I am big into optimum health and I love sharing better health with other people.

Enjoying lots of great health habits including dry skin brushing, saunas, and juicing, I also eat organic as much as I can.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. See full disclosure here.

I was really the picture of health.

Except for one little thing. Actually, one big thing.

I was carrying some extra weight.

Please don’t get me wrong.

I do not believe that we are a more valuable person when we are at an optimum weight.

Each of us has great value as we are made in the image of God and He loves us no matter how big or small or right-sized we are.

What I do believe, though, is that optimum weight is the gateway to optimum health. Think of how many diseases can enter our body when we carry around a lot of extra weight.

After our annual convention with my health and wellness company, I made the decision to take action and release some of my extra pounds with the goal for optimum health.

To jumpstart my new healthier eating plan, I started with a 7 Day Cleanse. This is a very gentle cleanse of fruits, vegetables, and supplements that target detoxing the body.

This cleanse prepares the body to utilize the good vitamins and nutrients that follow in the Shaklee 180 Turnaround Kit.

Following the two shakes a day and metabolic boost, I began the second stage of the challenge: drinking one Life Shake smoothie (is that redundant?) and taking a strip of Vitalizer supplements each day.

So taking the Shaklee 180 TurnAround Kit was a big success for me and many others for that matter: I felt better and had tons of energy.

I was motivated and wanted to keep going on this trajectory to get into a right-size body. But somehow my cravings and food addictions seemed to get the best of me.

I happened upon a susceptibility quiz online to learn how high my cravings and food addictions were. I began to devour (hmmm . . . very appropriate verb here) the information on how my brain had been hijacked so that my body could not tell when I was full.

I read Susan Peirce Thompson’s book, Bright Line Eating [affiliate link], that details the science behind this new way of eating and why it is important to heal the brain. Did my brain need healing? Yes, it did!

Following her suggested “bright lines” would teach me a new way of eating that would stop my cravings and help me obtain a right-sized body instead of the, well, let’s just say, over-inflated body that I was in.

I love to say that this is not a “Die-it” but a “Live-it!“

The four bright lines to put around our eating habits are 1. No Sugar 2. No Flour 3. No Snacking and 4. Watch Quantities.

So far, so good. I could buy into this (although it wouldn’t be easy).

But there were two guidelines that Susan purported in Bright Line Eating that I disagreed with.

First of all, she recommends no smoothies in this new way of eating.

Now that was a problem for me because I know that Shaklee’s Life Shakes are super nutritious and help people lose fat instead of muscle when trying to reduce their size. These Life Shakes are my go-to for a healthy, energizing breakfast.

On this excellent eating plan, you can have grain, fruit, and protein for breakfast. So I have my Life Shake mixed up in water for my protein, plus 1 oz of grain (like rice cakes or oatmeal), and 6 oz of fruit. And let me tell you, 6 oz is a LOT of fruit!

I made this modification confidently and guess what? I still lost weight regularly and without frustration. And had no cravings! Sweet. (No pun intended.)

Second, she advocates no vitamins, saying that vitamins are unnecessary and waste money. I know differently, although I will admit that most other companies’ vitamins ARE a waste of money and might even harm you. That was proven in the Landmark Study.

I personally want to benefit from good, lyophilized vitamins.)

Admittedly, Thompson does say upfront that the BLE eating program is not designed for optimum nutrition (but lots of veggies and fruit IS very nutritious!)

However, planning a healthy eating style for the rest of my life HAS to be nutritious too, in my humble opinion. Even eating this way for ANY amount of time needs to be healthy in my book.

But I digress.

So what did I do?

I LOVE that God gave us the mental ability to be able to evaluate things and decide for ourselves what we believe and then act on our belief.

So I did just that. I adopted this new healthy eating plan and I even got the cookbook [affiliate link], but I included my daily Life Shake smoothees as well as my super amazing Life Strip, NutriFeron, and more supplements.

I have now released 37 lbs (4 lbs lighter than the after photo!) and it was without frustration. The quantity of veggies that is recommended is a lot. I never felt deprived.

I evaluated what I knew to be true, and then made a decision based on that – which included my smoothies and vitamins.

Bright Line Eating is a great way of eating and has helped thousands of people get into a right-sized body, me included. That combined with my Shaklee shakes and supplements has been win-win for me.

I reached my goal weight in 4 months and continue to make good eating choices every day.

It feels great to feel good so I can do good – and accomplish all God has for me. Hey – that would make a great tagline!

Do you have any weight to release to be an optimum size for your height and bone structure? If so, these guidelines that worked for me will work for you, too.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been approved by the FDA and are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. Check with your medical professional for all your health needs.