Validating the Susceptibility Quiz

Over the past six months here at Bright Line Eating™ we’ve been undertaking the process of validating the Susceptibility Quiz. The journey has led to some interesting findings. If you’ve taken the Quiz and think you know what your score means, this is one VLOG you definitely won’t want to miss. If you haven’t taken the Quiz yet, after this week’s VLOG I suspect you’ll want to.

FoodFreedomQuiz.com

Comments

  1. Kathy Holst

    I appreciate your honesty, hard work & scientific validation. It’s also to hear the back story of how the quiz began & how it’s evolved , & most likely we will all need to take it again. I remember thinking my score was lower than I thought it should be, so now I know why. I will re-do the quiz now & see how I score this time ?
    Keep up the excellent work Susan!

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    1. Marie Bauer

      I definitely concur with you, Kathy.

      Reply ·
  2. kristina nadreau

    Your scientific method needs improvement, based only on this vlog. I have not yet taken the quiz to see if your questions are actually useful.

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  3. Celia

    My initial score three months ago was a 6. Now I’m a NINE! And do you know what? I think that’s absolutely spot on. I was bemused by my 6, because I really felt I had issues.
    Thank you for being so upfront about your research.

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  4. kristina nadreau

    OK taken quiz. seems useful. no distress. Interested in your conclusions regarding the middle of the road group. Addressing all those 8 thru 10s is probably much easier than finding strategies that work for the 4 thru 7 people. Moderation as a goal is much more difficult than abstinence (100%).

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  5. Kathy

    I went from a previous susceptibility score of 6 to now a 7. I agree it could even be an 8, although I have not taken a boot camp, I follow the weekly vlog and can’t wait for the book! I seem to fluctuate from day to day or meal to meal about how much I think about my weight and food and exercise. I have been loosing weight slowly and feel successful but it helps to know why I can’t go off plan just once in a while without consequence of set back as I have experienced. Thanks so much for all you do and for continuing to evolve the program!

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  6. Emily in MT

    The new website is beautiful! Thanks for taking the time to explain how the Quiz is scored. I moved up to a 10, and I think the new score is a more accurate reflection of my relationship with food.

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  7. Ronna Berezin

    Why haven’t you addressed the fitness level of the participants taking the suseptibility quiz? This factor: fitness kevel is an important component of the research bc there is a distinctly different kingd of hunger, anxiety about weight, food , cravings , etc. anmong fitness concerned people that you might call high on the susceptibility scale. Since you don’t reccomend exercise in ur Brightline program for reasons I understand but with which I don’t agree you should clarify that in relation to your Susceptibility scores….. I think!

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    1. Ruth

      I totally agree with you on this because I think more on weight loss when in exercise programme than when am not and again I lose control over food when not exercising. My score will be different depending on my fitness /active occasions.
      Susan please address this

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    2. Val

      I have written to Susan before with the concern of no exercise and BLE. Not been addressed. I have been in boot camp and have lost weight, but felt that muscle mass has suffered, too. I was part of the Research study in the boot camp and I addressed the exercise thing at the end when I submitted the survey. Asked that she bring someone on board that can realistically calculate needs of participants with regards to exercise. Hope that happens.

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  8. Ronna Berezin

    Kristina Nadreau makes a profound remark, which relates somewhat to my previous remark.

    Reply ·
  9. Allyn Babitch

    One question and concern I have with the quiz is that it asks you to rate the three worst months you’ve ever had in your relationship with food. So a person who normally is in “control” with their eating without too much angst, but had a short period once where due to stressful or other circumstance they turned to food more than they normally would, might score higher, with those implications; than if they looked at the average of their life. So the score may be accurate, but the implications of the score still need to be considered. Many of us drank (or otherwise indulged) too much in college or whenever; but to look to that to say whether we’re an alcoholic (or drug addict or sexaholic or whatever) now may or may not be useful.

    I scored a 7 before and a 9 now, and I do think that’s probably about right; as food and eating do consume me, and weight control is a struggle. So what I’m saying doesn’t necessarily apply to me, but it could to others, so I think it’s worth considering. In taking the quiz I was thinking only about the worst times, which are outnumbered by the more “normal” times by a lot. Still, the struggle for control is an ongoing one.

    Thank you Susan for your wonderful work, and your terrific explanations of how you do your research.

