What is the 80/20 rule and what are the benefits?
In todays society, looking ‘good’ has become more important than taking care of your mental health. And there is nothing wrong with wanting to look good. The flip side of the coin is just, we have been taught that being skinny is being pretty. Growing up and romanticizing child like bodies, on grown women. Doing everything in our power to stay skinny. But no one ever told us, it is normal to have fat on your body. You came here to enjoy yourself, not just diet and pay rent.
Now of course we want to take good care of our bodies, we want to eat as healthy as possible, we want to work out. But we forgot the balance, we forgot that we can look good, eat healthy, and treat ourselves with some ice cream without having to ‘make up for it’ the next morning.
And this is where the 80/20 rule comes in. Now the 80/20 rule is all about balance. What it means is that 80% of the time, you eat healthy, you workout, take your supplements, eat your greens, fuel your body. And the other 20% of the time, you treat yourself. You have some dessert, you go out with your friends, you have another scoop of ice cream on a holiday in Italy, all of it. And with that, you create a balance.
From Jojo to long term goals
When you finally reach a point where to constant jojo dieting has to stop. You feel stressed and the high expectations for your diet are too demanding two things can happen. Either you completely give up on your goals, you choose to enjoy live and let go of losing a few pounds or becoming more energetic. Or you find the 80/20 rule. The first scenario happens to all of us. And while it feels great to let go for a while, it is important to not go completely overboard with junk food, alcohol and other indulgences. Yes you should enjoy life, but you should not forsake your health because of the believe you cannot do it. Which is where the 80/20 rule comes in. Creating a balance between having fun, and also taking care of your health. Making it a long term sustainable lifestyle, and not a jojo diet prison.
The trap of jojo dieting
The reason most of us keep falling back into the trap of jojo dieting is because we want to see results. And we are afraid that if we eat some dessert, all the lost weight will be gained back immediately. We have been primed to believe that eating as little as possible is the way to go. And if you cannot keep up with the demands then you’re simply weak.
This is just a fear, and it very far from the truth. Because you are not weak for listening to your bodies needs. Your body needs food to function. It needs carbohydrates, protein and fats! Your brain needs a certain amount of carbohydrates to stay focused and energized. Your hormones need healthy fats to stay balanced and keep you feeling happy. And lastly your body needs protein to build new tissue and stay strong. So a very normal response to extreme dieting is the late night cravings you can’t seem to stop. This does not mean you are weak, this means you live in a body that needs more than you are giving.
Now the trick in this game is to give your body what it needs, but not overdo it. This way you stay energized and happy, curbing the late night cravings, while also losing excess weight.
Efficiency
Now why do we lose more weight when we follow the 80/20 rule. Because you take away the stress. When we are overly stressed on a diet, or feel prisoned. Our body goes into a state called ‘the survival modus’. Back in the day, this was our bodies mechanism for upcoming winter or war. The body would store all the food that was in the system at that time into new fat cells. This way if we were to have no food available, we could still survive. But, spoiler alert. There is no war, for most of us. And so when we take a way the stress from the extreme dieting, and give our bodies proper nutrients, our metabolism can do its work, stress levels go down, and the body can gradually lose its fat. And you will have fun while you’re doing it! Because it will not be like a punishment. Rather it will be a way of thanking your body for the hard work it is doing every minute of the day. Because the body does not need excess fat. So when we give our body the opportunity to lose weight, without stress, overindulging nor starving yourself. You will lose a lot more weight, a lot faster, and for a whole lot longer.
So why don’t you try it. Eating healthy, through out the day. And treating yourself to some dessert, or your favorite meal, once or twice a week. Not going all out and eating whatever you see, but just taking a small bowl of ice cream. This way, it will be far better, and you will not lose the progress.
This article on the 80/20 rule and all other information on this website is presented for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, or advice of a qualified, licensed medical professional. The facts presented in this article or on the website are offered as information only, not medical advice, and in no way should anyone infer that we are practicing medicine. Seek the advice of a medical professional for proper application of this material to any specific situation.
We hope this post gave you more insight on why listening to your body is important. Please share this post with anyone who might benefit from it.
