Eat as healthy as you can 80% of the time and eat whatever you want 20% of the time.
Diets can be so hard to stick with because most of them feel like deprivation. It’s so hard to avoid ALL the yummy things ALL the time! And actually, yo-yo dieting (starting and stopping diets) lowers your metabolism and causes your body harm.
So, eating healthy 80% of the time and allowing yourself to splurge 20% of the time gives you the opportunity to eat the things you desire without letting them take over your plate.
If we look at this practically, we eat 21 meals a week (if you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily). That would be eating 17 meals as healthy as you can and 4 meals eating whatever you want per week. That sounds a whole lot better than, “You can never have sugar again!”
Think about the week coming up, or perhaps one in the future (Thanksgiving, hello!). And choose a meal or two (or four) that you will want to eat all the yummy, maybe not so good for you things. And plan the rest of your week around that. Meaning, plan healthy foods for the other meals you’ll eat.
One thing that really helps when changing our eating habits is to make a plan. And then plan again the following week, and again… You get the idea. Setting yourself up for success through planning can make the difference between following through and falling off the wagon.
So, how will you make the 80/20 rule work for you?
If you have questions or just want to chat about how you can use the 80/20 rule please email carrie@bristolymca.net.