The 80\/20 principle has been a centerpiece of the Primal Blueprint approach and philosophy since the beginning, but I still get comments and questions about it. In case you\u2019re not familiar, the 80\/20 principle suggests that in the context of a full and earnest commitment to making health-promoting choices, conforming with the 10 Primal Blueprint Laws 80% of the time will yield a solidly healthy result.<\/strong><\/p>\n Many tell me how much they love the concept. It\u2019s a feature that makes the Primal lifestyle possible for them. Others suggest that it leaves too much room for backsliding. Still others find it confusing\u2014does it mean living 100% Primal only 80% of the time and partying it up that other 20%? Or does it mean living 80% Primal 100% of the time? (The answer is neither, as you\u2019ll see.)<\/p>\n I love having these kinds of discussions within the community. Your perspectives help me to continue to grow and evolve my thinking even after all these years. So let me share my perspective on the 80\/20 principle, and I encourage you to share your own thoughts in the comments as well. Just because I\u2019m \u201cthe Primal guy\u201d doesn\u2019t mean I get to dictate how you interpret what it means to live Primally, nor how you embody these teachings in your own life. It\u2019s obviously a general principle and, as such, it\u2019s intended to mean different things to different people<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In short, the 80\/20 principle is a rule to make Primal doable in the context of the modern world. It\u2019s a feature that makes the Primal Blueprint a fully achievable, enduring lifestyle that reconciles with the grind and disruptions of daily life.<\/p>\n Let me put it this way: the 80\/20 principle is an acknowledgment that we\u2019re adults who take full responsibility for every choice but occasionally find ourselves in circumstances that aren\u2019t conducive to adhering fully to the Primal Laws.<\/strong> You should always have the intention<\/em> to do your best, to aim for 100%. But you should not let your commitment to Primal living become a source of stress or anxiety, and you shouldn\u2019t beat yourself up or throw in the towel when perfection isn\u2019t possible.<\/p>\n You have agency and reasoning skills, so you should be able to make conscious compromises. Perhaps you\u2019re on vacation and really want the experience of sampling the local cuisine. For you, it\u2019s 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\u2019s a special anniversary or family gathering. You don\u2019t use the situation as an excuse to wildly abandon your commitment to health and longevity. You loosen the strings enough to find the best balance between short-term experience and long-term goals.<\/p>\n Sometimes the 80\/20 principle is a matter of feasibility. Travel doesn\u2019t always present the most ideal Primal options. A difficult period in your life (new baby, death or serious illness in the family) may temporarily disrupt your focus or ability to do all the good things you normally incorporate into your routine.<\/p>\n There are also the Primal ideals, especially when it comes to food. I know not everyone has ready access to or the budget for grass-fed beef, pastured butter, organic produce, or a wide diversity of produce year round. This is where that old saying comes in: \u201cDon\u2019t let perfect be the enemy of good.\u201d The majority of the health benefits from Primal come from eliminating the grains, sugars, and nasty oils.<\/strong> Worrying about organic, local, and so on is the cherry on top. Likewise, if all you manage right now is walking and microworkouts, but you haven\u2019t found a way to build sprints into your routine yet, you\u2019re still miles ahead of the person who is still sedentary.<\/p>\n Sometimes you just have to do the best you can. It\u2019s not a question of motivation or commitment but the influence of external conditions. Think of it as a cushion, not a cop-out, and focus on the big picture.<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n Most importantly, it isn\u2019t permission to only shoot for 80% compliance or success.<\/strong> If you set out to make your Primal commitment 80%, guess what. It will likely fall well below that. If you set out to make your commitment 100%, you\u2019ll probably settle in somewhere between 80 and 95%.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t mean getting 20% of your calories from ice cream and the other 80% from meats and salads. The 80\/20 principle isn\u2019t about \u201ccheating\u201d 20% of the time.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t intended as a \u201cget-out-of-Primal-free card\u201d for flocking to grains, skimping on fat or protein, or ignoring a continuing sleep deficit.