I only use this 80/20 rule when I’m simply maintaining my weight, not weight loss.
I know that eating healthy is good for me. I also know I simply don’t do it all of the time. I love food…all kinds of it. However, I love the way I feel when I’m eating healthy more then I love food. (I am getting somewhere with this.)
The holidays are coming up and I plan on enjoying some of my favorite foods. If I’m going to eat something that isn’t healthy it better be one of my favorites. That’s part of how I pick and chose which unhealthy foods I’m going to enjoy. When I say enjoy, I will truly eat them slowly and savor the flavor. I’m also going to pay attention to how they make my body feel after I eat them.
Consistency is the key. If I’m eating healthy most of the time, and by that I mean 80% of the time, then what I eat 20% of the time won’t make as big of a difference. However, if during the 20% I’m eating twice as much food (not just unhealthy food), that’s more like a 50/50. So, 80% of the food that I eat needs to be healthy. 20% is up to me. Everything I eat is my choice and my health is a direct reflection of those choices. There are delicious healthy foods out there. Who knows eventually I could eat healthy 100% of the time (baby steps). If I’m working on managing my sugar addiction, then I may just forgo my 20%. Either way, I enjoy a little leeway now and then.
