In theory, Patel jokes, you could consume nothing but Oreos and lose weight, as long as you log a calorie deficit. However, that’s neither a nutritious nor a sustainable diet. Plus, she says, trying to create a calorie deficit on ultra-processed foods alone may be harder than you think; their calculated blend of fat, salt, and sugar makes you more likely to overeat.
“We really want to focus on the fruits, the vegetables, the lean proteins, whole grains, lentils, beans, those types of foods, to really help us with creating that calorie deficit,” Patel tells Fortune. “You’re going to feel fuller because of the fiber and the protein, you’re going to meet your nutrient needs, and you’re going to reduce your consumption of ultra-processed foods.”
“Fasting can be a tool to help individuals reduce their calorie intake because, at the end of the day, it is reducing calorie intake that actually drives weight loss,” Patel tells Fortune. “What we eat during that eight-hour eating window does matter. It’s not just a free-for-all; you can still eat more calories than you intend to in a span of eight hours, so they still need to focus on their diet quality.”
A person’s intent behind intermittent fasting is also important, she says. If fasting for 16 hours a day and eating for eight is conducive to their lifestyle and they’re still able to eat a balanced diet, great. In Patel’s experience, however, people who find themselves fasting unintentionally, such as those with busy mornings who skip breakfast, tend to eat more later in the day and into the evening.
“That is going to be counterproductive for weight loss,” she says.
Low-carb diets like keto aren’t necessarily bad, Patel says, but their often extreme restrictions make them challenging to maintain long term. Plus, people tend to regain weight.
Patel is adamant that the most powerful component of the keto diet is—you guessed it—calorie deficit.
“Within the first six to 12 months, people may experience maybe a little bit more weight loss with the keto diet compared to other forms of calorie restriction,” Patel tells Fortune. “But it’s not, again, sustainable in the long term. I would say that that difference in weight loss is pretty insignificant.”
“A lot of the onus falls on the supplement manufacturer to prove its safety and ‘efficacy,’ and there’s just so many supplements out there that the regulatory bodies can’t keep up with trying to police all of them,” Patel says.
“[Supplements] don’t undergo the same testing and regulation as medications that have to go through clinical trials and prove safety and efficacy before they’re FDA-approved,” Patel tells Fortune. “It can be scary. As consumers, it’s important for us to understand the risks versus benefits of certain supplements.”
Before taking a dietary supplement of any kind, Patel recommends discussing it with your doctor, who can help ensure your supplement comes from a legitimate source and has been third-party tested.
“People forget that there are some strong neurohormonal factors at play that make it difficult to not only lose weight, but to keep that weight off in the long term,” Patel says. “Medications have really helped level the playing field. It can help interrupt some of that disruptive signaling.”
“It’s not the easy way out,” she says. “People [are] still having to practice healthy lifestyle habits.”
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