I had no idea the impact this podcast interview would have on my life…
We interviewed Susan Peirce Thompson PhD, neuroscientist, and founder and CEO of Bright Line Eating (BLE). She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester, a multiple New York Times bestselling author, and an expert in the psychology of eating. Bright Line Eating®, is a scientifically grounded program that teaches you a simple method for getting your brain on board so you can finally live free from food obsession.
A Life Changing Masterclass
My podcast partner Andeea met Susan after a presentation she gave on Food Addiction. In researching for the interview, I did her free Masterclass: Conquer Cravings, Harness Hunger, and Thrive in Your Bright Body… For Life! and when it was done never had an inkling that it applied to me. Then I took the brief Quiz and found out I am an 8 on the Food Susceptibility Scale! But it was meeting Susan on and offline during our interview that really made me think further than I ever had about my own possibility of food addiction. I keep joking that I have a mild chocolate addiction. Just ask my immediate family; they have to hide chocolate from me. But its more than that, its sugar- in all its forms. And I can trace it back many years. Now, at almost 60 and watching my Hb1AC (a biomarker of insulin resistance) slowly creep up, I am finally addressing it.
How I Masked my Sugar Addiction
The more I researched Bright Line Eating (BLE), I realized that I was masking my sugar addiction with different ways of eating – Alkaline, Medical Medium, Animal Based or brief sugar-free challenges. These all brought relief, especially The Alkaline diet as it had a bright line of no sugar (or at least the way I did it). But Medical Medium and Animal-based had so much fruit and dates that I just overate all that to get my dopamine hits. This is not a quantum match when you live at the 45th latitude. I never truly addressed food addiction which is challenging – but that is where BLE really shines. It also helps reverse leptin resistance – more on that later.
Freedom from Food Chatter
We recorded this episode about 4 months ago. I am now celebrating 30 days into the program (I am in the Bootcamp phase) and I have to say, its fun, supportive, instructive and freeing from obsessive food thoughts that have gotten worse with this perimenopausal stage in my life. I am learning there is an estrogen link with insulin and of course a blue light link with insulin – go figure. It is no accident that our first sponsor makes the best blue blockers.
Healing Both my Brain and Digestion
I still eat ancestral/local food and follow circadian (leptin) practices along side of this. Andeea has been an inspiration – she is well over 120 days, graduated Bootcamp and is a Bright Lifer now. She even lost weight that she has not been able to with anything else she tried. I am happy with my weight – that is never been my issue. This is about healing my brain and benefiting digestion and as always, aspiring for optimal health. We both feel this is another new level of health. Peeling this layer of addiction off feels so much lighter. If you relate and want to know where you fall on the Food Susceptibility scale, keep reading for the link below. It is short and fast. But first some more clarity on Bright Line Eating and how it relates to one of my fascinations Leptin….
What is a Bright Line?
A bright line is a clear ambiguous line. I believe it is used as a legal term. For example: Ex smokers never take that first puff; alcoholics never take that first drink. Bright Lifers have 4 bright lines – keep reading for the explanation.
What is Leptin?
Leptin is the master circadian light signaling hormone. It is an electromagnetic energy sensor that controls appetite, hormones, metabolic rate, defences in the body, bone density and heart function. It is found in your subcutaneous fat. It tells the brain how much energy (electrons) you have available. It’s the satiety hormone that tells the brain that you are not hungry anymore. I wish more physicians would test for it. I am lucky my doctor does and its been so instructive and a key reason I started BLE.
What is Leptin Resistance?
This is when your hypothalamus cannot read your leptin. Both high and low leptin are forms of leptin resistance. It precedes, almost every chronic disease – diabetes, PCOS, cancer, thyroid disease, osteoporosis and on and on. Just search for studies on an ailment and leptin. Can you now see why I coach Leptin Resets? And created a full workshop called The Leptin Reset in 2024. Getting your leptin to the sweet spot really matters. And now with BLE as a tool, I am more confident we can reset one’s leptin along with addressing one’s light environment.
What Precedes Insulin Resistance (aka Diabetes)?
Leptin Resistance precedes Insulin Resistance. Both Leptin and Insulin Resistance are symptoms of metabolic/mitochondrial dysfunction. Both also act like a metabolic switch that is turned on by oxidative stress in nature. (e.g. cold weather & darkness for bears in winter to hibernate)
What are the Hallmarks of Leptin Resistance?
- Weight loss resistance
- Satiety/appetite issues
- Hormone imbalances
- Thyroid issues
- Blood sugar imbalances
Other unknown symptoms: getting sick often & fertility issues
10 Signs You Might be Leptin Resistant
If you follow my Instagram account @LKWellness, you may have already seen this as a post:
- You having issues feeling satisfied when you eat
- You still suffer from cravings
- You have trouble losing weight
- You having trouble gaining weight
- You are inflamed
- You suffer from migraines
- You are not hungry for breakfast
- You are pre-diabetic or diabetic
- You have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) or infertility
- You have Endometriosis
7 Causes of Leptin Resistance from a Quantum Lens
- Eating after sunset prevents leptin from docking at the hypothalamus
- Eating carbohydrates out of season prevents proper leptin signaling
- Overeating in general prevents proper leptin signaling
- Undereating/Intermittent Fasting (in am)
- Lack of Circadian Rhythm
- Yo-Yo dieting for years
- Gaining a lot of weight in a short amount of time
- Blue Light Toxicity (BLT)
What 3 Things Block Leptin from being “read” by the Brain’s Hypothalamus?
