Episode # 53: Erik Young, Dieting Coach Reveals How to Lose Weight with 80/20 Rule

✍️ EPISODE OVERVIEW:

In this enlightening episode of the Five Core Live Podcast, host Will Moore sits down with Erik Young, the Flexible Dieting Coach, to demystify sustainable weight loss and healthy eating habits. Erik shares his revolutionary approach to nutrition that combines scientific principles with practical flexibility, introducing the powerful 80/20 rule - 80% whole foods and 20% "fun foods." This episode breaks down common nutrition myths, explains the science of caloric maintenance, and provides actionable strategies for sustainable weight loss.

The conversation delves deep into understanding caloric baselines, the truth about eating times, and how to maintain a healthy relationship with food while achieving fitness goals. Erik Young's approach stands out by focusing on sustainability rather than restriction, teaching listeners how to create personalized nutrition plans that accommodate their lifestyle while ensuring steady progress toward their health goals.

Most importantly, this episode demonstrates how to transform your relationship with food from one of restriction and guilt to one of balance and enjoyment, all while achieving your desired fitness outcomes. Whether you're struggling with weight loss plateaus, confused about proper nutrition, or seeking a more sustainable approach to healthy eating, this episode provides the scientific insights and practical strategies you need.

📖 CHAPTER SUMMARIES:

1. Understanding the 80/20 Rule and Sustainable Nutrition (0:00 - 5:00) Erik introduces his philosophy of balanced nutrition, explaining the fundamental principle of eating 80% whole foods and 20% fun foods. He emphasizes the importance of sustainability in any nutrition plan, highlighting how this approach allows for enjoying favorite foods while maintaining a healthy diet. The discussion covers how incorporating "fun foods" into your diet can actually improve long-term adherence to healthy eating habits and prevent the common cycle of restriction and binging.

2. The Science of Caloric Maintenance and Weight Loss (5:00 - 10:00) A deep dive into understanding caloric maintenance and how the body adapts to different calorie levels. Erik Young explains why many people, especially women, struggle with weight loss despite eating very low calories, introducing the concept of metabolic adaptation. He discusses how to properly calculate and adjust caloric intake for effective weight loss, emphasizing the importance of not dropping calories too low too quickly.

3. Debunking Common Nutrition Myths (10:00 - 15:00) The discussion tackles prevalent nutrition myths, particularly around meal timing and carbohydrate consumption. Erik provides scientific evidence to dispel beliefs about eating at night or consuming carbs in the evening, explaining how total daily caloric intake matters more than timing. The conversation also addresses misconceptions about muscle building and fat loss occurring simultaneously.

4. Strategic Nutrition for Special Populations (15:00 - 20:00) Erik provides detailed insights into nutrition strategies for specific populations, particularly focusing on breastfeeding mothers. He explains the minimum caloric requirements for maintaining milk supply while achieving weight loss goals, introducing the concept of reverse dieting. The discussion includes practical strategies for gradually adjusting caloric intake to optimize both health and weight management.

5. Implementing Sustainable Nutrition Habits (20:00 - 26:26) The episode concludes with practical implementation strategies for sustainable nutrition. Erik defines whole foods versus processed foods, providing specific examples of how to structure daily meals while incorporating both nutritious and enjoyable options. He emphasizes the importance of finding a sustainable approach that works for individual lifestyles and preferences, rather than following restrictive rules.

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Sustainable Nutrition Philosophy The key to long-term success isn't following a restrictive diet but adopting an 80/20 approach - 80% whole, nutritious foods and 20% "fun foods." This balance ensures sustainability while maintaining progress toward health goals. The focus should be on creating habits you can maintain for life, not just achieving short-term results. When you allow yourself flexibility and don't label foods as "good" or "bad," you're more likely to maintain a healthy relationship with food and achieve lasting results.

2. Understanding Caloric Maintenance Your body adapts to the amount of food you consistently eat, establishing this as your maintenance level. If you've been eating 1200 calories and aren't losing weight, this has likely become your maintenance level. The key to successful weight loss isn't necessarily eating less, but first establishing a higher maintenance level through reverse dieting, then creating a modest deficit from there. This approach prevents metabolic adaptation and ensures sustainable progress. Read More: How to Get Back on Track with Diet

3. Debunking Meal Timing Myths The belief that eating carbs or having larger meals at night leads to weight gain is scientifically unfounded. Your body continues burning calories during sleep, and total daily caloric intake matters more than timing. This means you can adjust your eating schedule to match your lifestyle and preferences, whether that's intermittent fasting or eating larger evening meals, as long as you maintain appropriate total daily calories.

