Last night, I went out with my husband to grab dinner at a brewpub near our house. We bellied up to the bar, and I ordered a burger with no bun, a side salad instead of fries, and a hard cider. I’m eliminating gluten from my diet, so I found a great meal that I can have while still going out to have fun.

I noticed a lonely man at the end of the bar that was sampling a few of the local beers, and I overheard him talking about how he was visiting the area for a job prospect. Since my husband and I are new to the city, we decided to strike up a conversation with him to convince him to move here since we have been happy with our decision to move from coast to coast.

“What kind of job interview were you on?” I asked.

“I was at the hospital today. I’m a physician.”

I asked him what kind of physician he was, because at this point we couldn’t tell if he was BSing us, or if he was really from out of town. I won’t give you any identifying details about him, because I don’t want to reveal his identity.

I asked him a few more questions about what he does and he excitedly talked about some of the new and exciting advances in medical technology that he gets to work with. It seemed legit. I took a few bites of salad, and I started talking to him about DailyBurn in the context of using consumer technology to solve lifestyle disease issues.

“So . . . ” I started. “I know the opinions of trainers, nutritionists, health food producers, and farmers when it comes to this question, but I’ve never asked a doctor . . . ”

“Ask away.”

“What is the number one thing that people can do to for their health? Some people say diet, and some people say exercise. What do you think?”

“That’s easy,” he said. “The best thing people can do for their health is . . . ”

Stop smoking.

He continued on a long rant that included the following reasons, but I’ll spare you the details and get to points:

1) The media still makes smoking seem ok, although it wrecks many systems within the body.

2) Smokers are filled with small tumors on many organs, and by the time they display symptoms, it’s often too late.

3) Smokers get atherosclerosis worse than any other population. Atherosclerosis is the hardening of the arteries as a result of plaque build up.

4) The risk of smokers developing heart disease over a lifetime is extremely high.

5) The highest known lifespan for humans is 120 years, and statistically heavy smokers live 60% of this lifespan.

6) Of course obesity is a major problem when it comes to American healthcare, but the habit of smoking ravages the body even more than excess fat.

“And people who smoke AND are obese, well these people just keep us in business,” he sighed, and took another sip of his drink.

We lightened the mood by changing the conversation to lighter topics for the next hour. We bid farewell, and I hope that I see him again soon.

In my opinion, the biggest take away from our chance encounter with the doctor is that yes, diet and exercise are important factors for staying healthy and feeling great. But losing weight is a goal that is part of a larger lifestyle change that includes loving our bodies and taking care of them.

How often have you met someone that turns to smoking or diet pills to lose weight? In the end, they are doing more harm than good. The best way to be happy and healthy and stay that was for as long as possible is to lose weight safely by making good choices and staying active.

If you know anyone that smokes, pass this story along. Smoking is never a good alternative to eating a good diet and exercising when it comes to weight control.