I took a full year break from paleo after my first try with it because I got overwhelmed with all of the cooking, dishes, etc. I felt like **** for that entire year. now I know that I'll never abandon paleo eating again. my motivation to stick with it and never stray was only made stronger from that year off of it.

I tried taking a break from low carb eating, not necessarily paleo (because I'd never heard of it), and ended up with a big fat gallstone. I kept eating high fat but added (pizza) carbs back in, which are a recipe for disaster apparently. If you raise your carbs, you must lower your fat, so I learned the hard way.

I haven't done it long enough to take a break, but have eaten some things and am finding that I do feel worse when I eat grains/carbs. I also find that I will reach for something, take a bite, and then throw it out. I think my preferences are definitely changing.

I was extremely sick and fat before I became ketogenic Primal/Paleo. My whole life had been full of aches, pains, illness, battling fat, depression, and bingeing. This lifestyle cured EVERYTHING. I can't comprehend for a minute consciously choosing to go back to what i was eating before because I know what the result would be. Additionally, I want the best health for my child. I don't miss bread, cereals, crackers, pasta etc at all. I will have popcorn, chips, wine, etc here and there but I will never take an extended "break" from being happy and healthy.

Edit: just under a year ago I went on a holiday to Florida and a cruise. I was trying to eat Primal, but I think the food on the cruise was full of sugar and wheat (couldn't see the wheat on what i ate but I think everything was dredged in it). In 3 weeks, even with trying to avoid wheat, I gained 7 pounds and was right back to being extremely sick and lethargic. It took about 5 weeks to recover. Last summer I took a 5 week vacation. I enjoyed myself but avoided wheat, sweetened drinks, and was careful with the treats (ice cream, potatoes etc). I gained only 2 pounds. At the end of the last week I was starting to lose it, but I went home just in time. I went home and right back to normal, no recovery needed, except a couple weeks to lose the 2 pounds. Progress.

Yes. It was a gym detox challenge last month. I've been paleo for over a year and I think I undid all the healing in that one month break. It did teach me to embrace this lifestyle!

I wouldn't ever call it taking a break - more like making some indulgences.

This is how I eat. It is NOT more expensive for me or difficult or any of those reasons people often give. I have not found them to be true for me.

It is something that makes me feel better and even awesome. This is worth so much more than a pizza.

That being said, I will choose to cheat - so I guess I'm a 90/10 kind of person.

This is how I am as well. If I want a few bites of a cake at a birthday celebration, I don't mind doing it...but I'm never going back to eating sandwiches and tacos on a regular basis!

I haven't really taken substantiial time off in the 3 months I've been Primal but this week I sort of planned a candy binge since Halloween is here. I enjoyed the candy but not as much as I thought. I didn't have any really adverse reactions except cravings and hunger during the day. It made me realize how much easier it is to keep my calories in check when I'm Primal. Won't plan a candy binge next year.

I took 4 months off due to vacation, then moving, then flood-related drama and crappy living situation. I didn't have any health issues aside from weight before Primal, so I didn't have any health issues when I went on my break. The first couple of months were uneventful, although I hated how bloated/stuffed I felt at times, and missed the satisfied feeling that I always had with primal. I found in the last 2 months the sugar demon raged with full force and my volume of food intake surged. And then... of course... weight gain. I wasn't tracking cals, but they were much higher than my TDEE without a doubt, but the sugar desire kept me snacking away.

I'm back on plan, hallelujah.

At the moment I am because I have a ton of things in the fridge that need to get eaten up and I don't want them to go to waste. I have been struggling with the high amount of meat in this diet, I am not the biggest meat fan. I am only adding oats, whole grain rice, and peanuts back in my diet, so no processed foods. I am feeling fine but plan to drop these foods again, at this point it's only a test.