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re perfect during the week and then go on a bender on the weekend.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t mean working out 10 months of the year and then taking two months off to veg on the couch.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t mean picking your favorite 8 of the 10 Primal Blueprint laws and scrapping the other two.<\/p>\n And let me be clear: there\u2019s nothing wrong with achieving 100%.<\/strong> If you find the Primal Laws easy to incorporate fully into your life, that\u2019s cause for celebration, not concern. I would never suggest that you\u2019re missing out on life because you don\u2019t feel the need to indulge in conscious compromises. More power to you if you\u2019re happy and fulfilled without them.<\/p>\n Decidedly no, but I\u2019ve gotten this question a fair amount, so let\u2019s clear it up. When people talk about the 80\/20 diet, they usually mean the eating strategy attributed to Australian nutritionist, chef, and personal trainer Teresa Cutter. In this approach, you are supposed to \u201cbe good\u201d 80% of the time, but you are allowed to indulge the other 20% of the time within reason. No foods are off the table. It\u2019s a \u201chave your cake and eat it too\u201d diet, and it\u2019s very much NOT what the Primal 80\/20 principle represents.<\/p>\n The Primal 80\/20 principle isn\u2019t a diet at all; it\u2019s more of a mindset.<\/strong> It\u2019s about giving yourself permission not to be perfect, not actually planning dietary excursions into your week. By the same token, the 80\/20 principle isn\u2019t carb cycling, alternate day fasting, or any other structured eating pattern. With those, the assumption is that you\u2019re (mostly) sticking to Primal foods but eating at specific times or with certain macronutrient ratios.<\/p>\n And of course, the Primal Blueprint encompasses more than nutrition, so the Primal 80\/20 principle does as well. All aspects of Primal living\u2014movement, sleep, stress management, social connection, cognitive challenge\u2014fall under the 80\/20 umbrella.<\/strong> There are probably some aspects you\u2019re closer to 100% on most of the time and others you struggle with. For me, the food part is easy, but I\u2019ve historically struggled with the stress bit.<\/p>\n There are times when 100% compliance\u2014or something close to it\u2014is important. One example that comes to mind is when someone is using an elimination diet (autoimmune protocol, low-FODMAP, etc.) to explore chronic symptoms. Unless they are strict about eliminating and then systematically reintroducing potential trigger foods, the diet probably won\u2019t be much use.<\/p>\n Another time when it makes sense to be stricter is during the transition to a keto diet. Ketosis is a notoriously fragile metabolic state. Eat a single high-carb meal or snack, and wham, you\u2019re out. When you\u2019re in the process of adapting to keto, it makes sense to be consistent for at least the first four to six weeks to facilitate the process. Even after that, there\u2019s little wiggle room if staying in ketosis is important to you.<\/p>\n At its core, the 80\/20 principle is a recognition that life isn\u2019t totally predictable and that we\u2019re not in Grok\u2019s Kansas anymore. Denying that reality and trying to fit Primal principles perfectly into modern life can be like jamming a square peg into a round hole. The point of 80\/20 is to release the pressure valve that comes with thinking that you are supposed to be perfect and that this Primal living thing should come easily all the time.<\/strong><\/p>\n As the Primal Blueprint cements itself in your routine, it generally becomes easier (and more desirable) to live well above that 80%. That was my experience, and I can\u2019t even count how many people have told me the same over the years.\u00a0 The Primal Blueprint comes naturally for me now because my entire lifestyle revolves around it and I\u2019ve been doing it so long. It\u2019s so much a part of my routine that I don\u2019t often think about it except when I travel. It will become your normal as well, but the chance that you\u2019ll always be the perfect Primal specimen are small. I\u2019m not, and I\u2019m fine with that.<\/p>\n I encourage everyone to focus on the process and the big picture, not simply the daily details. The Primal Blueprint is first and foremost about taking full responsibility for your life and health. No excuses, no guilt.<\/p>\n As always, thanks for reading, and keep the questions and comments coming!<\/p>\nWhat Is the 80\/20 Principle, And What Is It NOT?<\/h2>\n
And What Is It Not?<\/h3>\n
Is This the Same as the 80\/20 Rule Diet?<\/h2>\n
When Does the 80\/20 Principle NOT Apply?<\/h2>\n
The Bottom Line<\/h2>\n
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