4. Strategic Nutrition for Breastfeeding Breastfeeding mothers require a minimum of 1800 calories daily to maintain milk supply. To lose weight while breastfeeding, focus first on gradually increasing calories to establish a higher maintenance level (around 2500-2600 calories), then create a deficit from there. This approach ensures adequate nutrition for both mother and baby while supporting healthy weight loss goals.

5. Personalized Approach to Nutrition Every individual's body responds differently to nutrition strategies, influenced by factors like body type, age, and activity level. While some people might successfully build muscle while losing fat, especially when younger, most benefit from focusing on one goal at a time. Understanding your body's unique responses and adjusting your approach accordingly leads to better results.

6. The Power of Reverse Dieting When weight loss stalls at a low caloric intake, the solution isn't to eat even less. Instead, implement reverse dieting by gradually adding 80-100 calories weekly or bi-weekly. This process helps rebuild metabolic capacity, making future weight loss efforts more effective and sustainable. It's a strategic approach that prevents metabolic damage and promotes long-term success.

7. Smart Deficit Creation Creating a caloric deficit doesn't mean immediately dropping to very low calories. Instead, alternate between higher and lower calorie days, gradually increasing the number of lower calorie days. This approach helps prevent rapid metabolic adaptation and maintains steady progress. The goal is to lose weight while eating the maximum amount of food possible.

8. Importance of Whole Foods Focus on incorporating whole, nutrient-dense foods like lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and vegetables. These foods provide essential nutrients while typically being more filling than processed alternatives. However, remember that incorporating some processed or "fun" foods doesn't negate your progress as long as they fit within your overall caloric and nutritional goals. Read More on Eating Patterns

9. Flexible Approach to Daily Nutrition If you want pancakes for breakfast, you can have them – just adjust your carbohydrate intake later in the day to maintain your overall targets. This flexible approach allows you to enjoy life's pleasures while staying on track with your goals. The key is understanding how to make adjustments throughout the day to accommodate your food preferences.

10. Sustainable Progress Through Balance Long-term success comes from finding an approach you can maintain indefinitely. This means creating a nutrition plan that fits your lifestyle, preferences, and social activities. The goal isn't to achieve perfect adherence to a strict plan, but to maintain consistency with an approach that allows for both progress and enjoyment.

🥇 GOLDEN HABIT

Definition of Golden Habit: A 'Golden Habit' is the optimal habit to relieve a pain point/replace a bad habit because it's personalized to your DNA, goals, and lifestyle in order to maximally reduce the friction to form it.

The Golden Habit should be: - DESIRABLE: Should be enjoyable and rewarding. - PRACTICAL: Must easily integrate into one's existing routines. - IMPACTFUL: Expected to significantly enhance well-being.

This Episode's Golden Habit: While the term "Golden Habit" isn't explicitly mentioned, Erik Young introduces a powerful personalized nutrition habit at 3:00: implementing the 80/20 rule for food choices, where 80% consists of whole, nutritious foods while allowing 20% for "fun foods." This approach is particularly effective because it: - Makes healthy eating DESIRABLE by removing the guilt and restriction around favorite foods - Is PRACTICAL as it can be implemented within any lifestyle or schedule - Creates IMPACTFUL results by ensuring long-term adherence to healthy eating patterns

Related Core Area: This Golden Habit primarily aligns with the Physical Health Core, addressing the common pain point of struggling with unsustainable diets that lead to yo-yo weight cycling and poor relationship with food.

🚀 READY PLAYER ONE?

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🫅 BIO - Erik Young:

Erik Young is a renowned nutrition coach and founder of The Body Shop nutritional coaching. With over 11 years of experience in the fitness industry, he has revolutionized the approach to sustainable weight loss through his flexible dieting methodology. As "The Flexible Dieting Coach," Erik has helped countless clients achieve their fitness goals while maintaining a healthy relationship with food.

His expertise lies in creating personalized nutrition plans that incorporate both whole foods and "fun foods," ensuring sustainable results without rigid restrictions. Erik Young's approach emphasizes the importance of understanding individual metabolic needs and creating customized solutions that work for each person's unique lifestyle and preferences.