Gently gently is the way.
I've been on a bit of a journey myself the last 4 months.
After baby #1 I was super fit and lifting every day... then I thought I did a back injury.., any who after months of no gym and baby #2 I was finally diagnosed with a bone fusing, inflammatory autoimmune condition which medication has not helped.
I decided in December, after finally hating the way I looked so much and feeling sh*t on meds, including daily pain meds, that a natural method would work for me as a start.
4 months later, some gym sessions and a solid diet of very limited sugar and calorie deficit... I’m 27kgs down, no pain meds (very infrequently anyway) and I somehow get better and better every time I get on the treadmill needing to challenge myself further to achieve the same HR.
Feeling really good... probably wanna lose another 20 and really lean up, but at the same token, it’s all about how I feel rather than a goal figure.
Started slowly lifting again also... and feeling good just gotta get some more consistency with a routine of going to the gym a minimum time per week.