Newbie struggling! Any help appreciated!

[Katieeee92]

Hi all! I'm new to this site and hoping to get some friendly advice!

I am currently 12st 10lb, 5ft 5, 25yr old female. My current body fat % is 36.4%.

I started my weight loss journey on 8th January starting at 13st 2lb. I joined the gym and initially lost 7lb in the first 2 weeks dropping to 12st 8lb.

I use myfitnesspal which gives me a calorie target of 1200 calories which I have been sticking to. I've been going to the gym 3-4 times a week doing a combination of cardio (treadmill doing a combination of jogging and power walking for 25mins) and body weight exercises including squats, lunges, sit ups etc for the other half an hour.

Since my 7lb loss I've gone back to 12st 10 and maintained this until now. I already have a calorie defecit of 800 calories and don't understand why I'm not losing any weight!

My macros are set at 40 carbs 30 protein and 30 fat. I tend to stay within my goals around 5% either way.

I started a weight loss course at my gym where I get some free personal training sessions and advice on nutrition but I don't think they even know why I'm not losing?

I've been drinking more water and doing more steps per day (I have an office job) and this isn't helping either.

The only difference I've noticed is my body fat % when I first recorded this on 30/01 it was 37.1% and is now 36.4%... I have no idea if this is a good amount to lose in this amount of time?

I've noticed that my thigh muscles in particular have grown quite a bit but nowhere else.

I'm not necessarily interested in gaining loads of muscle I just want to lose weight.

I'm at a bit of a loss... and starting to get really frustrated. Any advice anyone can give me would help thanks.

Katie

 

[Trusylver]

the loss in bodyfat is good, your initial loss was most likely water weight.

you will not build a ton of muscle on this deficit. have your measured your thighs and other body areas or are you judging visually because the exercise you are doing is not a routine which will build much muscle if any and certainly not with your deficit.

Do you have any medical conditions which may have an effect on your ability to loose (PCOS, thyroid issues etc) if this has not been checked then it is time to have a checkup at the doctors.

Have you taken your menstrual cycle into account, this can cause large fluctuations throughout the month and changes the way the body responds to different nutrients.