squeezes out space in your calorie allowance for other food which may be more useful, enjoyable or sustainable.

Exercise routine - sounds a good mix of lifting and cardio.

"Metabolism low" - have you had it tested? If not then it's unlikely yours is significantly different to the general population.

OP: The "you don't need THAT much protein" comments are always red flags to me but, in this case, I'd agree but not for the reason other commentors suggest.

You don't need "that" much protein because I see no reason for you to increase your cal intake from 1500 to 2000 at this time because you still have too much BF at 20% and should remain in a deficit to lose more.

BTW: If you're serious, a guess for your BF is insufficient. Get a DXA scan or hydro test or get measured w/calipers by someone actually qualified to take such measurements. Otherwise, you really don't know what your BF is.

I get a DXA and hydro test every 3 months and weigh myself and log all my food daily and keep track of all of the data on Excel. If you don't have the discipline to accurately monitor your progress, you are just wasting your time. Just my POV.

In any event, 1500 cal/day is a pretty extreme deficit for someone 5'10" & still weighing 200#.

I'm 5'8" and when I weighed 196, I started my wt loss at 1600 cals for a couple of months but that was not sustainable and raised it to 1800 where it stayed for 10 months during which time I both lost and maintained weight because as I lost wt & fat my TDEE also dropped.

Only recently in the past 3 months did I raise my cals up to 2100 but that appears to have been a bit too much too soon, so I have dropped it back to 1900.

Point is, that I don't think you should raise your cals to 2000 at this time. 1800 probably would be better and using macros of 40P/40C/20F (which is about what 195gP/211gC/45gF work out to on a 2030 cal diet), you would need only 180gP/180gC/40gF.

My exercise program to start with was was very similar to what you say you are going to do. 3 days doing SL or Starting Strength and 2 days of cardio. Still workout 4-5 days a week but less strenuously than before. My macros were also identical to yours and have been so for the past 15 months.

During this time, my weight dropped from 196 to 158, my BF dropped from over 20% down to 8.9%, my strength increased by about 30% across the board, my LBM remained constant which means I neither lost nor gained LBM and only lost fat, I developed a visible 6 pack and more muscle definition/tone and vascularity than I thought possible.

So, if your goals are as you say to: 1) cut, 2) maintain LBM - - you say muscle but you can't measure that-- and 3) lose fat, then just increase your cals initially to 1800, log all of your food intake and stick to your cal and macro limits (it doesn't have to be clean but it has to be w/in specs) and do the exercise program that you say you're going to do and you should achieve your goals w/in 10-12 months.

Good luck!