Tonight's dinner was a new one for us, from a magazine cookbook I bought called "Eat to Beat Inflammation" by Better Homes and Gardens. Note: my local grocery almost never has escarole so I made this with baby spinach and chard. You could also use bok choy and just sprinkle dried fennel on it. Or sub two stalks of celery sprinkled with fennel which is what I often do since fennel can be pricey out of season. I also added about 2/3 pre cooked brown rice at the end to mix with the spinach. I special ordered some Lundberg short grain brown rice and we love it. Ingredients: 2 boneless pork chops 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp freshly cracker pepper (Note, I used a steak seasoning that had dried garlic along with the pepper) 2 TBLSP olive oil 1 head escarole, 12 oz which is 4 packed cups. Roughly chop 1 medium fennel bulb (that's too much. I didn't have the bulb part, had already used that so I sauteed the chopped up tops along with some of the leaves. About half were too wilted.) 2 TBLSP shallot minced (2 small shallots or one large) 1 TBLSP white wine vinegar 1/2 cup water (I used chicken broth) 1 TBLSP Dijon mustard Start by sauteeing the fennel and the shallot in a braising pan with the olive oil. I had to add a few splashes of chicken broth towards the end because the shallot was browning too fast. When they are about 2/3 done, add the seasoned pork chops. to the middle of the pan. Cook for 3 min. on medium high, with the cover on. (This is where I had to add some chicken broth to prevent the shallots from scorching) Meanwhile, combine the dressing ingredients (water or chicken broth, vinegar and mustard) Flip the pork chops after three minutes. They should be nicely browned. Add the chopped greens around the edge of the pan and over the flipped chops, and pour the dressing over the spinach. Cover and sautee for about three more minutes. A little less if your chops are thin. Maybe two. At this point, my spinach wasn't quite wilted enough for my taste so I took out the pork chops and set them aside temporarily on a small plate. I added some short grain rice I already had cooked (~2/3 cup) and sauteed the mixture for about a minute more. Popped the pork chops on top of the mixture to take to the table. Served it in a pasta bowl. Very good and filling, although we had a tiche of left over potato salad to go with it. This would pair well with roasted veggies particularly some type of squash. Or corn on the cob or some french bread for sopping up the juices at the bottom of the bowl. Of course this is if you aren't carb averse. If you are, then more greens and no rice. Sorry no accents on the first e of sautee.

Funky Yes to adjusting the IF eating window. That is what I attempt to do. When I have an early breakfast I finish earlier in the day and when I have a late supper planned I start eating later in the day. Most of the time. :-). Love the fact that that t-shirt fit! It shows that you are doing something right like maybe muscles are taking over and trimming you up. Strength training is wonderful for that :-). Not that I do enough of it to get muscles. Great news Gscience!. Losing weight and finding a way to comfortably maintain it is tricky at best. I'm glad it's working for you. With science behind you how can you not lose weight. Happy for you that you are having success :-). I found this article which talks about different kinds of fiber. I really need to up my fiber as well. Apparently fiber isn't best taken in a vitamin form according to the article. There is one derived from konjac vegetables but they are saying that whole food is more helpful in this instance. Not sure but found it interesting. Plus it's good for gut health and reduction in certain diseases. Always of interest to me. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fiber-can-help-you-lose-weight#food-sources I have been doing well but the 2 lb loss didn't stick around. . Boohoo Boohoo. It was the first loss I'd had since my initial weight loss. Oh well. I am still continuing to run and I'm adding a block every couple of weeks or when I feel ready to do more than three blocks or four blocks or whatever. The dog I run with loves it which is very helpful. I'm not a fast runner and Adora keeps pace beautifully. Adora and her person will be going away for 4 months or maybe forever if her person loves it. So I must learn to run by myself. I'm enjoying it so much that I know I will continue. Both of my dogs are too old and infirm to be my running companions. Time to think of getting a new younger dog.. DH will come around ;-). As far as eating goes yes I am eating probably too much and particularly cheese but I am very careful not to eat too heavily on days when I am not going to be working out. Saturday and Sunday are my light eating days. I walk a lot on weekends with my dogs as well as during the weekday at night but it's still not the same since I don't do any running or any exercises. Sometimes the best laid plans of wombats and women.. I give myself lots of grace as if I were my own best friend when it comes to this. I've had to be pretty much my own best friend about eating because I eat I would say peculiarly anyway. I mostly can't eat out at all etc... Which leads to the conversation about going out and about and eating there wherever that is. I usually have to bring my own food and have to sneak refuse most of the food on the table. I just quietly take whatever looks the least migraine or kidney or gut problems producing. Not always easy but if I bring a few dishes that's what I eat mostly from. Unluckily my DBIL has been diagnosed with celiac disease so we often have to refuse the same things and the family is making more and more food that I can eat. I still have to watch portions though. Plus certain things like stevia are mood altering for me. I shake my head at that one every time it happens. They make me feel hi..gh. for want of a better word. The carrot cake is often made with stevia. I have to watch my portions with that one too. Although I want to eat two slices.. I'm not an easy date. By the way no problems eating dates. Shrug. Darn I've got migraine with aura. Time to go take some medication. Have a good week everyone!

