The concept of Bright Line Eating is a fairly new idea. If you choose to follow clean eating guidelines, you are sure to be intereste in this latest eating plan.
I confess toknowing very little about this diet plan which, as far as I can see is a weight loss plan. I have an autoimmune disease, so my personal interest in diet is from a health improvement perspective rather tna from a need tp lose weight.
Bright Line Eating
If you are interested in Bright Line Eating because you wish to lose weight or, like me, you are hoping that this diet plan has some curative benefits then let us explore these diet links together and enhance our combined knowledge.
Bright Line Eating is a movement and a community.
Bright Line Diet 7 Day meal Plan
Recently I wrote about my experience following Bright Line Eating, a diet program that has clear boundaries around common addictive foods.
And, while I shared the foods that I ate for those 7 days, it kind of got lost in the long post where I reviewed the program itself and talked about my 7 pound weight loss. So, I decided to create a new article just for the meal plan I followed during my Bright Line Eating program!
The BLE food plan for weight loss is:
- Breakfast: 1 protein, 1 grain, 1 fruit
- Lunch: 1 protein, 6 ounces, vegetables, 1 fruit, 1 fat
- Dinner 1 Protein, 6-ounce vegetables, 8 ounces salad, and 1 fat.
One Month of BLE Meals
When I first started Bright Lines, all I wanted was to get an idea of what I would actually be eating – what the meal plan looked like for actual real life meals. This is a blog post for anyone wondering the same thing.
As one of my goals this year is to keep to a monthly grocery budget, I can accurately say that my husband and I spent $70 of groceries each week in January. This included all of my Bright Line food x 2 for the hubby and a few bags of crackers & noodles for when my husband gets snacky. As I work from home, the majority of my meals I was able to eat and prepare at home.
BLE on a Shoestring Budget
One of the things that sets Bright Line Eating apart from so many other weight loss programs is that it can be done on a shoestring budget. In fact, we have found this lifestyle to be a less expensive way to feed the family than what we were doing before. That is largely because there are no supplements, shakes or prepackaged foods you need to buy. Instead, we buy real food at the grocery store where we can shop what is on sale and use other money saving strategies.
The costs to start are your biggest expense. There are a few pieces of equipment to purchase and there are a variety of methods you can use to learn how to implement and follow the program. However, there are options to fit every budget and with the right tips even the tightest of budgets can successfully move forward with Bright Line Eating.
19 Bright Line Eating Hacks
The simple act of peeling, cutting, and chopping the various toppings for your salad and storing them in separate containers can make assembling your salad so much quicker. This simple Bright Line Eating hack also gives you the flexibility to begin viewing “salad toppings” as the category so you can use whatever toppings are available rather than being tied to a specific quantity for each individual topping. Simply write “salad toppings” in your food journal rather than each specific topping.
One of the challenges that Bright Line Eating newbies face is adjusting to the substantial quantify of salad you eat with dinner. And, if like most Americans, you eat your salad first, then your other food may be quite cold before you get to it.
A Week of Bright Line Lunches
I’m not a big cook and don’t love anything fancy. Here are seven of my top lazy Bright Line Eating lunches.
- 1. PROTEIN: 2 OZ CHEDDAR CHEESE / FRUIT: 6 OZ APPLE / VEGGIE: 6 OZ CELERY, CARROTS, CUCUMBERS / FAT: 0.5 OZ PEANUTS
- 2. PROTEIN: 3 OZ HOT DOG, 0.5 OZ PEANUT BUTTER / FRUIT: 6 OZ BANANA / VEGGIE: 6 OZ LETTUCE, CARROTS, CELERY, ONION / FAT: 0.5 OZ PEANUT BUTTER
- 3. PROTEIN: 2 OZ TUNA, 1 OZ CHEDDAR CHEESE / FRUIT: 6 OZ BLUEBERRIES / VEGGIE: 6 OZ TOMATO, CELERY / FAT: 0.5 OZ MAYONNAISE
- 4. PROTEIN: 4 OZ GROUND BEEF / FRUIT: 6 OZ APPLE / VEGGIE: 6 OZ SALAD, TOMATO / FAT: 2 OZ AVOCADO
- 5. PROTEIN: 2 OZ SUMMER SAUSAGE, 1 OZ PEANUT BUTTER / FRUIT: 6 OZ APPLE / VEGGIE: 6 OZ CARROTS & SNAP PEANS / FAT: 0.5 OZ RANCH & SHREDDED
- 6. PROTEIN: 2 EGGS / FRUIT: 6 OZ BANANA / VEGGIE: 6 OZ PICKLE, CARROT, TOMATO / FAT: 0.5 OZ MAYO
- 7. PROTEIN: 4 OZ COTTAGE CHEESE / FRUIT: 6 OZ PINEAPPLE / VEGGIE: 6 OZ SNAP PEAS & TOMATO / FAT: 0.5 OZ SHREDDED COCONUT
Bright Line Adventures
At first, it might feel like the structure of a food recovery program is too inflexible or fragile for traveling or adventuring. I felt that way during the weight loss phase. But now, 150 days into maintenance, I’m living pretty darn happy, thin, and free and absolutely loving taking my right-sized body out on trips!
In fact, at this point I feel that my program IS what allows me to take such fun adventures. I’ve found that when I’ve put in the time to plan and prep my food, I am so much more present and able to relax fully into these trips. My food fades into the background and life becomes all about enjoying and immersing myself in the places that I find myself. For me, traveling, adventuring, and food management work together to put the happy and free into happy, thin, and free.
Bright Line Breakfast Ideas
I made these 11 Bright Line Eating recipes and meal ideas for those people following the Bright Line diet for weight loss. These meals are for breakfast on the Bright Line Eating Plan!
Bright Line Eating, the program created by Susan Pierce Thompson, was created for people who feel out of control or addicted to food. I’ve covered through articles and a video my experience on the program, and you can try it too.
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