Interesting that no one here seems to have had any failures, because I sure have.

I feel better on the Paleo diet, but I've been Paleo for two years now, living the 80/20 principle but these days I'm closer to 95/5 because every little slip now puts weight on me like nobody's business. I started out fat at around 215. I never lost any weight but my moods are better and I'm less anxious and hungry so I considered that a win. However, any time I have to relax the rules a little and eat more 50/50 for a spell - Bang - that's another 5 pounds on that will NOT leave and two years later I'm up to about 235 no matter how much I low carb it, no matter which way I shift macronutrient ratios, no matter how much I walk, run, lift weights, sprint tabatas, no how much I think positive, no matter how long I spend in whatever level of ketosis, no matter what.

Before the neolithic foods didn't make me any fatter, they just made me tired and anxious. They do that now AND pack the pounds on in a matter of days, and they just won't leave. And if anyone tells me to try harder, I'm going to climb through the screen and choke them.

"It can't be that this is 100% fail-proof."

I don't agree with that -- at least not at face-value. If you are a person with a "normal" metabolic genotype, even saving for some sensitivities or intolerances here and there, the whole of evolution and emerging science suggest that following an ancestral eating plan should lead to the healthy physiology of ancestral humans, assuming other factors like movement are included as well.

No animal's default state is obese, tired, sick, allergic, insensitive, stressed, etc. It seems that an ancestral approach to diet and fitness simulates what promotes general health and prevents metabolic syndrome, and logically so. That's the power of Paleo, that it simply follows from exploiting, or rather obeying, how we evolved, and that's why it works on genetically normal individuals essentially without fail.

Most adherents seem to gauge success as fat loss, but immense genetic diversity exists within any population, especially one as varied as humans. Even if the fat doesn't come ripping away like it often does, then, as another commenter noted, key indicators of health like blood pressure and lipoprotein profile almost always improve substantially.

Side note: This is my first spring eating a Paleo diet. All my friends are mired in allergies, popping pills by the handful. This is my first spring where I'd feel confident breathing out of a scuba tank full of pollen and cat hair.

This stuff works.

The only failures are with people that want to reinvent the paleo book and miss their bread and pasta and doughnuts. A little bit won't hurt.

Also the failures happen when the difficulties of social pressures of not eating the crap that arrives at potlucks get in the way of good etiquette. Or they cannot give up pasta night.

Eating out a lot and not knowing what kinds of oils are being used in the kitchen can sabatoge paleo. Melissa today is at a meet up at Chipotles in NYC protesting them using soybean oil when cooking their meats.

If someone decides to alter their eating habits strictly, they will not fail. But too many people complain of ailments such as arthritic hands or knees and when I propose they give up bread and pasta...they say they could never do that. Or they complain of being overweight, but they will not give up their bread, cakes, and pies.

I've only had failure with conventional "paleo" wisdom. That is: very low carb, very high fat, no potatoes until you are lean, etc. I gained fat steadily and had low energy on VLC paleo, but the basic premise of whole foods, no sugar, no grains, low PUFAs and plenty (but not huge amounts) of healthy animal fats has been the best thing in the world for me emotionally and physically.

I ate paleo for 8 months and was really engaged in the process. In general I did not feel any better on paleo than on my normal diet. I actually felt a little worse.

My period became 5 days longer. I had severe PMS. I was low on energy. Acne improved somewhat but never really disappeared. Weight was stable but I did not loose any kilos. The worst part was that I lost my natural sense of eating, meaning that I became obsessed with food; what to eat and what not to eat. I was on the edge of an eating disorder. It was very stressful for me to eat paleo.

I am now in the process of learning to eat by intuition. I feel better eating this way, both physically and emotionally. My skin problems are better now than on paleo. My biggest problem is that after I stopped paleo I have gained weight like crazy. I eat less and move more, but that makes no difference. It is so annoying :-(

Well, I think this would be a good place to summarize the various problems people have encountered with it that I have read up here:

1) Constipation: I have this one a little bit. I am not buying the "you don't need to poop as much" story that I've read up here. Sounds like a justification. Just like the sick vegan who tells you his poor health is due to "detox symptoms".....three years after he's been on the diet.

