Should I Drop Cigarettes or Pounds First?

Q. I need to lose about 50 pounds. I also need to quit smoking. I have found it difficult to do either, and impossible to do both at the same time. So should I lose weight first, or should I quit smoking first? -- Eileen, Yarmouth, MA

A. Toss the butts first! Not only is tobacco use the leading cause of preventable death in the United States -- expected to kill 1 billion people worldwide this century -- it's also the single most important thing you can do to make yourself younger fast.

And if you use our program to stop smoking, you'll have a leg up on weight loss. Before you quit, you need to walk for at least 30 minutes a day, every day, for 30 days. Why? You need a good habit to replace the bad one you're shedding. When you get yourself moving every day of the week, you're in better physical shape and have more discipline, so crushing out that last butt on your quit date won't be so tough. Neither will weight loss, when you tackle that.

Other keys to nixing the cigarettes for good: After promising to quit and setting a quit date, you'll taper off while quitting (cold turkey is only good the day after Thanksgiving) by cutting back; dumping your matches or lighter; deliberately misplacing your cigs; breaking the nicotine habit with helpful tools including patches and pills (these inhibit cravings for sugar, salt, and saturated fat, helping you lose weight as well); and pairing up with a buddy. And look what happened to DJ Enuff on The Dr. Oz Show. He quit cigs and is getting to be a fraction of his former self.

Q. Dr. Oz has talked about eating grapefruit to burn fat. I have erosive esophagitis, so eating grapefruit sets my insides on fire. What is the best way for me to get the benefits from grapefruit without eating it? -- Linda, Safford, Arizona

A. Citrus fruit has been found to help people shed pounds, possibly by reducing insulin, which helps control fat metabolism. And its scent may inhibit appetite, too. But this fruit is certainly not the only way to achieve fat burn. In fact, grapefruit doesn't hold a candle to exercise when it comes to melting off the pudge, especially if you do it in strategic ways:

• Rev it up. Do heart-pumping exercises -- walking, jogging, biking, even dancing -- before you train with weights. This allows you to go longer because you won't be tired out by weight training. Aim for at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise every day.

• Pump it up. Adding lean muscle through strength training helps you burn fat and reduce your waist size because muscle is a primary energy consumer (read calorie burner) for your body.

Q. I am 53 and continue to have adult acne. I do drink about 5 cups of coffee a day. I would hate to give up coffee for clear skin, but I'd consider it. Do I have to? -- Carol, via e-mail

A. While there's no scientific evidence that coffee causes acne, there is a link between hot caffeinated drinks and the pimples that occur with rosacea, an inflammatory skin condition characterized by facial redness and breakouts that are often mistakenly described as adult acne. Interestingly, the caffeine may or may not be to blame. It could also be the saturated fat in the milk or cream many people use in those drinks. Or it could be the heat. One study found that coffee served at 140 degrees Fahrenheit caused facial inflammation while a cup of 68 degree Fahrenheit coffee didn't. So it might help if you cool it down before you toss it back (or toss it out altogether). Stress is a known trigger for rosacea breakouts. If all that caffeine is giving you the jitters, it could very well be the source of your complexion problems. And see your dermatologist. If you do have rosacea, it won't go away by itself. There are medications and lifestyle changes that will help you feel rosy without looking rosy.