If you aren’t weighing your food then you don’t know if you’re eating 1300 calories. You could easily be eating at maintenance or even in a calorie surplus.
Most people underestimate things like peanut butter, butter, cooking oil etc. It’s so easy to go massively over your calories while not really eating any more.
You don’t have to weigh everything forever but it can be really educational in understanding how many calories you are actually eating.
I was completely against weighing counting calories for years. I’ve never been overweight but have had to keep an eye on what I ate etc. Counting calories has been a game changer in teaching me about fibre/protein, how to eat a huge amount of food on lower calories, not being hungry etc.
Once you get used to the weighing and logging it’s super quick and easy.
I’m short and 7.5 stone and can eat around 1800/1900 calories at maintenance. Before I tracked, I thought my maintenance was much lower. It also means you don’t have to cut any food group, you just allow for it in your calories.
I now really enjoy my food as I’m not guessing and actually know what I’m eating. My portion sizes are absolutely huge too!
I feel so much better for eating the right amount of protein and fibre, loads more energy.
Scientifically, if you eat in a deficit, you will lose body fat. Better to actually know you are in a deficit rather than guessing and then getting disheartened when you don’t lose weight.