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  10. Vania

    This was so interesting! And very timely for me. I have lost 80 lbs since March 13, 2016 after first taking the suseptability quiz and then dropping all sugar and flours and developing some brightlines around food, mainly journaling and weighing 3 meals a day.
    However since getting closer to my goal I’ve begun to think about the the quiz. I had taken it earlier feeling depressed about my weight and emotionally exhausted. I started to wonder if I took it now, would it be a lower score as I’m seem to be so much more emotionally grounded. In other words had my previous state of mind contributed to an over dramatized result? Could I be someone who now had more control over food and items that didn’t have refined sugar or flours? Could I start making ‘healthy’ deserts. Did I have to worry about nibbles and licks outside my three meals a day?
    For the last three weeks my brightlines have become slightly blurred and this vlog tells me that there may be a reason! I had lost sight of my addiction. Owning that I have an addiction is what enables me to start this journey in the first place! Thank you!!
    Your honesty and reflection is so refreshing and inspiring!! Keep up the great work!!

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  11. Sue

    Thanks Susan, really appreciate your honesty and willingeness to improve / develop the tools you are offering us – great science! I’ve gone from a 6 to a 7 – not surprised. I’m aware that I get down to a weight I’m pleased with and then almost always sabotage myself and start eating so it creeps back up again (could that be a theme for your weekly blog maybe? Getting the weight down feels like a good thing and I’m motivated – keeping it down begins to feel routine/boring!) So, back to the bright lines and thanks again for your work and your great communication skills.

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  12. Allyn Babitch

    I also am concerned that the parameters for scoring seem to have been changed specifically in order to attain the expected result of 1/3, 1/3, 1/3, since the random sampling did not give the expected result. Though I do agree that the people with the higher numbers are quite varied in their overeating (or resisting overeating) expressions, and are powerfully motivated to overeat, for whatever reasons (addiction, stress, emotion, etc.)

    i greatly enjoyed your report where you talked about some of us having the ancient talent of spotting all the various food cues, once very useful for us and our families and clans- now an ongoing stimulus overload leading us to want to consume and consume and consume. Not helped by the sorts of refined foods now available which can and do addict our susceptible brains. Tough to manage with only concepts like “moderation”, when our brain is urging us to “eat it all”!

    Thanks again.

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  13. Allyn Babitch

    Sue, they’ve shown that our bodies and brains do react to weight loss with a primitive response to eat more and regain the weight- our bodies and primitive brains not realizing or recognizing that the weight loss was intentional and beneficial, for health and other reasons. So our “higher” brains have to take control, not easy! But made easier by structured programs (like BLE) which help us to avoid the foods and behaviors which trigger the overeating response.

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  14. Debbie Steinberg Kuntz

    Love your work-in-progress attitude, Susan! The new data will even allow you to segment and customize the solution based on the main problem your clients are having.

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  15. Sue

    Do I even need to take the test? As soon as you started talking about flour products I couldn’t get the lasagne out of my head. I was doing so well today too. No program is working for me as I can’t clean up my environment. Other adults living in the house. If someone thinks they could tackle this ol gal they could try.

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  16. Rachel

    Thanks for revising the quiz! Yes, no need to be perfect out the gate! 🙂 I think the scoring adjustment will help many people more accurately gauge their susceptibility to food addition. I just retook the quiz and scored higher, in part because I now thought about a time when food had more control over me. I started eating healthier (few processed foods, almost no bread, dramatically less sugar) a little bit before taking the quiz for the first time and that feeling of partial food freedom had helped to skew my original score even lower. I believe my new score is more accurate and I will be considering taking bigger steps (like planning out exactly what I’ll eat – down to my snacks – the evening before), as you have suggested.

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  17. Leah

    I was a 10 before and I’m still a 10. What I found hilarious though is that my addict brain actually thought I would score lower! Thank you for your dedication to getting this right for all of us. Have loved the bootcamp, and just joined the Bright Lifers. Looking forward to what’s next!

    Reply ·
  18. Lane

    So, I did the October, 2015 boot camp and floundered around until June. I have been following BLE since June, sometimes with wavy bright lines, but essentially on the right path. When I took the test before the October boot camp, I was a 9. I have totally changed my way of thinking in the past 3 months as far as my eating is concerned. I just took the test again and I am a 3. Weird, huh, but my thinking has totally changed, thanks to Susan and BLE. After I watched “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” by Dr. Lustig on Youtube(suggested by Susan in one of her vlogs), that was the defining moment for me. It all clicked and made sense to me. If I continue to eat the sugar and flour, I will score a 9. If I eat real food and abstain from sugar and flour, I will be a 3. But I can NEVER let my guard down. I am so grateful to Susan and looking forward to her book.

    Reply ·
  19. Stefi

    Fascinating video Susan- love your work- I believe I will always be on the high end but I’m ok with it because I know the best thing for ME is ( using your explaination from another vlog ) to keep the dam up at the top of the river beds .
    That said, on a pychological note, the more a person learns about food & the good benefits from vegetables , it becomes ( for most days) a purposeful focus as to what’s on your plate. Different than what you’ve done all your past life. A journey- no doubt.
    Keep rockin it Susan!?

