I Tried 5 Nutrition Plans for Weight Loss—This One Actually Stuck

For five years, William James’s camera roll was a sad timeline of ‘before’ photos that never got an ‘after,’ just a ‘before again.’

Does this sound like you? You’ve tried everything. Keto, Intermittent Fasting, Paleo you lose 10 pounds and feel amazing. But then, life happens. The weight returns.

You’re left feeling like a failure, searching for the ‘next big thing.’ This is the exhausting cycle of restrictive dieting.

This article will walk you through the 5 nutrition plans for weight loss William James personally tested. It will share the real data on why the first four failed him (and why they likely fail you, too).

Then, it will show you the one plan that finally stuck for him. It’s a flexible, evidence-based approach that helps you find sustainable weight loss. It was also ranked as the #1 best diet in 2025.

1. The Keto Diet

The promise of Keto was amazing: turn his body into a fat-burning machine by eating bacon and butter. The reality was the ‘keto flu,’ complete with a pounding headache in a 2 PM work meeting.

He felt sluggish, couldn’t eat a single piece of fruit, and became obsessed with tracking ketones. His breaking point came at a work dinner where the only ‘safe’ thing he could eat was a plain steak.

He felt miserable and left out, and he gave up that night.

• Key Issue: It’s extremely restrictive, which makes it hard to follow for a long time.
• Expert Warning: In 2025, Cleveland Clinic dietitians called Keto a ‘fad diet to retire.’
• The Rebound: It’s very difficult to transition off the diet without regaining the weight, as it doesn’t teach sustainable habits.
• Side Effects: It can lead to nutrient deficiencies (especially fiber) and constipation.

2. Intermittent Fasting (16/8)

This plan seemed easy. All he had to do was skip breakfast and eat his meals in an 8-hour window. But he just became a professional clock-watcher, staring at the clock until 12:00 PM.

By the time his eating window opened, he was so hungry that he often overate and made bad choices. He constantly felt dizzy and irritable all morning.

His breaking point was realizing his social life often happens after 8 PM, and he had to keep saying ‘no’ to late dinners with friends.

• Key Issue: It focuses on when you eat, not what you eat, which can lead to poor nutrition.
• Side Effects: Many people report dizziness, irritability, and trouble concentrating during the fasting periods.
• Social Life: The rigid timing makes it very difficult to be flexible with social events like dinners or parties.
• Binge Eating: For some, the long fasting period can trigger binge-eating urges once the ‘eating window’ opens.

3. The Paleo/Whole30 Plan

The idea of eating ‘clean’ like our ancestors was appealing. This meant only real, whole foods and cutting out all processed junk, dairy, grains, and legumes.

It was the hardest plan of all. It wasn’t just ‘no processed junk.’ It was no bread, no rice, no beans, and no yogurt. It was expensive and made eating out a nightmare. He lasted 11 days before he broke.

All he wanted was a simple bowl of oatmeal. This plan showed him that total elimination is not sustainable.

• Key Issue: This plan is extremely restrictive and eliminates entire healthy food groups like whole grains and legumes.
• Practicality: It is very expensive and time-consuming to prepare all meals from scratch.
• Social Life: It’s almost impossible to eat at a restaurant or a friend’s house without breaking the rules.
• Sustainability: The high level of restriction makes long-term adherence incredibly low for most people.

4. Strict Calorie Counting (1,200 Calories)

This plan was just simple math: Calories In, Calories Out. As long as he stayed under 1,200 calories, he would lose weight. And he did, technically. But he was miserable.

He became obsessed with the quantity of food, not the quality. He’d ‘save’ his calories all day just to eat a low-cal processed snack bar instead of a real, filling meal.

He wasn’t learning how to eat healthily; he was just learning how to hit a number. He was always hungry and hit a ‘math burnout.’

• Key Issue: It can create an unhealthy obsession with numbers rather than nutrition.
• Food Quality: You can technically eat 1,200 calories of junk food and ‘succeed,’ which doesn’t build healthy habits.
• Hunger: For most adults, 1,200 calories is not a sustainable or satisfying amount of food, leading to constant hunger.
• Adherence: Like other rigid plans, it can lead to a cycle of restricting and binging.

5. The Mediterranean Diet (The One That Stuck)

After all that failure, he finally stopped ‘dieting.’ He found the Mediterranean plan, which is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 Best Diet Overall for 2025.

It is the eighth year in a row it has won. The reason it works is simple: it’s not a rigid ‘diet’ at all. It’s a flexible lifestyle.

It’s not about restriction; it’s about adding healthy, delicious foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and olive oil. No food is 100% ‘banned,’ which finally broke his ‘all-or-nothing’ cycle.

• The #1 Ranking: It was also ranked #1 for ‘Easiest Diets to Follow,’ which is the most important factor for success.
• It’s Flexible: It’s a framework, not a prison. It’s about moderation, not elimination.
• Focuses on Quality: You learn to build satisfying meals around vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats.
• Proven Benefits: It’s not just for weight loss. A 50-year study found that followers live an average of 4.4 years longer.

Diet Plan Comparison

Here is a quick comparison of the 5 plans William James tested.

Diet Plan	Core Principle	Why It Failed for Him	Best For…
Keto Diet	High Fat, Very Low Carb	Too restrictive, ‘keto flu’	Short-term rapid weight loss
Intermittent Fasting	Time-based eating (16/8)	Rigid schedule, social conflicts	People who prefer rules and dislike snacking
Paleo/Whole30	Whole foods, no grains/dairy	Extreme elimination, expensive	People with specific food sensitivities
Calorie Counting	Strict calorie deficit	Led to obsession over numbers	People who want to learn portion control
Mediterranean Diet	Flexible, whole foods, healthy fats	It Stuck!	Long-term, sustainable health

How to Start: My 5 Actionable Principles for Sustainable Weight Loss

This is the most important part of the article. You don’t have to ‘go Mediterranean’ overnight. That’s the old ‘all-or-nothing’ thinking. Just start with these 5 principles.

1. Focus on Adding, Not Subtracting. This is the best psychological trick. Instead of ‘I can’t have chips,’ think, ‘I’m going to add an apple to my lunch.’ Start by just adding one vegetable to lunch and dinner. It’s much easier than cutting carbs.
2. Make One Smart Swap. You don’t have to change everything at once. Pick one thing. This week, try swapping butter for olive oil when you cook. Or swap your daily soda for sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon.
3. Redefine ‘Protein.’ This plan encourages protein, but it shifts the focus. Aim for two fish-based meals this week (like salmon or tuna). Try one ‘Meatless Monday’ and use legumes (like lentils or chickpeas) as your protein. It’s cheap and very filling.
4. Practice ‘Flexible Restraint.’ It is the key to long-term success. You know you’re going to a party on Friday. So, you plan to have one slice of pizza. You enjoy it. You don’t feel guilty. And your very next meal is back on plan. This breaks the failure cycle for good.
5. Move for 30 Minutes. It isn’t a ‘beast mode’ workout. It’s just a 30-minute walk. This is a key part of the lifestyle. The Mayo Clinic Diet, another top-ranked 2025 plan, builds its ‘Live It!’ phase around this idea. It builds consistency and helps your mental health. This is how you build a sustainable weight loss habit that actually lasts.