I've tested most major nutrition approaches across the past decade. Keto, intermittent fasting, low-carb, Mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian, and various other variations. Each tested for at least three months; most for six or more. Five didn't stick despite producing some short-term benefits. One did. Here's the honest report.
The 5 that didn't stick
1. Strict keto (12 weeks)
Tried for 12 weeks. Produced rapid weight loss and energy stability initially. Found it socially restrictive in ways that affected daily life. Couldn't maintain across normal life conditions.
What it taught: ketosis works metabolically for many people. The challenge is sustaining the dietary restrictions across normal social and work life. For people who can sustain it, the benefits are real.
2. Intermittent fasting 16:8 (8 months)
Sustained for longer than the others. Some metabolic benefits. Some sleep quality improvements.
Eventually drifted away because the restriction wasn't producing benefits proportional to the constraint. The eating-window approach worked but didn't feel necessary for the results I was getting.
What it taught: intermittent fasting works for some people. For me, it produced modest benefits not proportional to the lifestyle adjustment.
3. Strict vegan (4 months)
Tested out of curiosity about both health and ethical dimensions. Produced some health markers improvements.
Found it nutritionally challenging in ways that required substantial planning. The planning burden eventually exceeded my willingness to sustain.
What it taught: vegan diets work but require attention to specific nutrients (B12, iron, certain amino acids, omega-3s). Casual veganism without planning produces nutritional gaps.
4. Low-carb (not strict keto) (6 months)
The middle-ground low-carb approach. Some weight loss. Some energy stability.
The benefits were modest enough that maintaining the restriction didn't feel justified. Drifted toward more-balanced eating gradually.
What it taught: moderate carb restriction can help but doesn't produce dramatic results for most people who aren't insulin-sensitive in problematic ways.
5. Carnivore (6 weeks)
Tried because of community claims of dramatic benefits. Some inflammatory marker improvements.
Found nutritionally one-dimensional and socially restrictive. Couldn't justify continued restriction given the benefits achieved relative to alternatives.
What it taught: the dramatic benefit claims around carnivore are usually overstated. Some people may benefit but the broader case is weaker than enthusiasts suggest.
The one that stuck: Mediterranean-pattern eating
The Mediterranean diet — lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, fish, modest meat, modest dairy, modest wine — has been my sustained approach for the past three years.
Why it stuck:
- Sustainable. Compatible with social eating, travel, restaurants, normal life conditions.
- Nutritionally complete. Doesn't require specific supplementation or meal planning.
- Backed by substantial evidence. The Mediterranean pattern is among the most-studied dietary approaches with strong evidence of health benefits.
- Enjoyable. The food is genuinely pleasant to eat. Not feeling deprived sustains the approach.
- Flexible. Permits variation based on preferences and circumstances without breaking the approach.
Results across three years:
- Stable weight in healthy range
- Improved cardiovascular markers (cholesterol, blood pressure)
- Stable energy throughout days
- No problematic inflammatory markers
- Sustained satisfaction with food
What I learned across the testing
The pattern that emerged from testing multiple approaches:
Most diets work in the short term through some combination of caloric restriction and specific metabolic effects. The dramatic short-term results across approaches reflect this.
The diets that work long-term are the ones you can sustain in your actual life. Sustainability matters more than theoretical optimization.
The "best" diet for an individual is the one they'll actually maintain. A theoretically suboptimal diet sustained for years outperforms a theoretically optimal diet sustained for months.
Mediterranean-pattern eating is the most-evidence-supported and most-sustainable approach for most people. The patterns of high-evidence sustainable eating converge toward this pattern.
What I now recommend
For people thinking about nutritional changes:
- Start with Mediterranean-pattern eating as default. The evidence is strong; sustainability is high.
- Test other approaches if you have specific medical reasons (diabetes, autoimmune conditions, etc.) and with medical guidance.
- Don't test approaches based on social media enthusiasm. The dramatic claims rarely sustain.
- Focus on long-term sustainability over short-term results.
- Adjust based on your actual measurable outcomes (energy, body composition, lab markers, etc.) rather than theoretical optimization.
The takeaway
Nutrition approaches work when they fit your life. Across many tested approaches, Mediterranean-pattern eating produced the best combination of evidence-supported benefits and sustainable adherence for me.
For your own nutrition, the framework that works is more important than the specific diet trend. Sustainable approaches with evidence support and personal fit will outperform optimal-on-paper approaches you can't maintain.
