I’m glad it worked for you. That is a big change in body composition and I’m sure it feels great. I made a similar transformation several years ago and it was due to dietary changes as well. My n=1 is I didn’t have to make drastic changes. I tracked calories, dialed in a 500 daily deficit and stuck with it for 4-6 months.
In general what I have seen is that dramatic dietary changes work for a short period of time but most people are not able to sustain the changes due to the drastic differences from their ‘normal’ diet and because it cuts out many of the foods they enjoy. Part of the reasons these diets work is because the drastic changes are restrictive and cut out problematic foods. At some point people cannot maintain the restrictive diet, relapse, get off the diet and end up yo-yo’ing. YMMV, of course if you find a diet you can sustain.
I advocate a series of incremental changes as it is easier to establish, reinforce and maintain new habits in a way that leads to sustainable lifestyle changes. Changing icecream → protein icecream, adding more veggies, switching to zero calorie sodas, swapping in low calorie alternatives, etc., all those changes snowball over time into sustainable lifestyle changes.
I also don’t advocate any particular ‘named diet’ like paleo, keto, snake (?), etc. The best diet for you is the one you can maintain as a lifestyle. I like carbs, so keto would never work for me. I can’t do paleo as it cuts out a number of foods I love. But I can eat the foods I like and meet my nutritional goals by emphasizing low calorie density and finding certain substitutions that are 80-90% as good as the real deal.
I can have pancakes and french toast and ice cream and popcorn every day because I found recipes that work for me and use low calorie substitutions. I found these after the majority of my weight was lost, but they help me feel fuller and more satiated which helps with maintaining the lighter weight.