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Exclusive: When It Comes to Dieting, Drew Barrymore Is All About the ‘80/20’ Rule

drew barrymore 80 20 diet plan

Leave it to mom of two Drew Barrymore to be incredibly candid about weight loss after a baby: “I love when people have kids and they’re like: ‘Get back to you!’ You're gone. It’s all about uncovering the new normal.”

PureWow had the opportunity to chat with the Santa Clarita Diet star about her weight loss strategy (and more) while she was in New York City to promote her partnership with Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank and Emsculpt, a revolutionary new treatment that builds muscle and burns fat to sculpt your body and help you achieve out-of-reach fitness goals.

“My weight loss had been totally inconsistent because I was doing three, four, even five months of the perfect diet. I’m talking no dairy, no grains, no carbs, but then you eat one crouton and you turn into a puffer fish because your body goes into shock. Not to mention the miserable deprivation of the pleasure of life: food!” she says.

That’s why the actress and founder of Flower Beauty and Flower Home zeroed in on a diet that works for her—and focuses a lot less on extremes: “I follow the 80/20 rule,” Barrymore explains of her approach, which allows her to eat healthy 80 percent of the week and splurge on the remaining 20 percent. “With this, I can have some pasta and some wine—because, dammit, I love my wine!”

And with the 80/20 rule as a strategy, she can indulge but still feel good. “I know when I’m not working out and I’m eating improperly, I go into my closet and I resent my clothes. I don’t want to get dressed. I feel defeated and not in a positive place mentally. But when I'm working out and enjoying my life—as in, I’m having some pasta and I’m drinking some wine, but spending five days a week eating sensibly—I can let go of the mental gymnastics and tell myself, ‘I've got this.’”

A diet plan that allows you to have your wine and drink it, too? We’re on board.

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Senior Director, Special Projects and Royals

  • Writes and produces family, fashion, wellness, relationships, money and royals content
  • Podcast co-host and published author with a book about the British Royal Family
  • Studied sociology at Wheaton College and received a masters degree in journalism from Emerson College