I've had similar results! At first when I tried monitoring my diet, I assumed that 2600 calories/day with exercise would be good enough, but I was only losing ~1lb/month. It did make it way easier for me to transition to 1.5-2k calories though, I'm not sure I could've done that from the start.

And it's definitely easier to feel satisfied off low cal food if it's nutritious - smoothies with protein powder and greens? Filling and diet friendly (esp if no milk). Water? Low cal, but you'll definitely still feel cravings.