Lesson Number 3: Never Say Never!
A few days ago I received the following comment to a blog post:
“I’m really curious if you are going to address, in your 10 things you learned blogs, how weighing and measuring helped or didn’t help you get more at peace with your food. We’ve spoke before and I know you from other groups you were in and so I’m curious the difference from eating whenever you want but it being whole foods plant-based, to going to the BL way…..I’m fascinated! hope that makes sense?? 🙂”
Thanks for asking! It’s the perfect segue into the next lesson that I learned these past 12 months.
The last time I “did” Weight Watchers (eight years ago) I swore up and down that I would never weigh or measure my food again. Since I always go so burned out on it at about the 6 month (or sometimes less) mark, I finally threw my hands up in the air and promised myself that I would never again attempt to lose weight using this method. It felt like the exact opposite of freedom.
For years I held tightly to my story. I held it so tightly that I wouldn’t entertain anything that even resembled Weight Watchers, swearing up and down that any healthy eating plan that required restricted portions was a waste of my time and a sure ticket to Cray-cray-ville.
I also desperately wanted to believe that there was a way for me to eat what I wanted (within reason), whenever I wanted, until comfortably full, and also live in my right sized body.
So I jumped from one plant-based doctor’s plan to another, all the while gaining back every last pound that I had put on using the Weight Watchers portion control method.
Now, I certainly became a healthier eater in the process, learning to love and even prefer unprocessed plant foods. I was healthy. Disease-free. But I got fat again.
One of the KEY differences between a portion control plan like Weight Watchers and a portion control plan like Bright Line Eating is that on BLE, you are not recreating a plan for yourself every day based on what you feel like eating, and then trying to fit the food that you ate, or that you want to eat, into your daily or weekly allotment of food.
With BLE, you eliminate a ton of the decision-making.
This took a lot of stress off of me when it came to eating. Stress that I didn’t even recognize was there, but once it was gone, I could feel how much happier I had become.
And as it turned out, when I took away the decision-making fatigue of a plan like Weight Watchers, I observed that it wasn’t the weighing of the food that wore me out. It was having to figure out what to eat all the time, and then sticking to the weighed quantities, and then having to re-figure everything out again if I ate more than what I should have in a meal or in a day. It was just a lot of decision-making.
It also exhausted me mentally any physically to try to “not eat” much for most of the day in order to save up points for a big or special meal. It was a version of restricting and sort of binging behavior.
In BLE, you make a few decisions, but nothing like what a non-BLE person would make when it comes to food.
You are also maintaining a steady blood sugar level throughout the day so that you shouldn’t ever feel like you are restricting or hangry on a BLE plan. Notice that I said “shouldn’t.” More on that below.
Now, everything is connected, so I also don’t want to fail to mention that on Weight Watchers, I was (1) eating sugar and flour and (2) most likely not eating nearly enough vegetables and unprocessed food. The combination of those two things was also a major contributor to me feeling like I just couldn’t sustain the diet. Sugar and flour raise our insulin levels and when we do that, we send our hunger drive significantly higher than it is when we are not eating those substances. It’s really no wonder I always ended up giving up on Weight Watchers.
In Weight Watchers defense, I am aware that the plan has changed a lot in the past eight years and that I know nothing about these changes. It very well may be a much improved plan. I happen to have an old friend who I reconnected with recently and she and her mother are living proof that the new and improved Weight Watchers is working for people. I also happen to know that my old friend does not eat sugar and flour anymore either.
How does BLE differ from something like Weight Watchers?
The BLE framework provides a meal structure (a combination of vegetables, protein, fat, carb and fruit) with assigned quantities (weighed amounts or other measurements). You chose what food you want to fill each category, in advance, for each meal. Then when it comes time to eat, you weigh out what you have pre-decided on.
For example, at lunch you might decide that your protein component is going to be beans. You weigh out six ounces of beans. Or if you choose tempeh as your lunch protein, you weigh out four ounces.
