Bright Line Living™ - The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

It’s not uncommon to feel your world starting to narrow in when you first start Bright Line Eating. Suddenly, you have food limits and may feel isolated in social situations. It can feel very confining and restrictive. But I’m happy to tell you it doesn’t last. In fact, recovery is shaped like an hourglass, and your horizons will soon expand. In this vlog, I share what that may look like. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/zpvkx6 The Best of The Weekly Vlog: The Hourglass Shape of Recovery | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast The Hourglass Shape of Recovery was originally published on March 11, 2020: https://www.brightlineeating.com/podcasts/bright-line-living-the-official-bright-line-eating-podcast/episodes/2147779266 Historical note: When Susan and her five friends went to Toronto, the news of an illness was in the media but it was unclear how worrisome it was. As they drove back to Rochester, NY from Toronto, COVID lockdowns happened. They were some of the last people from the USA to get across the border from Canada.

In my next book, Maintain, I’ll be talking about the art of keeping weight off over the long term. One way to accomplish that is by doing your inner work. What does that mean, though? In this vlog, I explain what people are talking about when they say they’re doing their inner work, and offer you some concrete examples of what it looks like. This vlog was originally published on October 15, 2025. Registration for this course has closed. The Webinar and Masterclass are no longer available. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/mkdxg7 The Inner Work | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

In this fan-favorite vlog, we look at an important question: Is it really true when they say once a food addict, always a food addict? You may be doing great with your Bright Lines and wonder if you can go back to eating the way you used to—but is that safe? There’s some good science that answers that question, and in this vlog, I share what the research tells us. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/hsvzuv The Best of The Weekly Vlog: Once a Pickle, Always a Pickle | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast Once a Pickle, Always a Pickle was originally published on March 21, 2018: https://www.brightlineeating.com/podcasts/bright-line-living-the-official-bright-line-eating-podcast/episodes/2147779365 

In this “Best of the Vlog” offering, I talk about how to support others in our community, and people in general. The top rule? Never give advice. Never. But, you say, how can I help them then? Watch the vlog to see what you should do instead to provide loving, compassionate support—it’s way easier and it helps way more. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/d22ou4 The Best of The Weekly Vlog: How to Provide Loving Support | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast How to Provide Loving Support was originally published on May 16, 2019: https://www.brightlineeating.com/podcasts/bright-line-living-the-official-bright-line-eating-podcast/episodes/2147779306 

The World Health Organization is RIGHT NOW considering the addition of food addiction to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the globally recognized manual of physical and mental disorders. Why should this matter to you? Because you can play an important role in letting them know why it’s vital that we take this step! In this vlog, I explain it all. Click here to download the PDF with instructions on how to submit your opinion. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/lxyudx Let’s Get Food Addiction Into the ICD! | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

In this week’s vlog, I talk about an exciting new opportunity for those who want to take their program to the next level, or who need to restart their program when they’ve drifted off. Whatever your reason, you can benefit from the powerful new course we’ve created to support you. Click here to access the MiniClass. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/brxpse How to Restart Bright Line Eating | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

In this fan-favorite “Best Of” vlog, I answer a question from Susan, who is retired and often takes spontaneous trips that make it hard for her to write down her food beforehand. Is this ever a good idea? Find out when it’s a sane choice to allow some flex in your food planning, and when it’s not. Sane Choices was originally published on November 1, 2017: https://www.brightlineeating.com/podcasts/bright-line-living-the-official-bright-line-eating-podcast/episodes/2147779385  FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/sconob The Best of the Weekly Vlog: Sane Choices | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

In this “Best Of” vlog, I talk about how important the hours of evening are in helping you to maintain your Bright, beautiful life. In fact, we say that the day begins not at sunrise—but at sunset the day before. Why is this the case? Find out more in this classic vlog that’s proven popular since I shot it several years ago. The Day Begins at Sunset was originally published on August 2, 2023.  FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/ycd4wn The Best of the Weekly Vlog: The Day Begins at Sunset | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

A Bright Lifer wrote in with a question about affirmations: Do they really work? The answer isn’t a simple “yes” or “no.” Researchers have uncovered some interesting factors that play a role in their efficacy. Sometimes they help, and sometimes they actually hurt. In this vlog, I take a look at that research and share exactly what you can do to make sure you’re getting benefit from your affirmations, and not unintentionally undermining your Bright mindset. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/nipuvm Do Affirmations Really Work? | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

