Why Most People Get The 80/20 Rule Wrong
How do you integrate the 80/20 approach to food?
It's something we have all heard - eat 80% of 'healthy' foods and 20% of all the rest. It's easy to know how to apply that to an approach of 5 days eating well and 2 days (usually the weekend), of not - but often that approach can lead to blowing out at the weekend, and encourage an unhealthy relationship with food where the week is considered being 'good' and the weekend an opportunity to be 'bad'.
Another mistake that can be made is thinking that if you are trying to lose weight you shouldn't be eating any highly palatable food and all meals should be plain and boring. But this approach is also not sustainable and will eventually lead to the 'diet' failing - because cutting out entire food groups for a long period of time it not sustainable.
A long term, sustainable approach instead is to integrate the 80/20 approach to your food choices daily. This allows you to work food into your day you enjoy and can look forward to, without feeling like you can't have it because it's too naughty or will make you fat.
I have applied this approach for years and encourage my clients to also and it has taken away not only the control food can have when you deny it, but also the guilt of eating foods which you feel you shouldn't be having.
The example in below post is loosely based on how a days food would look like for me on 2000 cals.
People often mistake that if they are trying to lose weight then their diet needs to be boring plain food but that couldn’t be further from the truth and usually means that diets do ‘fail’ because cutting out entire food groups for a long period of time it not sustainable
Don't deny yourself food you love, no matter what your goal. As soon as you deny yourself something it gives power to that food. Include all foods in the right amounts and you won't feel like you are going without.