Here’s were the freedom comes in:
Over the course of a few months, you develop this sense of confidence in what you are eating because you scientifically observe how your body responds to that specific quantity of foods in that combination. You watch how your clothes fit, your weight and your level of satiety. If you don’t like the response you are getting, you slightly alter your plan and stick with the new plan long enough to observe its effect.
This is the rhythm of BLE.
If you find yourself hungry in between meals, you might want to ask yourself the following. This took me a long time to understand and really internalize, and it’s one of my most hard-won nuggets from my first year on BLE.
AM I PHYSICALLY HUNGRY MORE THAN ONE HOUR BEFORE MY NEXT SCHEDULED MEAL TIME?
If the answer is NO, congratuations! You have found a meal plan that works really well for you and chances are that you are going to ride this baby all they way down into your right sized body. You can join the ranks of the very happy BLE campers.
If the answer is YES, consistently, then you need to alter your BLE food plan. I learned the hard way that this kind of physical hunger is not sustainable in the long run. Yes, you may lose weight faster, but you might be miserable. And there is nothing that ruins a good food plan faster than misery. The body has evolved to seek pleasure and avoid pain. We are humans. We cannot defy our basic biology for very long.
Altering your BLE meal plan can take many forms. It can involve adding more food at one or more of the meals, adding another meal entirely, or altering the balance of the components of your meals to have you feeling more satiated (in my experience, fat leads to a feeling of fullness and adding more grain or potato leads to increased appetite and weight gain-totally contrary to what I was led to believe in the very low-fat plant-based movement).
Altering your BLE meal plan is best done with the guidance of a seasoned Bright Line Eating coach or buddy. There’s a lot of details on how best to do this that can be picked up in Boot Camp.
The bottom line is this: Weighing my food means that eating is no longer the mystery it once was. I know exactly what the results will be of eating more or less than my plan, or of eating food off of my plan.
Food drama eliminated.
It has been two weeks now since the first video in the Food Freedom Series was released. If you’ve watched those videos, you have probably had your assumptions challenged and your mind blown just a bit. (I know mine have were!)
If you watched the fourth video, you’ve learned about the Bright Line Eating Boot Camp, which will teach you how to create the automatic habits that support sustainable weight loss.
Perhaps you are thinking about joining the Boot Camp. Perhaps you need a few answers to help you decide.
Well, now is your chance to get those answers.
Susan is holding a LIVESTREAM Q&A session this evening, September 28th at 8:00 PM Eastern (5 pm Pacific time).
You can ask her whatever it is you need to know to make a decision. Ask whether this will work for you. Ask if you can eat corn tortillas or Stevia. Whatever questions are burning in your mind, bring them.
XOXO,
Wendy
P.S. – Susan does coaching calls and Q&A sessions with Boot Campers and clients all the time, but rarely, very rarely, does she do Livestream Video Q&A sessions for the general public. Don’t miss out!
P.S.S. One year in to BLE, I have to admit, I’m not weighing my food with every meal. At the end of the day, it’s all about your personal feeling of freedom. If it makes me feel free to have some meals that are eye-balled, then it is perfectly within my program to allow for that. This might show up when I’m eating in a restaurant. It might show up at home when I’m eating a complex plant-based meal and I use the one-plate rule. I’m allowing myself this flexibility these days as I gain confidence in knowing who I am, what a “normal” meal looks like, and what I need in order to make the BLE plan sustainable for me in the long run. I am learning to honor all the parts of myself above anyone else’s way of eating, or any prescribed plan or program.
This is fabulous! I am on day 5 and blown away by weight loss without hunger . I am a sugar addict and to not have cravings is a gift in itself!
Thank you for all you do to spread the message !
Jen
Thanks for the detailed answer to my question 🙂 Makes so much sense!
Hi, I am considering doing the Bright Line Eating boot camp but like many of the people Susan talks about in her videos, I have tried different weight loss plans and they haven’t worked, so I am reluctant to believe that this will work. Please tell me your thoughts on this, and how successful you’ve been on the program. Thanks, Nicola
My thoughts at this time are that Bright Line Eating works for a small percentage of people. This is no different than every other diet program on the planet. There is absolutely no failsafe method of weight loss. If you decide to give BLE a try, please know that they have a 30 day money back guarantee. If you find that you are not enjoying the program or the process, you can get a full refund within 30 days. It’s not for everyone, but for the people that love BLE, it does seem to work very, very well. I am moving on to other paradigms at this point, but holding on to the parts of BLE that I enjoy. I hope that helps.
