Help with sticking to Paleo

[katiev]

Hello all!  I have been 80-90% Paleo for about 6 months, mainly to get back into pre-baby shape.  When I stick to a Paleo diet, I see positive physical and emotional results within a few days.  It's great and I love how the lifestyle makes me feel.  However, I have struggled with disordered eating habits throughout most of my life and the stress of a baby and a new body to "manage" has made it hard for me to adhere to all the "rules" of Paleo.  I know that the main idea of Paleo is not to restrict or make eating more difficult, but as someone with an OCD "right vs. wrong food" mindset, I find myself giving up easily and self-sabotaging through binging and self-induced depression.  I'm pretty open and frank about my problems, and understand how illogical my emotional links toward eating are.  Well, long story short: does anyone have similar struggles with overcoming eating disorders or other problems that prevent them from seeing Paleo as another "diet?"  Any thoughts or ideas are welcome.  Oh, by the way, I was eating wonderfully until my son's 1st birthday party last Saturday...I ate way too much homemade cake and frosting!  Felt like crap afterwards, then started a busy work week and haven't gotten back into exercising at all.  i'm hoping for a fresh start tomorrow. 

[GinaD]

Hi there:) I think it is easy to beat yourself up about not adhering strictly to the plan--I am sure that many people deal with this. The way you feel sounds a lot like it goes in our household; my husband is the one with the more disordered thinking about food (due mostly to his ambitions to be a body builder and all that goes with categorizing good vs bad foods, etc.), but we both have challenges. He cannot moderate his indulgences, so once he splurges, he feels like a failure therefore he just gives up for a while and goes overboard. I think these compulsions make it really hard. I think I have a little more control over how much I stray from the diet, but I can easily justify a "special treat" with all the birthday parties/anniversary/ you-name-it. It has been about nine months since we went Paleo, and usually we are about 80-90% also (he is more strict than I am, but when he falls off he falls hard). My biggest motivation to return to the routine is the tremendous benefits it does my digestion and levels of energy. I would bet that the longer you are following Paleo the easier it is to remember how rewarding it is to skip all the treats. I think that your positivity in knowing that tomorrow is a new day, and that you know you will feel great again in a few days shows strength on your part. Just stick with it, and get right back on the horse again:) Don't be too hard on yourself; no one is perfect!

[anderson08]

Omg I just came to this site to ask for some encouragement. I go through this exact same thing. I went hard core Paleo for 3 mths lost 55 lbs. Felt and looked great! Went astray and having hard time getting back on track. very frustrated. Glad to see its not only me. I wish you luck!

[EJ]

Getting off track is normal! We all have times in our lives when things don't go as we want them to. A fresh start (at the next MEAL, rather than the next WEEK) is a great idea. Don't let it go all weekend, though. Pick yourself up, try not to feel too guilty, and move on with your plan of HEALTH.

It does get easier to eat a certain way (Paleo or AIP) once you've done it for a while. You'll stop thinking of the things you can't eat as available foods. That way, it will be less of a "good" and "bad" situation and you'll just eat what's good naturally. Just real food! Plus, as you go (and make mistakes), you may find out which foods really bother your system or make you feel bad. Then you'll be able to more easily justify avoiding them.

Hang in there! We've all been through the same things Also, try to work on reducing stress-and try to find another outlet for your emotions rather than eating But it's a process. It's not going to happen all at once. So be patient with yourself