The 80/20 rule is a mindset rather than a diet. The eating style entails sticking to a balanced regimen for 80% of the time and being versatile for the other 20%. 

Rachel Hosie and Gabby Landsverk, both insider fitness and nutrition reporters, use the 80/20 rule in their own lives and diets. Their weekly meals are often made up of nutrient-dense whole foods like leafy greens and lean protein, but they don't exclude cookies, pizza, or other treats entirely. According to the reporters, following the rule requires no calculations or planning; it simply entails approaching your health and fitness in a balanced manner. Here's what they had to say about how the diet functions and why it's beneficial to all, from beginners to health science nerds.

A senior health reporter, learned about the 80/20 concept from her mother, even though she didn't realise it at the time.

"My mother has always eaten a well-balanced diet of nourishing whole foods in reasonable quantities, but she has never given up cake, loves a glass of wine at the end of the week, and has always been a slim size 4," Hosie said. Hosie got drawn into diet culture as a teenager and into her early 20s, also with her mother as an example, and pursued a variety of short-term eating strategies, including the alkaline diet, 5:2, and keto, which she said led to her unhealthy food beliefs. "It wasn't until I made a deliberate effort to focus on my relationship with food and reeducate myself a few years ago that I really realised that there is no such thing as a fattening food, and that you can only consume anything you enjoy in moderation when you allow yourself to eat everything you enjoy," Hosie said. She now eats with the 80/20 rule in mind and claims to be in the best physical shape of her life. Her well-balanced approach to food is also aided by her way of life.

Hosie eats burgers and donuts sometimes without feeling guilty, and she doesn't mark any food as "evil" or "fattening." She doesn't have an out-of-control compulsion to overeat foods when she isn't actively trying to avoid them. For Hosie, the 80/20 idea means banana protein oatmeal with a few chocolate chips scattered on top for breakfast. She usually has an apple with peanut butter for an afternoon snack, but she sometimes has a cupcake. A typical dinner is a chicken and vegetable stir-fry with brown rice, followed by ice cream for dessert. Her meals are always home-cooked and well-portioned, but she makes room for a few indulgent restaurant dinners every now and then.

The litmus test of a balanced diet, according to health and fitness reporter Gabby Landsverk, is whether it supports the rest of your life and routine. "The 80/20 diet persists, but not because it's a magical hack for perfect eating," she said. "It saves me time and money from wasting them striving to be perfect when I don't have to," she says. Even if you enjoy cooking, eating healthy most of the time requires commitment, knowledge, and planning.