Been there and back a number of times, for a number of reasons.

For me morning sickness has been the biggest derailer, if buttered bread is all I can keep down for a few days, buttered bread is all I'm gonna eat for a few days. Pregnancy hormones also seem to minimize my response to foods I would otherwise have issues with, so the pain isn't there to guide me back on track as quickly.

I think making a lifelong commitment to eating differently requires the freedom to go back and forth until you can really prove to yourself that you do indeed feel better eating better. It is a conditioning process, and if you have doubts left in the back of your mind, the process isn't complete, and the change won't stick.

No one masters a new task in a day or a week, to get good at meal planning, and developing the self awareness to eat mindfully takes time to become habit. I know I'm solid when I get to a point where things that I don't think I should eat don't even like like food to me anymore. If a bag of chips looks about as appealing as a shoe, you're home free.

If you find that you are cheating or snacking out of hunger or more than you think you should on purely experimental grounds, the "crowd out the crap" method can help keep you fortified and less susceptible to slip-ups. My way of doing that is to eat as much meat as I can at breakfast, and distractions from food like substances lose their siren song because I'm so full.

Ok, I just recently had a SAD dinner. Two things to keep in mind.

1) Everyone cheats. Im sorry if I am irritating the people who believe they don't, but lets face it...you cannot go the rest of your life without cheating at least once before you die. So we are all going to 'cheat' sooner or later.

2) Just don't put yourself in that situation again. There is no earthly reason you should beat yourself up over it. You are the master of your own life and the Captain of your own stomach. What foods do you eat that make you want to cheat more??? How can you steer clear of them? Can you find a substitute? For example, apples always do it for me. I am not sure why...and frankly I don't care. I just know it works for me. It may not for you.

Yes, it would be perfect if we could all eat perfectly 100% of the time and never do anything to violate your dietary choice to eat this way. But that is likely an unattainable goal over the entirety of our existence. I ate pizza the other night and I moved on instantly. I knew it was wrong, but I have been steady on and full steam ahead since then. I learned from the experiance and will apply what I have learned in the future. Ultimately you will not be voted of the Paleo-Island for violating the 'code'. Relax...take a deep breath...and gnaw on an apple wrapped in avacado and beef my friend.

And yes, I know I will take some barbs for this post! :-)

I try to view paleo as a diet of inclusion rather than exclusion. To the extent that I fill my diet with the right stuff, there is less room for the wrong stuff. I'm a pretty simple eater and I'm generally happy with whatever is in front of me. As such, at home and work, I eat pretty we'll. When I go out or eat with others, I don't torture myself in terms of strictness. I may restrict the most egregious offenders, but I eat what's there. This doesn't lead to binging because once home, its back to the standard. This has worked for me.

America = what my diet is Australia = “cheating” Guard = My Paleo Jiminy Cricket

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzJNMRt2yLU&feature=endscreen

Truth.

I have been paleo/primal for over two years. I am not so strict now, mainly for family outings or events. For example, we went to a wedding the other night. The chicken was breaded, and then there was the cake. I just ate and enjoyed myself without getting hung up on staying with the plan. I felt fine and started back up the next day on paleo.

I cheat sometimes and I've really gotten to the point where I don't feel bad about it because 99% of the time I have a paleo diet.

I would have really made myself feel bad about it in the past because I think I was so obsessive about "paleo" and if I strayed even a tiny bit I would feel so guilty and terrible like I had to reset or that I did something absolutely horrible.

The fact is, I know I eat great and healthfully most of the time and I know I eat better than most of the population. It's usually not a slippery slope for me, if I "cheat" I don't then go off the wagon.

Food is too interesting and diverse to me to NEVER cheat, it just makes me sad to imagine a life where I never eat good pizza again (and I've tried to make grain free pizza, it's just not the same) For me it's not even about cravings, I have no desire to eat processed junk from a box but I do feel sad going to some fantastic restaurant and feeling guilty for eating whatever grain based delight that might be offered, makes me feel like I'm missing out on cultural culinary masterpieces which I don't eat very often since I don't go out much.

I also don't get sick when I cheat so that's not a problem.

Point is, I do it from time to time, mostly not, and when I do I enjoy it and forget about it. I don't think it's going to make or break my health or life.

I did it today, it makes me wonder why it's so hard to stick to a healthy diet, you would think that you body would crave the healthy food instead of the unhealthy stuff. I guess it's important not to fall into the all or nothing mentality though. But I did eat some spaghetti a few weeks ago and got a stomach ache after which kind of made me happy in a weird way!

I did last weekend when I attended a few BBQs. It started off with a few gluten free cupcakes and after seeing I could tolerate them turned into some gluten free ice cream cake, gluten free cookies, gluten free apple pie, gluten free cream puffs, and half a box of honey chex (also gluten free). Over the next few days my mood and anxiety went crazy, and my skin broke out setting me back a few steps.

Normally I eat minimal sugar and NO processed foods. What the hell was I thinking? Sometimes when you start feeling good and your mood is great, you think somehow you can tolerate these foods again.

EDIT: As a Celiac I have to eat gluten free.

Yep...I think it was because I was working out too vigorously and not eating enough carbs. When the opportunity came up to smash on a pizza I couldn't turn it down. 15 pounds later I'm trying again..but this time a lot more potatoes and white rice

actually relapsed about 3 days ago..Its been a few months of sporadic SAD binging and I've never been able to get into a rythm.

Like I said before..its not all bad. I learned that I needed some more carbs & gained a lot of muscle along the way. Now i just need to lose the fat.

potlucks at work are still very hard.

It is purely emotional when I eat the old foods. When I am eating Paleo well I do not have a desire (no cravings) to consume anything but meat, veggies, and fruit...But my mother-in-law is staying with us which stresses me to no end no matter how nice she may be. She is invasive. But the thing is going back for me to Paleo is so much easier than any other "diet" because for me it was a true miracle from the beginning. So cheats are fewer. My husband has been reluctant to try Paleo and he still eats trash around me. The Pizza has been the hardest second to surprisingly donuts which I have never ate much of!

Before I cheat I stop and consciously think about the food which I am consuming and the things that the particular food may do to my body. I think about inflammation and the pain I endure... and it isn't so worth it for me. But why do I give in sometimes? Mainly memories of good times when I am sad. I lost my parents young and cut off some family so I am sad often.

If my husband embraced paleo I would probably never look back!

There is a reason most people refer to it as the Paleo "lifestyle" and not the Paleo "diet." Choosing to eat this way is a day in/day out thing, it doesn't mean that you should never treat yourself or tell yourself that never again in your entire life will you eat a slice of pizza or a dish of ice cream.

I go out with a group of friends every few weeks to a local bar that has an AMAZING selection of craft and import beers (which happen to be one of my weaknesses). I am not about to go to a bar like this and drink vodka/soda waters all night just for the sake of staying Paleo; I want to enjoy myself, and it's a treat, so I go into the situation knowing full well that I'm going to 'break Paleo' for the night. It's a once-in-a-while treat, I don't lose any sleep over it.