But Wait—I DON’T Feel Free

In this week’s vlog, I discuss a topic that comes up all the time in Bright Line Eating. I discuss it a lot in our courses, but it’s so important that I thought it merited a vlog. Watch to hear all about it.

Comments

  1. Janie Wilhite

    I’m so excited to be here !

    Reply ·
    1. Carol Feather Francis

      Me, too, Janie! Since doing brightlineeating I’ve seen my ‘crazy head’ lifted! What relief.

      Reply ·
  2. Ann Carlson

    I have experienced what Susan is talking about here – the utter freedom that this strategy of eating affords. My experience of the freedoms came after a few months…. it’s such a gift !

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  3. S

    Beautiful!

    Reply ·
    1. Cindy

      I needed to hear this. Thank you.

      Reply ·
  4. Sue

    Having struggled for the last 4 weeks, and then making the decision to rezoom I realize how deep those pathways are ,that have been made from a lifetime of being addicted to sugar. I have a feeling of relief going back to BLE. Here’s to making new pathways! Thanks Susan for giving me the tools.

    Reply ·
  5. Laura

    I had some of that freedom for a whole. Now that I’ve started maintenance I’m back thinking a lot again. In fact sometimes I realize I’ve forgotten to plan my grain at lunch. The grainless lunch was automatic. Glad to hear it will get better. But I guess not until I find my full maintenance food plan.

    Reply ·
    1. Lisa

      Hi Laura, after one year on weight loss I gave myself 2 months of transitioning and needed another 3 months of maintenance to feel the automatism again. Please don´t give up! It did take me for some mental loops but seeing that I keep my weight (HALF of what I was!) without cravings is wonderful.

      Reply ·
  6. Coleen Sterns Leith

    It’s so worth the investment of your time and energy to get to automaticity. It does take a bit of time yet the freedom is incredible!

    Reply ·
  7. Raven

    Thank you. I have been wondering why, as only a 3 on the susceptibility scale, this was so hard to stick to over time. But I DO have a very strong inner rebel part. And something I’m just thinking of now — they say one of the reasons it is hard for people to quit smoking is that it is something they were doing with their hands — I think I feel the same way about snacking. I think a lot of the time that I am snacking, it isn’t so much that I want to eat X, it is that I want to be doing something with my hands that I don’t need to think about. That’s another place this “automaticity” of past eating comes into play.

    Reply ·
    1. Bright Line Eating

      So interesting to consider that! It makes sense that we need something new to keep our hands busy once we quit the snacking!

      Reply ·
  8. Lisa Sinclair

    Such an encouragement. Thank you. My rebel part is huge, and my lack of surrender and screwing with the program make my sabotaging lifestyle predominant. Thank you for speaking it all so clearly. My choices.

    Reply ·
  9. Прованса

    This is what is crucial for me-It will get easier and it will become automatic…

    Reply ·
  10. Mayra Garza-Hitchens

    ..
    .Thank you ….and may I add that ‘the rebel’ part is doing the best she can…

    Only every time.

    Without exception.

    Let’s also support ourselves remembering that…

    Reply ·
  11. Charity

    Wow, I really needed this today. Thank you so much!!

    Reply ·
  12. Nathalie Leclerc

    is that an Oura ring on your index?

    Reply ·
  13. Susan Brown

    I am in my second week. Already I am free in that I know I have all I will need prepped in the fridge and I don’t remember what I committed to until I re-look at my plan. I am so free from “ what do I want, what should I want, I don’t have the energy to prepare that…” kind of chatter. And for me who has a running dialogue evaluating the caloric load of what I have already eaten and figuring out what I deserve….well, it is very freeing. Not automatic but in the sense I described, freeing.

    Reply ·
    1. Lauren

      Exactly!

      Reply ·
    2. Lisa A Rowe

      Yes, I love this too! and I’m half way through year 2 of BLE.

      Reply ·
  14. Lauren

    I just have to laugh a bit here. My former self was SO food obsessed. I thought about food, planned my next food attack, looked up recipes for food with the biggest impact, stopped for snacks every time I went anywhere in my car, etc. I would overeat and then feel guilty as well as physically miserable. There was no freedom there.
    When I began Bright Line Eating I simply shifted my considerable focus in this new direction. It was not easy to reprogram all the tethers that held those old behaviors in place but I was determined and supported to make the change.
    Now, for the first time in my life I have peace around food. There is no second guessing. I know my food is sufficient and on track. My cupboards and my lifestyle are oriented towards healthy food in managed portions and it is THE most free I have ever felt.
    Oh, and I have lost over 60 pounds and kept it off for several years!

    Reply ·
  15. Shawna Murph

    DITTO Lauren!!! I can honestly say I was the same way, and am proof that BLE brings EASE to my life What a relief to have the crazy life of food obsession gone!

    Reply ·
  16. Samantha Horning

    But you ARE in my kitchen! You are the angel sitting on my shoulder telling me to have integrity when I measure my food, telling me no BLTs, and praising me when I stick to my food plan. The devil sitting on the other shoulder doesn’t stand a chance!