I am curious- what are you keeping? What are you moving to? I’ve been doing BLE since mid-June, lost nearly 40 lbs, and just feel so much better. But as I look at maintenance in a couple months, I wonder if I will stick to all of it the way they propose maintenance or if I’ll try some adjustments.
Your post enlights me more! Thanks for sharing me your stories.
Hi there, I don’t know if my experience will be helpful to anyone, but as someone that has struggled with binge eating disorder since I was six, and as a psychotherapist, it is my firm belief that an abstinence based food program combined with good mental health care is absolutely necessary. The way your post is written is very helpful, but it’s written from the perspective of finding a sustainable diet. In my experience, I’ve justified making changes to a strict program of eying which keeps me physically and emotionally safer, and doing it my way, and then woken up some years later with the same old addiction. Willingness to admit I was born with a problem and to do whatever it takes to end my food suffering is the only way. I had to surrender to facts, that I had to do
It someone else’s way, because my way has never ever ever worked in 41 years. The changes I made to my recovery program were a reflection of my unwillingness to admit I have a serious problem, and forgetting what the consequences of not of following it to the letter are, even if they’re not apparent in those first weeks or months. It always ends up in the same place. It took me a long time to admit that I can never ever eat like normal eaters, not ever. And while
aspects of that are painful, it’s reality. The day came when I was done fighting something I was never going to win at. That’s the freedom part and it’s got to come from within. Only rock bottom sick and tired of the repeated cycle gave me that, not any plan. It happened when I was at a fairly normal weight, I was sitting eating some cookies, and saw where the whole mess was going to end at some point. And I was done. Good luck to everyone on your chosen path!
Wow. Annie, thank you for sharing that.
Thank you for sharing. I needed to hear this. I may also use your wording to explain to relative’s why I am following such a restrictive diet if you don’t mind.
“It took me a long time to admit that I can never ever eat like normal eaters, not ever”
THANK YOU. I needed to hear this. Moderation never, ever, has worked for me for more than a couple of days.
Love this! Thanks for sharing.
thank you Annie. this is so helpful and helps me put my thoughts into words more clearly. essentially
why being so organized with food planning evolves toward freedom from cravings and constant
decision making.
Hi Wendy…. I loved your post and wanted to weigh in on the conversation. I am a serial dieter. My entire life has been driven by food thoughts & have always been overweight. I became plant based 3 years ago & initially lost a little weight but the needle on the scale wasn’t moving. I love the healthy aspect of being a vegan but I was just eating too much. Weight Watchers may be a great program for some but I was one of those that “saved up” points for sweet treats for later. Although I would lose weight, just like every other program as soon I has stopped I gained it back in ten minutes.
Last year I found Bright Line Eating & knew it was for me. I joined the Bootcamp & got off the sugar flour roller coaster which I know now was the reason I always held onto the extra weight. I was wearing a snug size 12 when I started and now I am a size 6. I have maintained my weight for 6 months now. (unheard of for me) There is nothing else like this program out there. Dr Susan Pierce Thompson says, “when you weigh & measure your food, you start weighing and measuring your life”. When food stops running your life, new & exciting things start opening up. I encourage anyone out there that struggles with food or has dieted most of their life to take a look at this program. Thanks for a great post. I will follow your lovely blog too. Tami
Hello all – just came across this post and thought I’d chime in. I’ve been doing BLE for 560 days. I lost 93 lbs and have been in Maintenance for about 159 days. Love the program. Have never broke the Sugar and Flour line during this time. Find it so freeing to eat just 3 meals a day. – Patty
Is it possible to do BLE without doing the boot camp? I realize the benefits and I want to do it so badly. But 500 dollars isn’t possible for me right now and I want to get started. Can I buy the book and start implementing this way of eating in my life and be successful without the boot camp? My husband is willing to do it with me along with my mom so I will have support.
