I'm not sure if this belongs in the therapy section or not, admin please feel free to move it if required.

OK since the beginning of the Covid19 crisis I've been hammering away at the exercise bike that had previously been gathering dust and spiders in the garden shed. Inspired to get fitter largely due to reading about the links between obesity and Covid prognosis, I've been at it on a regular basis. In fact as I type this, I'd say I'm probably fitter now than I have been in years. At least leg-wise and cardiovascular but I've yet to do much upper body work. I've started some this evening with a 12lb bottle of water. I've also lost significant weight from where I was this time 2 years ago, nudging 5 stones. The bulk of this loss has been over a longer period through regular walking, the more recent exercise bike has accelerated it. However in the last 2 weeks I've plateaued at 18st 3lb. This is despite keeping below the recommended 2154 calories per day that my app has put in place.

So my first question would be how to break through this plateau. Would increasing the duration of exercise do it? Or intensity? I've read about more resistance exercise which made me think about the water bottle. Then again I read too that stress affects cortisol that restricts belly fat loss, and my anxiety has been up and running the last few weeks. Coincidence?

Also does exercise have any therapeutic effect regarding anxiety? My own experience would suggest not, I feel much fitter but the anxiety is still very much there. Clearly though there are too many multiple dynamics involved to answer so simplistic a question.