
Since our original 80/20 post a few weeks ago, I’ve gotten a slew of questions and comments from readers. Many tell me how much they love the concept. It’s a feature that makes the PB possible for them. Others suggest that it leaves too much room for backsliding. Finally, some readers have either offered their own interpretations of the principle or asked what it should mean in their daily life. Thanks to everyone for their feedback on this one (and all other posts of course). While I loved writing The Primal Blueprint, I can’t imagine it without the experience and ever-evolving discussion of this blog. Let’s roll up the sleeves and dig in deeper with this one.
First, let’s review. (I know we’re adding new folks all the time.) The 80/20 principle suggests this: in the context of full and earnest commitment, an overall 80% conformity with the 10 Primal Blueprint rules will yield a solidly healthy result.
It’s obviously a general principle and as such is intended to mean different things to different people. Let’s first throw out a few things that the principle doesn’t endorse. It doesn’t mean getting 20% of your calories from ice cream and the other 80% from meats and salads. Likewise, it isn’t intended as a “get-out-of-Primal-free card” for flocking to grains, skimping on fat or protein, or ignoring a continuing sleep deficit, etc. It doesn’t mean working out 10 months of the year and then taking 2 months off to veg on the couch. It doesn’t mean picking your favorite 8 of the 10 PB laws and scrapping the other two. The 80/20 principle isn’t about “cheating” 20% of the time.
In short, it’s a rule of thumb to keep people sane. It’s a feature that makes the PB a fully achievable, continuing lifestyle that reconciles with the grind and disruptions of daily life. But here come the logical questions. Does it mean living 100% Primal 80% of the time or living 80% Primal 100% of the time? Although one of those descriptions might accurately describe how things go in a given week for you, I would suggest that the principle isn’t meant to be a rigid, stagnant formula or manipulated ratio.
It’s a recognition that life isn’t totally predictable and that we’re not in Grok’s Kansas anymore. It encourages folks to focus on the process and not simply the daily details. It’s about treating people like adults in the real world rather than non-thinking subjects in a paternalistic trial. The Primal Blueprint is first and foremost about taking full responsibility for your life and health. No excuses, no guilt. You won’t be thrown off the island if you choose to partake of a few holiday favorites or skip a workout to attend a friend’s wedding.
However, let me be clear about this side as well. It isn’t about only shooting for 80%, and there’s nothing wrong with achieving 100%. If you set out to make your Primal commitment 80%, guess what. It will likely fall below that. If you set out to make your commitment 100%, you’ll probably settle in somewhere between 80-95% based on where you’re at in the PB transition.
Let me put it this way. The 80/20 principle is an acknowledgment that we’re adults who take full responsibility for every choice but occasionally find ourselves in circumstances that don’t allow 100% Primal or in situations for which we knowingly accept reasonable, conscious compromises. Think of it as cushion, not cop-out, not convenience. As I mentioned last time, give your PB plan 100%, and understand it’s O.K. when daily life somewhat moderates the overall picture. Primal success is less about what you do at any one meal or single bout at the gym and more about what you do over the course of a given week or month.
For some people and some circumstances, it’s a matter of feasibility. Travel doesn’t always present the most ideal Primal options. A difficult period in your life (death or serious illness in the family, new baby, etc.) may temporarily moderate your focus or ability to do all the good things you normally incorporate into your routine. And in the more minor elements of the PB, it can be a question of access. I know not everyone has ready access to or the money for grass-fed beef, pastured butter, all organic produce, or a wide diversity of produce year round. Sometimes you just have to do the best you can. It’s not a question of motivation or commitment here but the influence of external conditions.
For others, it’s a matter of conscious indulgence. Perhaps you’re on vacation (whether it be Thailand or New Orleans) and really want the experience of sampling the local cuisine. For you, it’s part of the adventure. You authentically choose within the 80/20 principle to make the most of your hard earned adventure. (Personally, this is my favorite manifestation of the principle.) Maybe it’s a special anniversary or family gathering. You don’t use the situation as an excuse to wildly abandon all PB commitment. You loosen the strings enough to find the best balance between experience and health.
