Letting Go of the Number

I had a big epiphany about how I approach my own Bright Line Eating™ journey this week. The title of today’s vlog, “Letting Go of the Number,” gives you a hint as to what it was about. Watch this week’s vlog to hear the whole story.

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Comments

  1. Diane Tomecko

    Hello. From my experience, soy is the worst thing you can eatbwith thtroid. I got so sick from drinking vanilla soy milk and didn’t know what was happening to me. Do yourself a favor and stop it immediately

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  2. Kathy

    This is a great VLOG of course I enjoy them all. I am on day 12 of the 14 day challenge and I tried SO hard not to weigh myself and I weighed this morning and I was only down 2.5 pounds in 12 days. I was so disappointed even though I’m feeling fantastic. I know that I just need to put that scale away and look at this as a way of life and not a diet. I’m really struggling with that. I have stuck with the bright lines and haven’t deviated at all so I’m somewhat surprised. Is this normal? I am about 36.5 pounds away from my goal weight. Just could use a little encouragement. I am also considering doing the boot camp. Love everything you say. It makes SO much sense. Thanks.

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  3. Jarka

    Susan, you need to contact Anthony William – Medical Medium. As you may know, he’s also a part of the Hay House. His focus is on explaining (and helping people) what’s behind auto-immune diseases, esp. thyroid ones.
    You’re in a unique position to be able to contact him, and he’ll be able to personally help – tell you exactly what to do.
    Thought there’d be more people suggesting this, but surprisingly I only found one more comment like me.
    Do it Susan.
    Love you.

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  4. gwen bridge

    yay. eat more food. so good for you:)

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  5. Afolger

    Thank you, Susan!!

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  6. Tammy

    Thank you Susan for this. Your 30 day challenge as written in BL’er when you first declared it had really hit me negatively and I had to step away for awhile. I’m no longer in BL’er (not b/c of this of course, I’m not THAT delicate 🙂 I was really wishing you peace and I’m so relieved for you that you have had this epiphany. Well done!

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  7. Janet Krause

    “Claim the freedom. I am happy, thin, and free NOW.” Yes! I am not at my goal weight but I am down 16 pounds so that is comparatively thin to what I was just a few short weeks ago. I am happy that my clothes are fitting better. I am happy that I am able to wear some clothes I haven’t worn for a while. I am FREE. I am free from being food crazy! I attended my own retirement “tea” today and kept my bright lines. That’s freedom! And that makes me SO happy! So this is a new perspective for me. I don’t have to wait for my goal weight to be happy, thin, and free. It’s not a destination. I am happy, thin, and free as I journey to my goal weight. I love this thinking! Thank you for inspiring it!

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  8. Brian

    Susan, thanks for being so openly and wonderfully you. This blog was so so good for me. I’m in a right sized body and too often have thought “Just a few more pounds”. I know I look better now than I would lighter. Thanks for helping me be certain that letting go of the number is the way to go. Love you and all you do.

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  9. Anna

    Thanks Susan. I love this vlog. It is so helpful for me to decide the weight I am comfortable being.

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  10. Ronnie Hacken

    I’ve been doing BLE for a year now and while I have lost weight and mostly find it easy to maintain this way of eating I have had issues with some of the directions and advice given especially in the boot camp. One of my biggest complaints has been the focus on the numbers. Both the goal weight numbers and the permission given to weigh yourself as frequently as you want. Susan by saying you weigh yourself everyday you give tacit support to your followers to do the same. Weighing yourself everyday keeps you focused on the numbers and interferes with focus on freedom; on being at home in your body; on being embodied. Focusing on the numbers keeps giving the power to the scale instead of to ourselves and it keeps us hooked into what our culture thinks we should weigh or look like and how we should feel about ourselves. Thank you for starting to speak to this. With success comes responsibility.

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    1. Bright Line Eating

      Hi Ronnie, I’m glad you liked the Vlog and sorry to hear you experienced the Boot Camp as advising you to focus on the numbers, as that is not our intention! In fact we have a saying, “Keep your eyes on the weight and you’ll lose your Bright Lines, keep your eyes on your Bright Lines and you’ll lose the weight.” That said, weighing every day for some people is helpful for their program and for some it is not. We’re not all the same although we share many of the same issues with food. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. oxoxo

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  11. Elayne

    Thanks for this! It’s so true and I also have a completely arbitrary number stuck in my head, not taking into account reality at all. All the brainwashing we get on ideal bodies is damaging to us all! So glad you shared this with those of us still trapped in trying to achieve unrealistic and unhealthy body sizes. You can be too thin!

