Your diet doesn’t have to be *and shouldn’t be* all or nothing. It’s easy to fall into the mentality of “I’m on a diet” or “I’m being good today”, and that may work for a while, but do you want to be “on a diet” for the rest of your life? We have to eat every single day of our lives. When you reach the weight you want, you won’t magically be able to eat donuts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without gaining weight or suffering negative health consequences. You will still have to maintain some balance. But what if you could eat with balance now and STILL reach your goals? What if you could have any food on your “I can eat it” list now, without having to wait until you reach a certain goal?
What is the 80/20 rule?
When I lived in Boston, I co-led a weight loss program at a local hospital. We didn’t give out shakes or medication. It was good old-fashioned nutrition counseling. One principle we always taught was the 80/20 rule. This means that 80% of the time, try to make balanced, nutritious choices. You know what those choices are: veggies, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains – the “healthy” foods. It doesn’t mean you need to restrict or do anything extreme. Just listen to that knowledge I know you have, and choose something you know will do good for your body. But what about the other 20% of the time? Well, that’s up to you! If 80% of your diet is made of nutritious choices, then the other 20% can be whatever you like!
So let’s do the math!
If you eat 3 meals a day = 21 meals per week x 0.2 = 4 meals per week
That means if you happen to “splurge” four times in a week without feeling guilty or throwing the rest of the day away, then it won’t hurt your overall health goals and outcomes. Now come the questions of:
“How many calories can my 20% meals be?”
“If I have dessert, does that count as a 20% meal?”
“How crazy can I go with this 20% meal?”
Stop right there!
The 80/20 rule is intended to reduce the obsession with calories and food. It’s meant to give you peace of mind and freedom to *live a little* with your food choices! The 80/20 rule can help you conceptualize “moderation.” You don’t need to count out those 4 meals. You have the knowledge to guesstimate if the majority of your diet has been made up of foods that nourish your body. And you know what? If the ratio were totally reversed one week, that’s okay! There are 52 weeks in a year. One week of throwing caution to the wind is a lot less than 20% of the year, so let it go! Don’t let that guilt turn that one week into 20 just because you feel like you “messed up.”
Putting the 80/20 rule into practice
I’m going out to eat at a restaurant I’ve really been wanting to try. I start looking at the menu, and everything sounds delicious, but that little voice in my head tells me to stick to the salads. That everything I want is too “unhealthy.” But then I think about the 80/20 rule and remember that it is ok, and, in fact, PART of a healthy diet, to make food choices solely based on taste. I order that crispy chicken sandwich WITH the fries and enjoy every juicy bite of it! The next morning, I wake up with the “I ate a lot of salt” swollen feeling. My mind wants to start spiraling, telling me I shouldn’t have ordered that chicken sandwich last night, or I at least should have skipped the fries, but I stop myself and remember the 80/20 rule. That meal falls into my 20% and it’s OK. So I get up, drink some water, and have my usual yogurt parfait for breakfast. I don’t tell myself I blew it or that I’ll start again on Monday. I resume my regular diet today, at the very next meal. Because THIS IS MY REGULAR DIET. That crispy chicken sandwich and fries are part of it.
Why the 80/20 rule works
By leaving space for all foods to fit into our diet, we are eliminating those feelings of guilt and that inevitable spiral that ruins all extreme diets.
We are setting an achievable bar so we don’t have to feel like we are constantly failing.
We are creating something that is sustainable, allowing us to continue for the long term. A way of eating that will keep us healthy AND happy.
Have you tried the 80/20 rule? How has it affected your relationship with food?
You’re doing great! Keep up the good work!