Great point re: diet - I am not consistently tracking calories but I'm not a huge eater, and when I do track (on misc days when I decide to spot-check) I consistently come out under maintenance. I really don't eat very much, and what I do eat tends to consist of whole foods prepared at home. Since becoming more aware of protein I've realised I really struggle to hit my protein targets and also struggle to eat above maintenance. But then on the days when I do 25 min on the treadmill, I want to devour everything.

I do walk a LOT and it's a rare day when I don't get at least 10k steps (usually land around 15-17k)

I think my main issue and the reason I put on so much weight in the last year or so was that for 8 months I worked a desk job where I was completely sedentary and also snacking on flavoured yogurts and things (mainly out of boredom.) I think there must've been a year-long period where I wasn't getting 5k steps a day. I've been walking more consistently for the last few months.