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  12. Riadh

    Eckhart is doing a good job in your brain, i love this man

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  13. Mercedes (from Argentina)

    This is a blog to watch several times. I love you, Susan!

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  14. annksdem@gmail.com

    Looks like the vast majority of comments have responded favorably to this week’s message. I get that, don’t obsess about the number – especially when you are near an acceptable goal weight. I did not respond well to this vlog. I am one of those people obsessed by numbers, getting on the scale multiple times a day. When Susan shares her personal weight history, it just upsets me as it is very difficult to not compare. She was obese at 170 and her happy weight is 115ish. I am 5’2″ and very athletically built. No chicken legs and a pear shape with no belly fat. Susan’s obese weight is me looking strong and fit. I am solid and dense muscles, yet obese BMI. How can I ever get to the 110 that is medically ideal? I was 110 in middle school when puberty hit me early and hard. I stopped getting taller at 13. Great that everyone is losing weight. We are sensitive to food triggers in this program with our NMF acronyms, but for me, numbers are bigger triggers. Not that it causes me to overeat, just to feel really bad about myself and that I was not born with a thin frame.

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    1. Bright Line Eating

      Hi Ann, thank you for sharing your response to the Vlog. We love and accept you as you are. oxo

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  15. Lisa

    You are beautiful,thank you for this insight.

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  16. eg

    Thank you Susan for being honest with yourself and showing me/us the way! Realizing our addiction to food (and anything else)…we are “called” for perfectionism and obsession.

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  17. Em

    Susan~ Thank you. I’ve been wanting to hear you speak from this place for awhile. With eating disordered patterns in my background and in my brain, perhaps I am more sensitive to all the talk of goal weight as a number and the focus on managing and maintaining it. I have much preferred the term Right-Sized. There have been times when I’ve felt nearly triggered in the program, with mantras of Thin threatening another round of slavery to and obsession over weight. And that is not what I wanted from the program. I wanted the Free. I’ve been craving a focus on the Free. This is the first time I’ve truly felt it. I’m grateful to you for sharing your experience with honoring your body and its wisdom.

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  18. peggy

    Melissa, google Izabella Wentz on the Thyroid Secret

    Susan, thanks for your HOW, Honesty,Openmindedness, & Willingness , sharing insights from your journey in service to ours. Seems like to “let go” of the number is a great plan for all of us who choose the “free” part as our priority–freedom from obsession , including the obsession, you call “focus” and ambition, on the numbers ., that becomes just another readon to get the whip out. With priority on the “free,” perhaps the “happy” and “thin” parts come along for the ride.

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  19. Linda

    I would urge Susan to review what the medical medium has to say re: thyroid disease. His comments can be accessed on the sound cloud where his weekly radio show is archived. Look for the subject of thyroid disease. The subject was also covered in his 1st book and is the main subject in his new book coming out this fall. He explains how to address “autoimmune disorders (including the thyroid) with food and a few supplements”. I have been following many of his recommendations now for 1.5 yrs, however, did not understand about my susceptibility to stevia and blender fruits increasing my appetite until I started Susan’s program. Since Feb, 2017, I have blended the 2 programs and am healing at a remarkable rate.

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  20. Robin

    CHEERS to you Susan!!! A very empowering vlog. You did some deep work on your belief systems . Always good to listen to the “wee small gentle voice” . Thank you for opening up and being vulnerable. A new level of jo for us all!!

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  21. Susan J Edwards

    In high school I had a friend who weighed 116 pounds who was taller than me. (I am 75 years old and they weighed us in gym class often.) I weighed 135 and am 5’7″. I started fooling with my eating at 15 years old, SIXTY years ago. When I got married 52 years ago (am a widow now) I weighed 137, BUT with diet pills. I think they were called Tenuate (a friend said “Pretend you ate.” Soooo when I went up to 150 pounds, the serial dieting began. I NOW KNOW that my poor BODY wanted to weigh 150 pounds, but I wouldn’t let it. Once went to a program that when you gained weight they put a bib around your neck and we had to stand in front of the group and SING “I’m a pig, I’m a pig, I’m a pig, pig, pig.” So at 70 years old, I had doubled the weight from high school, 270 pounds. About 30 years ago I went off all sugar and caffeine for 4 years. I lost mucho weight, weighed 117 pounds. BUT one day I was with friends and they made my favorite dessert which I had not had in years and I remember saying to myself, “I have turned down this Texas Sheet Cake one time too many, I am just going to have a sliver.” 150 pounds later, here I am. NOW for the good news:

