For me life isn't all about diet and diet, by far, isn't the only factor that influences health. So, if I'm having dinner with family, I can skip the bread but I'll eat the CAFO steak that's been marinated in less than wholesome ingredients. Having a relationship with family that occasionally includes less than optimal food choices works really well for me. Now, if I were really ill and had to pay close attention to everything I ate that would be another matter.

Also, I don't relate to the word "cheat" or to the concept of "holding back." Health for me is a balance of relationships with people and with food. Usually the balance is skewed in the direction of eating the food I prefer and sometimes I make the choice to nurture some other part of me (e.g. my relationship with others.)

Trying to be 100% and never cheating runs the risk, for me, of being obsessive. I understand that for others, 100% is a desirable goal. But it's certainly not, in my judgment, better to be 100% Paleo than to not be. That's a very personal matter.

I agree with Twinkletoes, there are many different opinions on what Paleo is. That being said, even if you try to stick with your diet 100% it will be very difficult. Unpaleo ingredients are ubiquitous and impossible to completely avoid. You just do the best you can. Don't worry, be happy!

After I did my first Whole30, I could not imagine adding anything back to my diet that was not Paleo. My reasons are 100% health related, and my diet is 100% Paleo. That means I carefully purchase and prepare virtually everything I eat.

Over time I've tried eating in restaurants or at friends' homes, and the results are painfully horrendous. So it's not that I have some overwhelming commitment to Paleo, Paleo, Paleo. It's simply that it is what works for me. I have even given myself permission on unusual occasions to venture off the path. I just can't bring myself to do it.

Why don't I attempt 100% paleo?

1. I like dairy and it likes me so why would I give it up?

2. If you want to be 100% you can never trust anything you don't source and prepare yourself which means you can't dine out or eat a meal prepared for you by others. I like eating out, I like the social aspect of sharing a meal. Its kind of hard to maintain relationships when you set yourself above or apart from others over food choices.

3. It takes time to find and maintain ongoing sources of 100% paleo food. I've got eggs, beef, wild game locked down. Still looking for pork & poultry. As for produce, I do what I can with a small suburban garden and a short growing season. I'd rather buy local and non-organic (smaller carbon footprint), than organic trucked/shipped in from thousands of miles away.

It's just going to be different for everyone. I mean, not one sock fits all and every body is different, right? My goals are different than yours.

Me: eliminating food items, the few that I had to, wasn't hard. It was changing my sleeping habits, more sleep!, screen time, none two hours before bed and never in bed unless sick!, things along those lines were where I had difficulty. Screen time is good - sleep I'm still working on.

All in all, outside of a few bits and bobbles, I'm quite happy with what I have going on. Eating well - my way, skipping about and making sure there are good times and smiles to be had. I'm kind. I don't restrict myself so much that I can't celebrate with friends or if I'm traveling or on random adventures. IMO it's overall health: physically, mentally, socially, personally where it's at.

I know too well, unfortunately, that life is too short so I'm doing what I can to extend mine but still making sure that I'm enjoying myself.

Note: Check out the Whole9 elevator pitch. It's damn fine.

(1) For me, I am always giving it 100%, but that includes not beating myself up if I have to make exceptions. The 100% lives in my intentions. I'm not a football fan, but Vince Lombardi said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."

(2) My 'vice' is craving the social interaction that comes with enjoying a meal out with friends (and dried mangos, zomg!).

(3) The stress that comes with adhering to my version of paleo 100% of the time would likely outweigh the benefits of actually adhering to it.

Also, consider the principles of hormesis. A little 'poison' can actually be healthy once in a while.

My 80/20 reasons:

1. Priorities. To be 100% paleo, you need a good bit of time and money; as a grad student, I'm short on both. To paraphrase PaleoVenus: the stress of 100% adherence is not worth the extra bump in vitality. So I try to co-optimize for schedule, budget, and health, and right now I'm okay with how I'm doing on all fronts.

2. Hedonism. I'm too much of a foodie to pass on vrai pain au chocolat or my aunt's buttermilk brownies when I get the opportunity.

Kation, I'd give that +20 if I could. Totally agree! Those are my exact reasons, and I will be a grad student myself soon (I'm currently a very recent grad), so I can relate!

