Staying in the Box - Michi's Ladder

So what I meant in my previous post about staying in the box is in reference to Michi's Ladder. The full table of Michi's ladder can be found over at BeachBody (http://teambeachbody.com/eat-smart/michis-ladder) . I am essentially trying to stick to the top 2 tiers of this as much as possible with some minor items from tier 3 creeping in from time to time. So anything out of these boxes I should definitely check for the macronutrient breakdown (proteins, carbs, fats, fiber, calories).

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Michi's Ladder provides a simply way to assess and readjust your diet plan for anyone looking for a positive change in their eating habits.

The diet plan works very simply. Michi's Ladder is composed of five different tiers of food and food types. The idea is to receive the majority of your foods from the top tiers, Tier 1, Tier 2, and even Tier 3 of the plan. As you can imagine, Tier 5 is composed of the worst foods you can have while on any diet plan, including hamburgers, fries, pizza - you get the idea.

There is no set serving amount or specific timeline, Michi's Ladder is designed to give you a better assessment of food and which foods would be more nutritious for you.

To start with the diet plan print out a copy of the diet plan for your own reference. It will be handy when you go grocery shopping and a copy tacked onto the front of your fridge may help you to become familiar with the different tiers.

Now you should assess your current diet. Which Tiers do most of your foods fall into? Are you gaining most of your foods from Tier 5? Or Tier 4? Be honest with yourself because that's the only way you are going to be able to use the diet plan as a way to nourish your body in a positive manner.

Once you determine which tier most of your foods come from, it is time to climb Michi's Ladder. Look at tiers above yours and figure out if there are suitable substitutes for foods that are found in your tier. For instance, if you find that you eat a lot of hot dogs (Tier 5), consider switching over to turkey hot dogs (Tier 4). Or if you find that you enjoy a lot of ice cream (Tier 5) how about switching to non-fat frozen yogurt (Tier 3)? The point of climbing the ladder of the diet plan is that you are finding better ways to nourish your body by aiming to move up in the tiers.

There are a lot of little items in the tiers that can be easily substituted for better health. For instance, you can begin using olive oil instead of butter for cooking. Or switching to hummus as a veggie dip instead of ranch dressing. These changes may seem minor, but in the long run even the little changes will be better for your health.

Again, there is not portion size or timeline for this diet plan. You can quickly climb up in tiers or you can move gradually over time. It works to give you the tools to find which foods you should be eating and which foods you should steer clear of.

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Hope this helps!
//jsk