Resolve to be good 80% of the time
Tedd Mitchell, M.D.

Many people start out the new year resolving to adopt healthier lifestyles: lots of exercise, no fatty foods or sweets, no alcohol. And within a few weeks, they've given up those good resolutions. The problem is that any resolution to "give up" a particular food or "always" exercise is unrealistic. What I tell my patients, and what I do myself, is try to exercise and eat healthfully most of the time.

In other words, be "good" 80% of the time and you can be bad 20% of the time more or less. I call it the 80/20 program. (OK if you do the math, it works out closer to 70/30. But it feels like 80/20.)

Here's my routine: My wife and I work out five days a week, Monday through Friday. Five days a week, Janet does a combination of the elliptical trainer and the Stairmaster, or she power-walks. I jog. Then we both get in two 30-minute sessions of strength training during the week. If we get busy at work and have to deviate from our schedule one day, that's fine. But if we miss a second day, we make up for it on the weekend.

We get up at 5 every morning to be sure we get our workouts in while the kids are asleep and before the day gets too busy. On the weekends, we sleep in and don't work out.

With our diets, we follow the same schedule. We eat healthful foods beginning with Sunday dinner, then every Friday night we take the whole family to Taco Diner, where I always have the fajita beef tacos. Saturday morning, we go out for doughnuts. But Sunday evening, were back on the plan, usually with a light dinner of cereal and skim milk or sandwiches.

One thing that happens when you start on this program is a tendency to pig out on the weekends. But soon you learn to make better bad decisions. I used to eat a dozen doughnuts on Saturday mornings; now I eat three.

If you have a work event or a special evening out during the week, do a swap: Eat what you want that night and enjoy it, then eat healthfully one weekend night.

We don't drink any alcohol during the week because it's empty calories. But Friday nights, I'll have a mango margarita. Limiting alcohol to one or two nights a week keeps you in a consumption range that's best for you. The latest studies all suggest that two to seven drinks a week provide health benefits, especially in minimizing heart attacks and strokes. (If you don't drink, don't start, but if you do drink, limit yourself to seven drinks a week.)

Our children - Katherine, Charlie, and Christopher - follow the same program we do. They don't have sweets during the week, so it's really a treat when we go to Baskin-Robbins on the weekend.

Dr. Mitchell's 80/20 diet

During the week (starting Sunday night):
Don't skip meals. Eat breakfast and lunch so you are not ravenous at dinner.
Avoid eating out. If you do eat out, follow the Restaurant Rules (below).
Drink 8-10 servings of water daily.
Eat low-calorie/high-volume foods during the day (fruits and vegetables) to keep you feeling full.
Prepare foods by dry baking (no fat added), dry broiling, grilling, poaching or steaming.
Start meals with volume: salads, raw vegetables, or low-fat soups.
Eat meat in only 3-4 meals a week.
Don't have second helpings.

On the weekend (starting Friday night):
Enjoy!
Eat slowly. Eating fast leads to getting stuffed.
Sip water and diet beverages throughout meals.
Have dessert with evening meals.
Get back into the workweek mind-set on Sunday night with a low-calorie meal.
Restaurant rules

Frequent restaurants you know, with varied menus and low-calorie-options.
Decide your order ahead of time.
Have butter, gravy and salad dressings served on the side (avoid them completely during the week).
Have bread, crackers and chips removed to avoid temptation.
Choose appetizers as entrees.
Opt for poultry and fish instead of beef and pork.
Avoid fried foods, casseroles, cream and cheese sauces, and large meat portions (over 6 ounces).

Tedd Mitchell, M.D. is the medical director for Cooper Wellness Program at the renowned Aerobics Center in Dallas, Texas. He also serves as the vice-president and associate medical director for The Cooper Clinic. His medical practice focuses on health maintenance and disease prevention through physical fitness and proper nutrition. In June of 2002 Dr. Mitchell was appointed by President Bush to serve on The Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

An active researcher and author, he has published dozens of studies in peer- reviewed scientific journals and serves as both a columnist and medical editor for USA Weekend which appears in 600 newspapers nationwide and has a circulation of more than 46 million readers. He is the co-author of the book Fit To Lead. In addition to his writing, he also lectures extensively to both lay and scientific groups.

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