- Insulin
- Triglycerides
- Systemic inflammation
N.B. Poor circadian rhythm and artificial light at night contribute to this leptin “blindness” which is why I coach this in my Ladies Group weekly coaching programme (Quantum Radiance Collective) and with personal clients. Though lately I am asking if you want private coaching and it is possible, I prefer you join my QRC so I have more time with you to ensure success. Also, my time is getting more valuable to me and I need to know you are that fully committed. Men are the exception as they can’t join a Ladies group ( ;
What Happens to Leptin Resistance when you take out Sugar & Flour (S&F) ?
When you remove ultraprocessed sugar and flour (in all its forms), insulin, triglycerides and systemic inflammation come down really fast. Suddenly your brain can see your leptin again, which means you’ll be getting the signal that you’re not hungry anymore and that you feel like getting active.
How does Quitting Sugar and Flour (S&F) quell the cravings?
You stop flooding the addictive centers of the brain with all that excess dopamine. With a steadier stream of dopamine, the way your brain expects it to arrive, those dopamine receptors are allowed to replenish, repopulate and get back to their regular levels, and that takes care of the cravings. You become leptin sensitive again, down regulate your dopamine and all this stops intense cravings. This is the insatiable hunger (not true hunger) caused by Leptin Resistance. See – you are not broken after all.
What is Interfering with Weight loss success on a typical diet?
1. Counting calories
2. Tracking macros
3. Eating 5 or 6 meals
4. Snacking
5. Tracking grams of carbs
6. Not making it “automatizable” – Susan’s word
7. Allowing S & F
8. From a Quantum lens: – Not blocking artificial blue light after dark & missing sunrises to set your circadian rhythm. This is also necessary for beta-oxidation – the metabolic process by which fatty acids are broken down in the mitochondria to generate acetyl-CoA, which then enters the citric acid cycle to produce energy.
What do those who keep the weight off do differently?
1. They don’t do it alone
2. They build an identity around their way of eating
3. They have a maintenance mindset
What is Bright Line Eating®?
1. A Movement – started Aug 2014 – sweeping around the world, 100 countries have signed up. 10,000 per month – psychology and neuroscience of sustainable weight loss
2. The Most Effective Weight Loss program in the world. 2018 study – found 1 program -2.2 to 17% better than the rest.
I also found this stat – after 2 years, 85% of BLE Boot Camp graduates maintain their weight loss.
3. Involves a Radically Loving Community. “The people come for the vanity and stay for the sanity” SPT They lean on the support to help be radically accountable with food to 4 Bright lines:
• No sugar
• No flour
• No snacking
• Tracking quantities
4. Science-backed Programme – to conquer food addiction and help weight loss or weight gain (if needed). It helps with dopamine down regulation. As the neural substrate of cravings. The dopamine receptors thin out and become less responsive with processed sugar and flour. It also helps with Leptin Resistance, where the insatiable hunger comes from.
5. Considers the Food Susceptibility Scale. If you are greater than a 5, Bright Lines are a good idea.
“When you’re Bright, you have so much vibrancy and aliveness and presence. All the monkey mind around food is a waste. Your Bright journey is so worth defending.” Susan Peirce Thompson (SPT)
“Each person needs to make their recovery their own” SPT
Stay tuned for the Timestamps below…..
New Quantum Healthy Milestone!
Other Great News!
We have some great new to share! VivaRays is now officially sponsoring the Quantum Healthy podcast! You can use the code QUANTUMHEALTHY for 10% off your purchase. These are by far the best blue blockers on the market in my opinion and I have been an affiliate for a couple of years now.
Episode 38 – Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D
Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester, a multiple New York Times bestselling author, and an expert in the psychology of eating. She is President of the Institute for Sustainable Weight Loss and the founder of Bright Line Eating, a global movement helping individuals to break free from ultra-processed food addiction and maintain a healthy weight long-term. Over the past ten years, over two million people have subscribed to the Bright Line Eating email list to receive free education, including a weekly video blog that provides science-based insight into people’s challenges with modern-day hyperpalatable foods.
Find Susan:
Website
FB/ brightlineeating
IG/ brightlineeating
You Tube/ @brightlineeating
https://www.linkedin.com/company/brightlineeating
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
02:40 – Susan’s Story
05:20 – Overcoming Food Addiction
12:49 – Understanding Quantum Entanglement
18:44 – Addressing Insatiable Hunger
21:00 – Leptin Resistance Explained
24:20 – Exploring Food Addiction
28:37 – Impact of the Processed Food Industry
29:12 – Sugar’s Addictive Nature
34:54 – Unique Recovery for Food Addiction
37:33 – Societal Changes for Food Addiction Recovery
44:07 – Defining a Bright Line
46:10 – Self-Control Variability in Addiction
46:59 – Understanding Addiction Susceptibility
51:14 – Mechanisms of Addiction Wiring
52:58 – The Role of Sugar and Flour
57:10 – Common Mistakes in Recovery
1:02:12 – Bright Line Eating: Effectiveness Explained
1:04:05 – Bright Line Eating vs. Weight Watchers
1:07:08 – Meaning of a Bright Body
1:10:41 – Discovering Susan’s Offerings
1:13:22 – Connecting with Susan on Social Media
1:13:35 – Thank You
1:16:48 – Final Thoughts
1:18:05 – Outro
Find Laura:
Laura’s Offerings:
- Quantum Health Coaching
- Quantum Radiance Collective Private Membership Group Coaching
- EMF Mitigation Sessions
- Access Consciousness Bars Sessions
- FIR Sauna Sessions
Music Credit: Devon Kissmann aka Devostuff
This podcast is for educational purposes only. It does not replace your physician.
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