Diet is where you’ll see 80% of your results. Those results will be good or bad depending on how you eat of course. With a diet that’s 80% bad you’ll start regressing into low energy and adding fat to your frame. With a diet that’s 80% good, you’ll feel energetic, full of life, and pack on muscle that much easier.
Despite eating clean 80% of the time, you’ll run into some problems. The main one being guilt. I used to feel guilty when I would eat “dirty” and break my healthy diet. It actually became a problem where I wouldn’t go out and hang with my friends. They would go out for a night of heavy drinking and late night shawarma, but I felt that it ruined my vision for what I wanted: a shredded physique. I’m not a person that lives with regrets because in the moment it was fun for me and it got me the goals I wanted. But this type of mindset might not be best for you.
This post is largely an expansion on a tweet I sent out. You can read it here.
Dealing With Guilt In Your Diet
Guilt is a very common feeling that happens to a lot of people whenever they’re first starting out to take their health seriously or they’re competing at some elite level.
Your friends will tell you: “Why are you eating clean? Are you trying to watch your health or something?”. Your family will say: “Awe you don’t need to eat clean, you’re perfect the way you are”. Despite their good intentions, these are slight forms of sabotage to try and keep you comfortable.
Here’s why you do feel guilt: You’re being shamed. It’s that simple. People who are looking at you with your strict diet don’t understand where you’re coming from or where you want to be with your vision. And that’s alright because they don’t need to. Your vision is for you.
You’re taking this shame personally because you respect those around you at a certain level. And that’s a good thing! But if your vision is important to you then go for it and disregard the opinions of others.
But If You’re A Recreational Lifter…
Here’s what you can do. Have your vision in mind, but understand that if your diet is clean 80%+ of the time, going out with your friends for a drink won’t set you back or end your health in any way shape or form.
Let’s quantify that a bit.
Let’s say you eat clean 6 out of 7 days a week. That one bad day won’t set you back.
Let’s say you eat clean 28 days out of 30. Those 2 days out of the month won’t set you back.
Let’s say you eat clean 80 days out of 90. Those 10 days out of those three months won’t set you back.
Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff In Your Diet
But what will set you back is when you turn a bad day into a bad week, and then a bad month, and then a bad year. If you’re stuck in that rut right now look at your vision. What does your future vision look like? Do your daily habits and the people you surround yourself align with that vision? If so, keep going. If not, then it’s time to change things up and try something new.
So when it comes to your diet, don’t sweat the small stuff, seriously. Enjoy going out to drink with your friends, eat that cake on your birthday, go hard on New Years Eve with the right people, and enjoy the food in your life.
Closing Statements
But if I can give you one tip when going out to drink with friends it’s this: Have your drinks straight. No drinks with added sugars in it. You’ll have less of a hangover, you won’t be hungry for carbs, and you won’t feel as dehydrated the next day.
Understand that guilt is a natural feeling because you’re either feeling ashamed and/or respect the opinion of the person trying to make you feel guilty. But this doesn’t mean it’s the best for you because it can lead to sabotage from those closest to you.
On the other hand, you shouldn’t feel guilty if you’re following your diet 80% of the time. Most people don’t want to be super ripped and lean. They just want to be better than where they were before.
If you follow the 80/20 rule with your diet you’ll see amazing results with less guilt.
And if you’re still unsure on where you can improve with your diet, I created a free ebook called “Fight Back Against The Skinny-Fat Physique — And Win!” where you’ll get a dozen diet principles that you can start acting on today! Click this link to get your free copy!
