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February 2, 2012
80/20 Rule
"80/20 rule" to eating: The idea is this: Focus on eating well 80% of the time, and don't worry about the other 20%. Some prefer to use a 90:10 ratio. Either way, I like it, and it's realistic, doable, and can result in good health overall.
The beautiful thing about subscribing to the 80/20 (or the 90/10) rule, is that mentally, it allows you to start feeling okay about what you may have otherwise thought of as "cheating on your diet". Ban the word "cheat day" or "I blew it" from your eating vocabulary! You are not cheating, but if you continue to view it as so, you are depriving yourself of normal eating behavior.
- Eat small amounts of food at about the same times each day, preferable 3-5 times a day
- Consume plenty of water, and limiting all nutritive, caloric beverages to no more than about 24-36 ounces a day (these would be nonfat or low fat milk, fruit or vegetable juices)
- Limit non-nutritive caloric beverages (soda, sports drinks, juices, alcohol) to no more than 16 ounces a day (less on most days for most people).
- Enjoy the food choices you make, and add variety to your diet - in other words, eat all types of food that you like, just not too much of it. Is your grandmother's voice in the back of your head? Listen to it.
- Do however try new foods. Aim for adding more fresh fruits and vegetables into you diet - and eat the ones you like. Invest in a few good cookbooks.
- Limit deep fried food. Who doesn't love fried food? I enjoy good French fries, potato chips, or fried seafood once in a while, but eating fried food daily is not going to keep you at a healthy weight, so enjoy it only occasionally, and eat less of it.
- Sit down and enjoy your food. Being distracted while eating does not allow you to focus on how the food tastes, and when you are full. You also may tend to eat too quickly, causing you to eat too much.
- Exercise. In 2012, when we have technology at our fingertips that was unimaginable in 1970, we must make an effort to move our bodies. We actually must think about it and plan it, because our day to day lives rely on technology that forces us to be sedentary: Sitting at computers, using automated devices (automatic washing machines, automatic coffee grinders - my grandmother used a hand-crank to grind beans - snow blowers, leaf-blowers, people-movers) cars, buses, elevators, etc.
Posted by Lisa at February 2, 2012 6:37 AM
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Comments
I agree with the 90/10 philosophy, but you have to set the standards correctly. If you eat 4 meals a day then you have around 120 meals a month. the 80/20 rule gives you 24 meals a a month where you don't eat healthy, the 90/10 rule leaves 12 meals a month. Either way it is realistic and achievable good post
Posted by: Howtolosebellyfatforwomentips at February 26, 2012 5:23 PM