80\20 rule
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mkakids
Posts: 1,913 Member
Do you measure this by day, week, month? Just curious if you would consider a day where you ate 3 truely paleo meals, but had 2 tortilla chips OK, or do you just consider the 20% having a full non paleo meal occassionally (like a plate of pasta with garlic bread or something really not paleo).
I aim for full paleo days with maybe 1 cheat meal a week, but don't freak out if I have a small amount of non paleo food every day for a couple days.
I aim for full paleo days with maybe 1 cheat meal a week, but don't freak out if I have a small amount of non paleo food every day for a couple days.
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I do it more per day or more like every couple of days. Like one day I'll have a piece for cheese, and a few days later I'll have a glass of milk. I haven't had a full cheat meal in months.0
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I'm not totally sure. It will be interesting to see what everybody has to say. I try to stick with paleo as close to 100% as I can because when I don't it makes me feel really sick! Abdomen pain and bathroom problems are just not worth having something that I shouldn't be having.0
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I eat Paleo whenever I'm at home. We don't cook using any non-Paleo ingredients, so I only eat non-Paleo when I go out. Sometimes non-Paleo will be cream in my coffee at Starbucks. Other times it will be an entire meal. I don't go out very often, though, maybe 3-4 times a week. When I went off Whole30, I was like "Oh, I'll only eat Paleo food on very special occasions" and that honestly hasn't happened. I just try to do my best and make the best decision for the situation I'm in, such as where I am and what my options are.0
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I "cheat" by having little things here or there. A bite of chocolate, a handful of chips, or a few gummy bears etc.
I will probably never have a non-paleo meal, just because there isn't much for me to eat. I have celiacs, plus allergies/intolerances to corn/oats/rice/dairy/tree nuts/peanuts. A big plate of pasta will never be an option. When we go out, I eat steak and veggies/salad.0 -
I generally try to eat Paleo (maybe more Primal since I do some dairy) during the week and then indulge in a Hamburger or ice cream on the weekends.
I also try to save my "cheats" for when coices are difficult - e.g. a dinner party or a pub.
When I reach my weight and fitness goals I will probably build in a few more indulgences and see what happens.0 -
I am horrible at sticking to my paleo-ness. LOL! But if I were good at it, my approach would not be to measure or track the 80/20. Instead it would be more of a try-to-get-to-100% as best you can, but because this is not a perfect world and because we are not perfect people, we would fall at that 80/20 part of the time.... and maybe 90/10 part of the time, etc.
So to better clarify, I would not think to myself "okay I've had 8 paleo meals/days and 2 non-paleo meals/days so I'm in the range". Instead I would try to eat 100% paleo; But because I might not be able to get to the farmer's market this week for my grass-fed beef and pasture raised chicken and have to eat whatever I can find from the store, that takes away from my 100%. I might be "forced" to eat lunch at a restaurant for work and have to order their steak and veggies. Fried food may be all that's available at the pot luck. They were out of organic bell peppers at the store and I had to buy conventional ones. I might feel it necessary to have a bite of mom's cake when she surprises me with it at my house.
In other words, life happens... and that's probably your 20%. Shoot for the moon and if you miss you'll fall amongst the stars, right? So, if you shoot for 100 %, you'll probably land somewhere above 80% and you're safe. But if you're trying to measure or track 80/20 you might accidently fall below 80. Whatif you are tracking at you're right at 80/20 and then one of the above happens? So, I don't try to measure my downfalls or cheats, I just do the best I can and hope that it falls above 80. Does that make sense? I'm really horrible at this, though.... But the more I try it, the better I will get. Don't give up, right???0 -
I don't track or measure compliance because I personally don't care about that concept in the least. I don't like dogma of any sort, and dietary dogma strikes me as a huge FAIL. I feel it's disordered and unhealthy.
I know what I eat, and I know how I feel. If I feel poorly or am having trouble with hunger, cravings, energy, digestion, my workouts, sleeping, inflammation, etc, I change my food a bit. If I don't, i keep doing my thing because I'm feeling great and doing well.
I have health issues to manage, so those things are my main concern with respect to my diet. I also have a whole life happening that doesn't revolve around my diet, and I wouldn't want it to. I guess that's why I'm more concerned with what works for me, rather than how perfectly I can follow any given author's dietary rules.
I'm not much of a rule follower, anyway. :flowerforyou:0 -
I do primal because dairy doesn't affect me adversely, it only helps me increase my protein (which I totally need)! I usually have a cheat meal once a week where I drink beer and eat what I want, and it hasn't affected weight loss. Today I had puff pastry pizza...ugh and it did NOT agree with me. I won't be cheating again with white carbs for a while.0
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I try to be fully primal all the time. I've found that I've lost the taste for a lot of stuff in the 20%. Since starting this in January I've lost the taste for: cake, pie, oreo's, girl scout cookies, bread, pasta. And when I do try some it does sit well with me (bloating, cramping, etc).
Like I read somewhere else, eating the primal way feels like cheating in itself. The food is great and filling, much better than the crap I gave up. And I'm losing weight and gaining muscle. Seems like magic.
I guess I am lucky in that I decided to go primal Jan 1 and was able to do it, dropping the standard American diet (SAD) cold turkey and never looking back.
I remember liking all the cakes, pies and cookies but when I taste them now they just don't taste as good as my memory of them tasting. And every time I try one (had a bite of mint Oreo pie on Pie/Pi Day 3/14) makes me less and less likely to try again in the future.0 -
I am horrible at sticking to my paleo-ness. LOL! But if I were good at it, my approach would not be to measure or track the 80/20. Instead it would be more of a try-to-get-to-100% as best you can, but because this is not a perfect world and because we are not perfect people, we would fall at that 80/20 part of the time.... and maybe 90/10 part of the time, etc.
So to better clarify, I would not think to myself "okay I've had 8 paleo meals/days and 2 non-paleo meals/days so I'm in the range". Instead I would try to eat 100% paleo; But because I might not be able to get to the farmer's market this week for my grass-fed beef and pasture raised chicken and have to eat whatever I can find from the store, that takes away from my 100%. I might be "forced" to eat lunch at a restaurant for work and have to order their steak and veggies. Fried food may be all that's available at the pot luck. They were out of organic bell peppers at the store and I had to buy conventional ones. I might feel it necessary to have a bite of mom's cake when she surprises me with it at my house.
In other words, life happens... and that's probably your 20%. Shoot for the moon and if you miss you'll fall amongst the stars, right? So, if you shoot for 100 %, you'll probably land somewhere above 80% and you're safe. But if you're trying to measure or track 80/20 you might accidently fall below 80. Whatif you are tracking at you're right at 80/20 and then one of the above happens? So, I don't try to measure my downfalls or cheats, I just do the best I can and hope that it falls above 80. Does that make sense? I'm really horrible at this, though.... But the more I try it, the better I will get. Don't give up, right???
This. I think that this is the best way to go about it!0
