your 80:20 plan

The 80:20 isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan. Much like the cleanse, this is an individualized process that’s based on your unique blueprint, your health and fitness goals, and, ultimately, how you feel.

We’ve had many participants find success following the principles of the Conscious Cleanse on the weekdays and then letting it go for a few meals over the weekend. The 80 percent in this scenario would mean a cleanse-friendly breakfast and lunch on Friday and a 20 percent dinner, which might include a plate of cheesy Mexican food, corn tortilla chips, and a margarita (or two!). If you wake up Saturday feeling sluggish, it’s right back to a green smoothie for breakfast, and ideally, a day of clean eating. Sunday morning, if you wake up feeling good and pancakes are on the menu, you may choose to go for it again!

The bottom line is that there is no hard-and-fast rule or way to piece together your personal 80:20 plan. Your body will let you know. If you stop releasing weight or have other symptoms resurface, it might be that your 80:20 has become a 60:40. Be honest with yourself. Stay aware. And continue to engage with the process. Sooner rather than later, you’ll find what works for you and what you can “get away with” while still experiencing your ideal body weight, sound sleep, bright skin, and mental clarity.

THE 80 PERCENT

During your clean-eating (80 percent) time, you’ll fix meals that abide by the Conscious Cleanse guidelines. Focus on eating whole foods. Eat in easy-in, easy-out food combinations. Start the day with warm water and lemon, followed by a green smoothie for your first meal. Use the Conscious Cleanse Plate as your guide, and fill your plate with at least two-thirds veggies and your choice of a protein, starch, beans, or nuts/seeds. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of pure water. Do these things most days, and you’ll have a really healthy foundation on which you can experiment during your 20 percent.

THE 20 PERCENT

It doesn’t really matter when you choose to take your 20 percent time, as long as you do it consciously. It will likely come as no surprise that we suggest keeping sugar, gluten, and dairy out of your 80 percent zone. That being said, as long as you don’t experience any severe reactions, just about anything goes during your 20 percent time without running the risk of overloading the body and its detoxification channels.

FOOD COMBINING ON THE 80:20

Once you get seasoned at practicing easy-in, easy-out food combining—and experience the benefits—you’ll never go back. It’s for this reason that food combining is part of our 80 percent. You might be wondering how to food combine a few of the foods that we kept off our plate during the Conscious Cleanse, such as dairy and eggs. So, here it goes: cheese, eggs, milk, and yogurt all combine like an animal protein. Remember, keep your meals simple and filled with veggies. Your digestive system will thank you.

DISCOVERING YOUR 80:20

We encourage you to take on defining and refining your 80:20 much like you did on the cleanse—with curiosity and joy. If you find your 80:20 does a 180, it’s part of the exploratory process. You know what to do in order to get back to ground zero, where you’re at (or moving toward) your ideal body weight, enjoying boundless energy, and feeling symptom-free.

You’ll find that a funny thing happens as you follow the 80:20. If you pay attention to it, you’ll notice that your cravings for “bad” stuff will begin to shift. All of a sudden, these foods don’t taste as good as you remember. Indulgences become more refined, more intentional, and more mindful, and you don’t need to “pull yourself back” the way you used to. In fact, you may just find yourself looking forward to getting back to your 80 percent as much as you look forward to your 20 percent. Balance is a beautiful thing indeed.

GOOD, BETTER, BEST

In our online membership program, we offer members a Good Better Best Guide as part of learning how to refine and up-level their choices in the 20 percent zone. Think of this like crossing over a bridge. Depending on your starting point, move from good to better to best as a way to experiment with a healthier variation. Foods in the Better and Best columns tend to be less inflammatory, less processed, and more nutrient dense.

Even though pretty much anything goes during the 20 percent time, we’ve found this to be a fun way to experiment with our diets. In other words, if there is a food or a dish that you absolutely love, can you upgrade some of the ingredients using a good, better, best approach? An easy one is sugar. Many baked goods call for white or brown sugar. You might be pleasantly surprised to discover just how delicious an alternative like monk fruit is. Not to mention that it has zero (yes, zero) calories and is known to alleviate inflammation and promote weight loss.