I turned 40 a little over two years ago, and since then, I have packed on about 25 pounds. Call it stress, hormones, or just eating more than I should, but it happened. I finally got to the point where I wanted to do something about it, so when my BFF lost 50 pounds with a program called Bright Line Eating, a program created by Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson, a psychology professor in with a PhD in brain and cognitive science, I decided that it might be worth a try.
I’m not a spokesperson, I’m nothing but a regular mom who gave it a shot and wanted to share my story and help you make a decision to see if this is right for you.
If you’re looking for a weight loss program that really works, here’s what’s you need to know about Bright Line Eating based on my own experience.
Related: A food lover’s guide to surviving the Whole 30 diet
Who is Bright Line Eating for?
First things first, you should start by taking the Susceptibility Scale Quiz to learn how addicted you are to food. Yes, it sounds severe, but what’s interesting is I took it thinking I’m in no way addicted to food — and I scored an 8 out of 10.
The science behind Bright Line Eating, which is based on an addictive model, works very well for folks like me who are high on the Susceptibility Scale. For those in the mid-range, it definitely can work as well, but you’re probably much better at moderation than someone who scored an 8, 9, or 10.
That doesn’t mean you can’t use this program if you’re not addicted to food, but you might find it more restrictive and challenging, versus helpful and successful.
What are the Bright Lines?
The core principles of Bright Line Eating are “Bright Lines” (surprise), which are clear boundaries that we don’t cross. Sort of like how a non-smoker doesn’t smoke just one cigarette every now and then.
The four Bright Lines are: sugar, flour, meals and quantities. Which means no sugar; no flour; only 3 meals a day all planned and set the day before; and everything is carefully weighed out based on a chart.
For weight loss, you follow a specific program, including the foods you need to eat at every meal (a grain, protein, fruit for breakfast for example), with the amount of specific foods laid out for you so you can plan.
Related: My Whole 30 results – or why you might want to try the Whole 30
Bright Line Eating sounds really hard.
At first this regimen definitely takes getting used to. If you’re someone who does a lot of eating out, or who enjoys social events that revolve around food, it can be extremely difficult. It’s definitely a lifestyle shift, and requires a fair amount of careful planning and preparedness.
Let’s just say you’re eating a lot of vegetables each day.
Mainly though, Bright Line Eating is a matter of staying on top of the planning, grocery shopping, and the cooking so that I always have food to prepare. You also need to be ready for travel or longer work days — basically those times you might ordinarily eat out or grab fast food. But hey, that’s why there are travel scales. (I like this one for about 25 bucks from our affiliate Amazon.)
This way, if you have to order food when you’re out, you’re able to weight it to ensure you’re not breaking your lines.
Turns out the food I end up making is pretty tasty, and wow, it forces you to get creative. Plus, I have never felt deprived!
I’m eating oat banana loaf, eggplant pizza, garbanzo bean pasta, and lots of other dishes that are really delicious. For inspiration, there’s a huge community on Instagram, and you can find tons of great ideas from seeing other people’s meals.
Related: How I survived the Whole 30…on vacation. Helpful tips you can use too.
Can you exercise on Bright Line Eating?
Actually…no.
Exercise is not recommended as part of this, and while it may sound counterintuitive, founder Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson has lots of reasons you should to it.
In essence, the idea is that you’re eating for weight loss, and your body cannot sustain itself on what you’re eating if you add exercise into the mix. Once you start adding food back in, you can think about what sort of exercise you might want to do. But because the focus is on losing pounds and inches, you’ll want to skip exercise for awhile.
Does Bright Line Eating work?
In my experience, 100% yes! I did her 8-week boot camp program, which provides video and Facebook group support, as well as a variety of resources beyond what you get in her Bright Line Eating book (available from our affiliate Amazon or your local library). During that time I lost 20 pounds.
I’ve continued with the program since then, and have lost another 5 pounds, and am now in “maintenance” mode, which means I’m adding food back in. That’s 25 pounds in 3 months!
I should mention that lots of folks see huge health benefits beyond just weight loss. Other people in my group have mentioned going off their diabetic meds or anxiety meds, plus there are countless stories about better sleep, better skin — the list goes on.