2) Chapped Lips. I got this one, too. I just needed to increase Vitamin C. I added a little fruit and added lemon juice.

3) I've read some people started having sleep problems. That's not good.

4) My first week or so into it, I got dizzy. This is apparently a common side of initial ketosis. Need to drink plenty of water and get enough salt and potassium.

Without going too far into the realms of philosophical debate here:

Failure is just another form of success. You can't have success without failure or you have nothing to judge your success by.

If you do not fail, you cannot learn to adapt and overcome and finally succeed in whatever it is you are trying to achieve.

So, in the long run, all paleo followers are winners :)

I had failure to some degree with low-carb paleo and lifting. I did a month of low-carb (besides the night before workouts) and I actually lost ground on my lifts despite the fact that I am still a beginner and I didn't lose any weight over that time. I'm still paleo + dairy, but reintroduction of carbs has helped my lifts immensely.

Define failure. I still have fibromyalgia and joint pain, but it's better. My energy level and anxiety are better, but I'm still an unhappy person in a mad world. I can achieve a normal body weight if I stay away from grains and dairy, except when I get too busy to eat. It's a diet, not a body and mind transplant.

I got my mom to try paleo too, hoping it would cure her lupus. Newsflash: lupus is a dread, incurable disease. Oh well. I had been so excited that it works for some people with problems like ours. I still wish we had randomized controlled trials on how many people with what sorts of problems this intervention is effective for and in what ways. It's a reflection of corrupt incentives (money for drugs, not lifestyle changes) that this gold standard data does not exist.

Health is a product of genetics, epigenetics, environment, and behavior. You can only control so much of that equation. A bunch of online anecdotes are useful for figuring out how to better experiment with being in control of your own destiny. Their usefulness stops there.

Judging by your photo....you look like a guy who is already healthy. I've noticed Paleo has weird effects on people are already healthy.

For example if Lance Armstrong started a Paleo diet...I imagine he would have negative side effects...

2.5 years strictly GF and no dairy Paleo, except for ghee to provide K2, and my husbands osteopenia is worse. Failure? I don't think so. He sure feels better than he did, but there's still more to do apparently.

Nope no failure here. No it's not perfect as you say nothing is, but it is based on common sense and science. If you are willing to adapt with the new discoveries and make health choices based on sound scientific evidence, it's not going to go too wrong for a lot of people.

Not really here. The weight loss has slowed a bit, but the immune system is much stronger and for that I, my voice teacher and the chorus and the choir are very grateful.

Paleo failure? Imagine you're climbing a tree, and then you accidentally touch an electrical wire...

I feel better, but I'm not losing weight. Well, after the initial 10 pounds, I've been stuck for the last 3 weeks. Unsure if I'm in ketosis or not. shrug

I haven't been too strict on the Whole30 I'm supposed to be doing either, but I've been no-grains no-starch paleo the whole time.

yeah super low-carb paleo left me pretty depressed and lacking of energy. but no failure. just tweaked the carbs, upping them with sweet potatoes, some fruit, and other root vegetables, and now i feel like a beast

Well, I didn't feel well on very low carb paleo, in ketosis (in particular, my mental health was negatively affected). I consider that a 'failure' as a diet, for me personally.

So I stopped putting my body in ketosis. I still eat 'paleo', but with starch, and feel the best I ever have in my entire life.

I think you really don't "fail" at the paleo if done right. Unfortunately this like other diets you have all these quacks that are jumping on the bandwagon, and relaying bad advice. Some people are doing paleo following say an 80/20 rule but eating clean has given their body a break from let say gluten, and then you go on a gluten binge and undo all the good you have done. If you're gluten sensitive, then gluten must be removed completely because the havoc gluten causes lasts months. That being said you still could do your cheat but not with gluten products Then there are other things like on cheat days, consuming stuff high in rancid trans fats. Well trans fats can remain in your system for up to two years from the last time you ingested. People also don't take the time to do it 100% and its hard we are humans. There are so many things that we could be allergic to, casein, nightshades, eggs, watermelon to name a few, and you don't cut those things out. Sometimes people on the paleo diet will eat more "processed" and "feedlot" meats, now they are going all this junk from the processed meat, and an imbalance of the ratio between omega3/6 is thrown way off because of feedlot meats. People need to really read a good paleo book, opt for clean single ingredient foods, 100% grass fed/grass finished meats, free range organic chickens, pastured eggs, pastured pork. the fat profiles of feedlot vs grass fed are so different!

