Tip #1 on SURVIVING the holiday season- Maintain 80/20 Eating

Tip #1 on SURVIVING the holiday season:

MAINTAIN 80/20 EATING

We have mentioned 80/20 a lot in this group, but some of you may still be foggy on what it means exactly. The rule is pretty simple: 80% of the time you eat totally on track with clean healthy meals and correct servings sizes, 20% of the time you are free to indulge as you please.

I have adopted the 80/20 rule, or so I think I have. But as I thought about it, I wanted to get a little more specific as to what that looks like, so I did some math. Here is what it boils down to:

-If you eat 3 meals a day (21/ week) (which I hope no one is doing) -4 meals per week can be “cheat meals”

-If you eat 5 meals per day (35/week) -7 of your meals can be “cheat meals”

-If you eat 6 times per day (42/week)- 8 of your meals can be “cheat meals”

That breaks it down a little bit more for me. At first I was thinking, “Wow, 8 meals per week can be cheats,” however, I still have to look at myself and be honest. That only refers to if I’m eating six portion controlled, balanced meals per week. So….the handful of cereal I grab-cheat, the 5 chocolate chips I grab-cheat. I have a tendency to use this rule to mean, “I mostly eat healthy but sometimes I don’t”, and I think that way of thinking is too vague. Now that I know the actual numbers (and you do too), hopefully we have a clearer understanding of what the means.

The rationality behind this rule is that trying to eat completely healthy 100% of the time is virtually impossible and let’s be honest…BORING! It’s a good way to find yourself binge eating jars of peanut butter and Oreos in the middle of the night.   Eating healthy is a mental game. If you tell me I have to eat healthy always and I can NEVER have a treat, I’m out. BUT…if I know that I need to skip the Dunkin Donuts that pop up 3 mornings at work this week, but I can go out for my favorite ice cream Friday night, I’m all in. They key with 80/20 eating is to be honest with yourself. Are you really eating 80/20, or is it more like 60/40…or even 50/50?

Here is something else to consider. 80/20 eating probably isn’t going to make you lose. It may at first, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose, or if you weren’t really watching at all, you will lose on 80/20 for awhile. But once you get down to those last pesky pounds, you are probably going to have to go really strict for a short time to get the weight off. 80/20 is a LIFESTYLE rule and it is perfect for maintaining a
healthy weight, a healthy body, and a healthy mind knowing that you can still indulge on occasion.

On a side note, 80/20 is my goal for the holiday season. I’m not going to make myself miserable by not allowing myself any of the yummy treats that only come around a few times a year. However, if I see the scale start to creep up, or my pants starting to feel a little too snug, I know it’s time to reign it in a little and go a few days at 100% clean and portion controlled. Listen to your body and figure out how it responds to certain foods. Following the 80/20 rule is a great goal for surviving the holidays without ruining your progress!