Pain. Depression. ADD. ETC. I have a colonoscopy tomorrow, but I know the results will be negative. 7 days in to Paleo with a 1% of cheating its amazing how much better I feel. I have been suffering from IBS,GERD,Depresseion etc. for 7 years, and reached a point where I could no longer take the pain. I had been looking for a one stop medication where I could take a pill and eat all the crap food I wanted. I want to be healthy. I want to feel healthy. I hate waking up feeling angry, tired, sluggish, etc. After doing research for a while I found that I had a choice. Either pop synthetic toxic pills (increasing in number every few months) or change my diet. Although it has not been a total Joy Ride, I can already see that this is my solution. Change is hard, but it looks like there may be some kind of light at the end of this tunnel.

I'd like to get off dairy, but the truth is, I feel like I already don't eat 80% of what most people out there eat (outside the Paleo community, obviously). Just LET ME KEEP MY FREAKING DAIRY, y'know?!! ;-) (All full-fat, organic, and/or fermented: heavy cream, Greek yogurt, sour cream, butter, and cheese. Lots of cheese.)

In terms of quantity, dairy is my biggest departure from pure Paleo. But if I'm at a restaurant where they serve warm, fresh bread, I have a piece or two, that sort of thing. (Not celiac and no gluten sensitivity that I've ever noticed.) Overall, my "cheats" are few, but I do wish I could tighten things up.

In terms of body comp though, dairy might be a factor, but I know darn well I have much, much bigger problems with inadequate sleep, too much stress, and massively negative thinking.

*And here's kind of the larger issue for me: Sometimes I feel like my non-Paleo eating gets out of hand. (Maybe in one week, I'll have a few crackers from my roommate's drawer, a piece of cake at work, a late-night cookie, and a ton of peanut butter...and not even the natural kind, gasp!) BUT...then I'll be at a supermarket and I get reminded of what most "normal" people are eating EVERY DAY, and I think to myself, jeez, even on my WORST day, I'm nowhere NEAR most of that cr@p. The things I consider "bad" for ME are still miles above what the average person has on a daily basis. And while I will strive for consistent improvement within my own definitions of what's good and bad, it does help to see where I am in the grand scheme. (No, I'm not proud of comparing myself to others this way, but what can I say? It helps. And I'm not judging those other people...just using the spectrum of food consumption as a tool to keep things in perspective.)

So every time I get down on myself for not doing a Whole30, I step back and realize that even with the few things I eat here and there that are "off the rails," I'm most of the way there. I do want to do "the real deal" just to see if going without dairy for a while makes any difference. I know I'll do it eventually. I guess at the moment, I'm just enjoying not being so hard on myself. I mean, I used to feel really guilty and scared if I ate something horrendous. I don't feel good about it now, but I keep it in its proper context -- a here and there thing. I'm more than 80/20 but less than 90/10. I think in time I'll tighten it up but there are other things going on in my life right now that I wish were a little better. I still do turn to food for comfort sometimes, knowing full well I shouldn't. But as long as that 85/15 stays there and doesn't become 70/30 and then 60/40, I'm okay with it.

That said, I do admire the people who can go full-on and stay that way for the long haul. I'd like to get there at some point but would never make this way of eating define my existence to the point where I literally can't join friends at a restaurant or go on vacation where I'm not in control of my food supply. What's the point of using Paleo to optimize your health, longevity, and physique if you can't leave your house? Lotta fun looking great and living to 110 will be then...

1) What made you finally give it 100%?

For me, eating 80/20, I was only getting worse and worse. It took months before I realized I was actually gluten intolerant and that my weekly sandwich or baked good was taking more and more of a toll on my health. After months of 80/20, I was feeling as bad as I'd ever felt in my life. Sleeping 12 or more hours a day, suffering through the most crippling depression I'd ever experienced, low-energy all the time, mood swings, migraines, terrible PMS, bad skin, joint pain. Finally I decided that if I actually wanted to be better, I had to go 100%.

2) Why are you still holding back, and what is your vice?

My only vice these days is coffee. I've given up everything else, including alcohol.

3) Are we losing all the benefits with an occasional cheat?

I don't think so, unless you have an autoimmune condition. I have rosacea and severe gluten intolerance, so for me, cheats are never worth it. For someone healthy, with no autoimmune issues, I'd say "Cheat away!"

I'm presently battling a horrible addiction to sweeteners - aspartame, sucralose, stevia, the works. I also eat dairy but have no intention of giving it up.