So some people that are doing paleo eat tons of nuts/seeds (full of phytic acid and protease inhibitors, or may have a slight nut allergy), cook with any oil they find, canola/vegetable, pam spray, eat tons of feedlot meats/commercial chicken/eggs and pork products, Then if they are on the 85/15 deal, then after eating all this substandard food they go eat a big mac and fries. See, though they may have done a paleo-ish diet and then they cheat and they don't reap the benefits. They eat prepackaged paleo food (which I don't trust) if you read labels, you see that there are things that I don't think my ancestors had access to, either that or my ancestors were really in the boonies. I believe that these people may not so readily reap the benefits, and then conclude the paleo diet a failure, yet they didn't even give it a chance? Did they try to do an elimination diet, ridding themselves of all possible allergic foods? casein, gluten, nightshades, nuts (even coconut, heaven forbid!), egg, vegetables high in oxalates and waiting a month or so and reintroducing one at a time seeing if there is a adverse affect? or getting tested for such allergens? maybe they have blood glucose dysregulation and a ketogenic paleo would be better?

So... that my take on it, I doubt that illnesses caused by years of fad diets, or following the food pyramid of death, can all be undone in a few weeks or months? For example celiacs with their torn up intestines can take an average of 9.7 years of gluten free living for their intestines to be returned to "normal".

I believe the paleo is a good "template" now just adjust to for what works, but its always better to eat "real" food. I personally don't touch anything that I hadn't prepared myself (Except for these wild caught sardines from wholefoods) I ferment my own vegetables, make my own condiments mayo/ketchup/ceasar salad dressing. I don't do ketchup anymore cause I got rid of nightshades but when I did, I made my own tomato paste from organic tomatoes. I truly make everything from scratch. All my meat is grass fed organic, vegetables organic. I am a male college student most don't even know how to boil water lol. I guess I was lucky, mother was a chef and I used to help in the kitchen a lot. I know money's tight but its cheap for me to eat this way, why?I practice protein restriction, you only need 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight, then because 1 lb of grass fed ground beef cost me $6.99 from there I can get 5-6 servings, so I usually eat to animal meat proteins a day and usually and eggs in the day so that meat last me about 3 days. Still to expensive, go to grass organ meats usually less than $4.99 a lb. Best meal on the go? Avocado they don't need to be organic the skin won't let pesticides through, (carry plastic spoons/knives in your car) Don't have time to prepare food or eat that day? Sound like a good time to do an unplanned intermittent fast. (Also helps save money, if you do it 4 times that's about 52 times a year that a lot of money in your pocket :)

On a curious note, people who have eaten a junky version of paleo still reap benefits? so i guess pseudo-paleo better than the SAD diet any day

i've had some failure.. i lost a bit of weight which was good (freshman 15 is no fun!) but i also lost my period and am weak/tired much of the time with dizziness upon standing. I IF daily 16-18 hours and have about 2 meals a day with whatever meat/veggies my dining hall has that look innocuous enough. Maybe i'm taking it too strictly? I started out as a 115 lb 5'0 18 year old girl and i'm probably somewhere around 100 lbs now.

I don't expect miracles, so there is no failure. I've been over a year on paleo, so I am not surprised that I still have health issues. Things don't heal over night. I still have allergies (my eye lids have tripled in size), asthma and anxiety. But I am looking forward five, ten years, not weeks or months.