    Reply ·
  20. Denny Stockfeld-Strong

    I got an 8 before boot camp. I was surprised it was not a 10. Now it is.

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  21. Emily

    Concerning that you adjusted your study to fit your data to match with the Yale study.

    Reply ·
  22. Ronna Berein

    to Sue: keeping the weight down being harder than losing i again proves the point that moderation as a goal is more difficult than abstinence…. the corolary to this being this is not necessarily a food issue , but an obsessive compulsive disorder:OCD!

    Reply ·
  23. Debbi

    I am curious why you ask for the period of the worst 3 months to base this test on? My experience ce with food now is significantly different than then, thankfully, and doesn’t the power of habit overcome previous brain wiring? Thanks,debbi

    Reply ·
  24. Deborah Garrard

    Thank you for your integrity and passion in helping people. Thank you, also, for reinforcing the idea that it’s a ‘practice’ not a ‘perfect.’ In other words, our lives are indeed a work in progress, and I believe you should be allowed the same grace that you continually offer others! I’m grateful! As a Psychology of Eating Coach myself, this is the position I encourage my clients to adopt as we work through not only what we eat but also what’s eating us. Both nourish – or don’t – and both are powerful in helping us create lives of health and generosity. Your life is certainly that – filled with the vitality of health and the gift of generosity, toward yourself and others. Again, I’m grateful!

    Reply ·
  25. Billy

    I’m wondering if there will be a difference to now as opposed to before I lost weight for my susceptibility score. When I was very overweight, I had a higher susceptibility of 10 when I did your quiz originally. Now when I’m not so addicted to food because I have changed on my sugar flour abstinence, I will get a different score. And now it will be also different since you have now updated the quiz. Does anyone have any advice on this?

    Kind regards,
    Billy

    Reply ·
  26. Carolina

    I just love the honesty and spontenious way you have on these blogs. It is just refreshing and interesting to watch and hear your message. Evolution and improvement it’s a part of life as you mentioned, and it is great that you introduce this new quiz with all the true facts and not some made up stories like most companies. =)
    Congrats on this new milestone!

    Reply ·
  27. Jakki Crosser

    I went from a 5 to a 9! I seriously need help… at least I am starting to understand why. Susan, thank you for all you do…. I feel so powerless and “fed up” (no pun intended) with the way I think about food. It is soooooo hard to come to terms with the fact that I simply cannot eat certain things. HOW do you DO IT??? I need a boot camp soon please!! 🙂

    Reply ·
  28. Marian

    Now a 9. Still find it hard to believe I’m addicted to food as I’m only addicted in the evening. During the day I can say no to anything and what I eat is enough. Night addiction.is real for me, I become ravenous

    Reply ·
    1. Ann de Villiers

      that’s my main problem time as well.

      Reply ·
  29. Meera

    Why is it so difficult to find out when the boot camp starts and what it costs! I truly want to do this for health reasons, and find it odd that this information doesnt seem to be available. Can i get help in finding this out or do i need to find a different type of plan.

    Hope to get an answer this time, and yes my score was a lot higer with the new test.

    Still hopeful,

    Reply ·
    1. Renee

      Me too ! I’ve been signed up for months and can never seem to get any info on start dates or costs … I find it terribly frustrating to be just left to keep inquiring

      Reply ·
  30. Ann de Villiers

    I was previously an 8 and now a 10, which I think is more accurate for me. I successfully finished the June Boot Camp with a loss of 18 pounds which I think is pretty good. So I took my foot off the BL pedal slightly and wallah !!!!! I can assure you, I am a 10!!!! Way to go Susan for the improvement in the Susceptibility Assessment. Also thank you for your honesty and openness in taking us all on this journey. There are no hidden agendas with you which gives this program HUGE creditability. Love, Ann xx

    Reply ·
  31. Dolores

    I was originally a 4 but when I retested I came out as a 6. I was able to stick completely to the Bright Lines for the first 6 weeks of Boot Camp and quickly lost 18 lbs but I got broadsided by some family stress and caved to a piece of BD cake. Ever since then it has been a struggle. I am mostly able to keep my lines but there are enough slips so that my weight bounces up and down. After my initial six weeks, and the first piece of cake, it took me 3 months to painfully and slowly lose another 10 lbs and I was able to maintain that weight for about 6 months although I was allowing some exceptions. These exceptions led me to give myself permission to break my lines while on a cruise. I did not binge but I ate a little off plan for about 1/2 of the cruise and since then I haven’t been able to stick to my lines. So for the last 5 months I have slowly put those 10 lbs back on. It is just as Susan said, I felt like with only being a 4, I could have the occasional dessert or bread and it would be OK. Well, it has proven to not be OK. I never binge and I only have sugar & flour stuff occasionally but it is enough to make me struggle with my lines in portion size and snacking when stressed. I only allow myself a little over but it’s enough to keep me from reaching my goal. The frustrating thing is that the amount that I am over is not huge, I have a lot of control and I never binge but here is the kicker it has deceived me into thinking I can blur those lines a little here and there and the reason..I told myself I am only a 4 so I can handle it. Thank you Susan for this new research and insight. I think this will make a difference for me.

