Bright Line Eating after Bariatric Surgery
Bright Line Eating after Bariatric Surgery
Bright Line Eating: reviewed by a Registered Dietitian in a blog series on Popular diets after Bariatric Surgery
The backstory on Bright Line Eating
Bright Line Eating was designed by Susan Peirce Thompson, a psychology professor with a Ph.D. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences with a personal history of food and drug addictions.
Her website bio shares that she lost 60 pounds after a 12 week food addiction course while completing her doctorate program.
Her book “Bright Line Eating” was published in 2021 and is gaining popularity on social media platforms.
What does Bright Line Eating advise?
“The core principals are the “Bright Lines” – clear boundaries that are not crossed like a non-smoker doesn’t smoke, no matter what.
Dr. Thompson’s feels “eating even a small amount of an addictive food doesn’t make the craving go away—it makes it worse.”
The four bright lines are: sugar, flour, meals, quantities (eat a specific amount of a pre-selected food)
Includes the abstinence from:
added sugar or sweeteners of any kind (no sugar, honey, corn syrup, molasses, artificial sweeteners, etc)
flour of any kind (white flour, whole grain flour, almond flour, coconut flour, etc)
no eating between meals
Is there research on Bright Line Eating after Bariatric Surgery?
I noticed there was specific wording for bariatric surgery on the Bright Line Eating website:
“Bright Line Eating will work for you regardless of your age or gender. It doesn’t matter if you’re diabetic or if you’ve had gastric bypass surgery.”
That really got my attention! We’ll talk more about if the ‘bright lines’ are a good fit for post-op patients in a moment but for now let’s talk about research.
The website states it is “deeply grounded in research.” I did notice the research article linked on their website is authored by Susan Pierce Thompson and is a 2 year follow up of participants in their program.
There is no research specific to bariatric surgery patients.
Is Bright Line Eating after Bariatric Surgery okay to try?
The website does say it doesn’t matter if you’ve had bariatric surgery so let’s talk about if that is the case compared against bariatric guidelines.
If the ‘bright lines’ are to avoid eating sugar, sweeteners, flours, in between meal eating and set meals then yes, it does fit within bariatric guidelines.
I think the concern most professionals will have with this approach to eating is the black and white, legalistic view of food. Is this the best approach for coaching patients to a healthy relationship with food? Does this flirt with leading patients to disordered eating?
Bariatric surgery patients may have a past with eating disorders or may have a higher risk of an eating disorder after the surgery. For these reasons and many more, we want patients to consistently work with their dietitian and build a lifestyle that feels sustainable in their health and well being in the long term.
It can fit the guidelines, but does it feel best in the bigger picture?
In Summary
Bright Line Eating has four “bright lines” that do not get crossed.
No sugar, no flour, no snacks and set portions of pre-selected foods.
The approach is founded upon the idea that even a small amount of an addictive food makes cravings worse.
There is no research for bariatric surgery patients though their website says it doesn’t matter if you’ve had surgery. For most bariatric surgery dietitians, this approach feels too intensive and legalistic and wouldn’t support a patient in building a positive and healthy relationship with food.
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More in the Popular Diets Series
Thanks for your view on this. I too agree that it leads to disordered eating. Life is not black or white. It’s that thinking that led to many of us to focus solely on good or bad foods versus good as fuel. The moment you say something is bad is when we want it more.
I’m a bariatric patient and member of Overeaters Anonymous in Silicon Valley. Unlike many people who are more than 5 years post-op from their bypass or sleeve surgery (I am nearly 6 years post VSG, and I’ve released over 90 pounds), my weight remains constant (within 5-10 pounds), and I’ve been delivered from the insanity of food cravings. The Bright Line eating program is a wannabee copy-cat of successful 12 Step programs (such as AA and OA) that hold to the belief that “entire abstinence” from problematic/addictive substances and behaviors (in my case: sugar, grains, chocolate, carbonation, processed foods, bulimia, and binge-eating) is a great start. However, unless you work the 12 steps (practice a principled, service-minded, and self-reflective life) with a sincere and service-minded/spiritual sponsor, source a power greater than yourself (for me that Power is GOD: the Grand Organizing Design that is our amazing Universe of infinite possibilities for health, healing, happiness, and wholeness), and find a like-minded community willing to lend support 24/7/365, the battle with alcoholic foods cannot be won.
While 12 steps may not be everyone’s choice, such programs cost nothing (we voluntarily throw-in a few dollars at meetings, but this is not required for those who cannot afford to contribute to our self-supporting tradition), are available most anywhere, and are based on connection and healing, not really about the food or alcohol, or anything else from which we practice our abstinence.
And, if we struggle with mental health issues, we are encouraged and supported to seek outside help through any means available to us (physicians, psychotherapy, psychiatry, acupuncture, yoga, mindfulness, etc.) and we respect the medical sciences and all that they have to share with us on the subject and matter of compulsive eating, eating disorders, and obesity. Since joining OA before my VSG surgery, I no longer suffer with major depressive disorder or the litany of health issues I was once plagued with, and the pounds that I was once buried under have been released. I would urge anyone considering Bright Line eating to give OA a try. It’s far less costly and far more friendly to anyone and everyone who has struggled with food.
@Francine thank you so much for sharing your story! What a wonderful testimony to a wonderful program and so encouraging to hear of the freedom you’ve experienced through it. I so appreciate you taking the time to comment here to share this recommendation for OA!
This is the first I’ve heard of this. I am super experienced when it comes to diets – my endocrinologist agreed with many of my criticisms of the practice’s “healthy eating” plan when it came to my case in specific. So I am speaking with great conviction when I say that a plan that forbids “flour” whether your flour is refined white wheat flour or almond flour, and “sugars” whether they are white refined sugar or erythritol or stevia, while presumably allowing set portions of allowed foods that might well be high-glycemic, is just dumb. Sorry.