No gym progress after 6 months

You guys I’m so depressed I’ve never gone to the gym before except for in the past I went one month and did cardio only. Well I started back this past July and have been busting my ass for 6 months now with lifting heavy and eating nutritious food. True enough I’m vegan and the most protein I get a day is probably 70g. I’m 135 so I know technically to build my body like I want to I should be eating at least 135g. I really didn’t think I was seeing much progress so I decided to finally take a pic after 6 months to see if there is any progress. I’m not joking when I say there is not a single difference on my body. It’s so depressing I look flabbier than ever. I know I’m nowhere near where I want to be but I figured there had to be a difference from no working out to working out lifting heavy 4-5 times a week. How is it possible to not see a single bit of a difference? I’m so confused and depressed and honestly wanting to give up. I’ve worked on eating more protein to get to my goals as well just it’s just not sustainable for me. Being vegan it’s harder because it takes more meal planning and cooking more tedious recipes to reach my protein goals which I just don’t have time for.