Certainly, the results vary greatly (and I’m not a doctor or researcher!), but most Bright Line Eating people I’ve interacted with have experienced fairly similar results.
Do you plan on sticking with Bright Line Eating?
While I didn’t officially sign up to be a Bright Lifer (well, yet), I plan on sticking with this program for as long as possible. I love the way I feel — and look. Hey, I’m honest. And eating this way has now become second nature to me, so much so that I don’t even miss some of the stuff that I’d previously crave and binge on.
It’s also forced me to find other ways to socialize and interact with people beyond going out to eat together, or hanging at a bar, and I appreciate that. Or if I do end up at an event that revolves around drinks, I just order a club soda.
I will say that the “Happy, Thin and Free” mantra can be off-putting to folks, particularly those in the body-positive movement, and I totally understand. However there are lots of people out there who identify as overweight and feel unhappy and uncomfortable in their own skin, and probably the biggest point: they know they’re unhealthy.
If you’re healthy and happy with your size, this is not the program for you. But if you’re looking to make a big change, and do feel as though you’re addicted to food, Bright Line Eating could be exactly the program you’ve been looking for.
Any questions? Leave them in comments. I’m happy to answer them! Also…I’m not a doctor and I’m not giving you medical advice, so be sure to check with your own doctor to see if this is something you can do.
are there recommendations for breastfeeding mamas on the plan?
Hi Tara: I’m not sure, actually. It’s a great question! I would head over to their website or better, Facebook or IG and ask. They’re very responsive.
Hi Kristen!
On average, how often did you feel hungry on this plan? Trying to think of the unfortunate people around me when I am hangry ?
Hi Ariana: At first, I was a little hungry but you will be surprised. It’s A LOT of food. 14 oz of veggies is no joke in one sitting. I would just pick your foods carefully – ones that you know will be more filling. But honestly, I was rarely hungry after maybe the first day or two.
I have been on BLE for 4 weeks. At 2 weeks, I lost 5 lbs and 2 inches. I have not lost any more weight or inches since. I don’t want to get discouraged, because I am eating much a healthier than before, but I am “stuck.” Did this happen to you and what advice do you have?
Hi Stacey – you’re doing great. What’s your goal loss? A pound a week is fantastic! Everyone loses at a different pace. Some suggestions I had were to change up your proteins to less fatty (not sure what you’re eating but instead of beef do chicken, that sort of thing), and make sure you’re keeping your lines tight. Watch oil on veggies… and hang in there! I would go for a week and lose .5 or 1 tops, then next week it would jump up.
Do you find that it is necessary to eat the full amount of veggies every day? (asking for a friend ?)
Hi Kristen,
What type of flour is the plan referring to when it states to “eliminate flour”.
Is it only white flour or others like chickpea or almond flour?
Thank you!
No flour at all! None! So, there are a few crackers you can have (triscuits, actually + a couple of gluten free), you can have Ezekiel Bread and wraps, also there is one cauli pizza out there and one brand of chickpea pasta that does not use flour.
What’s the one cauliflower pizza? I’m in my first week of BLE and i’d love to know!
Triscuits!!!?? Really! What else? I miss the crunch! What brands of other crackers .and pizza?
Hey good for you I’m doing well on this too! Lost 22 pounds in 3 months. What are the brands for the cauliflower pizza and the garbanzo pasta that don’t use flour? Thanks!
Hi Betsy, here’s a list of our favorite cauliflower pizza with no wheat flour. And congrats!!https://coolmomeats.com/2021/01/06/best-gluten-free-pizza-brands/
To be clear, none of those are BLE (although they are yummy and keto and gluten-free). I just don’t want any new BLE folks to be confused. We do not eat any type of flour- wheat, nut, rice, etc.
Some people use Banza pasta, because the label doesn’t mention flour, but if you go to their site, you’ll see they make it with chickpea flour, so it’s not BLE. There are a few from the Explore Asian line that supposedly are legitimately flour-free but I haven’t tried them.
