Looking to lose weight effectively? The Pareto Principle might help. Also known as the 80/20 rule, it states that for many events, around 80% of the effect is caused by 20% of the causes. It has been named after Vilfredo Pareto, an economist. He noticed, and wrote in 1896, about the 80/20 percent connection that applies to many economic topics. At the time 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the people for example.
How to lose weight effectively? Use the Pareto Principle to help you. Identify the most impactful habits that may bring 80% of the results with 20% of the effort.
Two must-read books that just came out reminded me of the Pareto principle in relation to weight loss.
“Eat Like The Animals”
The first book, ‘Eat like the animals‘, is by David Raubenheimer and Stephen J. Simpson, the scientists who coined the “protein leverage hypothesis“. This book takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery as the authors seek to understand how animals and ultimately humans feed themselves optimally. We learn about the five appetites humans have for protein, carb, fat, calcium and sodium, and that humans seek to satiate protein first. The authors then make a convincing case that obesity could be the consequence of protein dilution in our current diet.
“The Fatburn Fix”
The second book, ‘The Fatburn Fix‘ by Dr. Cate Shanahan, explains how to regain the capacity to burn body fat as fuel. It presents in depth how vegetable oils potentially negatively impact the energy generation within our cells by disrupting our mitochondria. The author then makes a convincing case that obesity could be the consequence of too much vegetable oils in our current diet.
The Pareto Principle
Obesity is a complex issue that can’t be reduced to one cause. I just mentioned two convincing ones above already. However when on a weight loss journey, when working on habits to lose weight, the Pareto Principle is helpful. Have it work for you. If you had to pick the one thing that would bring the most results, what would it be? What are the 20% you can do, that would bring 80% of the results?
Once you’ve defined your aspiration, think about and list all changes and new habits you need to come closer to your goal. Use the Pareto principle to identify the new habits that would bring the most bang for your effort in the current moment. There is no one size fits all, and the habits with the most impact change over time. At first it might be drink more water, then improve diet quality, then meditate daily, then exercise more, then exercise with more intensity, then…To lose weight effectively, use the Pareto principle, the 80/20 rule, to make weight loss work for you.
To build your system for weight loss, please see our ebook here or on Gumroad here .