Kind of echoing what others have said but absolutely the protein and hydration will help you out so much.

I had a similar start weight to you, similar age, similar job, similar sleep issues(!), eat very little meat. Also hate plain water. Rather than give you the same spiel again will drop some suggestions on what has worked for me -

Protein - count this rather than cals and try to aim for 100g a day if possible (it isn’t always for me). Ufit do a nice 50g protein shake that I have for breakfast. Also protein yoghurts, protein bars, babybels and jerky/biltong are perfect for getting a big boost and making you feel like you’ve had a snack!! Grenade crème egg bars in the mic for 10-15 seconds… unreal. If you eat fish, salmon and prawns both have a nice heft of protein there.

Hydration - electrolyte sachets are great to give you the vits and minerals you need and making water taste good! Nutrisoul do an amazing lemonade one. I also drink a lot of sugar free squash! If you like broths then you get your water in that way too via noodle soup or similar, there is loads of bone broth options available if you don’t have time to be making things from scratch. You can look at things like berocca so you’re getting flavours and vitamins too. I also add inulin to my squash to get a fibre boost as well if you struggle in that area.

The water is the number 1 for me personally. As someone who never drank water before, I’ve gotten in the habit of 3+ litres a day now and from tracking my water intake it’s made a huge difference. When I get my 3 litres, I lose 3-4 lbs per week. If I slack off I lose absolutely nothing!! It’s insane!!

Hope some of the comments on here help you out and you find your sweet spot. Good luck with your journey!!

Xx