Hi all, happy to have found this community, I (30F, 5'2) am new to fitness and gained a lot of weight over the past year (118 to 135!) so I'd definitely love some advice.

The pros of my current lifestyle are that I cook most of my meals, very veggie fruit heavy and heavy on healthy spices like turmeric, cumin, mustard. I do eat meat but no beef, very little pork, and at home my protein is coming mostly from beans, tofu, and eggs. I do have a penchant for pasta which I know is not great but I try to keep that very limited. I don't snack, not a stress eater either, I don't drink soda/sugar drinks, water only, alcohol only if I'm going out. And as it turns out I've accidentally been intermittent fasting? My work keeps me so busy that I usually skip breakfast and just eat a light lunch dinner

The cons of my life are poor sleep (5-6hrs), sedentary lifestyle- I have a desk job I was applying to grad school so I stopped my usual yoga, hikes, and walks which was what I used to do to stay in shape, I joined a dining group so I'm eating out a lot more lately- mostly seafood but I know, still not the best. I try to balance this by keeping my other meal light and veggie heavy (think Kale salad, okra, gourd curry).

The weight gain over the past year has been really rough. I was so focused on grad school that I didn't notice for a while and then one day I looked in the mirror and I couldn't recognize myself. I don't feel comfortable in my clothes - or my body - anymore. Plus my family has a history of diabetes so I really don't want to go down this road.

Ever since I realized I'm gaining weight at this ridiculous rate here's what I've been doing to change:

• sleep- this one is hard for me, I automatically wake up at 6hrs. But I'm making sure I go to bed on time and pushing to sleep for 6.5hrs
• exercise- I started working out at home (Caroline Girvans, Madfit ), this has been a tad inconsistent, I would say 1hr/3x a week, walking everywhere (at least half an hour a day)
• dining group- I will be very honest I have not really cut down on this one haha. It's an incredibly social event and I've made some amazing friends I really love the food and the community. I do it about 4-5x a month. I reduced the rest of my eating out (door dash, friend hang outs involving food) to compensate though, if that helps?

I'd love the community's feedback on what I can do better bc honestly I'm a bit baffled. I feel like I have some fairly healthy habits and I'm adjusting to improve but even after doing the adjustments for a month my weight just yoyos from 133-138 and my body doesn't feel toned. Just big and heavy and uncomfortable.