Thanks
Alisha–I just finished the BLE bootcamp. They offer a 2 week sample program for 30.00 I think? That might give you a better idea. Also, if you buy the book everything you need to know is included. You just won’t have any access tot he Facebook groups. –Marianne S.
Yes! The $29 two week trial was WAY better than the boot camp in my opinion.
I am in the same boat, read the book and following faithfully and seeing excellent results. I do not plan to do the Boot Camp. I have a team of 4 starting basically together and using the book as our foundation.
I do feel a great deal of freedom with meal planning. I reluctantly bought the scale and love it. I had no idea I was eating about 1/8 of a good sized salad, among several other eyeballed mistakes.
I have found several recipes that excited me to know this is definitely a lifelong change and still enjoying food as much as I do.
I have always exercised, just not consistently, and I currently have a gym membership that I use 5 days a week. Although Susan suggests you avoid exercise, and I get why, I choose to keep going to the gym. Many times in my serial dieting I have used the saboteur method, and I am paying extra close attention to servings now- thus another benefit of the scale.
I have not experienced complete freedom quite yet. I am pretty obsessed with planning my meals and finding variety, but I realize this is temporary and before long it will be a well oiled wheel.
Here’s to the longest time I have ever gone without sugar, flour, snacking, and artificial sweeteners= 13 days.
Thank you all for the posts
I am using the book and might never do the Boot Camp. I am low (3) on the Susceptibility Scale, and I’m not following the plan even close to exactly, but everything is laid out in the book and you can do it without the boot camp. If I find that the modified version doesn’t work long term, I am planning on doing the actual plan. And if I can’t maintain the real plan on the book alone, I will consider the Boot Camp. I imagine that how successful it is would depend on a lot of factors including where you are on the susceptibility scale and what happens with the support (if they aren’t as committed and frequently excuse eating off plan, will that affect your ability to stay on plan?). I’m actually doing my modified version without direct support; my support is from watching Susan’s weekly vlog. People around me (parents, friends, etc.) know I am doing it, and my mom is very supportive, but no one is doing it with me and I’m not checking in with anyone. Despite not following the plan exactly and despite not having “real” support, I have still lost ~25 lbs. since I started. I am cell phone challenged, but I know there is an app that I’ve heard is only accessible with the Boot Camp. Besides that and the Facebook group mentioned by Marianne, you get everything else with the book.
Alisha, l was in the same place you are- l wasn’t ready to commit huge $$ to the plan. Soo…
I am on day 2 of the 14 day plan for $29.95 which was perfect for me. I resisted weighing food at first and now l find it rather fun to see the large quantity that is allowed. I would highly recommend the 14day plan for any fence sitters who are overwhelmed by the price of the Boot Camp yet know it’s probably the type of program needed. And the daily video from Susan strengthens one’s resolve with her pertinent information.
Here’s to your health!, gail
Yes, my husband I have been doing it together since February. For the first time in 53 years of marriage we are planning and making dinner together. We raised six children and it’s just the two of us now, so it’s easy. He has lost more than I, but it’s normal for a man, I’m told. My only issue is my slow weight loss even though I have been true to the program-20lbs.in four months. I haven’t found Bright Line difficult, but I’m on this site today to find recipes to vary our evening meals. I’m thinking more variety might help me lose faster. Actually I fig this know there was a $500 program— we just bought the book.
You can sign up for 14 day challenge for $29.
I hope this question will reach you! I am completely puzzled why I am now having constipation issues when I am now finally eating in a healthy (BLE) way! It just makes no sense to me at all. Any ideas?
Hi Lynn – regarding your constipation issue, it’s very common at first. I’m on day 600+ lost 90+ lbs and had isdues at first. If you’re doing Bootcamp there is a module on it. For me, I added a fat to my breakfast and bran to my oatmeal. Personally, I think it’s a fat issue. Susan also suggests Magnesium supplements. You can look up constipation remedies on internet. Best wishes on your journey! Are you in Cleveland area by chance?
Try 2 ribs if celery with dinner each night. I have the same problem when I eat fewer starches .
