Since starting uni I've put on a bit of weight. I think this is mainly due to all the extra alcohol I've been drinking and also getting junk food after nights out, because I get quite a lot of exercise and try to eat healthily most of the time (although vending machines in halls = not good)! I'm 5'6" and before I started uni I weighed 8 stone 10, which was about right. I've put on about half a stone, so there isn't a massive difference, but it's noticeable to me, and I'd like to shift it before the bikini season begins!
For the last month or so I've been going to the gym three times a week. I typically burn off around 500-600 calories on the treadmill, cross-trainer and bike, then go swimming for half an hour. Over the long weekend I visited my grandparents in Devon, and although they always feed me up with loads of fatty food and I couldn't get to the gym, I did loads of walking over the clifftops, probably a four mile walk in a very hilly area, on both Sunday and Monday. Today I can really feel all the muscles in my legs, and if I squeeze them the muscles feel really hard. I've never had much fat on my legs anyway, but I have a fair bit of muscle tone, and I think that if I did lose weight, my legs probably wouldn't get any slimmer because they're mostly muscle anyway.
Anyway, my question is this. Even though I've been exercising a lot and eating as much as I do normally (which is probably a little bit too much, if we're honest!) I haven't lost any weight at all. I think I look slightly more toned, but I'm not completely sure, and I didn't take any measurements before I started, so I don't know whether I'm any smaller. What should I do to lose weight and therefore get slimmer, without building up muscle, which is what I think I must be doing?
Thanks!