What about nutrition?

"No Dining on Beach Dudes" acrylic and silkscreen on canvas 60" x 72", 1998 Len Whitney

A fitness trainer can give you generalized principles about the building blocks of your diet, but designing a detailed day-to-day diet is the work of a licensed dietitian.  Your food intake should follow the principles of the USDA pyramid, where grains and grain products form the base (6 -11 servings/day), vegetables (3 - 5 servings) and fruits ( 2-4 servings) form the sturdy walls.  Next come the meat/egg/fish/bean (2-3 servings) and dairy (2-3 servings) groups, with the concentrated calories of the fat/oils/sweets group forming the narrow top of the pyramid (use sparingly).  All this should be accompanied by 2 - 3 quarts of water a day. If the pyramid seems a lot to keep in mind, most Americans would improve their nutrition by adding to their daily intake of foods at the bottom of the pyramid.

If like most Americans you are looking to lose a few pounds, you may want to consider a lower-carb diet.  Seriously cutback on sugars, starches (like potatoes, white rice, pasta and bread), and get the majority of your energy from proteins and healthy fats.  It seemed radical in the 1970s when Atkins preached it, but the latest research seems to bear out its validity.

If you do decide to try this extremely low-carb diet, don't make the mistake of cutting back on fats as well, or your body will shift into starvation mode and hoard every calorie you ingest.  If you  instead consciously shift your energy fuel from carbs to fats, your insulin levels will drop and your body's fat storage mode will switch gears to fat burning.

 Many Americans rely on daily vitamin and mineral supplements.  If you make it a point to eat a varied, balanced diet according to the USDA principles, you'll find that your diet supplies the vitamins and minerals you need, making additional supplementation less important.