Thanks for all this information. I’m a 10 on the scale.
I’m ready to try BLE, but I had one question, I have become a fan of intermittent fasting, as I feel this allows me to fight illnesses!
Is there a place for IF in BLE?
Thanks!
Yes, lunamom, you can incorporate IF with BLE by simply shutting down your kitchen after your supper meal and delaying breakfast the following day–how ever many hours you wish to extend your fast.
Hi! I am a college student and am looking to try BLE! This causes some difficulties as, although I am extremely lucky to have a dining hall/meal plan that can work with BLE, the digital scale isn’t part of my capabilities for the time being. I haven’t purchased the book or 14-day plan quite yet due to my apprehension regarding the lack of a scale to use during meal time. Do you have any thoughts? Is this still a plan that could work for me?
Thank you!!
I have doing BLE for several weeks now just based on information provided in book and $29.99 14-day challenge. I am very excited about the results. I would highly recommend you buy a small food scale and put it in your backpack. I was truly surprised how much of the “right stuff” I could eat and would never have “eyeballed” that amount for myself. Between the typical salad bar on campus and the vegetables, you can totally do this but do yourself a favor and get a small food scale. You could bring a plastic container with a lid, put the container on the scale and add until you reach portion, then dump on your plate and do it again until you have the right amount on your plate. Good luck!
Hi – if you are unable to weigh food, you can the one plate rule. It’s mentioned in book. Or you can get a travel scale. Check out Joseph & Joseph.
I have not commited to the boot camp or the 14 day plan yet. I’ve read the book cover to cover and decided to try on my own to see if it was for me. Like Susan says, there is never going to be a “good time” to start. Weddings, parties, birthdays, etc. So, I thought I would test the waters on my own to start. Well, I’m only 3 days in and I cant believe I havent been hungry, at all!!! I’m officially a WW member (again) and I just need something else…..this may be it.
I’m going to join within the week, at least the 2 week starter program. BTW, I’m a 10 on the susceptibility scale 🙁
Fingers crossed!
I just purchased the 14 day challenge. Now I have to run through my list of things to do before I start. I want to do the boot camp but just like other people have said $500.00 is a lot. Is it possible to just follow the 14 day?
I would say so Tamara and in any case is a very good start. I bought the book and have been following Susan’s free vlogs. I wanted to get a handle on it before committing to the 14 day challenge. In 14 days I have lost 6 lbs with no cravings whatsoever- extraordinary in my opinion. This is just by doing no flour,no sugar and eating 3 meals a day. I am a perfect 10 on the susceptibility scale and I think this is the program for me. I am feeling such relief and a profound sense of calm. I am now ready to sign up for 14 days and follow the other bright line (quantities by weighing). But I certainly am looking at it with a view to it being a permanent fixture in my life.
I am interested in BLE (I am 10 on the susceptibility scale). I gave up sugar and artificial sweeteners at the end of November and dropped 25lbs (from 227lbs) but I am now at a plateau. I have just read the book and want to make a start on true Bright Line Eating and then sign up for the 14 day challenge but I am struggling with working out what to eat so that I can plan my meals (I have ADD so struggle with being organised and giving up if I am overwhelmed by a task, and I know from past experience that there is a very good chance that I will sign up for the 2 weeks and then get sidetracked by other things going on in my life). Are there any links/resources you can recommend to help me work out what my meals will consist of.
Iaura – I think you might actually find it helpful to plan your meals since you have ADD – I mostly do the extact same breakfast and lunch which doesn’t really bother me – but then I have freed up my brain to think about other things. The 14 day challenge gives a very simple run down of the options available for each meal. Simple simple simple.
Thank you Julie, I am sure you are right. I may just start off with a breakfast that meets the rules, then add a lunch the following week before I start the 2 week challenge (otherwise I think that the 2 weeks will have passed before I get started!). Great idea to keep it simple with the same breakfast and lunch. What do you have for your breakfast and lunch?
