What helped for me was to just focus on consistency of activity first and foremost. Making sure I have a consistent 1hr a day fitness plan that I don't hate, and use a fitness watch to look at streaks over time so you don't want to break them. For me upper/lower splits every other day helped make sure I get enough core/legs in because I was always skipping leg day. I try to do the major compound movements and supplement with additional stuff if there is time... Pushups, pullups, squats, deadlifts. I've also been doing intervals on the exercise bike so 3 min of bike for every 7 minutes of lifting

I started to see results after a few months, but it's only recently that I've started to pay more attention to what I'm eating. I think it's good to get the consistent activity down first before you worry about cutting and calorie deficits. That way whatever you're doing, mentally you know you can do it even if you feel more physically fatigued.

I also didn't realize just how much protein I really needed, didn't see much in the way of results until I started to eat around .8g protein per pound of body weight. Chicken, salmon, low-fat Greek yogurt, egg whites, and some protein bars/shakes... I found it wasn't that hard to stay around 2000 calories and still eat 160+ g of protein.

I'm probably going to eventually get a fitness and nutrition coach because my health insurance will likely cover it, just to have additional confidence in what I'm doing.