Nyx,
Maybe you could take a break. Continue doing healthy things for yourself, BUT it sounds as if you are too obsessed with a number rather than enjoying your life. As you said, "Would that weight loss really be worth it if I couldn't enjoy good food any more?"
Last Saturday I was hanging out with a girlfriend and we ended up having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. She ordered from the "regular" menu and I order from the "skinnyliscious" menu. It took me forever to make that choice but I ended up getting a meal that was listed as being under 600 calories. I drank only water during the meal and I didn't eat any of their cheesecake. Anyway, the point is this. After the waiter took our orders, BOTH of us felt bad about the choice we made. I felt bad because I believed I was denying myself some joyous food. Because the "healthy alternative" was considered a punishment to me. A punishment for being fat. But my friend (who is similar in weight to me) felt bad because she didn't order the healthy alternative. She felt like she was being a "fat cow" (her words not mine) by ordering something that was "unhealthy." Then she started talking about how she wanted to go to a fitness bootcamp, etc...
The point is, when I got home I got to thinking. Why do we think that eating healthy and exercising is a punishment for being bigger than we want to be? Because for sure, once we get to our desired weight, we can't start eating at Burger King every night. We'll still have to be healthy. We'll still have to order from the skinnylicious menu in order to maintain our weight loss and not backslide. Are we going to continue to see this as punishment and deprivation?? If so, what's the point?
So I worry about your stress levels. I know you said you were slow burning (regarding your temper and what bothers you). But if something is in the back of your mind constantly, maybe you have stress that you don't even acknowledge as stress because it's your baseline of operation.
Just try to enjoy life. When I look back to the times when I lost the most weight, it wasn't when I was dieting and exercising. I lost weight when I was happy. And that was because food wasn't such a big part of my life anymore. I ate when I was hungry, didn't eat when I wasn't. I was active and didn't worry nearly as much as I normally do. But when I started to look at my weight, it wasn't the "perfect number" so I stopped being happy and started obsessing over my weight and what I ate. And here I am 50lbs heavier than I was then.
You haven't gained weight since August 2011 (which is more than I can say for myself), so try to be happy about that as well as the other gifts in your life.
Also, I have a larger muscular frame as well. I've found that I tend to lose weight when I eat primarily veggies. I've been doing a lot of Asian stir frys. I'll use either a small amount of chicken (like one boneless thigh) or I'll substitute it for a good tofu. Also, do you have a cut-off time for eating? My body seems to be VERY sensitive about when I eat last. Right now my cut-off time is 7:30pm. And like you, I also have an unsweetened cup of hot tea at night.
Good Luck and Good Life!