A recent and powerful newcomer to the weight-loss world is a philosophy/program called ‘Bright Line Eating’, developed by Susan Peirce Thompson PhD.
This program is based on a fusion between 12-step addiction programs as well as research in neuro-science, to retrain the brain in the way it thinks about food, and to build in healthy habits which take the load off willpower. The approach also trains participants how to stand up to the little voice in their heads called the ‘saboteur’ which would try to talk them out of staying within the established boundaries.
The unambiguous boundaries set in the ‘Bright Line Eating’ program are:
- Sugar
- Flour
- Meals
- Quantities
Without going into the details, Susan and all her success stories recognise that a clear framework and unchanging boundaries are extremely helpful for everyone—especially for those who are high on the ‘susceptibility scale’ and as such very easily fall back into unhealthy habits and food addiction.
She also trains participants in how to answer the ‘saboteur’ when it starts to speak to their brain and attempt to thwart their efforts to stay within boundaries that will help them to live ‘happy, thin, and free’ (the philosophy’s slogan). The slogan emphasises that it’s not enough to simply become thin—if you are thin and obsessing over food and kg every day of your life, then you are not happy, and you are not free.
Bright Lines for living
So how could this very successful philosophy (according to participants from over 60 countries) apply to other areas of life apart from food? We know that we all have a ‘susceptibility’ to certain addictions and unhealthy tendencies, but how can we break the hold these have over us?
As Susan emphasises, ‘willpower’ is not enough to break addictive and obsessive patterns. We need clear boundaries, and we need support.
In the same way, willpower alone is not enough to break patterns of sin in our lives. We need clear and unambiguous ‘bright lines’ to keep us in a place where we are safe and free from the hold of sin, and we need the support of a group of people who are observing the same ‘bright lines’ to encourage us along the way.
Fortunately, our Creator knew this from the very beginning, and in fact designed us to operate this way! He didn’t just leave us to work out our own boundaries through trial and error, and knew it wasn’t good for us to do this alone—especially seeing as we are confronted daily by the ‘saboteur’—the enemy of our souls, called the ‘adversary’, who tries to convince us we don’t really need to stay within the Bright Lines our Creator gave us: the 613 commandments found in the Torah.
An antidote for every vice
Think about it…
Are you addicted to work? The Bright Line which will protect you is the Sabbath day of weekly rest.
Are you confused and tossed around by different ideas concerning which festivals and practices are ‘idolatrous’ and which are not? The Bright Lines are the commandments prohibiting ‘pagan worship practices’ and being sure to observe the Biblical, God-ordained festivals at their appointed times each year.
Do you easily forget the Creator and His instructions in your day-to-day life?
The Bright Line is the commandment to wear tassels with a thread of blue on the corners of your outer garment every day to remind you.
Made for community
To help us stay within these ‘Bright Lines’ our Creator has designed His people to be a community of believers, called ‘Israel’. Those inside the community have all made a covenant to live within the clear boundaries of the Torah which keep them safe from harm, and free from the slavery of sin’s slippery slope.
His commandments also give us a ready-made answer for our ‘saboteur’—the adversary. Just as Jesus in the desert was able to cite Scripture to answer Satan when tempted, we need to be well trained in the ‘sword of the Spirit’ which is the ‘word of God’, so that we will always have an answer for anyone who would seek to tempt us to cross the Bright Lines of the Law which brings freedom—the Torah.
Rosanne Menacho has recently moved to Peru with her husband to spend time living with his family. At the moment, she is enjoying cooking favourite Peruvian meals for her husband, his parents and his sister, and is also building a career as a professional writer. In her spare time, Rosanne enjoys playing music, dancing, translating and drinking herbal tea. Her heart is to worship and represent the Creator in spirit and in truth, and to see the arrival of the Messianic kingdom on Earth.
Rosanne Menacho’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/rosanne-menacho.html
Rosanne Menacho is an Australian currently living in Peru with her husband to spend time living with his family. She works as a writer, and her website and books can be found at www.rosannemenachowriter.com. In her spare time, Rosanne enjoys playing music, dancing, translating and drinking herbal tea. Her heart is to worship and represent the Creator in spirit and in truth, and to see the arrival of the Messianic kingdom on Earth.
Rosanne Menacho’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/rosanne-menacho.html