    I took the 14-Day Challenge with the free book offer AND watched the 4 videos. The videos spoke TRUTH to me. Something SHIFTED. In February I started the basics of the Program. No sugar, three meals a day planned in advance AND no NIGHT TIME eating. My brain is already healing. I have been in numerous situations with my four grandchildren and have not eaten the sugar. Have lost 15 pounds, but more importantly the scale is going in the right direction and I weigh less than I have in the last 35 years. YEAH!! Not sure what the future holds, but I am already happier. Don’t feel deprived. One thing that Susan said that has resonated is: I now say “I DON”T eat that,” not “I can’t eat that.” Also have been eating healthier, more plant based. I do plan on being at the Reunion next year and I am going to be HAPPY and FREE, no matter what the scale says. Blessings to all of you and especially you Susan and the courage to do this Vlog.

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  22. Anne

    Well-done, and well-said. This can be such a fragile and almost unattainable understanding to apply, for so many. Thank you.

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  23. Erin Kania

    Susan, I’m glad you’re listening to your body & allowing for a weight gain. I have a lot of respect for your message, but as a woman with a history of eating disorders, I’ve been concerned about the focus on thinness. I’ve been healthy for a long time,but I’ve choosen to improve my eating & weight . I’m surprised how helpful BLE has been. Thank you

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  24. Sandy

    I COMMEND you, Susan!!! The body has a wisdom, that when treated well, will speak to us. Thank you!!

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  25. Julie

    Great Vlog! Been losing steadily but not big numbers since the 14 day challenge…about 2 pounds a month. I know for some that’s just a dribble and a lot ow work for minimal results. BUT, it’s moving in the right direction., this is not a race…it’s for the rest of my life if I want to be healthy and active in my senior, senior years. 🙂 A big help for me is recording my weight daily and crossing off the previous day each morning. Even a tenth of a pound is worthy of celebration. I’ve taken synthroid for 20 years… now almost 70 and find it a double whammy with thyroid issues and the natural slowing of my metabolism with the aging process. Soooooo, just stay with it and find your own sweet spot in all things. Susan, keep up the great work you’re doing for all of us.

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  26. Josephine Raspanti

    Thanks Susan for your honesty. I totally agree
    with you and feel better hearing you tell us your
    experience. I am on day 4 of plan and I need to listen
    to my body. I like to stop eating when full and
    that may occur before eating the # of ounces
    listed. I personally never focused on the number
    and project I can lose 50 though 60 would bring
    me at right size for my short stature. My Metabolism
    slowed down alot at 40 and even slower at 59.
    So, it takes longer to digest food. I noticed my sleep
    Is more solid, and that is helping with energy. By the way,
    I saw you on the Doctors show. Thanks for telling us. Thrilled for you and all who watched.

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  27. Melissa Kerby

    Thank you all who responded re: soy! Gonna get antibody test in next few months and be more systematic in evaluating my response to soy.

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  28. Victoria Romero

    I feel that age has to enter into the number equation. After 40 it is normal for women to increase weight unless they decrease amount of food intake. I also feel that being as thin as I was at 35 years being 64 now would make me look older than how I look with 5-8 pounds more.

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  29. Gereena Valencic

    Your an inspiration, thank you.

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  30. Iza

    Thank you Susan! I’m OK with leaving the numbers and concentrating on my body and freedom. But so far it resulted in wrong choises on quantity and quality (I’m free to eat, so I eat whenever comes to me within some frames) and the reaction to myself seen on a pictures or mirror. Having that said I rely on the Bright Lines monitooring the direction, which is right)

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  31. Anne

    Hi All, Thank you Susan for your Vlog.. your body ( and Mine ! ) can start screaming in ‘self-preservation’ when we go at this weight loss thing too hard. Eating too little just tells the body to ‘conserve fat’! So rest easy, and let it settle where it will, another time when there is less stress might be better… Goodness knows we who have soldiered through The Change have had many challenges, wait till that hits you! You have a responsibility to yourself, not all of us. I agree with Suzi, you have just blazed the trail for us, that is all. Ease up and relax into it. Many Thanks. xox

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  32. Dorothé

    Thank you Susan, this was just what I needed

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  33. Kiria

    When I go to the Kindle link there is no 1.99 offer, it’s 12.01$ at the moment. Did something go wrong?