You’ve probably noticed that health insurance costs have increased astronomically over the past decade as diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related chronic illnesses ravage our health and our pocketbooks. More recently, the cost of GLP-1 drugs has exacerbated the problem. We want to help, and I know we can. In this vlog, find out what we’re doing to break into a completely new sector for us—in a way that everyone benefits. Contact us to learn more about how Bright Line Eating can benefit your company. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/ynv7zy Health Care Costs Are Exploding and Bright Line Eating Has an Answer | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

This week, I’m introducing a new series of “Best Of” vlogs. Our first one is literally the #1 vlog that Bright Lifers say they refer to again and again. In it, I discuss what happens when you’ve been Bright, but then give in to the little voice that says, one bite won’t hurt… That’s called intermittent reinforcement. Learn what the science says about why it can indeed hurt you to give in to food cravings, even just once in a while. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/1ysucs The Best of The Weekly Vlog: Intermittent Reinforcement | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating PodcastIntermittent Reinforcement was originally published on September 23, 2020.

Body positivity can be hard. We’re programmed by society to think negatively about our bodies from an early age. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this vlog, I share a new story you can tell yourself that might just reprogram your thoughts and feelings about your body at the deepest level. This story helps me to think the best about my body…and it may just help you, too. Watch to learn more. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/ozn56r Developing a Positive Body Image | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

How do you determine if something is an addiction or a bad habit? The DSM-5 has 11 criteria they use to help diagnose addictions. Having even a few of those may indicate addiction. But there’s another criterion I use to help determine whether something is a bad habit or an addiction. Watch this week’s vlog to find out what it is. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/4ms87c What’s the Difference Between a Bad Habit and an Addiction? | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

Read the research paper here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1586490/full  This week, I have another article to share with you from Frontiers in Psychiatry. In this one, we talk about using an abstinence-based model—like Bright Line Eating—with those who have eating disorders, such as bulimia. Does it work? Watch the vlog to find out how my own story may help you to understand the nuances involved. Read the research paper here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1586490/full  FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/hqszrq Abstinence-Based Treatment for Eating Disorders | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

I’m excited to announce that we’ve just published a paper in the prestigious journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. It outlines the results of a six-year follow-up survey of people who did the Bright Line Boot Camp in 2017. What we discovered is exciting and gratifying—and I share it with you in this week’s vlog.Read the research paper here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12169135/ FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/3w5esg 6-Year Follow-Up Research on Bright Line Eating | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

Can you have an allergy to sugar, flour, or unmeasured food quantities? It all depends on your definition of “allergy.” In this week’s vlog, find out what allergies are when you’re talking about food addiction, and why an allergy mindset can help you make your Bright Life possible. Take the Masterclass! FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/cqrpll The Allergy Model of Addiction | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

Someone wrote in and asked whether people who have a more intuitive, creative, spontaneous personality type can succeed with Bright Line Eating. She pointed out that BLE seems to be a natural fit for people who gravitate toward structure, order, and discipline, but what about the rest of us? I relate to this so much! Watch this week’s vlog to hear my answer. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/nm62oz Can You Do BLE With a More Freewheeling Personality Type? | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast  

