Studies on Long-Term Weight Loss

 
Check out this week’s vlog to hear my answer to a fantastic Boot Camper question addressing some recent studies on those who lose weight and are able to keep it off long-term.

Comments

  1. Alice Samm

    I enjoyed hearing Susan blog on u tube, not sure who sent this info to me, but glad they did..i to have had problem with my weight..upan down..just cant lose this stomach, is there a easier method than exercise…i hate exercising.?

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    1. Devin

      Hi Alice,

      I really relate to what you just wrote. I can’t comment on better methods than exercise. However, I can comment on “hating” exercise, or anything that’s good for me. I hate exercise, too. Not that’s its worth hating, I just view it as a chore, especially when starting out. There is a certain dreariness that washes over me when I put on running shoes, or stretching, or Jazzercising (do people still do this?), or eating salads without a pile of bleu cheese dressing. It can be really hard. Funny thing, when I get over the hump of the hating, I actually like it. I just have to work until I get to the good stuff, a little ROI. When I get into the habit eating right, I crave big fresh salads with a squeeze of lemon and the endorphin rush from exercise. Still, I have to realize that a slight shift in the way I look at things makes a giant difference in how I tackle issues. My problem is when everything is going well someone offers me a slice of birthday cake — and I just can’t say no. I suppose a different topic. I do hope there is a better alternative to exercise.

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      1. Darri

        Exercise does not have to fit formally to be exercise does it. I am delighted that at last my body having been through the October Boot Camp and now into January has finally begun to show signs of recovery from chronic illness.

        My body is asking to move, it is practically begging to. I flex and stretch and dance and flow and my body just wants MORE please.

        So although if I racked my brains I could say that at one time exercise might have been a chore, these days having had the choice taken away from me for so long, I no longer know what a chore would feel like.

        Since Bright Line Eating has begun to give me freedom healthwise, I am loosing the restraints, of chronic ill health, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, chronic pain and so much more. Whilst Bright Line Eating is not the sole ingredient in my recovery journey the nourishment the programme and all those partaking of it whether they be staff or partakers has fed my body, my soul and my spirit. I have a new sense of my inner spirituality, and a greater sense of ‘me’.

        Thanks to the many dimensions offered within the Bright Line Eating Package a short journey has been a very very moving one.

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  2. Kathleen Puckett

    Susan – this VLOG was such a perfect thing for me to get with today. I’ve been dithering, breaking bright lines “a little bit at a time.” Although I’ve lost 20 pounds since the October 2015 Bootcamp, I’ve been static since the holidays ended. I keep telling myself I’ll get back on board, and this was the incentive I needed. Automaticity and keeping all four bright lines is key for me, and that’s where I’ve lapsed. I felt your message to Kelly Brownell – the acclaimed, dedicated, sincere “expert” was very powerful and direct, and I hope he gets it somehow. Freedom through BLE is the answer. Thanks for this!

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  3. Cheryl

    Susan, I just filled out my 4th annual National Weight Loss Registry survey (I lost 50 lbs. in 2007-2008 and kept it off). For the first time in 4 years, I could report that I have LOST additional weight (25 pounds) since last year. Of course this brought on a flood of “new” questions regarding the habits I used to lose the weight. It was a joy to easily fill out the form with my new BLE habits that have allowed my weight loss success. I noted that I had decreased my exercise from approximately 7h/week to just 3h/week. And I gave you and your program the credit in the additional space available on the form. I was a person who thought about food & exercise & my weight probably 95% of my waking time (and some of my sleeping time) prior to BLE. Although my habits may look like I am obsessive now, I am FAR from it! I am free-er than I have been in my whole life. And finally, THIN! Love you, and thank you! Let’s get that word (and your work) out there!

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  4. Beth

    Your audio comments on how much we focus on weight-related issues is right on. I have an old friend who is also an RD, but at a PhD level, and she recently commented that I should give up on food focus. Now, as much as we love each other, she has never had a weight or food issue. She does not know the amount of energy it takes to lose and maintain weight loss. In my opinion, it is a disservice for any weight-loss program or provider to assist individuals in weight loss in any way other than for the long haul. I will continue looking further at Brightline. Also, having the knowledge and means to be healthy (as evidenced by Mr Brownell and Oprah) is obviously only part of the complex equation.

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  5. Carol Davis

    I LOVE the look on Susan’s face when she reads “…they exercise 1-hour a day…7 days a week”! Lol! ? (1:13 on the tape)

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  6. Nancy

    Another valuable perspective. Thank you! I watched the Peak Performance Summit and so many write about methods to be productive and successful each day and how to make the best use of your time. That takes considerable time and planning too. BLE, as I see it, is the way to do exactly that with our food. It doesn’t take much time to make a menu or shopping list. And it saves time! Thanks to you, Susan, understanding the brain-food connection is essential key to using BLE. Our food ‘system’ has been so warped for so long, I think we’re all hungry for the truth!

