It suddenly dawned on me. Some of us take better care of our automobiles than we do our bodies. That realization hit when I sensed my own engine unable to produce the horsepower I needed. For most of my adult life, there were annual trips to a health spa for yearly tune-ups. Before you get the idea that these so called tune-ups revolved around pedicures and facials, I should tell you that a health spa bears little relation to a beauty spa. Instead, the focus is on exercise, nutrition and behavior modification for a more healthy lifestyle.

My job description as restaurant critic for the Post-Gazette can be summed up in three words: paid to Eat. There is nothing in it that says, "Paid to clean the plate," but I was taught in early childhood that it is a sin against starving children around the world to leave food uneaten. Consequently, after 2¹/₂ years in this job, I have added untold inches to my waistline and more excess pounds than I like to admit. Although I walk to work most days and am an active member of a fitness club, the body was sadly out of alignment, and it was time to remedy that.

So here I am at Hilton Head Health Institute in South Carolina (known as H3I for short). My goal is to lose as much of the 20 pounds of restaurant excesses as possible and to gain a pound or two of muscle in its place.

My first morning, the institute drew blood to measure fasting glucose, HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, pulse and blood pressure. I was assigned a personal lifestyle counselor with whom I discussed my goals and determined which of the seminars and fitness classes were best suited to my needs.

Our day begins at 7 a.m. with a three-mile sunrise walk on the beach. After a healthy breakfast of 250 calories, it's time for the first of three one-hour seminars of the day. The subjects range from "Habits of Successful Weight Managers" to "Hot Topics in Nutrition," "Muscle Anatomy" and "Motivation." Seminar leaders are professionals with impressive credentials. Their lectures and the discussions following them are an essential part of the H3I experience.

The other component is exercise. There are a number of choices for each hour of exercise. Yoga for abs, kickboxing, Pilates, water fitness, body sculpting and dyna-band conditioning are just a few. There is a one-mile walk, termed Thermal Walk, following each meal. The theory is that a brisk post-meal walk gets the metabolism into burn mode. Since arriving here I have been walking between 6 and 9 miles a day.

In all fairness, I must admit that the change of scenery transforms the hike. Local flora and fauna make all the difference. Whether it is a broad sandy beach with pelicans skimming over the water in search of their morning meal or a walk inland among the majestic live oak trees dripping Spanish moss, and exotic palmetto and fragrant mock orange, it is a welcome change from my trek down the Fifth and Forbes corridor to the Boulevard of the Allies.

There are alligators sunning on the banks of ponds inhabited by turtles. There are great blue herons and a vast number of small bird species. Magnolias and blooming azaleas are everywhere one looks. Combined with warm air, blue sky and peaceful tranquillity make what might otherwise be an ordeal become a treat.

It is not surprising that the first two days were agony. Joints and muscles rebelled and stiffened. I dreamed of settling into a lounge by the pool and reading a beach novel. By day three, the pain had disappeared and been replaced by more energy than I've had in several years. The one-mile walks that are prescribed after each meal have shortened from 20 minutes to 18. I hope to get them down to 15 minutes before I leave. Cardio workouts leave me less breathless, although they do produce bright red cheeks. In just one week I have made significant strides on the fitness scale. Although I came here with weight loss as my priority, perhaps the greatest benefit has been this energy boost.

Still, there should be some positive weight-loss results from following a regime of 1,200 calories and 10 grams of fat a day. You might wonder how these meals compare with Pittsburgh dining experiences and it will come as no surprise when I tell you that portion size is the most noticeable difference. Lunch and dinner average 350 calories. The meals are plated in the kitchen to avoid any opportunity to increase portions. The calories are balanced to provide 55 percent unrefined carbs, 20 percent protein and 25 percent fat. They are high in fiber, which means they are more filling than you might imagine. Using small plates is an ideal way to fool the eye into thinking that the portion is larger than it is.

My first lunch was a slice of pizza and a green salad with non-fat Italian dressing. It was a whopping 320 calories and 6 grams of fat. The crust was a piece of lavosh wheat bread topped by a huge pile of fresh peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and squash. There was a sprinkling of low-fat and low-sodium cheese melted on top. Chewing all those crunchy vegetables required more time than it would take to dispose of a sausage sub, and the result was that I felt satiated before that little slice of pizza was finished. This was a big revelation.

Although this kitchen uses virtually no sugar or salt, it manages to camouflage that fact by using lots of herbs and spices and healthy taste enhancers such as jalapeno peppers. My favorite dinner was grilled sea bass with a fresh pineapple and mango salsa. A touch of hot pepper in the salsa gave the fish as much taste enhancement as any beurre blanc ever could. A small side of brown rice and steamed asparagus completed the plate and made an eye-appealing entree. There is a sidebar in the dining room where guests can find a variety of herbs and spices if they feel the need for more intense flavors. Tabasco seems to be very popular, along with Butter Buds and balsamic vinegar.

Those who need a taste of something sweet at the end of the meal are not deprived. There is always a bowl of fresh strawberries or sliced peaches. The bowls provided for these treats are small, so again the portion control is closely monitored. The calorie count for both fruits is less than 25. A small scoop of nonfat yogurt sweetened with Splenda adds 12 more so the final count for a dessert that looks and tastes almost sinful is only 37.

I will accept the final weight score, whatever it may be, as a beneficial plus. Along with elevated fitness and renewed energy, this is what will keep my engine purring for another year. Combined with nutrition and healthy lifestyle changes, this body maintenance program is exactly what I needed to renew my caloric commitment to the Pittsburgh dining scene. You won't be reading about fried zucchini or calamari much in the future. Perhaps we can work together to get our Pittsburgh restaurants on a healthier track. I have learned a lot about diet and nutrition, and I look forward to sharing it with you.