This week we’ll be addressing a provocative question: How do weight-loss drugs affect romantic relationships? In 2018, a study out of Sweden looked at bariatric surgery outcomes for long-term romantic relationships. They found that those who had the surgery and were married were significantly more likely to get divorced afterwards, while those who were single were significantly more likely to enter into a long-term relationship. Furthermore, the degree of weight loss predicted the changes—the more weight someone lost, the more likely they were to divorce if they were married, or find a partner if they were single. As far as I know, no comparable study has been done with GLP-1 drugs. But earlier this year, the New York Times published an article by Lisa Miller, who interviewed more than two dozen people who were on GLP-1 medications to talk about their relationship challenges. The article focused on one couple, Jeanne and Javier. Jeanne was 53 and had fatty liver disease. She started taking Zepbound and lost 60 pounds—and her marriage utterly changed. At the time of the article, she and her husband had not had sex since she went on the medication. Not once. Both said that the time since she went on the drug has been the hardest in their 15-year marriage. Jeanne reported that the weight-loss drugs gave her her “no” back. She’s a people pleaser, but now she wasn’t afraid to say no—to sex, to staying out late with friends, to alcohol. She and Javier started to fight. The article doesn’t wrap up what will happen to them, but said that suddenly they’re talking about divorce. What are the factors here? Are weight-loss drugs taking away people’s sex drive? Studies on that are mixed, with no clear conclusions. What else could be going on, then? One factor is that weight-loss drugs shift people’s identities. For Jeanne, her identity as a people pleaser went away. She found her no. Another factor: the couples with better outcomes had some looseness in how they navigated things like mealtimes. For example, couples who didn’t eat together fared better than those where dinner was a big production. Couples who were not in lockstep, with relaxed expectations for each other, were better off after the weight-loss drugs came into their lives. The article also got into how some couples split up because the weight loss suggested a change in social status. Data shows that couples are often matched in social desirability and physical attractiveness. So, when one person loses a lot of weight, it may mean their social desirability increases, causing a loss of balance in the relationship. Lastly, there are hormonal changes. Hormones affect our behavior, our thoughts, and our moods, and a lot of them are made and stored in fat. When you lose weight, they are impacted. At Bright Line Eating, we help lots of people lose weight. We help them change when and how much they eat and how they relate to food. This may break social contracts that people have in their relationships. The article talked about how sometimes that weight loss isn’t attractive to the partner. This can be a challenge, too. I lost 60 pounds 22 years ago, and I was married at that point for 3 or 4 years. We survived it—but it was hard. So I appreciate how the light is starting to shine on how weight loss and weight-loss drugs can impact primary relationships. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/2kzrra How Weight-Loss Drugs Impact Romantic Relationships | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

I’ve been thinking about weight-loss drugs and long-term weight-loss maintenance. If you’re curious about how these two pair together, you’ll want to watch this video. Last weekend, I submitted the completed first draft for my fifth Bright Line Eating book, called Maintain. It’s about the shift needed to sustain lifelong weight loss. In it, I wrote about weight-loss drugs. It’s clear they are not going to solve the obesity pandemic. Why? Because people aren’t staying on them. 85 percent of people go off them within two years. People see them as a short-term fix, and then regain the weight when they stop using them. The way to keep weight off is to lose it, and then keep doing whatever you did to lose it. This relates to the first of three identity shifts I talk about in the book. You’ve got to become someone who is not dieting, but instead is devoted to a lifestyle change. Diets are a temporary quick fix. But with a lifestyle change, you’re looking at a new way of life. It’s the difference between giving up meat for Lent and becoming a vegetarian. You’ve got to become devoted. The second identity shift is that you’ve got to become resourced, meaning that you’re not using food as a crutch. You’re not eating for every emotion, or getting into food when life becomes lifey. You’ve developed other resources for coping with emotions. Finally, you’ve got to become liberated, meaning you are willing to face what your life will be like without the food and weight struggle, and fill that space with beautiful, Bright pursuits. People generally don’t think of weight-loss drugs as a long-term thing. I assembled a couple of hundred people on Zoom recently who were on or considering weight-loss drugs. I asked the people who were currently on a GLP-1 medication how many planned to stay on them, and 76 percent said no. These people had not crafted a long-term program. Which ultimately means they’re on a diet. Here’s what works: a three-pronged system: food, habits, support. You need a food plan. If you take the Food Susceptibility Quiz, at foodaddictionquiz.com, you’ll get a number from 1-10. 10 means you have a brain that is profoundly addicted to food. Your approach to food needs to factor that in when looking at solutions. You need habits around healthy living. Sleep, gratitude, and self-care habits. You may need habits around meditation and human connection. In the Bright Line Eating Boot Camp, I talk about these habits and guide you in setting them up. Lastly, you need support, a community of people walking this journey with you. People you can call when you’re afraid of the number on the bathroom scale, and so much more. So, where do weight-loss drugs fit in? If you can’t stick to a program because of cravings and hunger, weight-loss drugs can be a tool to help you work your program. But expect to use them for the long term. Whether there are exceptions to this is something we’ll see in the coming years. What works for maintenance is whatever you did to lose weight. Long-term maintenance means doing what takes the weight off, using the three-prong path. If you have relapsed or can’t seem to manage a consistent plan, you may want to consider a weight-loss drug. If you absolutely insist on getting off of them, I would encourage you to reach maintenance, stay on the drugs for at least two years, and then slowly wean off. We’re on this journey together. I’m watching the relationship between these drugs and food addiction, and advise you that whatever method you use to lose weight, keep doing it. I’ve created a new video series, called Weight-Loss Drugs and Beyond: What Really Works for Lifelong Success. I talk about the latest research, side effects, and more. In it, I tell you how you can get the effects of drugs—without using them. I invite you to join our new Boot Camp Cohort to find out more. I’d also like to ask you to answer one quick question at the link below, about how you feel about weight-loss drugs. That will get you free access to the video series. I’m glad we’re all on this journey together, and I love you. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/zqxbgp How to Use Weight-Loss Drugs With Bright Line Eating | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast

