Bright Line Living™ - The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast Susan Peirce Thompson

My trip to London last month was amazing, and I’ve been wanting to tell you about it! At the International Food Addiction Consensus Conference, we issued a ground-breaking statement on ultra-processed food addiction that could have society-changing consequences. I also attended a wonderful Ador@BLEs Conference and spent quality time at an in-patient program at SHiFT-Recovery by Acorn.

To see the content from the IFACC, click here: https://the-chc.org/fas/conference

FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/m3safvRecap on IFACC in London | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

I have a new love in my life: swimming. And I’ve learned three things while swimming that I want to share.

Some background: I can hold my own in the water, but I’ve never been a regular swimmer—or even, frankly, a regular exerciser.

I have friends who ache to be moving. They can’t wait to get to the gym, or get outside and move their body. That’s not me. But in the past, during the stretches of time when I would get myself exercising, my cardiovascular exercise of choice was always slow jogging. But… I’m about to turn 50, and my knees won’t tolerate jogging anymore. So then I tried incline hiking on the treadmill, and in short order, that bothered my knees. Biking, too. 

Finally, I tried swimming, and the minute I got into the water and swam a few laps I thought: I love this. It felt amazing. 

So the first lesson is this: sometimes, when it feels like something is happening to us beyond our control, it is all in service of a good end. All my challenges with my knees, which were so frustrating, resulted in me finally getting into a pool. 

There’s a wonderful saying: think not about how this is happening to you, but for you. 

And there’s a sweet story with this same moral in the Baha’i writings. A man was tortured with missing his beloved. She was gone, and he couldn’t find her. One day, he went out to the marketplace to distract himself. Suddenly, a Watchman started following him. Then another. The Watchmen chased him until he came upon a big brick wall. In a panic, he scaled the brick wall, cutting his hands and arms. He tumbled over the wall and fell down into a meadow… where he found himself at the feet of his beloved. She was looking for a ring she had lost in the grass. The man dropped to his knees and cried out, “God, give thanks to the Watchmen, and long life, and love! I thought they were persecuting me, but actually they were my Angel Gabriel, leading me to my beloved.”

That’s how I felt about swimming. I was feeling persecuted by knee pain, and that’s the only reason I tried it—and it turned out to be a huge blessing.

Here’s the second lesson: I didn’t know if my shoulders would tolerate swimming, so the first day I swam eight minutes, and that was enough. The next day, I did the same—all week, three times. The next week I did nine minutes. The next: ten. I increased by just one minute a week. For months. 

I couldn’t have done this years ago. I like to go from zero to 60 right away. Moderation is not in my vocabulary. But from weighing and measuring my food, I’ve learned to weigh and measure my life, and, in this case, my exercise. Slow and steady wins the race. It’s amazing how productive we can be when we weigh and measure our output. 

Here’s the third lesson: this week in the pool I had an experience that was torture. Last week, I had become aware that 30 minutes wasn’t seeming like enough. So, this week, while in the middle of my swim, I started thinking about it: what if I swam more? Maybe 35 minutes? How about 40? And then I thought, why not go all the way to 45 minutes? I tried to do the math in my head for timing all the various options: what time would my swim end? I thought about how my shoulders were feeling, what my day would look like if I swam more… and on and on. It became an obsession. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was the way I used to obsess over food.

I finally got out of the pool at 30 minutes, just to shut my head up. It was my first bad swim. I wasn’t comfortable in my head because of the “Will I? Won’t I? Should I? Shouldn’t I?” thoughts.

I committed to my husband that I would swim 35 minutes the next time I was in the pool and not second-guess myself, and still I was surprised at how hard it was not to get caught up in the whirlwind of internal thoughts and questions. 

