hey everyone!

It's definitely not my first time losing weight but every time I try, it always seems to slow down and never get to where I want. I'm 18F

I was at 160 in the beginning, then I got around 135, but gained 20 pounds during corona so I'm now back to a very unhappy state. I've tried keto and paleo before, but keto made me extremely sick due to my acid reflux and paleo just wasn't always my favorite. Now I eat a bit more intuitively, with calorie tracking (1300 cals each day) and trying to eat fewer refined carbs and foods that trigger my acid reflux.

I've been going out for runs these past few weeks and trying to get in at least 10,000 steps a day. I'm active and all but so far I've only lost half a pound and barely noticed any weight loss, even when I eat healthily.

This isn't the first time it's been like this, though. Every time I've gone for months working out and eating relatively well, I lose a good-ish amount but then just wind up plateauing and making no progress no matter what I do. Eventually, I want to get thin enough so I can start muscle-bulking in areas that need improvement but I just don't get skinny enough. I always have a lot of stomach fat leftover and awkward love handles.

It's been like this for two years. Usually what happens is I'll do this for months and then give up once the improvement seems to go nowhere. I don't know what to do, and any advice from anyone who's been there would be great.