At the moment I'm limiting myself to stevia and it's still incredibly difficult. Diet Dr. Pepper...must...resist...

I think a lot of your question has to do with WHY someone chose to go Paleo in the first place. A lot of people who are Celiac, have IBS, etc, don't really have the option to do anything except 100% Paleo.

For me, I went Paleo because I feel it's the healthiest lifestyle choice I could make for myself, but since I didn't have any major health issues that were the catalyst for driving me toward Paleo, I can indulge in the occasional cheat for whatever the reason. It might be a social reason, it might be that I really just want a bucket of popcorn at the movies (I was just reading a thread about that and I really want popcorn now). Some people might not consider me Paleo since I don't always watch what oils I'm consuming and I don't always eat grass fed beef. Many people on this site have a general idea of what Paleo is and to some extend follow it. It's nice that on PH there are all different versions of Paleo, but we all have the idea of healthier living in mind.

I was eating 80/20 for a few weeks (with a few binges thrown in) when I had this lightbulb moment of thinking "Why would I ever want to allow myself 20% of crap? It makes me feel like crap 20% of the time... and I want to feel like crap 0% of the time."

I just stopped wanting to eat junk. Thus, 100% paleo.

In terms of comparing paleo to vegetarianism... I think it's fair to say that it's easier to find affordable and available options for vegetarians today than it is for paleos. A vegetarian can walk into most stores or restaurants and find something they can eat. If you're paleo, it's a lot easier to run into things like additives, vegetable oils, and gluten simply because there isn't a general awareness that this stuff is bad for you or that there might be people who are trying to avoid it. That's where my 20% (or so... it's usually less than that) comes in. I try to prioritize spending time with family and friends while at the same time keeping in mind what's good for my health. Sometimes that means eating something I wouldn't normally eat, and sometimes it means deciding I'm going to spend time with people in ways that don't involve food and doing my cooking for myself. It's definitely a balance, and I'm still working on finding the best way that works for me!

I'm new to Paleo but not to low-carbing. It's the only way of eating that helps me lose weight or maintain at least. I've been on Paleo on and off about 2 weeks. I'm reading the Loren Cordain Paleo book which promotes kind of an 85/15 rule when you start Paleo - easing into it. I'm hoping I can get past stage 1. I'm finding it very hard to give up a little artificial sweetener in my coffee and tea, I still use half n half in my coffee, and an occasional bit of Gorgonzola cheese - my favorite. However I was definitely eating too much cheese before and have cut way, way back. Oh and wine. That's my other vice. Trying to cut it a glass every other day.

However I can already tell that some of my stomach issues (was previously frequently gas-y and bloated) are going away since going more Paleo. I don't know if I'm a little gluten intolerant or maybe even lactose intolerant but either way its helping. My fridge is stocked with a ton of fruits and veggies and pure things so I know I'm getting the benefits. Today I'm down 2 pounds. Not much but I'll take it.

I'd like to get to 100% Paleo but I'm not pushing it for fear that I'll give up too soon. The entire concept of Paleo and not eating chemically processed foods makes so much sense to me. Especially because I'm a blood cancer survivor. Chemicals and toxins are a no-no - I don't want cancer twice.

Cystic acne that won't go away made me go 100%. I'm sticking with it 100% for at least 3 months to see if I can achieve clear skin, and not have to wake up everyday and wonder if I'm going to have a new cyst. I also have Celiac and want my gut to heal as much as possible, and Paleo is a good diet for that (GAPS may be better, but seems way more restrictive).

As someone else said above: "I don't relate to the word "cheat" or to the concept of "holding back."

I could be classified as 100% paleo. It's not because I am following some strict paleo protocol. It is a result of my evolving paleo lifestyle and naturally just losing all interest in processed food, sugar, etc. This happened over time. I have just lost all interest in crap food, does not tempt me in the least. I have learned to listen to my body and learned how I really 'feel' after eating food. I feel the absolute best when I eat great food. I don't need books, or paleo gurus or even good scientific studies to tell me what is best to eat, we all have the innate knowledge from our long evolutionary journey that allows us to know what is best to eat, but society has made it difficult for us to listen to our biological selves.

There is an old spiritual saying: 'we are all born with 1000 eyes but most of us only open 2 of them'. As I progress through my Life journey I have worked hard to open more eyes so I can see beyond the self imposed limits of society & culture, I want to see more and more.