In this vlog, I want to talk about how to manage the “muchness” of life, especially if you have multiple priorities—a job, family, and more—and fitting it all into your Bright life feels overwhelming. I’d like to share with you some insights I’ve gained in the past week about structuring my days, and especially my evenings.  I struggle chronically with over-busyness. Sometimes I feel like I’m just treading water and can barely keep my head above water.  But recently, I talked with one of my life coaches, Clive Prout. I told him I’ve been feeling overwhelmed, but I didn’t think there were any breakthroughs possible, because I’m not willing to get rid of any of my major “buckets” of activity that I’m devoted to. I’m committed to everything: my family, my job, my body work, and more. I knew it was all too much, but didn’t think I could take any of it away.  Clive helped me realize something about how I live my Bright days, and it blew my mind that I’d never noticed this before. The first three hours of my day, after my alarm goes off at 5:12, are strictly scheduled. I have a support call at 5:30, meditation at 6 am, then breakfast—and it goes on. I know where every minute of my morning is spent. Between 8:30 and 4:30, it’s also true; I know what I’m doing every hour.  But after 4:30, I couldn’t tell you what I’m doing. I never noticed this before, probably because I do have an evening routine. I finish up in my office, I pray, I go through a mental gratitude list, and then get in bed for my nightly readings, 5-year journal, and Nightly Checklist. It all seemed structured to me. But I was in total denial about when all that happens. I intend to get to bed at 9:30 every night, but my Oura Ring told me I wasn’t getting to sleep until nearly 11. I was averaging only 6 hours and 22 minutes of sleep over the past several months—not enough! Working with Clive, I realized my mornings are structured because there are people I need to work with. I’m committed to being there for them. But commitments to myself feel more flexible.  So, during my coaching call, I declared that from now on, it’s lights out at 9:30. I committed to that. Then I made a nightly office checklist to streamline my process of shutting down for the day.  The first night I did this, I thought it would take me an hour to shut down my office, but at the hour mark, I wasn’t even half done. No wonder it was taking me so long to get to bed!  Now, with the checklist, I am clearer about what needs to be done. I can get through it faster. And, because I know the lights need to be out at 9:30 p.m., no excuses, I cut corners and move faster when necessary. So now the lights are going out at 9:30 and I’m getting an hour’s more sleep. My readiness score skyrocketed, and I feel great. For me, structure works. For this time of my life, with three teens still at home who are a priority and a career I’m devoted to, a 25-year marriage, and an aging body that needs attention, I’m committed to a lot of things these days. And structure is key. What about people who aren’t structured? For example, people who are Ps rather than Js on the Myers-Briggs? Believe it or not, I’m one of those—a high P, which is someone who doesn’t prefer structure. I’ve learned, however, that accepting some structure in my life lets me get the things done that I need to do. Without structure, I’m flailing.  So I’ve come to prefer structure because that’s how I make things work.  I offer this to you if you’re like me, with lots of commitments, and you’re trying to live Bright and still show up for everything. For me, structure is key. My evening Bright Line bedtime is making it all work. I offer this as an anecdote and data point to see if it might feel helpful for your life as well. FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/pjh5bd Bright Line Bedtime | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast