The best thing you can do to make the transition easier on yourself is to stick to your guns when it comes to diet (possibly why some people find it easier to give up sugar/grain carbs cold turkey) and take top-notch care of yourself otherwise. It can be tempting to tackle one thing at a time in taking on a Primal lifestyle (e.g. first the diet, then add exercise, then go to bed earlier for more sleep and finally work on decreasing stress). If you're really having trouble getting over the sugar/carb hump, that kind of pure sequential approach might not be the best choice for you. In truth, all the lifestyle elements influence physiological balance. Think about improving your lifestyle on other fronts first and/or while you simultaneously switch over your diet. Exercise, in particular, has been shown to both encourage dopamine release and increase dopamine receptors. Of course, it's important to do the right types and amounts.
Finally, once you've hit your groove, I'd suggest staying the course. You might think a short-term break from the Primal diet might not have an impact, but for some people (especially early on in the transition) even a brief interlude (e.g. holiday weekend) is enough to derail the train. As much as we do talk about the 80/20 Rule, try to keep your eating as Primal as possible during this time. Resist momentary temptation, and you might save yourself a week's worth of efforts regaining lost ground. Keep Primal snacks handy to get you through moments of temptation. Maybe have an extra piece of turkey rather than dessert!
I don't, at least at this stage, have a junk food problem, but then for the last couple of years at least I haven't had much of a sweet tooth at all. I also agree that it's best to attack on all fronts simultaneously, but I am having a hard time talking my dad into doing this, so for him, and for me to a lesser extent, I am following the 80/20 rule pretty literally. For myself, the demands of convenience plus a wife who is not at all interested in Primal (although is a very good sport about my weird cooking) means that I take a "good enough" approach in all areas. I focus on eating the right macronutrients, but don't worry about the source of the stuff that I eat. I eat a lot of stuff at work that is probably cooked in really nasty oils. The meat is not grass-fed. I eat pasta and pizza or a sandwich maybe once or twice a week. I even have a brownie or a pain au chocolat from time to time. I don't let it trouble me. Not sure what to do about my dad though.
