On today’s vlog, I was honored to have Amanda Leith, owner-operator of SHiFT Recovery by Acorn, as my guest. Amanda is a dear friend who is a foot soldier in the battle to help those with food issues. She shared her inspiring story and gave us a glimpse of what SHiFT Recovery does. 

Amanda was first attracted to drugs and alcohol as a teen, but then food became the primary issue for her. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t fix the problem. Until about ten years ago, she did everything she could to deal with her weight problem. She took medicines, invested in program after program, did therapy, and even had weight loss surgery.

Despite this, by her 30s, she weighed more than 300 pounds. She had diabetes. Diets didn’t work for her. Even the surgery only led to a 25-pound weight loss. She was facing serious health consequences, and was depressed, too—understandably. She was working as a drug and alcohol counselor but was unable to help herself with her food addiction.

Then she heard about a program called Acorn. It was short-term and reasonably priced, so at first she thought it wouldn’t work (because it wasn’t expensive enough to be any good). But she ended up deciding to give it a try anyway, and finally she was diagnosed properly with food addiction. Always before, her symptoms—high blood pressure, obesity—were treated, but not the root cause. With the proper diagnosis, she got treatment and found recovery. She lost over half her body weight and is no longer diabetic. Her high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and depression are gone, too. And she gets to live her life freely, without food obsession.

After starting her recovery at Acorn as a patient, she began working there part-time, and when the founders retired six years ago, she bought the business. She vowed to help others have the same kind of recovery she had found. 

Amanda believes that the people who succeed with Bright Line Eating are a slightly different demographic from those who find help at SHiFT Recovery by Acorn. Both programs serve food addicts, but she believes her program is a good fit for those who are further along in their disease, late-stage addicts needing a higher, more intense level of support. 

Her food plan is a little different from ours, too. They’re both weighed-and-measured food plans, but hers is four meals a day (which we know is good for people who struggle with binging). Her plan is definitely sugar, flour, and artificial sweetener free, like ours. But it goes a bit further to take out any substance that could elicit a craving, which includes caffeine. Since certain textures may trigger binge responses from food addicts, such as crunchy/salty and sweet/smooth, foods that fit this profile are off the table, too, including peanut butter, rice cakes, and crackers. Also, no nuts, seeds, or cheese (except feta). 

What does the SHiFT program look like? Amanda filled us in: her basic program is a residential or virtual eight-day program (if it’s in person, it’s usually in Florida, but sometimes they’ll host an intensive at another location). During those eight days, people detox, get information on food addiction, attend counseling, and do 12 Step work. 

It’s followed by ten weeks of aftercare, which includes three-hour Zoom meetings weekly, one-on-one sessions with a counselor, and daily email check-ins with counselors. These programs are offered six times a year, with the next one starting on March 19. 

There are also programs for alumni. There is a six-week program called “The Practice,” which gives people practice living in recovery. They also have a six-week online program called “Emotional Sobriety,” which covers relapse prevention, codependency, and more. 

It's possible for people to be members of both the close-knit SHiFT community and the Bright Line community. DO WHATEVER WORKS, says Amanda. Any way people can have long-term food addiction freedom is wonderful. 

And what excites Amanda most in the food addiction community? She loves the fact that more and more people are finding out that food addiction is real—and getting treatment for it. Her dream is that food addiction help will be available in every doctor’s office. 

I agree with her completely, and am so grateful that Amanda joined us on the Weekly Vlog!

Schedule a FREE 30-min consultation with a SHiFT Counselor today at foodaddiction.com or https://calendly.com/shift-one-on-one/30min. 
Learn more about the next SHiFT Intensive at foodaddiction.com. 

FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/se8qb7 
SHiFT Recovery by Acorn | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast