Beginner workout advice needed

Hey there,
I could really use some guidance because I’d much rather get this right from the jump than spend months spinning my wheels, wouldn't you? Back when I was in high school about five years ago, I managed to drop from 160 lbs to 138 lbs in just a few months—I'm about 5'7"—and while the scale looked great, I didn't actually feel "fit," if you know what I mean. I just felt sort of soft and flabby because I wasn't doing any actual exercise, just starving myself, and ever since then, it feels like my metabolism has completely hit a wall.

Fast forward to today, and I'm sitting at around 150 lbs (though I was 158 lbs just two weeks ago). My weight is always on this constant roller coaster; I tend to lose 10 pounds during the summer and pack it all back on in the winter, just cycling through the same pattern. And the kicker? I've been eating pretty much whatever I want without any real physical activity, aside from the summer months when my seasonal job keeps me moving more than any intense gym session ever could.
I’ve decided it’s time to try losing weight again, but this time I actually want to tone up rather than just seeing a lower number on the scale. The problem is I live in a small town where there isn't a local gym nearby, which makes things tricky, though I remember feeling absolutely incredible during those two months I spent hitting the gym back in college. I've decided against any strict dieting because, let's be honest, I can never stick to one for more than five days, and trying to fight against my family's meal schedule is a losing battle.

I really want to get myself back on track this time. My old routine was basically coffee for breakfast, lunch around 3:00 PM, a little snack at 7:00 PM, and then dinner late at 10:00 PM. Now, I've started trying to eat three regular meals: usually eggs and maybe a banana for breakfast, half-portions of whatever is cooked at home for lunch, and then yogurt, fruit, or some toast for dinner.

I've pushed myself to start exercising for at least thirty minutes a day, alternating between the stepper machine or following some workout videos on YouTube. To be blunt, my cardio is non-existent and my lung capacity has always been pretty poor, so running is definitely not on the menu—I can't stand it.
Physically, I have pretty thin legs and a small backside, but my upper arms are a bit heavier, and my forearms look like a child's, while everything else seems to settle in my midsection. It feels like I've been fighting this stubborn belly fat my entire life without any luck.

My goal is to work out at home using what I've got: a Pilates ball, a stepper, two 5-lb dumbbells, a jump rope, and YouTube. So, here's the big question: should I focus on losing the weight first and then move into strength training to tone up, or can I just tackle both at the same time? Can I actually make progress with just this limited gear? Where do I even begin? I desperately need a structured plan because, right now, I'm just winging it—I have zero program and usually just click on whatever the first video on YouTube suggests. I've started waking up earlier and tweaking my diet slightly, but where do I go from here with the actual workouts? And is it just me, or does every trainer online seem obsessed with glutes and legs? I'm actually perfectly happy with my lower body; it's the stomach that's driving me crazy.

Sorry for the long rant, but I figured I'd lay it all out there in hopes that someone might take a moment to read this and offer some advice. Thanks in advance.

Look, if you can't hit the gym and don't have any decent gear for strength training, here’s my advice: as much as you hate running, stop just jogging around. Pick something that sucks twice as much... sprinting. Given what you've got to work with, that’s going to shred your core faster than anything else.

Start with a few sets of all-out sprints every day until you get used to it. After a while, bump it up to 6 or 7 sets of 100 meters a day. In a couple of months...
In my opinion, this is your best bet for hitting that goal. It beats those other random exercises by a mile. Since you don't have heavy weights, if you want results fast—and if you're willing to suffer through something you hate even more—you gotta sprint, not jog. You'll get used to it eventually. The first few days are going to be brutal. Hope you can get your head in the game. Good luck.

Thanks for the reply and the advice, but what’s your take on this as a starting point? Look, I’d love to get this sorted as fast as possible, but I really don't want to force myself into some intense sprint tonight just to end up winded after two minutes, heading home, and deciding I'm never doing this again. Maybe I could try this combination but just scale back the duration, since we both know there's no way I'm making it through a full thirty minutes.