Let me ask you a question….
So lets paint the picture a little clearer. When you make a commitment to a task, for example being the home room mom at your son’s school. Do you go all out with every single party, themed out to the nine or do you throw it all together the night before and wing it?
When you commit to a weight loss program do you follow the nutrition plan to the T? Do you follow the workout program exactly as it is laid out in the book or do you just wake up every day and do whatever workout you feel like and if you feel like eating great you do? Where is your balance? Which one is going to get you the best results? I believe that there is two extremes and then there is a healthy balance of the two!
Ok so I love the idea of the 80/20 rule. I honestly was 100% committed to reaching my weight loss goals when I started personally. But then once I settled on my own personal goals I decided that I could release the reigns a little and enjoy a few treats here and there. This is where I adopted the 80-20 rule. So it means that 80% of the time I stay on track, I eat according to the plan and then 20% of the time I give myself opportunities to indulge in my favorite treats! This approach really works for me because I feel balanced, I don’t feel deprived and it makes living this healthy lifestyle doable. I do not have to be a hermit in my house making ALL my own food. I can live a little!!!
I know this approach doesn’t work for everyone but for me it does. I do not have to expect perfection. Yo-yo dieting happens when people get so RESTRICTIVE that they burn out from trying so hard and then it becomes this slippery slope back to their starting point. This is something I CAN LIVE WITH forever! I am just focused on health vs dieting! It’s not a weight loss plan its my lifestyle!
So how does this work for me:
Personally I sit down each week and I plan out my game plan. I have a calendar and I put on there everything from my workouts, to the kids activities, to what we are eating for every meal. I create our grocery list and do our shopping for the week. In the planning process each week I also write in parties, dinners, get togethers and potential obstacles to my healthy lifestyle. So for example, Friday night we have dinner at a nice restaurant with great friends. I want a glass of wine, they have great steak and bread and the desserts are mouth watering! So I know that I am going to indulge on Friday. So for the rest of the week every time I see a temptation like Candy Corn and donuts I am going to think about the cheat meal I would RATHER have on Friday night! That makes it easier to say no because I would rather splurge on what I really feel is worth the calories.
Where people go wrong is when they just fly by the seat of their pants. They don’t plan and what happens is they have the ice cream and candy corn and then when someone asks to go out for dinner they accept the invite and end up making bad choices because it is their cheat meal. In reality they already had cheat treats earlier in the week! This is where you begin to undo all of your hard work in a short period of time. All those small seemingly insignificant choices add up to LACK of PROGRESS!
So PLAN IT OUT! If you want to kick back and relax on the weekends, work hard during the week!
If you want to hit it hard on the weekends because you travel for work then switch it around. There is no right or wrong way to make the 80-20 work. You just have to make the decision and stick with it!!!!
TIPS:
- My suggestion is to make sure that you write it down. I keep a food journal where I track my daily food intake and I make sure I am actually sticking to what I say that I am doing! No little treats sneak in there!
- I always do cardio or my workout on my cheat days! My rule of thumb is never to make my cheat meal a rest day! I want to negate that cheat!
- Don’t feel guilty for it! Honestly this is part of the 80-20 rule. If you feel guilty remind yourself that it is OK, and 1 won’t ruin your progress.
I would much rather you follow the 80-20 rule than go all out and totally kill yourself and not enjoy what you have worked so hard to create. Maintain the results and have balance and happiness with this thought process.
This is what I teach in my support and accountability groups. Especially with the holidays coming up its now more than ever to have support, accountability and be armed with tools to continually have success.
It’s ok if you sway to the 60/40 over thanksgiving or Christmas, but lets face it. It’s one holiday, not an entire month of 60/40!! DEAL… EVERYTHING IN MODERATION
Next Group Starting November 2nd…. Gratitude Group coming soon!