first, I confess I have not read this whole thread. I’m replying here because I’ve read enough to comment on the depression part of it.
I was depressed, had anxiety and PTSD. I was eating to fill a hole you can not fill with food. Several years - SEVERAL - it took , but I’ve lost 172 lbs., and I am not depressed. I have some anxious stuff at times, and PTSD is decreased yet still an issue. However, the depression ?? Not so much. I’ll get a very little at times, but nowhere near the level it once was.
taht said, I will also confess it was the depression that caused my obesity, along with the behviors it made me not give a damn about…eating eating and eating. So, if depression causes the weight gain, it can sure as hell be helped by losing weight - weight loss sure helped me.
Also, self-esteem, and what one sees in the mirror, are inextricably linked, as is depression. It is my estimation that if one starts liking what they see in the mirror more, the depression will decrease. It is positive feedback after all.
And if it does not help depression? And one does it anyway? So what? It sure as hell won’t hurt anything. Rather, it has a ton of health and mental health benefits. Getting to a gym on a regular schedule is a good coping mechanism.
My $0.02, FWIW.
ya all take care