The 80/20 Rule & Diet Changes

tyforthewin
tyforthewin Posts: 4 Member
edited March 2019 in Food and Nutrition
I first read about the 80/20 rule (AKA the Pareto Principle) in a business context. Essentially it's the thought that 20% of your work gets you 80% of your results, so identify what that 20% of work is and then focus on doing that 20% really well to maximize your results.

So lately I've been thinking how do I apply this principle to my diet change/weight loss efforts?

We've probably all heard the 80/20 rule in terms of "Make good choices 80% of the time! And then you can have whatever you want the other 20% of the time". That feels to me though like the opposite- focusing on 80% of what you're doing, and then letting the other 20% handle itself.

What if instead I identify the things I personally do every single day that account for probably about 20% of my overall dietary choices during that day but that make a larger impact than that overall because they happen _every_ day?

For me personally that list would look something like this:

I drink coffee every morning
I have the same breakfast every day
I eat a grain with every meal
I eat a vegetable with every meal

And then what if I take those hand full of things and focus on making each of those choices better?

I stop putting sugar in my coffee
I switch from scrambled eggs and toast to egg whites and spinach for breakfast
I eat a half serving of grains with every meal
I eat one and a half servings of vegetables with every meal

I'm betting that consciously focusing and changing the things that I do every single day are going to make a much bigger difference in my overall health and well-being than fretting about whether or not I should order a second beer when I go out once a week.

Replies

  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    Whatever process helps you stick to your calorie goal. :)
  • carrotsaregood
    carrotsaregood Posts: 57 Member
    This is a new concept for me. I like it. I think the idea of changing everything is daunting. However, focusing on small consistent actions should make a big difference and feel more possible.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I made some simple changes when I started, but I can't quantify the 80 or 20 or whatnot.

    I decided that what worked for me was sticking to my 3 main meals and not snacking (I guess snacking was mindless and not pleasurable for me, so doing that meant I kept close to 100% of the pleasure of eating, maybe more since I started focusing more on making my three meals pleasurable -- and cut out a huge amount of calories).

    Beyond that I decided to have a standard breakfast, since I don't mind eating close to the same every morning (although I change the standard every few weeks and sometimes shake it up on the weekends).

    I have some foods I tended to eat without getting much from them, more because they were there, so I cut them out or way down on them -- basically I decided not to eat foods unless they really added to the meal for me. Since I really don't care much about grains -- I'm always surprised at how many people find them an easy food to overeat, since they are eh to pleasant enough filler for me -- I cut those. I never eat bread unless it's really special (since I was a kid I never understood why people would ruin leftover turkey by making it into a sandwich), I'll bring my own lunches so to have easier non sandwich options, I exclude rice or eat a small (measured out) portion, I still eat pasta but will limit the portion and fill up on the toppings, stuff like that.

    Similar to the grains, I cut way down on added olive oil, make vinaigrettes that have less oil, more vinegar, will use a spritzer when cooking or just add a tsp instead of a tbsp.

    I already did not have seconds much, but I would eat what was on my plate (even to the point of being overstuffed), so I started being more careful about what I put on my plate.

    With those small changes, which I barely noticed, I was able to cut way down on calories without feeling like I was eating less (often feeling like I was eating more, since I'd be sure to fill up my plate with veg), and without finding my meals any less tasty (often more tasty, in fact).
  • margbarco
    margbarco Posts: 128 Member
    I’ve heard of this concept in terms of ones wardrobe: that we tend to wear only 20% of our clothing 80% of the time.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    I use 80/20 in my diet, but more that the 20 is what I consider not-nutritionally-dense foods - or "crap" that is enjoyable but not necessarily macros/calorie friendly. Like a piece of cake or something like that.

    I only have one bone of contention with the above. scrambled eggs on toast is perfectly balanced and nutritious. egg white and spinach has less calories, yes, but is also sad. Stick to the scrambled eggs on toast! Make it wholegrain fancy bread toast. How about that? Instead of plain old overly processed white bread?

    Yep, I'd also keep the whole eggs and toast, but add a little spinach (and red pepper) for color and whatever micronutrients they provide.

    I use sprouted grain bread cuz bread made from flour makes me sleepy, but that's me.

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