Dietary change research generally suggests gradual, sustainable transitions have better long-term adherence than abrupt, complete overnight changes for most people, though individual results vary.
An abrupt complete dietary change removes familiar go-to meals all at once, often before new familiar plant-based staples have been established, creating a gap that frequently leads to reverting under stress or inconvenience.
A gradual approach — replacing meals one at a time, building a rotation of reliable plant-based staples before fully removing other foods — builds genuine sustainable habit and confidence in cooking plant-based meals before the safety net of old habits is removed.
This does not mean gradual is the only valid approach — some people do successfully transition abruptly — but for anyone who has tried and struggled with an all-or-nothing approach previously, a deliberately gradual transition is a reasonable alternative worth trying instead.