Have you heard of the 1% rule? It’s the rule Sir David Brialsford used to help the British cycling team win eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics after decades of losses.
The idea behind the 1% rule is to make small changes over time that lead to big changes. The small changes the British cycling team made ranged from sweeping dust up every night to keeping the bikes in good condition, to changing their posture while they slept.
For some of us, the challenge of losing weight and eating healthy can seem as daunting as winning a gold medal. That is why I love the 1% rule when it comes to what I eat. When trying to lose weight, it is tempting to try an extreme diet. We see success online from keto or intermittent fasting. However, for most of us, if we do something extreme like cut out all sugar or eat nothing but vegetables, we know it won’t last long. Plus, extreme diets can often lead to nutritional deficiencies and psychological stress.
Some of us have to make big changes. If your kidneys aren’t working well or if you have uncontrolled diabetes, extreme changes to diet may save your life. But for most of us, extreme diets lead to a frustrating cycle of weight loss and weight gain with few net benefits. These cycles can be discouraging and make weight loss seem impossible.
However, small changes can become a part of you. They become habits that add up, resulting in lasting change. These small changes can be simple and cost effective. One thing I changed is how I eat pasta. I love pasta. Years ago, I replaced white pasta with whole wheat pasta or vegetable-based pasta. Next, I stopped buying premade pasta sauces from the store.
Canned pasta sauces, like all processed foods, have added fats, preservatives, and sugars. Buying Romano tomatoes and onions are cheap. There are a bunch of recipes and online cooking videos that helped me learn to make sauce from scratch. It took some time to train myself to regularly buy vegetables at the store. It took some time to get good at making sauce, but the result is a delicious healthy meal.
In my opinion the best place to start is with what you drink. Drinks like soda pop tend to be unhealthy. The best thing to drink by far is water. I drink almost exclusively water. To get to the point, I started making small changes. First, I stopped drinking soda at restaurants. That was easy because I’m cheap. Then I stopped buying it at the store. I honestly haven’t had soda since I took my daughters to get a root beer float nearly a year ago.
Some of my patients switch soda for flavored water. Some start by only drinking it from a glass filled with ice. There may be a different strategy that works for you.
I’ll admit I’m still overweight. I still struggle to eat healthy at times. I’m still making 1% changes and over the years they have added up. I am healthier and lighter now than I was a few years ago. These small changes have become habits and over time part of my character. You and I may not be on the podium yet, but if we continue with small 1% changes, we’ll get there.
– Daniel Sterner is a physician at Health West American Falls. He specializes in family medicine and obstetrical care and is accepting new patients.
