So you've decided to bite the bullet and do a month-long Paleo challenge, but it’s not your first time. You’ve already done the super strict version years ago, trying to prove to yourself that eating grains really does (or doesn’t) get you completely out of whack. This time, maybe you're trying to win a challenge at your gym, or tighten up your diet to make weight (or maximize performance) at an event. Or maybe you're trying a new Paleo variation for health reasons--cutting out eggs, nightshades, nuts and seeds for an autoimmune condition, or starchy carbs, fruits, nuts and seeds for weight loss. In any case, you're committed for the next thirty days. So the question remains: should you follow a pre-written meal plan?

Meal plans are not hard to find. Paleo cookbooks are at an all-time high, and meal plans are included in many of them: Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution, Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo, Bill Staley and Hayley Mason's 30-Day Guide to Paleo Cooking, and Diane Sanfilippo's Practical Paleo (which has 11 different 30-day plans for every condition or goal imaginable) are chief among them. I'm sure there's more I haven't seen, and this isn't even including the myriad Paleo e-books and online meal plans available.

The alternative is to just cook your own food. Go to the store, pick up your usual ingredients minus the ones you're avoiding, and cook what you usually cook. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of the meal plan to help you understand this option a little better.

The Pros

Easier to follow

If you have the desire to stick to the plan, knowing exactly what you're going to eat for every single meal and snack for an entire month makes things a lot easier. No more staring at the fridge or compiling recipes each week, making elaborate lists of ingredients. They're all available for you in an easy-to-read printout. And if compliance is an issue because of decision fatigue, following a strict meal plan may be a good solution--it takes thought out of the equation; just eat what's in your plan and avoid everything else.

Compliance is higher

If you've ever started a plan and then wavered, convincing yourself that deviating just a little bit won't matter that much, following a strict meal plan definitely has its benefits. 100 percent compliance can help in a lot of ways. There can be a tendency to eat in less than optimal ways that are still technically Paleo, which are much more difficult to do when following a strict plan. This will force you to find ways to deal with issues that come up in ways that don't involve (albeit Paleo) food binges and may pick up some new habits altogether. You'll find yourself drinking tea instead of apple cider to warm up, or remember to turn on your SAD lamp to wake up if you're missing caffeine loaded with your Paleo sweetener of choice.

Perfect compliance has so many benefits. You'll have massive results, recalibrate your taste buds (if you have a sweet tooth, fruit may never taste this good again), and be able to tell which health issues are based on food and which aren't.

You may have to avoid events or switch plans.

If you've committed to a program and already bought all your ingredients for the week, going out for a big company dinner or a networking happy hour are plans you may well end up rescheduling. Asking your friends or significant other for non-food presents for whatever holiday or event is happening that month may be difficult at first, and finding non-food alternatives to bringing cupcakes to a friend or donuts to the office is challenging as well.

But I'm listing this as a pro rather than a con because these are great skills you may need to tap into post-plan. This isn't to say you'll maintain that level of strictness permanently, or that a planned indulgence is always off the table, but there are times when you'll have to just say no, and having the incentive to get a bit of practice in will help you in the future.

You’ll get to try new foods

Chances are very high that one of the recipes in your meal plan will be something you’ve never tried before and wouldn’t have considered making, but will absolutely fall in love with. And because meal plans are specially formulated with a very wide variety of foods and flavors, you’ll likely find new variations of your favorite foods as well, which you can use long beyond your 30-day challenge is over.

The cons

Extra food

No matter how well you portion out your food, if you're following a meal plan, you will have leftovers. Lots and lots of leftovers. If you're used to cooking something and adding the leftovers to a meal over the next day or two, and using the remaining ingredients in a soup or salad or stir fry, this is much more difficult to do when following a meal plan. Meal plans are all about variety. It's what people are expecting. Instead of throwing those mixed greens into a salad, you'll be making a salad with spinach and fennel and entirely different ingredients. Even if you portion for just one or two people, that can of salmon or canned pumpkin has three times as much food as you needed for your recipe, and if you’re well on the way to your next recipe, it’s harder to find a way to finish the food you’ve got… especially if you shop at Trader Joe’s and even veggies come in packs of three.

It’s expensive

All that stuff you’ve read about how Paleo can be affordable? Doesn’t apply to meal plans. Unless you make smart substitutes for pricier cuts of meats, spend hours at the farmer’s market finding smaller portions of veggies and shop around for discounts (if you’ve got a lot of time on your hands), you’ll likely be spending a pretty penny. If you can hack it for a month, it can be a good investment, but make sure to budget appropriately. Even meal plans purporting to be budget-friendly don’t always live up to the hype. And if you’re cooking for roommates, significant other and/or children, make sure to factor the cost of that in as well unless you want to prepare two different dishes each night.

You have to go to multiple stores.

Even if cost is no object, Trader Joe's shoppers will likely have to make pit stops to Whole Paycheck, Target, your neighborhood grocery shop and/or a co-op to pick up specialty meats, raw sauerkraut, unusual vegetables or nori rolls (for example).

So many dishes

Pick up some more dish soap, while you’re at it, because you’ll be doing an awful lot of washing.

A note to picky eaters

If you’re finicky about what you put on your plate, make sure to look through a meal plan closely. Some are far easier for adventurous eaters to stick to, especially if there are entire types of food (or kinds of meat) you won’t eat.

Hello, social life

We’ve talked about the benefits of skipping out on that dinner party or happy hour, but sometimes it’s better to just show up and make adjustments as needed (either to your order or to your meal plan). It can be difficult to time a 30-day plan around holidays and events, especially food-based ones.

Post-plan

It can be difficult to adjust after your plan. Although common wisdom says to slowly reintroduce problematic ingredients one at a time to see how they affect you, some people instead go for an all-out food binge. If that’s you, adding a cheat meal every week or so may be a better option.

So which should you do?

What's the best choice for you? As always, the answer is 'it depends,' or, as one of my martial arts coaches used to say, "The situation will dictate." Just make sure you’re prepared for the realities of each. And then there’s the hybrid solution—following a meal plan and working in some days each week (or between weeks) to polish off your leftovers, while also getting really savvy about food storage. We’ll delve into the ins and outs of that next month.