Let me say, too, that the 80/20 principle is often most relevant and valuable during people’s transition to the PB. As many of you mentioned, it was the part that made you believe you could take on this lifestyle for the long haul. As the PB cements itself in your routine, it generally becomes easier (and more desirable) to live well above that 80%. Does this apply to me? Sure. I’ve obviously been doing this for a while now, and most months I’d put myself well above 80% in nutrition and exercise. The PB comes naturally for me now because my entire lifestyle revolves around it. My family and many good friends are living the same kind of choices. It’s so much a part of my routine that I don’t often think about it except when I travel.
But keep in mind that the Primal Blueprint encompasses more than nutrition and fitness. For some of us, these are the things that come easily. I’m probably at close to 100% on those aspects most of the time, but I’m still working on the stress bit. If you’re in the midst of big life transitions, that might be the hard part. New job, long distance move, new child? Speaking of children, maybe your biggest challenge is sleep.
In comments and emails, many of you shared personal choices and life/job circumstances that shaped the 80/20 picture for you. As reader Adam suggested, it might mean 70/30 over the holidays but 90% other times. It’s a fluid number. As for what that 20% means, some of you plan out indulgences for special occasions. Others say you take life as it comes and worry a plan might encourage you to go overboard. Some of you mentioned that what fell into the 20% years or months earlier when they began the PB isn’t the same as what they’d put in that category now.
The feedback and stories got me thinking. How do our readers use the 80/20 principle to strike the best balance for themselves? How about a poll? Feel free to share all your thoughts, of course, but here are a couple questions for everyone:
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment. Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.As always, thanks for reading, and keep the questions and comments coming!
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57 Comments on "Dear Mark: 80/20 Revisited"
The definition of quality of life is subjective.
I, for example, am in good terms with the fact that I will not stop enjoying beer, wine and old cheeses. This makes me strive for 90%, and I take responsibility for the consequences.
I am always alert and looking for a chance to jump into more primal alternatives for my poisons though. I am also open to completely replacing my indulgences with primal alternatives if I manage to discover how.
I just look at it as a way to not feel guilty if I slip up here and there while shooting for 100%. Like last night for fathers day I ate a piece of Key Lime Pie that had actual sugar in it. Boy did that taste weird!
Thanks for all the great personal accounts of the 80/20 principle in action. It goes to show that using it as a generally rule of thumb can help people through any number of unique and common situations no matter where on the Primal path you find yourself.
80/20 has helped me with the transition and maintenance of PB personally. I strive to maintain 100% but when the situation arises, most notably visiting with friends who are serving very non-primal meals I don’t feel guilty I simply choose the best options available. I may feel it later, diet affects me pretty strongly, but it would be worse if I was beating myself up over it mentally.
I use the 20% for small bits of indulgences like chocolate or wine or cheese, and then occasional questionable ingredients when eating food I haven’t cooked myself. But I think in general I have to stick to the primal rules as much as possible to avoid the slippery slope into bad habits.
I go to lunch with the guys every Friday (As a programmer I almost never get to work with girls). It makes work a easier when you are social with your coworkers once in a while.
My 80/20? A weekend ‘treat’- high % dark choc, berries and cream or a high fat dessert like vanilla cheesecake :). I only feel like that though if I have had a really good primal week and I feel like I have loaded up on nutrients, proteins and fats, Jx
For me, the 20% tends to be when we go out and socialize. During the week, I cook all my food, so being 100% paleo is easy. But when I’m at a friend’s house or we go out to dinner or out for another social activity, that’s when I go for more of an 80/20 approach.
My 20% downfall is high intensity exercise since I’m a spin instructor and I’m paid to teach a high intensity class. I’m still eating some brown rice on class days. When I’m out of rice, I’ll try to teach without the carbs and see what happens.
