i'm looking to lose weight
and a lot of it. over the last ten years, i've been struggling with numerous issues with my body, all of which have revolved around anxiety + depression, stress, weight gain, and inflammation. i have a sneaking suspicion they're all related and rooted in psychosomatic responses to stress + anxiety. i've gotten a LOT of tests done and according to blood tests and physicals and allergy tests, nothing is wrong, which adds to a lot of frustration and imposter's syndrome.
still, i continue to experience issues with inflammation/puffiness/bloating, unexplained rapid weight gain, and a lot of stress and anxiety (are the latter the cause or the effect, or both? still don't know.) i have begun to experience dissociation and have been experiencing body dysmorphia for a few years now due to this.
i've been very reluctant to becoming a gym rat, in part bc i feel slow and lethargic and tired all the time. but also because it feels/looks like a lot of energy and resolve i just don't have. but i've realized that the only thing i have left to change is exercise and calorie burn (i've already drastically changed my diet from years prior to limit a lot of inflammatory foods, including coffee, gluten, dairy, sugar, and salt. i eat mostly vegetables, fruits, and fish now -- still to no success with weight loss).
i am trying to change my mindset on working out from one that is cumbersome to one that maybe i could eventually love? i've signed up for barre classes bc that mixes ballet and yoga and i love both of those. i was weight training for a month regularly (4-5x/week, 30-60 min sessions medium-high intensity), and while i gained muscle mass, i still never lost weight.
it's gotten to a point now where i refuse to gain more weight and i need something to work. i haven't lost weight for years. like literally.. i have only maintained or gained. i am thinking cardio is now my only option outside of maybe calorie limiting... but i think that could spiral quickly into obsessive calorie counting and that would not be good for me.
TL;DR: i need advice for how to blast away calories and pounds and not hate myself while doing it or relapse into an ED. (FYI blood tests have shown my lymph nodes are fine and so is my immunology, so my constant weight gain remains unresolved). i need help. i need a resolution. i don't want to look into lipo unless absolutely necessary, but it's not out of the question for me at this point. i want to do everything i can before then to burn off weight. advice is welcome!