Hope this finds everyone warm and toasty, maybe snuggled up with a soft blanket or in front of a nice fire in the fireplace, because we just had a cold week in my neck of the woods. And I know some of my reader’s are in colder places than I am. I am so ready for winter to be over with, but I know that is gonna be a long time before that happens. So for now, put your feet up, and settle in to spend some time here in Carol’s Corner. I will be posting two pics tonight. This first one is what I wore to church this morning. The dress is really a gorgeous shade of purple, but in the picture it looks more blue. This dress was perfect for the statement necklace you see with it. Can’t believe I got this awesome piece for $4.97 at Walmart. I love dresses and almost always wear one for church.

This is the outfit I wore for the second half of my day. Well I did have a workout one on in between, and then changed to this. The top is another of my thrift store finds. Really love this color combo. Notice another awesome FitBit band. Just finished charging my FitBit while I’ve been sitting , so as not to miss out on any steps. Ok, now have to see if I can get a topic going. Think I’m going to try and do something on dinner. The awesome thing about writing this using my Blogsy blogging app, is that it has a built in web browser, which makes it so much easier to research material to use. I don’t have to go in and out of programs to do things, which was a pain before switching to this blogging platform. Now it’s fairly easy. I’m going to attempt to do this blog post on dinner. We’re going to use information found on Eatingwell.com from a section called, “What To Eat For Dinner And Lose Weight”. We’ll link the entire article at the end of this segment. When I do link it I’m going to start on the second page. Not surprisingly , we start with Salad Greens. Research out of Penn State shows that starting your meal out with a simple salad, can cut your overall calorie intake by up to 12%. And when it is packed with veggies , it delivers the must have in any diet. You guessed it, fiber. Fiber helps you stay satisfied longer. One study says upping your fiber intake may keep extra pounds from creeping on, and may even promote weight loss. # 2 in what to eat for dinner is Lean Protein. It doesn’t matter whether you choose lean animal protein or vegetable based protein. It only matters that they are protein rich. Gram for gram, protein will keep you feeling fuller longer than carbohydrates or fats. Also don’t forget low-fat dairy. Recent research published in the Journal Of Nutrition, found that the protein in dairy, ( called Whey Protein ) may help ward off weight gain and help build lean body mass. Next up,at # 3 is Whole Grains. For overall health, it is said that half of the grains you consume should be whole grains. I’m sure that is not even remotely true for the vast majority of the population. And lately I know I’m not doing too well myself, although a major grocery shopping trip is coming up in the next few days, and I have to start eating more healthy again, like I was in the weight loss phase of my journey. I kind of backslid during the last three month period, and I’m sure my bloodwork next week is going to bear that out. Ok , back to whole grains. A recent study showed that choosing whole grains 100% of the time gives dieters an extra edge. Good examples of whole grains, are Brown Rice, Quinoa, and Whole Wheat Bread. Something interesting found in this section was what happened when researchers put two groups on a three month weight loss program. One group was instructed to eat only whole grains for their grain servings, the other to choose only refined grains, and to avoid whole grains altogether. The whole grain group melted significantly more abdominal fat. One reason for this could be that whole grains are rich in Magnesium, which is instrumental in regulating fat metabolism. This is a fact I was not aware of, and guess I should take more seriously. On we move to # 4. Number four isn’t exactly an ingredient, but I’m sure you’ll like that this makes up the fourth element. Surprisingly this is dessert. Music to everyone’s ears is that a diet is easier to stick to, if it has a little sweet treat. According to one study this is true. A study in The Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Science, found banning sugary substances could lead to overeating. It suggests that removing access to sweet foods, stimulates the release of a molecule in your brain called corticotropine -releasing factor, CRF for short, produced when you’re afraid, anxious , or stressed. Increased stress levels may lower your motivation to eat healthy foods, and make you more likely to binge on unhealthy ones. So there you have it. Here is the link starting on page 2. http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/weight_loss_diet_plans/diet_exercise_tips/what_to_eat_for_dinner_to_lose_weight?page=2. I’m going to provide another link to a menu and recipes, using the four things we went over above. There are links on the page to the individual recipes , and also links to other 500 calorie meals in a bunch of categories, which you will probably find very beneficial. I think I’ll stop here for this blog post offering, and see If I want to continue with more dinner ideas tomorrow. Meanwhile enjoy looking around these two links. There are always other things to see when you visit any of the websites I use on my blog. http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/menus/salmon_burgers_with_green_goddess_sauce_500_calorie_menu. I hope you enjoyed reading this edition of Carol’s Corner, as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you. In fact I learned quite a few things myself as I was posting the information. As usual I would value any feed back you wish to give me, either positive or negative. Let’s all commit to having an awesome week. Here’s to doing all the things necessary to make that happen. You alone have the power. The choices you make will decide what level of sucess you will achieve. So get out there and start your week right. Stay motivated, stay focused, and move, move, move. Till next time, God Bless.

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