    It does get easier and the food chatter does quiet down. I am a work in progress💕

    Reply ·
  17. Betsy

    I’m on day one and so grateful for the support of you, Susan, and all the people who comment. I am very hopeful – I have tried everything and succeeded at everything – for a time – and then I didn’t – The sugar took hold. Everything I have read and heard here rings so true. With all the conflicting information out about food and so many “experts” out there it is hard to know which way to go but this is the first time I really have heard someone speak to the truth about Food Addiction – and yes I am a 10 on the scale – so I guess I am figuring out – hopefully for good – that sugar is TOXIC to me. Maybe not to someone else but to me. The FAQs section is awesome. Actually having a plan right now feels like freedom to me – freedom from my HEAD – thank you. I was already spending a lot of time thinking about food – so now it is just thinking about it in a healthy way. 🙂

    Reply ·
  18. Ann Hough

    I love your messages but so wish that there was a transcript. Sometimes I don’t have time to listen to the vlog and would love to quickly read instead.

    Reply ·
    1. Bright Line Eating

      Thanks for the feedback, Ann! This is something we’ve talked about and plan to consider further in the future.

      Reply ·
  19. Nancy Goss

    Such an important vlog for all of us. Thanks for sharing. I find i can talk to my inner rebel and say, “I am grateful for change. I am grateful that I know how to plan my food. . .etc.” When I reframe it this way in my mind, the inner rebel backs right off.

    Reply ·
  20. Don Wilkin

    This vlog really grabbed me. I so relate. I was just thinking yesterday, after 312 days of BLE (or my personal version of BLE), that damned scale is automatic, three times a day. Very little thought.

    Reply ·
  21. Lavina

    I agree with Ann. Wish there was a transcript. But for the most part I make time to listen as it gets to the point and what we need to hear. This one was awesome! Thanks Susan!

    Reply ·
  22. Helen

    Fab!!Fab!Fab!! There are no words for such a truthful,,concise explanation of BLE and exactly how it works! And it DOES get easier!!

    Reply ·
  23. Jamini

    I find the “freedom” comes when I can just walk by the treats I used to consider essential. Yes, it’s work to come up with meals each day but now I’m not hostage to my cravings which I really appreciate. I can’t say I’m following everything but the 14-day challenge at least got me going and now I do have lines that I follow (no sweets the main one) and it is fantastic! I can be at a birthday party and not feel I have to have cake and ice cream–that is freedom to me….!!

    Reply ·
  24. Lisa A Rowe

    I agree with SPT, AND I want to add that food prep does take time. So many people in our society struggle with time scarcity, and do not prioritize themselves. I know this was a huge challenge for me, and required significant changes to my mindset and daily schedule. As I learned at the Family Reunion, Real food takes more time than convenience NMF — and I deserve all the time it requires!!

    Reply ·
  25. Norma Mendenhall

    I totally agree with Susan. This was so hard in the beginning, then it just became routine. It took me 5 months to lose 25 # . That was one and a half years ago and then the freedom arrived and it has been great since then because of the hard work I put into it in the beginning. I love my bright lines and Susan every week.

    Reply ·
  26. Lois Laity

    I’ve been doing BLE for 1 1/2 years. The first few months I wrote everything down. I only stock up on BL foods, so when I prepare my meals there are only BL choices. I weigh and measure everything. I feel that it is all automatic. My question is: is it ok that I don’t plan out my meals ahead of each day? Is there a point that you don’t have to write everything down? I have about 15 pounds to loose yet. I have lost 35. I live alone.

    Reply ·
    1. Bright Line Eating

      Lois, after some time living BLE, some people are able to keep their lines bright without committing their food, yes. 😉 Do what works for you, but if you find yourself struggling with making last minute decisions, definitely consider picking that back up. It’s an excellent tool.

      Reply ·
  27. Becky Vaughn

    Thank you for a great vlog. I “hear” Susan’s voice when that rebel tries to grab my attention. Susan, I love your jacket!! Where can I get one?

    Reply ·
  28. Heather Hudson/Victor Riemland

    As always Susan, “YOU ROCK GIRL!” LOVE YOU LOVE YOU AND LOVE YOU EVEN MORE!!!! XOXOXOXO

    Reply ·
  29. Lisa

    When is the recipe book coming out?
    Thanks 😘

    Reply ·
  30. Naomi

    I disagree. I feel free from food addiction, but I dont feel free from the WORK it takes to uphold the bright lines. Free to me would mean I now don’t have to spend a lot of time. But u never get free from the time. Yes the habits become “easier to do” over time, and u get time back by not having brain fog and depression. But the trade off is not really freedom. It’s just choosing what u will be a slave to. Before I could just order my food with a phone call to a pizza shop and have it delivered. Before, I Ate out all the time, and that Saved me time.. Putting in an order for what I want and having it prepared for me takes way less time than having to prepare and weigh my own meals daily . (Eating out with this program doesn’t work well for me because I can never get food in the right proportions and it is too tempting, so I can’t afford to eat out ALL the time anymore if I actually want to maintain food freedom. ) Having to make phone calls, and stay close to the mothership, the meal planning, and having a robust morning routine, and evening routine that will keep me centered is all mandatory for ME to keep my BLSs. And boy does it take time. So I think she should stop selling a dream to ppl. It depends on the person, your previous lifestyle, and how much time u previously spent on food. The reality is the time will still be spent just in a different way. And of course what your definition of freedom encompasses.

    Reply ·
  31. Teresa Hagestad

    There is a much easier way…it’s called the carnivore diet. No cravings
    no weighing. Just delicious steaks that lead to satiation.. it’s a beautiful thing.

    Reply ·
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