How do you do 80/20?

amandaeve
amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am trying to follow and 80/20 diet plan so I can eat responsibly without feeling slighted. I even made a meal category in mfp called "splurges" where I can track that 20%. I'm curious, though, how do you do it? Is it 20% calories? 20% of a macro (carbs? fat?)? 20% of eating decisions? I include things like soda and wine that don't provide much nutrition, but what about things that are healthy but outside of the "plan"? For instance, if I eat greek yogurt (as an extra unneeded dairy and/or over calories) it's a lot healthier than an elephant ear, but still technically a splurge. I don't want to minimize the true splurge, but also don't know where to count those controversial indulgences.

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited July 2016
    It's a wonderful idea, but I think it should be regarded as a rule of thumb or a guideline, because, as you've noticed, there's a continuum there. All food has nutrition, but some foods and combinations fit better/easier into your plan than other choices. For me, it's just not practical at all - I don't separate what I eat into "healthy" and "unhealthy" anymore, I look at the overall nutritional profile of the food, the meal, the day, the week.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
    I feel like you're over complicating it. I thought the whole point of 80/20 was yeah I do good the majority of the time, but some days I need a giant bowl of ice cream and a nap. I never thought it was about getting an exact 80/20 balance of anything.
  • scottburger104
    scottburger104 Posts: 90 Member
    basically eat clean 4 days do what you want on the 5th. rinse and repeat for the most literal take on 80/20.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    It's not a literal 80/20 split. It's theoretical or approximate or a general rule of thumb. The point is that you don't need to obsess over eating only healthy. What you are doing--worrying about bunch about the balance--is what you need to avoid. Eat fresh fruits and veggies, meet your protein and fat goals, get your fiber, and then relax.
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    I thought of it as eating 80% of one's total calories as nutrient dense food and the other 20% as food that isn't. But as mentioned, the line can sometimes get blurred between the two.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    It's not a literal 80/20 split. It's theoretical or approximate or a general rule of thumb. The point is that you don't need to obsess over eating only healthy. What you are doing--worrying about bunch about the balance--is what you need to avoid. Eat fresh fruits and veggies, meet your protein and fat goals, get your fiber, and then relax.

    This.
    You'll drive yourself mad trying to eat exactly 80% healthy, which differs from one person to the next, and exactly 20% junk/treats, which also differs depending who you talk too.

    You could try eating a wide variety of healthful foods during the day, and have whatever you want for dessert, which is pretty much what i do. But i don't get it perfect every day, i just hope to try and strike a decent balance by the end of every week.

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