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  34. Suzi

    You need to always evaluate whether you are a high achiever or compulsive. A high achiever knows when the project is over. You’ve reached your goal, the program is in you’re muscle memory, you know what works. RELAX! You’ll know when to start paying attention again when your clothes don’t fit anymore! I think the reason your Hashimoto’s is acting up is because of stress. The stress you’re put on yourself about your number and the stress you’ve put on yourself about being the perfect leader of this tribe. Read your own blog page about a week or so ago where you wrote about not being the perfect leader of this tribe. We don’t expect you to be perfect! We look to you as a big sister. Someone who had walked the path before us. Who has made the mistakes, learned from them and who can warn us of the pitfalls. That’s all we expect. So take that huge “responsibility” that you’ve put on yourself, and get rid of that silly notion and just be free! We want you to be free, just as we want freedom for ourselves!

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    1. Joseph

      I know Susan. She’s a high achiever, and far to the extreme. She lives with a lot of stress, but it’s not a neurosis. It’s the real stress of her life’s mission — taking on the global obesity pandemic, one person at-a-time.
      Joseph in Missoula

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  35. Margaret

    They were there. Present in their body. Comfortable in their skin.

    Yes, we can claim that.

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  36. Sherry

    Once again I admire your openness and ability to share the true meaning of “happy thin and free”. Thank you!

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  37. Sue Olsen

    YES…THIS! I just had a conversation with a friend on this very topic. When she asked how much more am I planning on losing?? I said. I don’t know. Right now I feel pretty good with a #49 pound loss…but I don’t want to obsess over the number so I will stick to the food plan…if I lose great, if I don’t that’s fine too. I am free from the bondage and the pull of NMFs. I am Happy Thin and Free! Thank you Susan for all your research…heart, mind, and soul!
    Love you!

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  38. Diane

    It is so refreshing and encouraging to hear your honesty and willingness to be transparent. I have tried a little of every diet out there and Bright Line is the first plan that is working well for me and seems very possible to maintain as a lifestyle. Your encouragement and ability to be real makes it possible to believe in the happy, thin and free. Your vlog this week about being free is the real beauty of the plan. The criteria is clear, the lines make sense and it works!

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  39. Kathy Verschoor

    I wish the movement tag line would of been Happy, Right-Sized and Free.

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  40. Vivian

    I enjoyed this weeks vlog its so true we concentrate too much on the number. Thank you Susan.

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  41. Mary

    I wish you’d post this on the Bright Lifers site for easy eference. I’d like to listen to this many more times! I’ve still got 100 pounds to go, so I don’t want to waste any of that long journey wishing I was some other weight. Even though my goal weight is firmly fixed in my mind, I don’t want any weight issues to stagnate my heart. I aim to be free NOW.

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  42. Maryjane Thibodeau

    I had my thyroid removed in 1980 at age 26 I had thyroid cancer so I take Synthroid I eat soy very seldom because I tried soy creamer
    For a week and I tanked it threw my system off and I went hypo I was shocked that it happened so quickly
    Also flax and walnuts are not good to eat all the time for me at least

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  43. Rosanne Maluk

    Yoo Hoo and Thank You Dear Susan …

    And … I choose to be in Your Service … Co-Creation …
    You Matter … Your Vulnerability is Inspirational …
    Hugs and Blessings …

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  44. Marxie

    Thank you for your honesty, Susan. <3 🙂

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  45. Leslie

    I think of being thin as a feeling rather than a number. If you feel like crap in your body, perhaps drop a few pounds. If you feel great, the number is irrelavent. Thanks for your weekly vlog Susan! Always enjoy it.

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  46. Toni Whitmont

    Thank you Susan. I think it is absolutely essential that we listen to the wisdom of our bodies and we let go of the “fix it/Perfection” ambition that so many of us get stuck in. I also think that true embodiment manifests as an acceptance of our individual differences. What I have discovered, thanks to Bright Line Healing, is that self compassion and self kindness arethe key for me to being “happy thin and free”. And that being happy and free has led me to a less didactic approach to what thin actually is for my body. I have hypothyroidism and adrendal fatigue (and a bunch more) and I have realised that if I focus entirely on the number on the scale, in fact I am battling with my body in a way that actually adds to the stress of these conditions. If I just focus on eating right for me, my whole system moves from hypervigilant exhaustion to the possibility of real nourishment and real nutrition.

