It’s interesting to me when I see people posting on social media that they are eating Paleo and then a few days or weeks later, I see them posting about non-Paleo foods they’re eating. I didn’t say it makes me angry or upset, because it doesn’t. I’m not disappointed or let down; it’s not my journey to judge. I don’t say anything negative. I don’t say anything at all. As I’ve said before, I’m not the Paleo Police, and what you eat is your business. Always.

It’s interesting to me because I struggled with eating non-Paleo foods, but I resisted the temptations (and boy, were there many!). I try to think about why I was successful at putting the temptations and cravings behind me when others couldn’t, and I’m not sure I have any good answers, but here are some methods I used:

1. I put non-Paleo foods out of my diet. Completely. I never considered them because I didn’t allow myself to eat them at all. Ever. They were off-limits.
2. I committed to Paleo completely. If it wasn’t Paleo-approved, it wasn’t on my plate or going in my mouth.
3. I committed to success. There was no stopping me, and the last thing I was going to do is sabotage myself by eating non-Paleo foods.
4. I wouldn’t let the scale dictate my success. I used many factors outside of the scale to include how I felt, my mobility, flexibility, how my clothes fit, and how much more awake I felt.
5. I stayed positive and never let anything or anyone get me down. On those rare occasions when I still felt a little down, my wife would pick me up and give me the push I needed to persevere (teamwork cannot be understated).

You don’t need to be Superman or Wonder Woman to get this done. Going Paleo isn’t hard, but it does require you to use self discipline to stay away from foods that aren’t good for you. That’s why I literally broke all ties with those foods that are harmful to me and my health. Just like you cut ties with toxic people, the same must be done with foods that impact your health negatively. There’s no other way.

With all that said, I would have to say that it’s better to be kinda Paleo than not Paleo at all. At least you’re giving your body good food most of the time. Just go easy on the non-Paleo stuff, and realize that you’re sabotaging your own progress. If you’re okay with that, I’m okay with that. Just don’t tell me that you can’t achieve the same levels of success I have; you’re kidding yourself if you believe that.