I have always gravitated to healthier foods -- I prefer whole grain breads, etc, love veggies and with a few exceptions prefer lighter meals. I didn't grow up eating desserts and don't have much of a sweet tooth (though it is growing stronger as I age). I find it takes much less to satisfy my hunger these days but I have been challenged by idle snacking ... and I have a weakness for salty/crunchy snacks. I have and have always had a very sluggish metabolism so I need to be conscious of that -- I always lose and maintain weight better when more active. I was an athlete when younger-- not a star athlete but a consistent all-year athlete. In some ways that is helpful because I know how to exercise, lift weights, etc and I enjoy a lot of activities. It plays against me also because in my mind I can still jump into a pool and swim miles ... but in reality, I cannot. The thing working most against me is my vision which has declined greatly in the past 10 year. I have had two surgeries which helped up didn't resolve the issues. I have blurry double vision and no depth perception--which makes me feel unsteady and disoriented especially with outdoor activities. I am slowly working through this and trying to find locations/activities that I can do safely-- but this makes it a chore. I should enjoy them more but even walking can make me anxious-- especially on uneven ground or pavement. I thought the treadmill would be good but it really isn't .. I get slight vertigo and visually disoriented. I am thinking swimming may be the key but I don't have easy access to a pool. (Sister has a pool but it's not really a lap pool ... and I am not keen to exercise in front of her whole family lol). @Sueb20 thanks for the reminder of the benefits of getting up each hour! It is especially good for me as I have a clotting disorder and sitting for large periods of time add to my risk ... but I am SO good at sitting for long periods of time lol! Work, reading, whatever. Bluetooth headphones make it very easy to get up and walk around while in a meeting (as long as I am not leading it). I was also taking short breaks to jump rope (a great exercise!) but I let that slip. I need to return to it-- now that it is getting a little warmer, I can slip outside for 15 min at various intervals in the day! I am more inclined to be healthy and active when I enjoy it ... doing it because I "need to" isn't much of a motivator. I need to adjust that thinking because it's not going to get easier as I move into my 60s and 70s.

So i realized today that I am about 1/2 way to wear I think I will be comfortable weight wise. It's been 2 yr that I have been focused on losing and I am down 68 lb. Still a long way to go but pretty much where I was weight wise in my late 30s.. and by 40, I was down to a comfortable weight (which I maintained until my late 40s). The target I am envisioning is still larger than most women would be happy with -- but I know I don't like how I look when "skinny". My bone structure is too big. I appreciate all the support from you all .. and it helps a lot.. but I am not happy with my appearance and I don't feel strong or fit. i recently passed an important personal milestone (the weight I was when I met SO) but I expected to feel better about my progress at this point. I was more fit then... but I was also in love lol so there's that too. I will keep pressing forward as I am seeking better health AND I want to look better. They will both come. I just need to stop focusing on my appearance. It is absolutely better than it was 68lb ago and I think it will change even faster over the next 68lb. It's funny, Niece#2 is struggling with the same. She's lost 28 lb since December but is currently stalled. I give HER all teh advice I should be giving myself. So now after I talk to her, I give myself the same pep talk I've just given her. And to you all.. we really need to celebrate our successes both healthwise and weight wise and stop undermining our progress with the "not good enoughs".