Originally Posted by bigjoe
Is there an off day on this diet?
Paleo is an eating philosophy, not a diet, so there are no rules regarding how strict you need to be, or whether you can take a day off.
If you take days off from a vegan diet (say to eat meat or even cheese) some will argue that you aren't following a truly vegan diet, and the same can be argued about paleo.
However, just as there are self-identified veg*ns who occasionally eat fish, dairy, or other animal foods (either intentionally or by mistake), there are also paleo eaters who eat some non-paleo foods regularly or occasionally.
However, unlike veg*nism, there is some debate over which foods are and aren't paleo.
One form of paleo (Mark Sisson's Primal Bluepring) specifically allows offplan foods. He recommends an 80/20 split - no more than 20% non-paleo foods, and that those np foods be chosen carefully.
Because paleo tends to be low-carb, off days are likely to cause significant water retention, so if you weigh daily, be prepared for a significant gain on the scale. Returning to Paleo should rapidly resolve the temporary weight gain, but it can be disturbing to see such a gain on the scale if you're not prepared.