Well, in the past few years I went through this exact same journey, taking myself from over 35% body fat down to 12%.
What everyone gets wrong is this. It takes YEARS before you will begin to see good quality results. That's what throws most guys off. It's going to take more than a few months. It's going to be a long process. The moment you accept this is the moment you can start celebrating the small wins like losing a half pound of fat per week or getting a little bit more lean.
I want you to look at getting to 12% body fat like getting to the top of a peak in the Swiss alps. That's the ultimate goal. But the thing is, there are many different paths you can take to get to the top. Everyone has different preferences, and the only way you're going to get the physique you want and then keep it year round is by building the preference that best fits you. This means, first and foremost, dieting and exercising in ways that you enjoy. See, I got to 12% body fat without doing a single squat because I just don't enjoy it. So it didn't make sense to me to try and achieve a goal by doing things I didn't enjoy. Instead, what I did was get in a certain number of daily steps to exercise my leg muscles. The mistake that most guys make that stops them from actually getting that lean body they want is they force themselves into doing activities that they just don't enjoy. Little wonder that after a few weeks they decide it's not worth the effort because they're constantly battling and pushing themselves to do something they deep down don't want to do. The way to get down to 12% body fat is to build up a system in your life that allows you to enjoy what you're doing while moving toward your fat loss goals.
This system doesn't have to be perfect. The way you make fat loss easier, and the way you actually get down to 12% body fat and stay there, is by understanding it's not going to be a perfect line all the way down. This means that your whole life doesn't have to be restricted around your weight loss goals and that you can occasionally let loose with your diet without it measuring up to your plans. You're still going to get there. It just might take more time, and that's fine. Try different things and find what works for you.
Just a small thing I've noticed.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!