I have written about how I ate non-Paleo food and how it affected my weight through water retention. What I didn’t talk about, however, is that I didn’t really gain a lot of what I would call long-term or permanent weight on this trip. This is due to two things.

1. Walking. So much walking. We did all the walking. 10 miles plus per day was the norm, and while it’s easy to eat more than the calories you expend, walking this much helped burn off at least some of the increased calorie intake.
2. Budgeting the bad-food intake. I consciously ate Paleo as often as I could to allow myself non-Paleo servings or meals.

In other words, I didn’t eat non-Paleo three meals a day. At most, it was one meal that had a serving or two of non-Paleo options. The rest of the time, I skipped the bread, the desserts, and the rice. It was easy to do, as a lot of food in Spain is surprisingly Paleo-friendly to begin with.

A little restraint goes a long way. Limiting myself to just a serving or two a day of non-Paleo foods went a long way to ensuring I didn’t gain a lot of permanent weight. Also, eating a reduced amount of the non-Paleo foods when I did eat them helped matters as well.

I always tell people: live your life. Experience new things. You don’t have to live without carbs forever. If you do have them, be reasonable, be smart, and find a way to fit it into your life without derailing everything. Treats are okay; just don’t make them the new normal.