I talk to my clients and in my social media posts about following the 80:20 Rule. This is more of a principle than a rule, but you may still be wondering what I mean by that. As a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, I teach my clients about making healthy choices in their food and lives, which will provide them with tools for long-term and sustainable changes. These changes will result in weight loss, more energy, better sleep and ultimately for them to feel better in their bodies.
Changes such as cutting out toxins and inflammatory foods, such as sugar and processed (junk) foods, eliminating dairy, alcohol, caffeine, and gluten products should be goals you set in order to achieve weight loss success and overall good health.
But we are all human, and what we should aim for is a lifestyle change and not just a “quick fix”. To make this realistic, I encourage my clients to take an 80:20 approach to these changes. That means that at least 80% of the time they will follow whatever program they are on, following the guidelines as closely as possible. Because we are human, and because life tends to get in the way – regularly, the other 20% is so that you do not beat yourself up, feel guilty or give up your resolve.
Often times 20% is more than we need, but it is what we can allow ourselves in order to indulge and enjoy life, a celebration or a holiday. I recommend my clients stay mindful of the choices they make and also that they pick something they love and that they enjoy it thoroughly. These indulgences should not be considered cheating because they have been planned for. At the same time however, it would be a bad idea to opt for something that could totally sabotage their plans and hard work. For example, Fettuccini Alfred is probably not a great idea, no matter how much someone loves it.
Becoming aware of your trigger foods; foods which trigger bad behaviors such as binging, negative self-talk, more poor choices, is very important. Whether you follow 80:20 or even 90:10, you don’t want to fall into the trap of eating those trigger foods. We work very hard to identify those foods so that we can avoid them and the negative behavior they can be attributed to.
When I work with my clients in a one-on-one or group program, I encourage them to set realistic goals and aim to be the best then can be. I suggest they ask themselves if when they go to bed at night, they are able to look back and access whether they felt like they did their very best that day, if so, that day ends on a winning note. I remind them to be honest, and allow themselves to live and enjoy life; but to keep their eye on the prize and remember that the more focused they are, the sooner they will attain their goals.
It is sometimes a good idea when on a weight loss journey, to remain focused on 90:10 until you are within reach of your goals. After that you can always stay with the 80:20 way of thinking and living, while at the same time making healthy and wise choices.
I have heard so many of my clients let out a sigh of relief when they hear that I don’t expect them to be 100% perfect. Even when I tell them that they can be successful following the 80:20 principle, I have found them to work closer to 90:10. It’s all about giving ourselves permission to not be perfect. The best mantra while on a weight loss or any life changing journey is to allow ourselves to seek progress over perfection. You will see, it’s like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.