I said
here that I would post more about Bright Line Eating for anyone who was interested, but I decided I'm going to talk about it despite nobody expressing any interest.
Bright Line Eating is a program started by Susan Pierce Thompson, PhD (Brain and Cognitive Science) and is an approach to eating (and in particular weight loss) that is geared toward people like myself who have a very high susceptibility to food addiction. Thus the part below about what/when to eat is only a part of the program. There's also a journaling component, online community (for those who choose to join), etc.
Maybe the most radical aspect of the program (and one I have yet to comport with) is that each night you are supposed to decide everything you are going to eat the next day and then eat only and exactly that.
Per Thompson, "bright lines" is a legal term that means a clear delineation. Thus the core of Bright Line Eating is adhering to the following four "bright lines":
- No sugar
Whole, fresh fruit is okay, but fruit juice and dried fruit are not, nor are any artificial or added sweeteners such as honey, agave, stevia, maple syrup, dextrose, sucralose, aspartame, saccharine, and similar products.
- No flour
…of any kind. Not even whole grain flour, oat flour, almond flour, or coconut flour. It’s the processing that dictates how it will affect our brains.
- Weighed and measured quantities
Food is either weighed with a digital food scale, or a “one plate, no seconds” rule can be adopted.
- Eating only meals
For most people it’s three meals a day with nothing in between. Snacking and grazing are not allowed.
There are two plans, one for weight loss and one for maintenance. The weight loss plan is:
Meal One: 1 protein, 1 grain, 1 fruit
Meal Two: 1 protein, 6oz veggies, 1 fruit, 1 fat
Meal Three: 1 protein, 6oz veggies, 8oz salad, 1 fat
There is a large database of answers to questions like "why do we count x as a fat and not a protein?" and "what about nut flours?" etc.
I am enrolled in the program ($20/month) and participating in the "boot camp" which is essentially just watching a bunch of videos and reflecting on them. I imagine some would think this post has everything they need to make this strategy work and I lean that way myself, but right now I think there's a higher likelihood of sticking with this if I have a little accountability, even to an online course.