Hi is there a food list available? Are plantains allowed ? Can I be successful without doing the boot camp on Facebook?
Hi Debra: I believe there’s a list in the book. I did the boot camp myself. Good luck!
I’d like to do the boot camp or Rezoom, but live on a less than $500. a month Soc. Sec., can i do it without a big expense? After rent, and groceries, I’m broke.
Why is Ezekiel bread ok if we can’t eat flour? The sprouted grain in Ezekiel is still flour.
Same for trisciits. Thanks
Ezekiel bread is a flourless bread made using a variety of sprouted grains.
According to a comment from a BLE representative that I found in response to the same question about Triscuits, “Triscuits are made out of whole grain and not wheat flour, which makes them technically a BLE food. That being said, they can be triggering for some people so we advise trying both carefully.”
Hope that helps.
How do we find the boot camp? I am overwhelmed and not sure I can do all this. Is there a simple menu?
Hi there, I too was overwhelmed so I started researching. There is a couple of couples on YouTube that show cooking and other videos and now I have a handful of recipes to get me through. Just Pinterest and google Bright Line eating and you will find a lot of info to guide you! Good luck.
Hi i have given up sugar for a month now but i find its hard to give up flour. What foods do i need tp eliminate that contain flour. I eat amarath and black bean and rice pasta is that ok?
Having done BLE for the past 3.5 years, I’m confident the answer to that is sadly, no. The reason we don’t eat flours is because of the refinement involved in grinding grains/nuts/roots down to a powder. In doing so, for those of us who are susceptible (and tons of people are not so they would likely not need to follow as restrictive a program as BLE), when we eat a flour, it’s basically sending a signal to our brain that we NEED this, so we struggle to stop eating it and thinking about it and craving it. It’s the same as illegal drugs, alcohol, nicotine, etc. So although amaranth and black beans and rice are all totally fine in their whole form, we don’t eat things made with them when they are ground-up.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Congrats on losing 25lbs and getting to your goal weight!!
I started the 14-Day challenge and am on Day #3. I already feel like I am sleeping better. The dinner portion of the plan is huge though and it seems like I have to force myself to finish.
After 14 days I am thinking of joining the boot camp. Would you recommend it?
I’m on day #7 of the 14 day challenge. I’m down 11.2 lbs. I’m thinking about signing up for the 2 month bootcamp after my 14 days are up, but does the diet change at all (ie the amount of proteins, fats, grains, veggies) or does the 2 month bootcamp just add more motivational videos and tips?
The eating plan stays the same. That changes when you hit Maintenance, whether the Challenge gets you there, the Boot Camp gets you there, or you get there after Boot Camp. There are lots of interesting things in Boot Camp, and I hear they ve added more since I completed it in 2017.
Can you eat brown rice pasta? And, the book says potatoes and then it says sweet potatoes. So does that mean you can eat white potatoes?
You can eat white potatoes or sweet potatoes but only at breakfast in place of the grain portion. Potatoes spike your blood sugar similar to a grain so that’s why she only recommends it at breakfast.
I’m also curious if brown rice pasta is ok and quinoa/corn tortilla chips? Which GF crackers are permitted?
How does one plan portion size? Everyone has different caloric requirements.
Wow! You look like you are in your 20s.
Congratulations! I also have been doing BLE since 2017, dropped 105 lbs and am about 3 1/2 years in Maintenance. So glad you and others are writing about BLE!
Hi Kristen,
Amazing result! I have the BLE book but can’t really afford the boot camp right now. Do you think it is possible for the book? or is there something about the Boot Camp (accountability? support? ideas? etc that in your view was pretty vital from it
Thanks Sophie
Sophie,
I’ve lost 79 lbs. doing Bright Line Eating, and I only read the book.
It works.
I’ve lost 44 lbs in 5.5 months on BLE, and it seems sorta slow. Is that a good pace?
what are the vegetables allowed in this program…corn?
Can anyone please tell me how you just say no to the flour products and the sugar!!!! I scored 10 on the quiz. I know they are totally addictive for me. I have tried over and over again just to fall back into their grip. I eat exactly as recommended but it’s the cravings are just to overpowering.