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  47. Susan McGennis

    This is one of my favorite BLE vlogs!!! Awesome insights, Susan! Thank you for continuing to inspire and help me along my journey. I’ve experienced this same “struggle with the number” and it is great to feel your kindred spirit. Glad you are at peace with such a simple shift in mindset. It also goes to show how important the social support (your Mastermind group) can be in terms of helping you feel good about looking at your situation just a little bit differently & accepting what’s happening vs striving for perfection.

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  48. M.A.

    Hi — I’m wondering if some of your fixation on numbers was about your academic background — as a trained scientist you spent years quantifying things; maybe that way of standardizing just got in your head.

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  49. Cathy Ditmore-Watson

    I am claiming HAPPY and FREE and still working on THIN! I have erased 52lbs this year…just have 170 more or less to go!! Thanks for sharing this journey with me! I am not alone!! We can do this together!!

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  50. Emma

    Your continued ‘mind’ journey it beautiful to watch and reinforces to me the essential skill of continuing to be present with this process. Being mindful that my brain is the reason my body got in this state and I need to work to heal my brain continually during this process and for the rest of my life. Thank you Susan xx

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  51. Janice Smith

    YESSSS! I agree totally. I’m still in the weight loss plan and weigh myself monthly. While there is lots of weight for me to lose yet my focus is not what the scale says and I feel free as the shedding of excess occurs. I believe many people are obsessed with the number on the scale, which to me is another addiction.

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  52. Laurie Lay

    This is amn amazing vlog. I had no idea you were going through all of that… but that totally makes sense. So glad you figured it out. You really are our Pioneer woman on this journey. A true Trail Blazer. Thank you for sharing your discoveries with us.
    I am so happy & Proud to be a member of this tribe. Your tribe. The precious BLE community. My hear is full of Joy.
    With love and blessings,
    Laurie Lay

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  53. Nancy Siddens

    I am thrilled to hear you recognize this. I know people who haven’t had weight issues who have not changed their eating or exercise habits and yet began gaining weight in their 40s. Metabolism slows as you age – at least for most of us. By no stretch of the imagination is 117 lbs anything but thin for a person 5’3″ Glad you could let that number go. And I would venture to say that 100 lbs for a 5′ woman plus 5 lbs per inch is a pretty lofty goal for many of us post-menopausal types. I really caution that an overly ambitious goal could set many up for feeling like failures.

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  54. Bea

    What agreat vlog. Wish you luck with the tyroid. Red light of 660 MHZ or lowlevel laser of this frequency, guess you tried this as well? (Isabella Wentz, Ari Whitten …..)
    Happy youre feeling good again with your new goal!
    Your sincerely

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  55. Sharon

    Let Go and Let God! Love it, and where I am too! Thank you again.

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  56. Kathy

    Truly words of wisdom!

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  57. Shana Henson

    OMG Susan!! I feel like we’re soul sister’s. I’m so proud of you to say enough, I’m living my life and it’s a beautiful one!! I’m in your boot camp and I am almost at goal weight, my appetite has become loud and I was trying to push off maintenance because, “what if I can lose another 5lbs”. I’m 5’4 120-123 Ibs. I look and feel great, my BLE support community was like enough, go into maintenance. I appreciate you being honest about your journey and with the vlog today you just gave me permission to let go and enjoy my body as it is today. I’m so grateful to be apart of a movement that improves one’s health as well as one’s soul.

    P.S. I’ll see you in San Diego!!
    Hugs-
    Shana Henson

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  58. E Harvey

    Dear Susan,
    Love you, love your message, bought your book before the Kindle special, and spreading the word. But, and you knew there’d be a but, right? One suggestion: Please change the tone of your first sentence. It’s the same on every video and it sounds like you’re bored (or would rather be anywhere else doing anything else) which is so contrary to the rest of your upbeat messages! It’s only the first sentence which suggests that it’s rote not an indication of your current state of mind. Please infuse that sentence with the same enthusiasm that you bring to the rest of your videos. Thanks!

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    1. Chris

      Seriously?!

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    2. Melissa Kerby

      Funny E. Susan addressed this very thing not long after I started listening to the vlogs a year ago. You aren’t alone in your analysis, but Susan’s response was way beyond my expectation of appropriate. She is SO being herself with that tone. I’m sure folks calling attention to it has resulted in her moderating at times, but now, to me, that tone has become a signature or her special “wink-wink” message to her tribe: I love it and her even more.