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  7. Laura

    Susan, I love that you are doing your own research on the BLE program. Do you plan to continue this with long-term follow-up on those enrolled in the study? I hope so. It would be a wonderful service.

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  8. Margaret

    Thank you for your refreshing, energetic and optimistic voice. In the past, I have exercised & been active for the sheer joy of it. That works, and sure, it reduces overweight. The biggest difference it makes to me is that if I’m doing a sport I love, my appetite is naturally suppressed. However, for as long as I have tried it, exercise has never been a sustainable tool for weight control. The more overweight I got, the more I tried to exercise for the purpose of weight control, the crazier and less sustainable it got. That’s why your common sense words were nevertheless like refreshing water in my ears. Exercise is NOT the way to healthy weight; I cannot “exercise those tortilla chips off.” That’s like saying weight control depends on having supportive friendships, or meaningful life’s work. Those things are important and help our frame of mind, but they can’t overcome bad eating habits. To be sustainable, healthy eating has to be just that, healthy eating, not exercise dependent.

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  9. Geni

    Talk about spot on – that describes this and every vlog! Love you Susan and BLE!

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  10. Laura

    Also I want to say I am so happy you address the exercise issue. I have been a regular exerciser for over 30 years and I happen to really enjoy my exercise. Now it’s true I don’t exercise an hour a day seven days a week. Many years ago I decided that settling on a more moderate routine would mean I would more likely keep it up for the rest of my life. I now have a chronic and permanent ankle injury, (sustained during more vigorous exercise in my early years), which means that for me, practically speaking, most of my cardio workout can only be done on an elliptical machine. For stretching I do my own routine of gentle yoga. My point is that I do exercise regularly at what I consider a healthy level. Yet because I am obese, people always feel the need to tell me about what exercise could do for me, or what weight benefits I could realize if I were doing the newly popular form of exercise they have discovered. I know better, and I am glad you are helping spread the word. I have just started your program and I do know that It’s having the bright lines around food and addictive eating behaviors that is going to make a difference.

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  11. George

    Freedom from the obsession of eating: priceless! Flour and sugar free! I am on to something here. Thanks again.

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  12. Patti

    Susan, your blog on Jan, 20th was so uplifting. I love the way you express your thoughts and explain the science behind everything. I am in my 4th week of Bright Line Eating. I lost 9 lbs and I am really benefiting from my brain healing and repairing itself. COME ON LEPTIN !!! I can’t wait until your next boot camp. Thank you for helping me to save my life.

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  13. Devin

    Hey Susan,

    Well said. I think anyone who has ever dealt with overcoming and addressing real problems in their life finds that there is a certain amount energy used toward the maintenance of not returning to the problem. I don’t speak French! I will have to work at speaking French. It will take practice and require my attention — in the beginning lots of my attention, way more than I might normally give. And then, over time, French will get easier and its maintenance will be less of a burden — and may become enjoyable as the results of having less problems, or more French, in my life will pay its dividends. Best of success to everyone.

    Reply ·
  14. Sally Rainbow-Ockwell

    Hi Susan
    You don’t need to publish this, but I just wanted to give the feedback. I think your advice is brilliant and I am working to do this on my own – which is working well so far, but I will join a bootcamp if I need more support. So thank you so much for your insights.
    My feedback is on your introduction to your weekly vlog. It sounds like your ‘bored’ or ‘apologising’ for the fact that you’re doing a weekly vlog. The content is then fabulous! So why would you sound like that at the beginnning?!! Please believe that we all want to hear what you say – be proud and confident with your start….you really deserve to be!
    I hope that is helpful feedback – I’m from the UK, so I’m so used to US people sounding confident in what they present. Perhaps listen to a few and you might hear what I hear. Remember that some people will be hearing this for the first time, and they need to feel that you’re totally ‘up’ and focussed on them. I know it’s tempting to believe that your listeners know you already and so it’s probably hard to find a way to introduce it that feels fresh to you. Lots of people will be new though – as you engender a willingness to refer.
    I’m saying this with love – and hoping that you will touch more people as you have touched me. I came here from Jeff Walker’s instigation – and I see a fantastic example of how to use PLF ….so thank you also for that. His weekly vlogs are a great example in themselves – he always sounds like it’s the first one!
    Best wishes
    Sally

    Reply ·
    1. JD

      I agree with this comment. I thought I might be the only one who noticed it. If the message is worth putting out there then it should be prefaced in a positive manner. Maybe if you didn’t use the same opening line for each one it wouldn’t feel or come across as you being uninterested in the presentation you are making. I enjoy your vlogs very much except for the first line or two. Great job otherwise. And thanks so much for doing the vlogs.

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  15. Selena

    Susan, I look forward to your YouTube videos so much as you have been teaching me so much about how to eat right, lose weight, and be happy. I started Bright Line eating two weeks ago and have lost 8 pounds already. I haven’t done any exercise, and regularly eat out, sometimes Red Robin or even MacDonald’s. But I can still follow your principles by eating salads with meat, or having bunless burgers that are wrapped in lettuce. I feel happy, in control of my cravings, organized in my eating, more energized, clearer in my mind. I am overjoyed though to realize I was a desperate food addict that has finally understood why I couldn’t kick the habit before now. I am finally in control of my eating, and my life. I have ended the cycle of feeling bad about the bulge and the horrible feeling I would get when I would get on the scales and not weigh what I wanted to weigh. Thank you so much.

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  16. Stephen

    Thank you for this vlog. I am one who has lost weight, then gained it back, more times than I care to admit. In BLE we have the bright lines. Other programs have what one might term bright lines, it seems to me (although not called that, per se). For instance, Weight Watchers says to keep within a daily point range and you will lose weight. And you do. Then in the maintenance phase, again, stay within your point range, and you won’t gain weight.

    The problem for so many of us (certainly me) is that I resume eating, off whatever limits have been proscribed. I’m on day 20 of the present boot camp and need some thoughts and support around the question of what makes this different? I assume if, after the boot camp, I simply go back to the way I ate before, I’ll gain weight. Help, please. Thanks in advance.

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  17. Mary

    Susan, I’m 20 days into the Boot Camp and I have to admit that I am already freer than I’ve ever been with regard to food obsession. We have a country that is food obsessed. Look at the commercials, the food channel shows, how people call themselves “foodies.” I even did before I joined the Boot Camp. And then there is the whole backlash thing of “fat-love.” I think we should love ourselves no matter what our weight, but true self love, I believe now, is freeing ourselves from any addiction whether it be alcohol, drugs, excess shopping or food. I grew up in a family that was food obsessed: what we were going to eat next, where we would stop on our road trips for meals, what great foods we wanted for our birthdays. After only 20 days, I KNOW this is the way I want to live. I am already so much freer. Thank you!

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  18. Anne

    I’m not a bootcamp participant, but I follow your vlogs. I love your perspective. I am a sugar/flour addict; I think I was an 8 on your susceptibility scale. The only reason I didn’t join the bootcamp was because I’m slender. Never the less, I have to be extremely vigilant about food. It’s so easy to eat one wrong thing and have it switch on my appetite and go out of control. I haven’t been able to divorce myself from all things flour and sugar as yet, but I certainly see where that is the path to freedom. I remain slender because I do think about my weight and my food choices a lot, and I do confess that I exercise a ton. But the exercise has a lot of other benefits so I make no apologies for that. I do strength training for my muscle mass and my bones, not for weight loss. I do cardio for my heart and my cholesterol profile, not for weight loss. And I walk every day because for me it’s a meditation. I just wanted to comment to say that I love your vlog and I find myself nodding in agreement most of the time. I aspire to one day take that step to get the sugar and flour out of my life completely, but for now I’ll track my food and step on the scale daily to keep myself slim. I get a lot of reinforcement from your messages. Thank you for all you do; I’m delighted to be a subscriber to your emails and vlogs.

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  19. Jeannie Greutert

    Spot on!!! If I want to stay sane I have to stay within the bright lines.
    When I eat off plan food is ALL I think about!!

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  20. Inke

    Hi, I have a question. Where can I find a study or a good book, that reveals the relation between momentary insulin spike after a meal and the “basis insulin level”? (I already have Robert Lustig).
    Thank you very much,
    Inke

    Reply ·
  21. Mercedes

    Thank you, God, for making me run into Susan. Thank you, God, for the invention of the internet. Thank you, Susan, for this loving, priceless, life-saving service. I say this every day: you are the answer to my prayers. Thank you.

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  22. Dale

    Susan,
    I am reading here about bright line eating but haven’t found what food choices you suggest to eat or amounts. My B/P, weight and triglycerides are out of whack. I don’t eat fish of any kinds. Please help

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  23. Anna

    Susan,
    Don’t know that you would read this late post; however I would like to thank you for all you do. Today is day 14 of the 14 day challenge and I am optimistic that I will be able to continue. I have already written what I plan to eat on day 15. I am just so tired of the weight cycling to keep at my goal weight. I feel that the bright lines are the only way I can keep thin. Of course I would love if when I jump on the scale tomorrow it is down 10 lbs and I can start maintenance, I know that won’t be the case. Anyway I feel 10 years younger and at the age of 70, that is a good thing. Also, the feeling of hunger I might feel before my next meal seems to feel more tolerable than it did when eating flour/sugar and grazing.

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  24. Robert gob

    is, in my opinion, the best book out there (besides my own, of course!) on the science of food addiction and the reasons why long-term weight loss is so hard. I love Dr. Lustig s research and am excited that Bright Line Eating picks up where his work leaves off.
    By the way! The best essay writing service – https://www.easyessay.pro/
    And Happy New Year!

    Reply ·
  25. Pingback: We WILL Reap What We Sow...Why That's Encouraging to Us - christineyountjones.com
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