What is 80:20 rule? This is my interpretation.

Recently when I read an article on the 80:20 approach in diet, I said to myself ‘yes!’ and I felt smug. Although it’s not only me who feels this I secretly see myself as one of the first advocates of the 80:20. For the past few years, I have seen over 1,000 patients for cardiovascular health checks and this 80:20 approach was the core of my advice. This is also the basis of my approach to overall health.

…

Realistic and Achievable

We often feel that we need to make lifestyle changes in order to become healthy, lose weight and become fitter. The biggest culprit is self-imposed perfectionism. Modern women (ironically sounds quite dated) set the bar too high and we feel the pressure in just about all aspects of life: work, home life, self-care and lifestyle goals (there is even such a word like ‘lifestyle envy’). Easier said than done but a reality check is needed. We can’t do everything perfectly. Instead, we need to allow ourselves to be realistic and lower the bar a little. Setting realistic and achievable goals is the key to emotional wellbeing. Eating a healthy balanced diet is essential for health but we shouldn’t beat ourselves up if we have occasional treats.

80% Healthy : 20% Treat

Some people use the word indulgence instead of a treat. It’s a personal preference and both mean the same basically. In terms of diet, I recommend being mindful of making healthy choices roughly 80% of the time. Then you ‘earn’ your treat (approximately 20% of your diet). There are no rigid rules to achieve this. You might want to take this approach on daily basis. Average reference intake of daily energy intake for a woman is 2,000 kcal, so about 400 kcal of it can be a treat! Please note that I don’t want you to start neurotically counting calories of food.

So how we do it?

What I wanted to say is that an extra calorie from pizza lunch with a friend or a croissant from a newly opened French bakery can be negated by making healthy choices for the rest of the day. Some people may prefer a weekly approach. Another example; you are invited to a dinner party at the weekend. You know that it will most certainly involve a few glasses of wine and a pudding. To make it alright you can choose to have matcha or herbal tea instead of daily latte for the rest of the week.

…

We can apply the same approach in other areas of daily life. Doing your best and aiming 100% all time doesn’t necessarily lead to a positive outcome. Our concentration span lasts only about 45-50 minutes. We can input only so much information and need a short break in between. Have a short walk, make a cup of tea or listen to one song. Be kind to yourself. If you achieve 80% of what you have planned for the day then well done!