With grain based carbs, try getting whole grain. Especially on a higher protein diet, the fiber you get from that is invaluable. And with potatoes, I’ve pretty much switched entirely to sweet potatoes. Toss them in honey and cayenne or mash them with salt and garlic, they’re delicious

These were a few of my favorites that I’ve done (recipes are in the comments) Turkey Meatloaf Firecracker Turkey Chicken Stir Fry

Those are just a few, but what’s really important is plate building. Using good carbs instead of bad and keeping them the size of your fist, using lean meats like turkey or chicken, and eating fiber rich greens. Exercise helps with weight loss but isn’t nearly as vital as people lead you to believe. If you do both diet and exercise, exercise will account for 10-15% of your loss. If you only do exercise, you don’t lose anything

So I’ve actually lost about 100 pounds since January, and I can tell you meal prepping was pivotal in making it happen. Weight loss is calories in, calories out, which I’m sure you already know. A lot of people assume that you can either exercise or change diet to create the caloric deficit, but it just doesn’t work that way. When you exercise, your appetite goes up, and if you’re not planning out your meals or simply watching/adjusting your intake, quickly burning through that deficit you genuinely worked hard to create. In some cases, exercise makes it easy to even go beyond what you were taking in the first place.

I didn’t start counting macros or anything until I was well into the whole process, what worked for me was finding a rotation of healthy, filling meals and sticking to it. The meals I prepped were my lunches and a midday snack, then breakfast and dinner were prepared the day of. I did weekly portions, but it all depends on what works for you. So long as you’re consistent, it’ll happen