The lesson? Thinking, “Will I? Won’t I? Should I? Shouldn’t I?” is sheer torture, in swimming, with food, with anythi

If you’re new to the Bright Line community—Welcome! We’ve got hundreds of new people joining us, thanks largely to the Food Revolution Network and my friend Ocean Robbins. We just did an event about how to get weight loss drug results without the drugs, and hundreds of people are starting the Bright Line Eating Boot Camp right now. I’m thinking of you!

I also want to tell our long-time Bright Lifers that I know we have some loose threads to address. I need to give you an update on the International Food Addiction Consensus Conference in London, and also a recap of on On This Bright Day. Stay tuned for those in the coming weeks!

One more housekeeping detail: Bright Line Eating turns ten this summer. We’re going to host a gathering here in Rochester, NY, on Sunday, August 4. Details to come, but just save that date for now!

Today, I want to talk about something I’m going through right now, that may be similar to what others’ internal experiences are as they undertake their Bright journeys.

My daughter Zoe commented recently that she knows it’s time to get up when she hears me scraping my breakfast bowl—to death, loudly. I laughed when she said that, but I was also a little embarrassed. After my breakfast or a salad, I’ll have a spoon handy to scrape all the flavor out of the bowl. It’s Bright food, so it’s not a break, but I don’t feel free when I do it. I feel powerless over it.

This is all about the addiction to quantities, which seems to kick in and grip me at the end of each meal. I felt this way—but even worse—twenty years ago when I started eating Bright. Those last few bites felt like a death, and I was horrified to know that it would be hours before I could eat again.

If you’re new and feel this way, know that the intensity of that experience does pass. Now I don’t care so much when the meal ends, but I do seem to get pretty intense about getting those last licks and morsels. It made me start thinking about power and powerlessness over food, though. I’ve regained my power over food by weighing and measuring it. But I still feel powerless in the last few moments of the meal.

Then I thought about a few years ago when I let go of gaming the system in restaurants and just accepted the Brightest, cleanest meal there. What changed was that I suddenly wanted the freedom, so badly.

So now, I sat where I usually eat my breakfast, looking out at our backyard. And I thought about whether I could find the part of myself that wants to be free of incessantly scraping the bowl. That was hard at first. After a while, though, I found it.

And when I found the part of myself that truly, truly wants to be free of that intense scraping, I invited my higher power in to help. I opened up to grace.

I use the word God, but I’m really speaking about an unknowable essence that I do not understand. An awe-inspiring energy that helps me with my addiction.

It makes me feel like I’m an electric plug that needs power. In my addiction, I don’t have that power. But when I just plug into the outlet, it gives me the power I need. I open myself up to extra power with a plea for help.

And suddenly, I found myself able to put the bowl down without scraping. I felt free and light. The next meal, it happened again. I remembered to say please before each meal and to open myself up to that power. I kept tapping into the part of me that wants that freedom and is willing to coast on that feeling of grace.

I offer this to you if you’re starting your Bright journey, because it is possible to activate a power source that will enable you to have a Bright meal and be satisfied. A mini-awakening or mini-awareness. A spiritual happening. You can do it for the next meal, and the next. The meals turn into days. The days turn into weeks. And suddenly you realize you’re receiving your Bright Transformation.

FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/h4khpwScraping the Bowl | Bright Line Living | The Official Brig

I get so many questions about weight loss drugs, and I want to talk to you about why you should care—even if you know that you will never take them.

First, there is the magnitude of their impact. Barclays did an investigative report on the financial impact of these drugs. They concluded that they will have as big an impact as the invention of the smartphone.

In ten or twenty years, we’re likely to see a significant portion of the population on these drugs. They will come down in cost and be available in pill form. They’re also likely to have mechanisms like anti-nausea compounds built in to mitigate side effects.

As these things happen, they may become more acceptable for many people. So I think these drugs are here to stay.

As far as safety goes, people have been on these drugs for diabetes for a while now, and there don’t seem to be any common problematic side effects. There are side effects, but they are uncommon and don’t outweigh the benefits of the drugs.

