There is no one way to do paleo because there is no one person who invented it. It's more of a general theory that looks at both evolution and science. Since our understanding in both areas is continuing evolving, so will the diet. Also, paleo recognizes that each person is unique and no diet is one size fits all. You will need to tailor it according to your genetics, your willpower, and your individual tolerances and needs. Being super strict will do you no good if you are so strict that you cannot maintain compliance. But on the flip side, my personal opinion is it makes no sense to cut out fruit and then decide to cheat with a big popsicle. And that might create sugar cravings.

I personally see no reason why a popsicle could stop all other benefits of the diet though, as long as you can keep it to just that one popsicle. You will still benefit by eating healthy all the rest of the day. However, if it was me, I'd say leave in some Truvia and a tad of fruit and cut out the popsicle which has no health benefits at all. Fruit is more healthy than popsicle. However, if your husband finds he is able to eat very healthy otherwise and only eat one popsicle a day, and that makes him more amenable to the other changes, that could work as well.

Just that personally, I find that eating a bit of sugar just leads to me to eating more and more, just as a smoker trying to quit cannot be trusted to have 'just one more cigarette.' Whereas, for whatever reason, natural fruit does not do that as much for me. So that is one thing you will have to figure out by trial and error for yourself and your own body. One popsicle is not going to kill you, but it could well trigger continuing sugar addiction and prolonged sugar cravings. Or maybe not. Certainly, I have found that some people can generally follow the diet but have some mild cheats and still benefit greatly, whereas others must be much more strict in order to maintain control. Individual mileage may vary and the only way to find out for sure is to try it and see how it goes.

It seems pretty ridiculous to take all fruit out of your diet to lose weight, but at the same time retain a sugar icicle.

I guess my first question is why you asked if "we" can cheat instead of "he". Does that mean you would eat a popsicle, too? If so, why? Would that make you feel deprived?

Personally, I'd say that if he really is only eating that one thing off-plan and whatever is in that popsicle doesn't cause other negative effects it's probably no big deal. If, however, that one leetle popsicle leads to sugar cravings like it did for me when I weighed over 300 it's probably not a good idea. Self-experimentation and (honest) assessment of the results is required.

You could also challenge him to do without for a month (barter down to a week if necessary) and see what he feels like then.

I would think that a popsicle once or twice a week would be of no harm, if total carbs are low enough to keep the weight coming off and you are avoiding the artificial sweetners and grains, legumes and dairy. I struggle with blood sugar issues, not diabetic yet, but I bought a cheap glucose monitor at walmart and started to check my glucose levels after eating. It might be enough to keep me from ever needing to cheat :)

I feel like, if your husband is a sugar junkie, than, at least in the long-ish term the goal has got to be to change this if you're going to see substantial improvements in health/ weight loss. It's just a question of how to get there. As with many addictions, some withdrawal symptoms are probably inevitable.

I know it's hard, but going cold turkey is probably the way to go. Eat as much fruit as you want. But, as everyone has already said, it's got to be up to you. Try things out and do what works.

I don't know, I'm new to this too and if you said I couldn't have ANY fruit I'd say this is not the lifestyle I want! I have have always loved sweets and although I usually don't eat much fruit during the day, my favorite after dinner treat is frozen blueberries with just enough coconut milk/almond milk to coat them so the milk freezes. I stir it up and I basically have blueberry ice cream! Or just frozen mixed berries thawed out halfway so they are like delicious sorbet--but much much better.

I've been doing "paleo" since about 7 years before the book was released, before anything at all was published. I started doing it quite by accident while I was learning to control my blood sugar to get rid of DMII symptoms, to stop using insulin, and to see if controlling these things would help alleviate the progression of my MS...all were successful in the attempt. I actually do have occasional cheats. Cheating makes my approach to be not strictly paleo, but it's not enough to change my metabolism from surviving on ingested fat (or stored fat when I had plenty of that) but in the end, it's still a successful way of life for myself and my family. Today our cheat for the week was very "not paleo" but it was one meal and the other 27 meals this week have been done right.

If it doesn't cause cravings, and you keep it controlled to once a week or once a month or whatever helps you keep sane with cravings under control, then it's ok. If a popsicle leads to a cheat meal, then a cheat day, then a cheat week... then it's best to be avoided. As the poster before me said...it's individual.

Good luck to you.

EDIT: One other thought. IF this ONE LITTLE THING. Helps you to be more successful with sticking with it as a way of life, then it's a good thing. If it makes it harder, then it's bad. Only you and your husband can answer that. Set yourself up for success, not failure.

I find that the more sugar I eat, the more I crave, and that the best way to deal with sweet cravings is to fight them. It's probably not the end of the world to have a single popsicle, but a piece of fruit would be more paleo and more nutritious...

I agree that cutting out the sugary popsicle and adding a bit of fruit is the way to go. As a converted nighttime sweet treat eater, sugar is a huge trigger for me. After several weeks of breaking the sugar habit, my cravings are minimal. Now, if I want a little after dinner treat, I have 1/2 cup of frozen berries, raspberries, blueberries, etc. with some fresh whipped cream. Yes, I still include some full-fat dairy. You could also make some whipped coconut milk to serve on top. For me, adding a creamy topping helps balance out the carbs and keeps my insulin levels from rising.

You might also try supplementing with L-Glutamine, an amino acid, which helps with carb cravings. Sometimes, when I feel a craving coming, I will pour a capsule of L-glutamine on my tongue. After a few minutes, the craving subsides. This was especially helpful during my first few weeks without much sugar.