Monday, November 23, 2009

I am Climbing Michi's Ladder

I am participating in Coach Barbie's Super Slim Down 20 Day Challenge through her Beachbody group Barbie's Slim Spot. The main tennant is eating clean and eating at regular intervals. The diet options are based on Michi's Ladder: a 5 tier food categorizing tool. The tiers are cutely titled (Tier 1 = The Pious Tier, Tier 5 = The Newburg Tier) but the concept is age-old. Eat more food in its unprocessed state or Eating Clean. For the challenge, participants eat from Tiers 1 and 2 only. There are cheat days once a week although one cheat meal is recommended over an entire day of binging :)

Here's a link to Michi's Ladder if you are interested: http://tinyurl.com/yges75d

Having never heard of the Ladder, I am not sure what I was expecting last night when I read it after I signed up for competition. To my surprise, I realized that I "basically" am already following the spirit of the Ladder. How hard can it be?

I'm in the middle of the first day as I type this message. It's tough. I didn't realize how much junk I eat. While I avoid labeling food as "bad" and encourage moderation over outright ban, truth is most of us have a hard time defining moderation or identifying proper portion size. If I truly practiced moderation and portion control, I, honestly, would not be overweight. So, I am embracing strict structure. For competitive purposes yes and also for my health.

Lunch today was hard: ravioli with pesto sauce, teriyaki chicken, white rice and steamed vegetables with butter. Hello? My faves!

Will I die if I never have ravioli drenched in pesto sauce? Not likely. Funny thing is, my health will probablydecline with constant treats in the name of moderation.

This morning and this afternoon have been difficult but I'm armed with water and small meals to eat at regular intervals. It's 20 days and that's enough time for my tastebuds to acclimate to a permanent shift in my approach to diet.

I'm looking forward to the challenge!

Decide. Commit. Succeed.

- Kareen, RD

www.facebook.com/iamEatingRight
iameatingright at gmail dot com

No comments: