Energy balance decides weight; protein protects the muscle
Most diet debates dissolve once you separate two questions. Weight change is governed by energy balance: eat fewer calories than you burn and you lose, more and you gain, regardless of the diet's branding. Body composition, the ratio of muscle to fat, is shaped by protein intake and training. So a sustainable plan is simple in outline: set calories for your goal, hit a sensible protein target per kilogram of bodyweight, and choose the eating pattern you can actually maintain. The optimal diet you abandon loses to the decent diet you keep.
2 comments
Worth setting expectations on recomposition here. Gaining muscle while losing fat is realistic for novices and the detrained, but trained lifters usually progress faster by phasing goals rather than chasing both at once.
And no supplement substitutes for this. Creatine and protein powder help at the margins, but they are a rounding error next to hitting your calories and protein from food. Spend the money on groceries first.