The 80/20 Rule: A Starting Point, Not a Destination
The 80/20 Rule is a concept many people use for nutrition.
It is great for beginners because it’s a simple way to ease into better habits and get initial results without feeling overwhelmed. It allows some flexibility while encouraging healthier choices most of the time.
If your health and fitness is struggling due to poor nutrition habits then the 80/20 is a great place to start. However, if you find that you have been following the 80/20 principle but on a plateau with your health and fitness then you will want to keep reading…
Nova Truth Bomb:
The 80/20 Rule is a minimum standard, not a path to excellence.
At some point in your journey, you have to ask yourself: Is this as far as I want to go?
The Law of Diminishing Returns
For those just starting their health and fitness journey, the 80/20 Rule will create excellent results at the start. But over time, as you level up, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. This means that the closer you get to your goal(s) the more you have to refine your habits to keep seeing results. In other words, what worked initially will only take you so far.
If you want great results - whether that’s a leaner physique, higher energy, or peak performance - you can’t stay stuck at 80/20.
Challenge Yourself or Stay Comfortable
As a health and fitness coach for more than two decades, I've seen the 80/20 rule help many people - but only up to a point. Most people, when they get to that point, will settle for the comfort of 80/20 and decide that is good enough.
I've also witnessed conflicting thought patterns in these individuals. They will say things like "everything in moderation" or “it's all about balance,” or “I want to enjoy my wine”. Yet in another conversation, they’ll complain about not seeing the results they want.
Reality check: You can’t have it both ways.
There’s a strange phenomenon in the human mindset when it comes to pushing limits in health and fitness - many see it as an impossible challenge reserved for the extreme. Ask a casual runner if they’d ever do a marathon, and they’ll often shut it down with a quick “No way!”
The same goes for nutrition - suggest tightening things up beyond the usual 80/20, and you’ll hear excuses like, “I need my wine, bread, and cheese,” or, “I’ll do it when....”
While the 80/20 Rule can be comfortable, it is a crutch that holds many people back.
We see this often with those who practice “cheat days” - a popular reward for six days of ‘being good’ followed by one day to indulge in low-quality food or excess alcohol. Many of these people really want to get in better shape too! I know dozens of people who will talk about their health and fitness goals, but instead of embracing the next challenge, they seek comfort and ease.
The 80/20 Rule in Practice
The 80/20 rule promotes 'cheat days' 20% of the week.
Let’s break this down a little further with nutrition. You eat three meals a day—that’s 21 meals per week. If you follow an 80/20 approach, that means four of those meals can be lower-quality or “cheat” meals.
Think about that: Four entire meals each week could be pizza or pub food. That’s more than a full day of unhealthy food!
This may have been a serious upgrade for someone who was once eating poorly every day of the week but as you can see, 80/20 only gets you so far. And that is where the average health conscious person will stop. That's ok if it meets your values but if you truly value excellence and want to achieve more, it’s time to raise your standards.
Here’s a funny thing about those who preach 80/20 about nutrition:
In business, career growth, and wealth-building, these people push for excellence—they don’t settle for “good enough.” Even within the family setting - children are expected to aim for 90% or higher in school. It's not often you hear dedicated parents say, “80% is fine, just settle for that.”
So why do they accept mediocrity when it comes to their health? That’s a mindset we need to bat out of the park!
The Next Level: 90/10 or 95/5
Raising your standards within health means embracing new challenges and continued growth. And going beyond 80/20 has massive benefits - benefits like unshakable energy, razor-sharp focus and a strong, resilient body that will make you unstoppable.
If you value progressions in your health and fitness then put aside the 80/20 mindset and raise the bar to 90/10 or even 95/5.
This could be:
- One or two off-plan meals per week instead of four
- Focusing on long-term consistency rather than weekly indulgences
What do I mean by ‘focusing on long-term consistency rather than weekly indulgences’?’
Rather than thinking of 90/10 as a weekly ratio (a few off plan meals each week), consider stretching it over a longer period of time. I call this ‘extending the gap’.
Example:
- Instead of “cheating” one meal a week, allow yourself to be on track for a solid month or two and then take a week off for vacation. You’ll get far better results this way because your body gets consistent time to heal from inflammation and function at its best before introducing something like nachos and beer that then slows you down.
The Hidden Issue With Weekly Cheat Meals
Most people don’t realize that one cheat day or meal per week can sabotage their entire progress!
Unhealthy food creates an inflammatory response in the body that can take up to 14 days to recover from! If you’re indulging every seventh day, your body never fully recovers.
This is why I push for a longer-term approach - one that ‘extends the gap’. Extending the gap creates better results even if you are following the 80/20 rule.
Imagine being locked in for 80% of a 12-week period - eating well, training hard, and staying dialed in for 10-11 weeks. Then, after that consistent stretch, you take a week-long break or vacation where you enjoy whatever you want…
The main benefit in ‘extending the gap’ of your 80/20 lifestyle is that your body has more time to detox, reset and thrive rather than constantly battling inflammation from frequent indulgences.… On top of that, when you do decide to go ‘off plan’ on a vacation for example the likelihood of you ditching the plan for an entire week is very low.
In essence, your 80/20 mentality with an ‘extended gap’ naturally becomes a 90/10 plan giving you far better outcomes.
Cheat meals or cheat days each week only work for those who are coming from no experience with anything healthy.
For those who have been around the block a few times (most of the Nova Health community), they need to upgrade their approach and this the exact method we use in our health coaching & transformation programs for those who want to break through plateaus
The Bottom Line: Raise Your Standards
The 80/20 Rule is a stepping stone, not a destination. It’s a solid starting point, but if you want to keep progressing - or aspire to be great - you have to push beyond “good enough.”
- If your results have stalled, reassess your standards
- If you’re chasing big goals, stop settling for mediocrity
- If you want real transformation, ditch the weekly cheat mentality and “extend the gap”
So ask yourself - what do you truly value more? The comfort of your weekly cheat meals and drinks? Or the opportunity to reach a higher level?
At the core, all humans crave progress. Progress and growth isn’t about choosing what’s easy. It’s about choosing what matters most.
Taking Action
You have 3 choices depending on where you are at in your journey:
- Just beginning? Start with the 80/20 however it fits for you
- Stuck on 80/20? Stretch the gap!
- Stuck on 80/20? Move to 90/10!
Whatever level you are at, if you are looking for support to jumpstart progress then check out how our
health coaching & transformation programs can help you!