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  59. Boo

    Loved this. My last 5 pounds are going to take a while to come off, if at all. Frankly it is ok either way…
    Thanks Susan; your videos are my emergency action plan!

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  60. Paula

    Perfect timing! This was what I needed to hear. I have been focusing on achieving a weight range of 103 to 107. I have been 108 to 112 and obsessing about that last 5 pounds. Your message was a wake-up call. My new focus is NOT on the number. My new focus is on HEALTH (psychological and physical).

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  61. Dawn A Irving

    I have chills after watching this week’s vlog. It’s exactly what I needed to hear I’m in the Boot Camp now day two andI’m so excited.My compulsion is already gone since I’ve done the 14 day challenge. Thank you so much Susan for the message you speak. .. carry on!
    With love and deep appreciation,
    Dawn

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  62. Susan E

    Probably not the best blog to listen to on my first day of just the 8 wk challenge. When you’re angry you even need to do this and you weigh 334. Listening to someone on this particular subject is a bummer. I’m feeling more but will vent elsewhere because I know deep down, the feeling will pass.

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  63. Betsy Meynardie

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! This vlog makes so much sense. I am so grateful for BLE and the journey it has set me on. I am learning so much about myself, I am feeling great and I’m on my way to my right sized body. As a person who has struggled with weight since I as a kid, I truly believe it isn’t about the number on the scale. Although I have to admit that believing it and living it are two different things. I am so grateful for this vlog that supports this thinking. I still have a way to go until I reach my right sized body… and I’m not sure what the number will be, but I think I’ll know it when I’m there. It is the lifestyle not the number and that is what I believe will make a difference for me this time around. Thanks again for all you do and especially for the community you brought together.

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  64. Andrea

    This is powerful and also brave on your part. I have recently had to remind myself, “it’s not a diet, it’s about the free!”. The diet mindset is as challenging to leave behind as the NMFs. Thanks for addressing this honestly. Once again, you are breaking ground in this field by sharing the journey, not destination, of a real Bright Life. Thank you.

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  65. Marilyn Wells

    Thank you Susan. Hallelujah! I feel much more free after watching this vlog. I have hypothyroidism and am medicated for it. I am within 10 lbs. of what I thought was to be my goal, but my body happily is fluctuating right around where I am now. I really have been tied to a number on the scale and it has been driving me crazy. I have a great BMI and body fat percentage, but somehow that didn’t seem to be good enough for me. I am rethinking everything. And thank you for leading the way yet again.

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  66. Chrystina Cook

    AWESOME Susan!!! I so agree. Very happy for you. Thank you for sharing your truth as always. Love you!

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  67. Julia Schroter

    Thank you so much for that VLOG, Susan! When I was young and slim, go-go-go all the time, my weight varied between 125 & 135 lb (quite okay for my sturdy 5’8″ frame). some people I knew couldn’t understand why I wasn’t obsessing over the fluctuation, why I wasn’t trying to get that number lower. Well, I wasn’t in the entertainment industry, my photo was not appearing in print or otherwise, and I refused to accept other people’s idea that I should be so obsessed -this is the 1960’s & 1970’s, especially the 1970’s. in the early 1980’s, when I decided to “grow up” and stopped smoking, drinking, carousing, partying, nightclubbing, dancing all night, skiing etc, my weight did start slowly creeping up because I didn’t think to slow down eating (no control, I’ll eat anything and everything in front of me). Finally, in 2011, I found my BMI at OBESE and started exercising portion control in addition to eating clean and walking more. I do get “Eat everything in sight” episodes occasionally, and control that fairly well by dividing food into serving size portions and putting “leftovers” in the fridge before the meal rather than after, and serving plates in the kitchen and putting them on the dining table, and only eating at the dining table, preferable with a candle burning. That’s how I’ve been “Bright Lining” myself since before I ever encountered your programs a few years ago. Thank you!

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  68. Jane

    I have been struggling with a plateau for about a week. Today’s Vlog was great but I am unable to stop this inner battle with weighing less. I have been eating less than the weight loss recommendations and still “stuck” as far as my weight goes. I am flummoxed!

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  69. Peggy

    One of your very best vlogs Susan…thank you!!

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  70. Fatima Asad

    ??