I've hardly lost any fat (but I am not obese) but did put on nice muscles. I still have skin issues (cutting off dairy again), or feel overly tired sometimes... But I don't consider it much a failure, just lack of miracles :)

When I try to think of things that were caused by paleo, I think only occasional constipation... and addiction to dark chocolate and macadamias :P

Now, I'm not losing lbs, but I've made some changes to my body (maybe an inch off my hips and waist) in 8 weeks, doing crossfit 3X/week.

Am I really paleo? Hmmm, I guess not. I'm trying to combine all the knowledge I've learned everywhere, so here's how my diet looks.

protein whey shakes with spinach, some cream, some raspberries paleo chicken curry turkey and lettuce and 3-4 slices of bacon chicken breast salad walnuts and an apple

Now...have I cheated? 1 night only, I had 1/2 cup of pasta, and 3 cookies. Have I drank?: on 3 nights I had red wine.

Why don't I go TOTAL paleo (translation: no bacon, no cream, no protein shakes)? I think that would just send me into cheating mode, because I feel so deprived. Right now, I can sustain this diet, I have NO CRAVINGS (which is huge in itself), and I feel healthy and energetic. So why change?

Do I need to lose weight? Yes! I could probably benefit from 15 lbs of fat down. I'm about 28% bf.

In my heart of hearts I believe that I could probably lose more weight if I pulled the shakes, the fruit and the bacon. But I think I'd be completely miserable (I was previously a huge grain lover, so I'm feeling this is transition enough.

I am currently considering myself a paleo failure. I just finished the whole30 and I feel the same even worse in some areas. I still have a very bloated belly, many headaches, stomach pain and extreme fatigue. I was really committed and was inventive with my meals. Towards the end I added winter squashes to try and up my carbs. This helped me stop the diarrhea that the whole30 had caused and allowed me to go back to the bowel movement I was having before. The only good things that I experienced were better blood sugar and my skin looks a little more clear. I want to go back to my old diet (which was based on Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions) but I'm afraid to add things back. :(

i hate the word failure, too. i started paleo in august 2012 in hopes of resolving my ulcerative colitis issues. has paleo helped? yes, but SCD has probably helped more. i still had to start TNF inhibitors (humira) because of all the bleeding, weight loss, inflammation. it's very frustrating to think i'm doing everything right for my body, but my body is just resisting. i'm gonna stick to paleo/scd just because i think it's a good diet, but i don't think it can reverse some of the damage done already.

VLC wrecked me. I thrive on high carb paleo though.

I know this posting is old but I am a failure at paleo. It did lose weight but I only did it for two days. The reason I am a failure is because I am a picky eater. I tried salad but I don't like a lot of vegatables. But I brought one and tried adding some fruits for sweetness and I still could not eat the lettuce or the tomatos. It was so nasty to me. I am not a pork eater I been pork free for over 20 years. So that leaves me with fish, chicken and beef. I love chicken breast only and beef. And some kinds of fish I like. I tried to do a bun less hamburger I have maybe 6oz I cooked it on the george Forman. And I ended up getting sick. I don't know if it's because I needed carbs also but I will never eat a bunless hamburger again. I tried other vegatable like sweet potatoes which I love and I got a butternut squash but I never used it. I might use it just to see how it will taste. But I read over some of the comments and I think people fail this diet for different reason. And not every diet is for everyone. What i dislike the most is when people blame the person for the failure like its a perfect fail proof diet and its not. I did nothing wrong i cut off bread and dairy. I only cooked with coconut oil I got from wholefoods. I eat mostly meat some vegatables and fruits. So I know I followed the diet correctly. I researched before buying items to make sure they were ok on paleo. But I lose a total of 40 lbs in 6 months without doing paleo. Eating bread and drinking milk. I even had candy and soda from time to time. I did weekend cheat days. I drunk a lot of water about 2 to 3 liters a day. And I had no vegatable except corn and white potatoes. I decided to do paleo because I wanted to lose weight faster. I was still losing weight with my other diet but I wanted to try to eat more vegatables. But for me the paleo diet did not work. Yea I lost weight but if I can't follow the diet then what good is it to me. By no means am I putting the paleo lifestyle down because it's working for some people. But not everyone is made to do paleo. And not everyone fails because they did something wrong.