For breakfast I eat:
1oz oatmeal (rolled oats)
6 oz berries
1oz pumpkin seeds
4oz almond milk
If I want warm oatmeal I do it this way
1oz Scottish oats (cooked in 3/4 cup water)
6 oz of berries
1 oz pumpkin seeds
2 oz yogurt
thank you! sounds like a great start to the day
REALLY sorry for the picture attached to my identity – my son thought it was very funny, but I can’t work out how to delete it!
I have been on BLE since april friday the 13th lol and am in a challenge with my sister. I LOOOVE it ive lost 9 pnds In 17days. And i feel great. I have always fought weighing and measuring my food but now i have fun doing it. I food orep on sundays and my work week is so much less stress. Love new ideas and searching BLE peeps w food blogs. My newest fav is the 3rice cakes( plain) with nut butter and banana. yummmo and this sunday morning the blueberry muffins will be tried :). Have a great BLE day all
I have been on BLE since april friday the 13th lol and am in a challenge with my sister. I LOOOVE it ive lost 9 pnds
Every time I think I’ve got the food/weight thing under control, old habits creep back in. I’m a 7 on the scale. My main concern about starting BLE is weighing out the food. My 13-year-old daughter has a friend with an eating disorder and we talk about her situation often. My husband brought the food scale out the other day to check a weight on his protein and my daughter saw this and commented: “so now you’re weighing your food?” My husband works out and has hardly anything to lose; where I have at least 35 lbs to lose. I eat pretty healthy and am gluten and mostly sugar-free, but am 4’11”, have hypothyroidism, and a sedentary job. How do I navigate weighing the food with an impressionable 13-year-old watching?
I do think that there is a fine line between BLE and an eating disorder. Be careful. Our kids are watching us. What impression do we want them to have? That food is scary? That we can’t listen to ourselves and trust our own instincts?
I have 13, 16,and 17 year old children. I’ve told them like it is : I want to be healthy so that I can do more, have more energy, live longer. Unfortunately, I have an eating disorder that makes it difficult to judge a healthy portion, so I weigh it. I just barely had a great conversation with my 13 year old daughter about it, actually. I told her the difference between eating a whole apple and apple juice, what happens inside our bodies. She has seen for herself the two sides of me… Irritable, Napping all the time, unwilling to hike, garden, etc. And the other, wonderful side! She’s a lot like me, so I’m taking the opportunity to educate her NOW,and hoping she’ll not have the constant ups and downs all her life.
Some of us can’t do that.
I literally just read about the BLE diet plan when I saw a post on Instagram. Here is my big issue – I am an EXTREMELY picky eater and there are tons of food that I just don’t like. Example – the ONLY fruits that I like are bananas, apples, peaches, and grapes. The only veggies that I like are broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and carrots. I lost about 60 lbs. several years ago (pre-menopause) doing low carb and taking an appetite suppressant prescribed by my doctor. Of course, I have since gained it back and more. Since having a total hysterectomy in 2012 AND being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 (cannot take hormone therapy), I have packed on the pounds. Joined Planet Fitness in December 2017, but cannot seem to get the weight off. I scored 6 on the test from the BLE website. I need to know if this diet will work for me based on the foods that I DO like? Any advice would be appreciated. TIA
Yes, I think it would. You’d still be weighing /measuring your veggies, so you could just stick to what you know you like. I would recommend, however, that you try some other veggies, especially leafy greens, after a couple of weeks. Your taste buds change after being off sugar for a while. Also, different preparation methods make a huge difference. For example, I HATE BRUSSELS SPROUTS. I’ve tried them many times, because my husband likes them,and I know they’re good for you. I have to spit it out, it’s so nasty and bitter. Then I tried shaking them up with olive oil and coarse salt, roasting (broiling) until slightly blackened, and they’re like a completely different food. Absolutely delicious. Different salad dressings. If a food tastes bitter, (lettuce includes) adding salt takes that away. Zucchini I hate, but spiralizing them into Zoodles, sauteeing with butter and garlic, they’re actually quite good. Then you can put spaghetti sauce over the top. Experiment. But don’t worry about that yet. Just measure our 14 oz of the veggies you DO like, for dinner, instead of 6oz and 8oz veggies and salad. Good luck!
The last picture brought me the most emotion