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  71. Lisa

    Great timing ! So good to hear you have the same struggles and they are recent even after the yrs you have spent at it, reinforces the journey(lifestyle) not the diet …thanks Susan

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  72. Eda Ebe

    Thank you, Susan, for your wise affirming words. I have struggled and obsessed over my weight and eating for the last decade. What a bother! I’m so sick of it. This year, the year I turn 60, is the year to make it happen. I’ve chosen a goal number of pounds I’d like to lose, but it’s really more about getting back to my right size and into my right size clothes. Thank you for your constant inspiration.

    Reply ·
  73. Ginny Jensen

    Thank you so much for this timely reminder! I have been struggling with the number because for one in my life, the doctor wanted me to weigh more than I thought I should! I am going for freedom instead of number. Thanks again!

    Reply ·
  74. Sophie

    Ah Susan, this vlog speaks to me! I lost 20 pounds and have been at 122-125 pounds for the last 30 weeks!! My initial goal weight was 110, but I never got there. although I kept in the 122-125 range, sticking to my bright lines most of the time (and always on the weight loss plan). But I feel good in my body, and I also decided to let go of the number. This is the FREE part! Yay (and happy too)! Who knows, maybe at some other moment, I will be lowering down on the scale, but right now, this is where I am and I love it!

    Reply ·
  75. Linda

    Can’t get your vlog any more. It says “a network change has occurred.” I know my phone automatically does updates, other than that I haven’t changed anything
    Love all you are teaching. I’very been having a hard time sticking with it with having other family food around and lack of support.
    I am determined to keep at it until I win the battle.

    Reply ·
  76. Wendy Solganik

    Can I just say “Hallelujah!” I’m thrilled to be a member of this tribe with your newfound perspective on prioritizing free above everything else. IMHO There is just no other sane or logical choice. And I’m going to directly call you out on it if I even smell you losing sight of this again Susan! I’ll do it with love, but I’m gonna speak up. I’m very relieved to hear where your head is at today. You are right about the tribe. You’re journey impacts us all. I trust you more today than I ever have. Xoxo, Wendy

    Reply ·
    1. Cindy Marsch

      I was just about to make sure you saw this, Wendy! 🙂

      Reply ·
      1. Wendy Solganik

        Thanks Cindy!

        Reply ·
  77. Melissa Kerby

    Ok – everyone else who knows – what’s the problem with soy? I have hypothyroidism, but don’t know if I have Hashimoto’s. I recently went to a plant-strong diet, and have added soy milk, edamame, and tofu – all organic – and have about 5-6 servings a week. Is this taboo for someone with low-functioning thyroid? I’ve read conflicting things, including that one serving of soy a day is okay.

    HELP!

    Reply ·
    1. Ruth

      Everyone is different. If you’re feeling good with your diet then it’s good for you,

      Reply ·
    2. Fatima Asad

      See how you feel but there are some research work that shows that soya contributes to thyroid disease. Be curious and satisf your question because it’s different person to person! Good luck

      Reply ·
    3. Bright Line Eating

      Hi Melissa! Soy is a goitrogen that blocks the activity of the TPO enzyme and hence has been linked to the development of auto-immune thyroiditis. That’s the underlying science of it. In practice, the vast majority of people with thyroid conditions feel better when they stop consuming soy. I personally believe that, for most people, eating soy is fine. But for people with a thyroid condition that’s probably not a good idea. Hope that helps?

      Also, just to be clear: I’m not a medical doctor and I’m not offering you medical advice, just sharing my opinion.

      Reply ·
      1. Melissa Kerby

        Thank you all who responded re: soy! Gonna get antibody test in next few months and be more systematic in evaluating my response to soy.

        Reply ·
      2. Sarah

        Any thoughts on gluten and hashinotos? Obviously I’m talking about gluten in the form of wheat berries and Ezekiel sprouted bread.

        Reply ·
    4. Jacqie

      Yes, no soy by my Naturopath! However, I have never eaten soy! If you have an under active thyroid as Drs. will tell you, it probably is Hashimotos – check Dr. Izabella Wentz work – The Thyroid Secret!

      Reply ·
    5. Cathy

      I take synthroid for hypothyroidism. I once ate some weight loss bars with soy for a week. I gained 5 pounds of water retention that week. I was told that soy interferes with synthroid.–that it blocks the effect of the medication. Too much fresh spinach will do the same. That information doesn’t seem to be readily available I totally stay away from soy. Hope this helps.

      Reply ·
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