Another reason to watch these weight loss drugs closely is that research shows that changes in our orientation toward thinness have a huge impact on society, especially young women and girls. When Twiggy became a supermodel back in the 1960s, ultra-thinness became the unattainable norm, and in a very short period of time, body dissatisfaction skyrocketed.

But when you’re thin, you’re not always healthy, and that’s also the case with obesity. It may be true to say that there are people with obesity who are healthy, just as it’s true to say that there are three-pack-a-day smokers who don’t have lung cancer. However, the data on obesity that shows that it’s not healthy is as strong as data showing that smoking causes cancer.

But it’s equally important that we not slide into anti-fat bias. These drugs have the potential to make that worse, so we need to pay attention to their impact on our communities.

The final reason you should care is that we know these drugs slow down gastric processes…but they also affect the brain. GLP-1, the main receptor affected by these drugs, is found throughout the brain: in the reward centers, in the appetite centers, and elsewhere.

Without these drugs, the GLP-1 in your brain spikes when you eat and then goes down. With the drugs, GLP-1 is high all the time. This raises many questions. What will it do to the reward centers? Is it going to reset the reward system? We see some evidence of people being less interested in things like gambling or pornography when on these drugs. So perhaps these drugs will be seen as something that many people should be on.

I take hormones because I’m about to turn 50. It’s made such a difference to my quality of life. These GLP-1s aren’t that different. They may, in the same way, become normalized, so it’s not a big deal to be on them.

Because I’m so curious about these new drugs, I’ve created a new event: a recorded video series only available for a limited time. The first two of four parts are available today. The series is called “How to Get Weight Loss Drug Results…Without the Drugs.” I dive into the neurobiology of these drugs, and explain how you can get the same results by changing your diet and your habits.

Also, next weekend, I’m having a three-hour Fireside Chat with several guests, including a physician who understands both Bright Line Eating and these drugs. I’m also planning two social live events on YouTube.

All this is available for free, and clicking on the link below this video will take you to the event page.

So that’s the scoop: I think these drugs are here to stay, and you may want to have tools up your sleeve so that you understand their impact, and know if they’re right for you.

Note: Our special event is now over.

FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/e5bg8xWhy You Should Care About Weight-Loss Drugs—Even if You Will Never Take Them | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

Julie Harris wrote in with a great question. She said: “Why is it necessary to weigh and measure vegetables in Bright Line Eating? I like to bulk up my portions with vegetables and want to know why that is not part of the fabulous plan.”

For many people, the idea of weighing and measuring vegetables is ludicrous. Dieters may think, “Hey, vegetables are super healthy and there aren’t many calories in them, so why bother to weigh them?” And all that’s true. But that’s not why we do it. There are three reasons we weigh and measure our vegetables at Bright Line Eating.

First and foremost, it gives the mind peace. It signals a clear end to the meal and lets the brain know that the meal is over once the measured portion has been eaten.

For many people, there’s a constant dialogue in our minds that we call food chatter: “Should I eat something more? Is it mealtime yet? How about now? Can I have more of this? Can I grab the bit left on the plate…” and it goes on and on.

When we weigh and measure our food—all of it—we have a finite quantity, and when we’re done eating it, the brain stops the infernal noise that distracts us and makes us focus on our food—and that gives us peace.

Second, many people, unless they weigh their vegetables, won’t eat enough of them. They’ll think they are, but they’re not. The bulk of vegetables is needed to aid chewing, release hormones, provide nutrients, and add fiber to keep the body satiated.

Third, an excessive quantity of food, just the pure bulk of it, is addictive. The bulk of food releases dopamine that results in more eating. Overeating in volume can trigger a binge in some people. You must get enough—but not too much—bulk.

All that said, what if you want to eat more vegetables than the allotted amount in the standard weight loss plan?

In the Boot Camp, we’ve got a library of options, one of which is a plant-based food plan option, with extra vegetables. Specifically, it has four extra ounces of vegetables at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can add more even more than that to your plan if you want, as long as you keep your plan fixed and consistent and weigh and measure it all. If you have an addiction to quantities, it might be too much bulk for you, but you can try to increase the amount of vegetables and see if it works for you.

I’ve been doing this for twenty years, and I can tell you that quantity addiction is the hardest to snuff out. I’m painfully aware, for example, of the size of my apples. I love a big salad, but I’ve recently trimmed back quantities because I don’t want the bulk; I don’t want to be addicted to the quantities.

I scrape my bowl clean in the morning, and I can see that the vestiges of that quantity addiction still live in me. I offer that to you for consideration. As a 10++ on the Susceptibility Scale, I want to be free more than I want that quantity.

I know people in the plant-based community think I’m crazy for weighing vegetables. But their aims are different from mine. They’re helping people get healthy, I’m helping people recover from food addiction—to break free. Julie, you can do what you choose. If you do want to add vegetables to your food plan, you can weigh and measure them and see if it works out for you. There are no Bright Line Eating police, so do what brings you peace.

FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/q8s490 Why Weigh Vegetables? | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

Theresa wrote in with a very powerful and relatable challenge: “It seems I can’t stop eating once I start. This is especially true for dinner. I’m okay as long as I don’t start eating. Once I start, I want to continue. Even if I’m eating compliant food, I can’t make it through one single day completely Bright. Help!”

This is one of the twin defining features of addiction: once we start, we can’t stop. And once we stop, we can’t stay stopped. 

You’re not alone, Theresa. So what do we do about it?

The first thing is to realize you’re dealing with an advanced case of food addiction. The solution lies in a comprehensive, multi-faceted, and rigorous approach to treating it. 

If you’re trying to do Bright Line Eating after reading the book, that’s not a potent enough solution. If BLE is going to work for you, you will need to do the Boot Camp and use every resource available. You might need a BLE guide—someone to talk with you every day until you get some successful weeks under your belt. 

But what if you’ve already done Boot Camp? Then you may need to take it to the next level. That could mean going inpatient. I know one really good treatment program for people who have food addiction. That’s SHIFT Recovery by Acorn. Look them up for their inpatient treatment program, which you can do either onsite or virtually.

You might also try a 12 Step Program. The most potent one is probably FA—Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous. That would give you a sponsor you can talk to every day who would be directive and authoritative with you.

Within the Bright Line Eating program, there are several strategies I would recommend.

One is preparing, weighing, and measuring your food the day before so that everything is all set and ready to go. You’re separating the experience of preparing food from the experience of eating. That creates a buffer between you and the food—once the meal is over, it will be far more challenging to keep eating. 

Another habit to build in: brush your teeth and tongue right after you eat with a strong, minty toothpaste and mouthwash. This signals your brain that you’re done. 

Dinner is predictable. It shows up at the end of the day. Use that to your advantage. Get a Bright Line Eating buddy to talk to you right when you know you’ll be finishing dinner. And once that call is over, find something else to do, far away from the kitchen, and make it habitual.

People tend to have problems with dinner that they don’t have with lunch or breakfast. Here’s why: first, your brain is more depleted by the end of the day. Second, people tend to pair dinner with more variety and more highly rewarding foods. Breakfast and lunch can be more easily automatic, but not dinner. Notice that difference, and try to make your dinner more like breakfast.

How? Develop a dinner that does not include rewarding foods. Try steamed green beans rather than butternut squash. Don’t use a lot of spices on your chicken. (Salt and pepper are fine.) It’s okay to enjoy your food, but make it simple enough that it’s not something you look forward to.

Using some or all of those strategies can get you on the right track. You need to take this seriously and make dinner hours absolutely protected. 

Remember: you’re not alone. This is what addiction is. Bring a lot more intentionality to your meals. 

You’ve got this, Theresa. I love you and am here for you. Let us know how my team and I can help you.

FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/ozoaq8Can't Stop Eating | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast