Okay, I just wanted to share a bit of my personal journey so far. What I'm discovering and coming to terms with is that, for me personally, my diet and eating habits fall much more into the category of addiction. I'm realizing that I can make the transition, be disciplined, and do really well, and honestly, it’s not even that hard to stay on track.

But all it takes is one meal to completely derail me. It’s wild. I’ve tested this a few times, and the results are always the same. I can do great on my carnivore diet, eating clean, and then get lured into having some junk food. Every time I do, it throws me off for a week.

Then I get back on track, start eating healthy again, things are going great, and I decide to have just one meal of junk. Boom. Derailed again.

So here we go... no more “cheating.” Or maybe I don’t even need to call it cheating. Just be "strict" because its actually so much easier than the journey back from falling off. 

I'm happy to learn and figure it out. It’s better than beating myself up and getting depressed about it. When I take that perspective, the learning perspective, maybe even a more scientific, objective approach to my diet, it really helps. I can compare what life is like when I’m eating well versus when I’m on a junk food binge, and the difference is huge.

My mental health is so much better. My physical health is so much better.

So, here I go again, getting back on track, going through that transition process once more. Let’s see how it goes. Hopefully, I can make the right choices and not let my addiction take over my mental and physical health this time around.

Ultimately, the big takeaway from all this, for me, is that staying on track is so much easier than recovering from a week of binge eating.

Great read and a great topic.

As long as you are learning you will better and better at it. Maybe don't purposely test yourself if you feel like you already know the outcome. Anytime a person spends years on sugars and carbs at some point there is some correlation to addiction. Everyone depth is different, all the ones that come off the addiction and get past it, all do so in differing ways and differing times.

Since you identified the learning, I would also recommend you celebrate the wins, all the time eating strict. And go one step further, celebrate 'getting up off the ground, dusting yourself off and digging in again. I think that is the measure. 

Good luck as you move forward and staying on track.

Again, great topic as most can relate.

Scott

  Every time you feel lured as you call it, run straight for beef, don't entertain other thoughts.  Run for beef!

Forget the mistakes but remember the lessons. 
We’ve all been there and those of us who are successful are the ones who pick ourselves back up and keep on trucking. 
It’s all about progress over perfection. 
I learned my lesson years ago when I quit dipping snuff. After a long addiction to Copenhagen I quit cold turkey and was off of it for two years. I was working around a bunch of guys that dipped snuff and one evening I thought “Man, that sure would taste good. One little dip won’t hurt, I can handle it.” Boom! I was hooked all over again and probably worse than before.
It was another 9 years before I’d try quitting again but this time I knew that I could never allow myself to ever touch any kind of tobacco again. I had learned my lesson. 
This lesson served me well when I started carnivore. I will not touch carbs because one, they serve no nutritional purpose for my body and two, if I do I’ll just be hooked again and start from scratch. It’s just not worth the effort. 
I’m firmly in the opinion that nothing tastes as good as how I feel. 
 

It’s great that you’ve identified your problem and know what you need to do to fix it. 
You’ve got this figured out. 👍

I can relate. 

I've been addicted to and then quit the following, tobacco, cannabis, cocaine, alcohol and carbs ... probably more on my list too. 

What works for me may not be what works for you but I'd say cheat for one meal only, not one entire day. And if you are going to binge then binge on Carnivore food.

On 4/5/2025 at 7:46 AM, Beefbelly said:

staying on track is so much easier than recovering from a week of binge eating

Yes it is. I too can relate to that you find yourself going through. I used to have a cheat meal and would completely fall off the wagon. I would reason, "well I blew it today, so I'll start again tomorrow (or Monday, or next week, etc)" - basically giving myself license to continue my splurge the rest of the day or so.

Now I have a different mentality. If I find myself in a position where I might end up deviating from my preferred diet of pure carnivore, I no longer say "I'll start again tomorrow". Instead, I am starting again with my very next meal. 

And I am referring to the occasional fruit or vegetable, which usually only happens if I am a guest in someone's home who is showing me hospitality and I don't want to be rude. Although, I still refuse grains and refined sugar regardless.

On 4/12/2025 at 12:21 PM, Bob said:

Yes it is. I too can relate to that you find yourself going through. I used to have a cheat meal and would completely fall off the wagon. I would reason, "well I blew it today, so I'll start again tomorrow (or Monday, or next week, etc)" - basically giving myself license to continue my splurge the rest of the day or so.

Now I have a different mentality. If I find myself in a position where I might end up deviating from my preferred diet of pure carnivore, I no longer say "I'll start again tomorrow". Instead, I am starting again with my very next meal. 

And I am referring to the occasional fruit or vegetable, which usually only happens if I am a guest in someone's home who is showing me hospitality and I don't want to be rude. Although, I still refuse grains and refined sugar regardless.

And we forget, even if we eat an occasional fruit, that doesn't make us omnivores. Once you got the mindset right, an occasional digression will do little to harm the overal pattern. In fact, it may help the longevity of that pattern; feeling less "caged" in by a certain way of eating.

A way of eating is not temporary, it's a long marathon, instead of a sprint.

9 hours ago, Orweller said:

And we forget, even if we eat an occasional fruit, that doesn't make us omnivores.

Exactly. No more than a cat or dog eating some grass occasionally.