    Reply ·
    1. Mary

      I found your experience very helpful. I have set up my Bright Lines around my home like a moat, but not around parties, traveling, etc. and, in the past have found the white stuff creeping back in, along with the weight gain. I confess i am fearful of setting a Bright Line everywhere and totally in my life. It is scarey. But that is probably a real measures of my addiction. In any event, thank you for your post. Itmade me think harder about my own issues.

      Reply ·
  32. Patricia

    I took the quiz about 6 months ago just after giving up sugar, flour, grains and dairy. I was an 8 who really felt I have behaved like a 10 for short, scary periods in my life. It was not a surprise that I am a 10 on your revised quiz. The great news is that, while I’m not yet thin, I am happy and free, and weigh 56 lbs less than I did last January. I have about 75 lbs to go to reach my goal, and with no cravings, it is so much easier to fuel myself to live life rather than waking up thinking about food. Thank you for your wonderful work and your honest, sincere inspiration for those of us in need of knowledge and support.

    Reply ·
  33. Wendy

    I so appreciate you coming forward with all of this new information. I previously scored a 7 on the quiz and have now scored a 9, which makes more sense to me. I will admit that my 7 score justified in my mind some less than idea food choices for me. Now that Zi know that I am in the high end of the continuum, I hope to give myself just a little bit more of the care and protection that I require.

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  34. Susanelizabeth Turner

    Is the quiz above the new one of the old one?

    Reply ·
  35. FloweradIct

    The distress this has caused me, pushes me to a binge!
    Nooootttt

    Good info. I will probably score 14 now, as I scored 8 the first time, and I felt I was saying half the truth.

    Reply ·
  36. Debbie

    The first time I took the quiz I scored an 8. After listening to modules and calls and reading online posts I thought I was more like a 6. When I retook the quiz I scored a 5. How unusual

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  37. H

    Ditto ! My score has rightly gone up. I used to binge on white flour (bread, toast, butter and honey) and sugar (I would eat a whole packet of biscuits at once, to my disgust). Thanks to Susan I have acknowledged the addictive power of sugar and white flour. On giving them both up my eating has normalised and consistently following a healthy diet is much easier. The staff at school are even bringing in berries for birthdays, instead of cake, we are all supporting each other! :0)

    Reply ·
  38. Susanne

    Ok, no surprise to me. I now score a 10. Previous score was 9. Either way, I know I am on the right road with BLE!, Keep up the great work Susan and team.

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  39. Amber L. Ray

    I got the same score as last year.

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  40. Kerry Thornton

    I think as an addict if I got a lower score it would be such a get out clause of making the effort to reform! Regardless of the score I have to be honest about the way that i handle food not being normal. My reality of binging, obessing about food cannot continue even if I did drop from a 10 to a 9 this time.

    It’s great to have a tool and it is probably of more use to those who are at the beginning / at risk of the addiction but for me my life tells me it is there without a quiz.
    It will be really cool if it can get more validity and be used in scientific studies etc as we tell the medical profession what we food addicts always knew (food is addictive) as they try to help us in good ways and bad. It might stop the fat-shaming and insistence that obesity is an issue of will power, immorality or other such nonsense.
    Great work Susan and your team.

    Reply ·
  41. Eleanor

    My score 10 months ago was a 7 now I am a 9. This rings true for me as I am obsessive about what I eat, when my next meal is and how much exercise I need to do. I’m not overweight but heavier than I want to be and feel I am constantly fighting to stop overeating and it’s exhausting.

    Thank you Susan for updating the quiz I now have mixed feelings because I always thought that I could get away with allowing ‘food treats’ in my life without any impact but I realise now that is probably not true x

    Reply ·
  42. Nickie McIver

    I am a 10 right now, and I can hardly wait after I put this plan in action to see how I score. I am a wake up from sleep grazer in the of the night.

    Reply ·
  43. Patricia

    I was a 10 before as I was extreme on everything. Nice to get more clarity on the complexity of the challenge. I have been doing BLE for 24 days now and love it.

    Reply ·
  44. Jenna C Reed Livingston

    Thanks for your honesty and insights. I’m a 10 no matter what 🙂

    Reply ·
  45. Ginny Trierweiler

    I have been wondering if you did validation on this instrument and am so glad to see this vlog. Thank you!

    Reply ·
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