starting keto...maybe?

With your apprehension, it sounds like keto may not be sustainable for you long term. How about starting off by going low carb (around the 100 gm)? That way you can still enjoy your fruit and if all goes well you could gradually reduce those carbs even further if that is the way you want to go.

Remember that weight loss is eating at a deficit and how people go about achieving that is very individual. What is great for some won't be for others.

I think the most important aspect of dieting is to diet in a way that's comfortable and you feel good about. That gives you the best odds of staying on plan after the first month or two, when it starts to get tedious and you'll really need it to fit with your food preferences and cravings. NOBODY gives up basic staples they love for 6 months or a year or two years, so if you have a long diet ahead, it has to fit like a glove with your food preferences.

You already have a lot of reservations about keto and haven't even started yet. Maybe it isn't the right approach for you.

Everything else is just a minor footnote to that. But here's a couple of footnotes. You can't damage your metabolism. The initial weight loss from keto is water loss due to lack of carbs (which cause water retention), and it'll come rocketing back when you go off keto - but it's just water so it doesn't matter. You will probably be short tempered when you stare at your 20th consecutive day of not having all the great things you love, including sugar, fruit, along with bread/rice/pasta. Keto requires you to give up a lot of pleasurable foods and offers nothing in return besides some initial water loss. Some people thrive on it because restrictive/elimination diets always work for a percentage of people, but it doesn't sound like you'll be one of those people.

The biggest key to long term success is following a diet that you are comfortable with. But also keep in mind that can change throughout your lifetime. Outside of the restored water weight (maybe 5-7 lbs). The reason most people regain the weight when they come off is because they over compensate and go eat all the forbidden high calorie junk foods they weren't eating before.

Next, Ketogenic won't screw up your metabolism. Third, your body doesn't detox sugars. It does reduce carbohydrate utilization and move towards utilizating ketones for a fuel source (exception is red blood cells and your central nervous system which require glucose). If you feel fatigued or have headaches, its from electrolyte depletion, which means you need higher amounts of sodium/salt, potassium and magnesium. You can mitigate that by salting foods and eating adequate levels of dark leafy greens and avocados.

Forth, you can eat some fruit. I regularly consume blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.. sometimes blueberries. I do eat avocado 4-5x a week. I do tend to eat at the higher end of the spectrum for keto (40-50g) but i am male and active. If you are short and sedentary, than you will probably require less carbs.

Now, the bigger question is, do you need to be in ketosis? No. In fact, I don't track if i am or not. But i do notice, the lower my carbs, the more full i get and the longer i can go between meals. I also tend to eat on the higher end of the spectrum for protein. I eat 1g per lb of weight. This is 30-35% protein. So my fats are more like 50-55%.

By doing this, i have been pretty consistently losing weight. I do have periodic carb refeeds (like today if you want to look st my diary). This is for lifting performance and sanity. Since i am leaner, i tend to do this every 2-3 weeks. Since i don't have a metabolic disorder that requires glucose management, this works. Note: a real refeed is very high carb, very low fat and isn't the same as a cheat meal or cheat day (wouldn't suggest a cheat day).

In the end, you can start by lowering carbs and eventually going down to Ketogenic levels. If you don't care about being in ketosis, then don't stress. What's really important is developing long term habits (i.e., eating more whole nutrient dense foods and exercising) that will carry over even if you aren't one a Ketogenic or low carb diet.

If you need tips for starting, i would recommend Thomas Delauer. While some of his content is stretching and clickbait, the majority is well meaning (more whole foods, higher protein, more fish, cooking in quality oils, etc...).

Other tips: do not do fat bombs or consistently make keto desserts. They are ok for occasions (bday parties, etc...), but they are also highly caloric.