80/20 EATING

"JUST DO IT!"

THE FIRST 20%

The first 20% of any "treat" or especially tasty dish provides 80% of the satisfaction provided by eating the whole thing.  But eating the other 80% will, if it is not a healthy food, cost you more in long term pleasure and happiness than it will get you in short term pleasure. 

If you do not go "unconscious" and go into "automatic, senseless" eating, you will find that you will not really desire to eat the other 80%.  However, you may not, at first reading of this and without further training and exposure to the whole 80/20 Process, believe this.  Do as much as you can for now and then do the other 80/20 Processes and then come back to this - you will find that it is more than satisfying.

Your body has automatic signaling that is designed to activate over a certain period of time, but we often eat more quickly than that.  So we either wait for 20 minutes to pass after eating "enough" or we simply learn and eat what is enough and let it be for 20 minutes and return if that is not enough for us.

THE RULES:

When you get an unhealthy urge, breathe deeply and relax for a minute.  Put off satisfying

    the urge for 12 minutes and then redecide.  (See The Pause.)

Avoid sugar as much as possible - it activates cycles and hunger and doesn't really satisfy. 

    Cut off this addiction and useless habit.

Avoid flour as much as possible - it turns into sugar quickly and the body overreacts and

   destablizes.

No fried foods, all low fat foods (you know the difference!.

Eat lots of fiber - no less than 3, preferably 5, grams of fiber per serving, (slows digestion,

    feel fuller, slows any sugar effect).

Meat is eaten in no greater than palm sized portions.

Cereal is whole grain, high fiber only.  Preferably one cup. 

Eat as much vegetables as you want (and 2-3 fruits), load up on veggies early in the meal -

    you'll actually like this alot, over time.  Use fruits as your sugar subsitute.

Never go hungry; if you're hungry, eat (good stuff, though).

THE "SIGN":

Your signal on whether you need to cut back is that your Body Mass Index is over 22.

(You would know what this weight works out to, by consulting the Index.)

A HIGHER LEVEL OF EXISTENCE

You will be standing for your life being so interesting that you will not decline to such a low level of existence, close to an animal's reactions, as waiting for your next chemical "hit" as your source of satisfaction or as a desperation action (for cutting off anxiety or the like). 

You will use the more direct alternatives that fit what is needed - to increase energy or reduce stress.