As always a top class post. I really enjoyed the chapter in the book and love to live the primal lifestyle especially when its 80/20. The thing is sometimes I will be nearly 100% and other weeks I will slip down a bit, its all give/take hit/miss but allows us to keep our sanity in todays world….
I once stood in the salad dressing section reading all the bottles… even the Newmans were made with veg &/or soy oils. The ONLY dressing made with olive oil was that which I made at home.
Also don’t forget that the 80/20 rule doesn’t always work in some situations.
A Celiac can’t go 80/20 on gluten, and I suspect that a hefty percentage of gluten-sensitive individuals would be best off 100% gluten-free (a natural component of the PB diet).
I can’t kick dairy.
I don’t drink much milk or eat much ice cream but I love cheese, cream and yogurt. I buy the more expensive raw milk cheese though, that way I have to make it last.
I also have to save most of my 20% for when my mother-in-law comes to visit every couple months and brings brownies, ice cream, cookies, and pies…she gets offended if I don’t have at least one thing:)
At the moment I’m keeping a tight grasp of my eating, as I am still trying to shake these last 5.5kg (9.5kg down…).
It’s the lifestyle part that is being sacrificed at the moment – I don’t get much sun (it’s winter), and I don’t sleep as much as I need to. My body likes a good 9 – 10 hours, but during the week I’m luck to get 7 – 8. The scales tell me off when I cut it back!
What part of Aus are you in Kaz? I’ve found a farm(s) in Victoria which sells organic, grass fed beef, lamb and chicken – http://organicdirect.com.au Received my first custom order this weekend – delicious! My freezer is packed, for just $211 delivered 🙂
My exceptions are: Goat milk Kefir and the occasional birthday party binge.
I’m also currently experimenting with carb cycling a good complex carb every few days, but this will be ending in a few weeks.
Full fat Greek yogurt, plain, with almond butter. Red wine on social occasions. Sleep…Yikes – bedtime already! Gotta go!
Greek Yogurt with Almond butter (or Hazel nut butter) is AWESOME. for a REAL treat, add in a teaspoon of organic buckwheat honey(I know, not entirely PB).
Beer!
It’s popcorn for me…
… with butter, of course
I tell people I’m not super strict.
For me its when guests have me for dinner – I eat whatever they give me, and when I travel I aim for the most primal food on the menu, which sometimes isn’t primal at all.
I ate non primal for decades and didn’t feel to bad for it so a few days here and there wont hurt.
thanks to those of you who answered my previous posted questions!!! i really appreciate it!
I have a couple questions if anyone can help me out. I eat Ezekial Hamburger Buns which are considered a “complete protein” but they of course have wheat in them & are a grain. I assume this is not a PB acceptable food?
As to sugar in my coffee – should I just use a “pinch” of organic sugar?
i currently drink Shakeology drinks from Beachbody. Is this acceptable? i usually add ice & fruit.
Sushi. And, although I almost collapsed from bread and butter, I’ll buy a loaf of French sour dough bread once a month and knock myself out. This thread has been a lot of fun, thanks all.
I agree with Clark that calling this method the “80/20 principle” is misleading since your interpretation does not relate to the Pareto principle, which is the more established 80/20.
very new here and its all interesting.
right now I don’t do breads but have 2 tortillas a week (corn, I was hoping a slice of homemade wheat bread would be okay, but apparently its not.
saw that flan made with almond milk, so thats cool..
is there a newbie area? that would be cool to meet people rotating into this as well and track our results/support each other…just an idea..Matt
I didn’t bother to check the date of the post before I commented, so I’m not exactly timely…ah, well. I agree that a forum or something for newbies would be great! I would love to talk with others and compare notes, plans, recipes, and ideas…great suggestion!
I’d always want to be update on new articles on this web site , saved to favorites ! .
100%
Go big or go home
I thought the 80/20 concept was that 80% of the results come from diet, and 20% from your workout routine. My diet and workouts both conform to the 10 rules all the time. Math is hard.