If waist is not going down, your still eating too much
Burning an extra 100 calories is quite a bit of work compared to just eating less
I think it's a skinny fat issue, it's like I've got a large watermelon in my gut, that's the shape my body looks. Like the one shown in the YouTube video by Scott Herman fitmess why are you skinny fat
I feel I am not getting enough protein due to me not eating much
In your first week on a real calorie deficit your water weight should drop a lot, even if you don't loose a lot of fat.
I normally drop 1-2 kg just from eating less, and holding way less water in the body.
You can't fool thermodyamnics, if your eating less than you consume you will drop fat.
If you were gaining fat eating the way you were before, then you will need to eat way less than that to drop 0.5kg a week of fat.
Let's say your TDEE is 2500 calories, and you were eating 3000 before, you need to drop to 2500 to maintain, and then to 2000 to drop 1lb of fat a week.
So -1000 each day
I myself don't eat more than 120-130 grams of protein a day, which is not a lot and I weigh over 85kg and train quite a bit in a fasted state.
I think protein is overrated unless your on steroids.
You just need to eat enough to not go catabolic
You can't out burn your stomach. Unless you go for 6 hour hikes everyday
15 mins of exercise doesn't burn much in the scheme of things