How do you eat like a "normal" person?

(21M 5'10 168lbs. Gym/Lifting 30minx5days/wk. Desk job otherwise)

One of the things I've realized recently, is that I've never eaten like a "normal" person.

For most of my life, I was severely overweight. Hit 200lbs in 6th grade, kept creeping up all of my life. Had a weight loss kick in high school where I did 270->220, but gained it back. I spent a lot of that "blind" eating, where I just kinda just ate until I was full, and didn't care what was in front of me.

For the past 2 years, I've been eating at a deficit. The beginning was easy. I started at 285, so I could eat like 2,000-2,500 calories a day, which was super easy to meet. Some simple substitutions. Chicken for burger. Fish for steak. Whatever, I could still eat 'well' for the calories I had budgeted.

As I've gotten closer to my goal weight, which is right around 160, I've been struggling a lot more. My intake is right around 1,500 calories, and it feels like I've been overthinking everything. Can I really have creamer in my coffee? Can I really add some nuts to my morning oatmeal? I've spent way too much time debating like 30 calorie differences than I'd like to admit.

Here recently, I've started to go to the gym on lunch 5 days a week, which has required me to up my protein intake. This is where I'm struggling. Right now, my 'lunch' is a protein shake I drink before I go to the gym, then two ProteinOne bars that I have during breaks (runs about 335 calories). It works, it gives me protein, but I don't want whey protein to be a significant portion of my diet. Really, I think having so much "fake" food is really starting to bug my stomach.

It seems like I went from one extreme to the other; gorging myself to feeling like I can barely eat anything. I think I'm going to wean off my deficit a bit starting this week, and focus more on a 'recomp' diet.

So, my question is, how do I eat like a normal person?

Even more "natural" protein bars would make me feel better. Something that's a good source of protein, but one that's not mostly whey. However, those run about double compared to what I'm eating now, and don't have as much protein. Even homemade recipes have me going "How am I supposed to eat something called a 'snack' that's almost 1/5 of what I'm supposed to eat a day?" People also praise like nuts and other foods as being "high in protein", but they're still like almost 200 calories a serving.

How do people even eat snacks? How do people eat like most of the stuff I see at the store? 99% of the time I look at something that seems healthy and looks good and I'm like "oh this is 200 calories and I can't eat this?"

I guess I'm more looking for advice on how to move to a maintenance diet, coming from a place where I have to have to always choose the lowest-calorie option available. I'm looking for something that is more nutritious, and sustainable.

Right now, my day pretty much looks like this:

Breakfast

• 1/2 cup oatmeal (sometimes some nuts, dried dates, or pumpkin puree if I'm feeling it)

• Break-free eggs

• (Swap eggs for the following if I have it): Breakfast wrap containing Low Carb Tortillas, Break-Free Eggs, 1.5oz chicken, and whatever vegetables I have

• Total: ~250 - 350

Lunch

• Protein shake

• 2x Protein One bars

• Total: 335, does not change

Dinner

• Whatever my family has, which will change when I move in a few months

I guess I'm not really looking for like a single solution diet, but some advice for moving to a more sustainable/healthy diet.

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