How I Went on Vacation and Lost 3 Pounds

If you are my friend on my "Long Distance Fitness" Facebook Page, you saw that I recently took a trip to San Francisco. I also took photos of the "equipment" I took with me that fit into a small duffel bag and weighed only 7 pounds! This included 2 outfits with jackets, sneakers, A Resistance Band (Red), my i-pod shuffle, socks & undies and a foam roller.  I Love San Francisco! My Mom lives in an area of the city with very steep hills..so there's my cardio workout. I walked the hills 3 days out of 5 and did my Resistance Band Workout on the roof of my Brother's Building (he lives upstairs from Mom) that has the most overwhelming view of the city! This was a treat for me. You see, I have changed my life forever and I have proven it to myself and my friends and my family. I am happiest when I am active and am eating a healthy diet. Now comes the food part of my lovely vacation with my beautiful Mother! My first meal was Spaghetti and 2 large meatballs~It was delicious and very typical of my Mom to make my favorite food as a child :)We ate a lot of Italian Food growing up as my Maiden name, DeMattia makes me 1/2 Italian. My Mom learned how to cook Italian from my Grandma in Brooklyn, NY way back in 1945. I learned how to cook when I was 10, wanted to when I was 8, but my Mom wanted to make me wait for some reason..??? I have a passion for cooking and have changed how I cook, which changed my life and the life of my family. The next 3 nights we went out fine dining in the best city for restaurants..maybe in the world! There are over 4,000 restaurants in San Francisco and it is the coldest city in America in the Summer! Zuni Cafe on Market is always a hit. They make the most delicious Brined Chicken on a bed of Bread Salad..So here we are talking salty and carbolicious :) I had a (fake) Beer that was so yummy and a real Caesar Salad with anchovies..to die for. Portion Control is the key to a meal like this..we had leftovers for 2 days :) The Second night we went to "Foreign Cinema"-on Mission St. Very unusual and gigantic restaurant that shows Foreign Movies on a huge White Wall. I had the Opah (fish) with veggies and I ate bread and butter and we shared an appetizer of Baked Brie with Crostini that was to die for again! I also had another one of those non-alcoholic Beers-imported and delicious.Key:1 Beer and then Water and no dessert! Lovely Restaurant with a very cute waiter! lol. The third night we went with two fellas to "the Hungry Dog"-Chinese Fusion...Amazing Food and I will not list it because I am so hungry right now and it is after hours in my house for food :) they Made me have a bite of dessert! YUMMY!  I managed to lose 3 pounds..hmmm.I think it was the portion control and the walking of the hills and maybe I lost a little muscle mass...I must maintain the loss, because I feel really good...and proud!

High Fiber=Happy Disposition :)

To make this article interesting is challenging for me, so I will start off by stating, having a high fiber diet has saved my life! Quick and easy. There are 2 types of fiber. Insoluble Fiber and Soluble Fiber. The sum of these 2 fibers is Total dietary Fiber that we now see on many labels in the market. Insoluble Fiber moves bulk through the intestines and controls the balance of the acidity in the intestines which prevents constipation, removes toxic waste through the colon quicker, helps prevent colon cancer by preventing microbes from producing cancerous substances. Some food sources for Insoluble Fiber are dark green leafy vegetables, green beans, fruit skins and root vegetable, whole wheat products, wheat bran, corn bran, seeds and nuts (in moderation).
Soluble Fiber binds with fatty acids and prolongs stomach emptying time so that sugar is released and absorbed more slowly. Soluble Fiber lowers total and LDL (the bad) cholesterol and regulates blood sugar for people with diabetes. Some Food Sources of soluble fiber are Oat/Oat Bran, Dried peas and beans, Nuts, Barley, Flax Seed, Fruits such as Apples and Oranges, Vegetables such as carrots and also psyllium Husk.
Back to Fiber changing my life.  May 24th, 2010,  I landed in the hospital for 3 days with Diverticulitis. That was a horrible experience which re occurred the following November. Luckily I did not have to go to the hospital the second time because I had the medicine in my fridge. The first time I was convinced I was sick from eating too many nuts and seeds, esp Blackberry seeds which I wasn't chewing so they wouldn't get stuck in my teeth.. That in combination with dehydration punched a pin hole in my colon.. All of that could have been avoided if the Dr. had told me after my colonoscopy that I had Diverticulosis and to avoid certain foods. While healing all I could eat was, non-fiber "White" foods, Bread, Rice, Chicken Breast and yogurt. After 10 days of healing a high fiber diet was instructed by the Dr. 30 grams a day is the goal. It is not hard to do and it all starts at the supermarket. I have to be careful of what I eat now and truthfully eating a high fiber diet makes me feel so much better! I look at Total Dietary Fiber on labels. Here is a list of Foods that are High in Fiber: By the way...there is no fiber in Meat, White Bread or yogurt! The serving size for most is 1 cup and there is more fiber content in cooked veggies and fruits than in raw, go figure.
Vegetables: Peas, Acorn Squash, Pumpkin, Collard GreensCarrots, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Asparagus, Cabbage, Green Beans, Corn, Spinach. Fruits: Pears, Apples, Avocado, Rasperries, Blackberries, Prunes, Banana, Oranges, Blueberries, Peach Kiwi, Strawberries. (Just because I cannot eat berries, that doesn't mean you can't)!
Beans are very high in fiber, Example: 1 cup of Navy Beans, cooked has 19 grams. Most other beans such as Black Beans, Pinto and Garbanzo beans all have 15 grams of fiber per cooked cup. However there are side affects such as bloating and gas. I heard a trick to deal with that is to put a little baking soda in the pot while cooking. Whole grains are not so high in fiber. I make sure to purchase high fiber bread that has at least 5 grams per slice. Amaranth is an ancient grian of the Aztecs and it has a whopping 9 grams per 1/2 cup cooked and it has 14 grams of protein! I will experiment with it soon and I think it may be gluten free too. If you want to get something in the freezer section, Amy's Organic Chili has 15 grams of fiber per serving. It is sold at Whole Foods and Ralph's, here in LA. And for a snack, try a Larabar. It has 5 grams of fiber per bar. It all adds up! Hoping you like this information. I love researching and this subject gets me right in the gut, so it is very important to me :) Look up Fiber Up Food Finder on Google. It's fun and it even gives you a shopping list!