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Rancher Reviews
I've just gotten back from Radiant Ranch. For those of you who are new, Ranch is a seminar Kathleen offers sugar sensitive people. I want to talk about how I handled the traveling because it is more difficult for us bigones, especially if we go by airplane.
Air travel includes embarrassment: trying to squeeze a bigones body into seats that are too small for normal people; worry that the seat belt won't buckle; joint pain from the walking and getting through security checks (will I have to take off my shoes and how will I tie them?); struggling with big, heavy luggage because our clothing takes up more room.
I flew Southwest, buying two seats in January, when they had a sale. Unlike other airlines, when a plane is not full, SW will refund the cost of the extra seat. Having two seats allowed me to pre-board, so I sat up front and stowed my carry-ons in comfort. I sat on the aisle and, if asked, told people the middle seat was taken. I liked not being squished. The seats themselves seemed roomier than on other airlines I've flown. |
I requested a seat belt extension as I boarded, which makes it a lot less embarrassing since only a couple of people hear it, but it turned out I didn't need one.
Using the skycap check-in outside the airport allowed me to bypass the long lines inside the airport and saved my feet. At the gate, since my joints were screaming from the long walk, I requested a wheel chair for the rest of my trip. I found it embarrassing the first time, but it saved me pain and helped my joints. I'll do it again. The shuttle driver from the motel handled my luggage.
These strategies helped me a lot.
Albuquerque is at 5,000 foot elevation so there is less oxygen in the air and bodies have to work harder. It can cause problems, beginning with tiredness and headaches. Reasonably enough, it's called altitude sickness. The cure is to take aspirin 1-2 hours before your plane lands and for the next couple of days, and you must drink a lot of extra water. I relied on extra water since I'm allergic to aspirin, and had low grade headaches most of the time.
I fight edema at home. The first day in Albuquerque my ankles were skinny for the first time in almost two years. Following that, they swelled during the day, but elevating them at night (20 minutes, above the heart) got them down - not skinny - by the next morning.
Meals and many of the meetings were held in a building across the street from the motel with a long parking lot in between. It was not far, but hard on us bigones, especially those of us who don't exercise. The elevation meant many of us bigones were tired most of the time.
I arrived on Tuesday; the seminar started Wednesday night. I think if I had arrived on Saturday I would have adjusted better and been much less tired. I think the motel has a washer and dryer people can use. The rooms were clean and very comfortable, with either two queens or one king sized bed. I roomed alone and am glad I did. I was too tired to make adjustments to match someone else's needs. The shower was fine, with the exception of the shower curtain, which was one of those that billow.
Some people had cars, rented or personal, and they were generous enough to drive people to stores and touring. We bigones don't like to rely on others and there's always that feeling of taking up double the space while denying two 'norms' a place to sit. I was too tired to hold my eyes open, let alone tour, so it wasn't a problem.
Almost everyone carried a food to eat on the airplane. It's really important for us bigones, since timing makes a huge difference for us. My flight got me to the hotel in time for lunch, but I brought food with me in case the plane got in late.
Meals before Ranch started: There are lots of restaurants in town, but I ate at the hotel. Prices were quite reasonable, but of course, when you're a bigones sometimes you need to order extra dishes to get your requirements, which adds to the cost. We all had small refrigerators in our rooms.
Ranch meals: Meals were served buffet style so each of us could take what we wanted or needed. The food was well prepared and tasty. I heard one staff member tell another "I've never seen anyone eat vegetables like these folks". LOL. There were plenty of browns and proteins.
The tables were round, providing ample space for us bigones and the seats were comfortable. There were restrooms in the motel lobby and meeting rooms.
There were lots of things to do in town and someone else will tell you about that, I'm sure. I will tell you about the one thing I did. If you get to the end, there's something funny at the end.
Ok. You need to picture an older woman, 5'4" and 300 pounds, with graying hair. That's me. The last time I went swimming was in 1978, when an adult said something mean about DH and me - we were both bigones even then - and I weighed 50 pounds less than I do now. So . . .
I bought a swimsuit and cover-up, leaving the tags on, so that I could return it when I got home. I almost didn't bring it but there was room in my suitcase so I put it in. I knew I could never subject myself to the embarrassment or pain of being looked at by normals.
Fast forward to Wednesday night.
Cece, who I think is on this list but doesn't post much, tried to talk me into swimming with her. I refused because the shame was too deep. After a while, when I looked out my window, I saw her swimming. So, I took my courage in my hands, cut the tags off the suit, put it on, and made my way to the pool.
It wasn't Cece in the pool, but it was DonnaIrene, our bigones poster child. Gritting my teeth, and very self conscious, I pulled off my cover up and made my way into the water (steps, not a ladder).
It was wonderful. I had forgotten how good it feels to be vertical without stress on my joints. I had forgotten the smell of chlorine. I had forgotten how much I loved being in water as a child. I also forgot how to swim. LOL.
So, anyway, picture me splashing around, bouncing up and down, sort of swimming and talking to DonnaIrene, when all of a sudden something brushes my leg.
I splashed my way to the shallow end and stood up, peering into the water. Nothing, so I went back to the deeper end, bobbed up and down, breasts and fold over stomach floating and moving gently in the water. We chatted again. Something brushed my leg. Yikes.
As I looked down, my handkerchief, which I tuck under my fold-over stomach to soak up sweat, floated upward. LOL. I had forgotten to pull it out when I undressed. That's the funny part that only a bigone could appreciate.
Now, here is the important part. My DH is a quiet person who has made isolation an art form. He is happy by himself and very uncomfortable in social situations so he avoids them. I am not much different and I haven't told him much about this program (just little tidbits) since he isn't really receptive to it.
When he heard I went swimming he couldn't believe it. I put up a good front to the world at large, but he knows me - how shy I am, how afraid I am, and how very self conscious I am about my body. And he said maybe he'd go to Ranch next year. He KNOWS me. I went swimming. He gets it that something profound happened to me at Ranch.
And you know what, although I've basically written about the difficulties for bigones, there is an upside. A huge one.
You will think this is weird. The first thing I loved about Ranch was all the thin and normal people. They were slightly outnumbered by the bigones. I doubt if that would have hit me so early as it did, if the numbers had been the other way around. But it would have eventually.
It was absolute proof that being fat is not about being weak willed or stupid or out of control; it is not our fault. If a thin person is at ranch, there has to be validity in the idea of sugar sensitivity and healing our bodies. Why else would a thin or normal person be there?
Absolute proof. Mind boggling.
The second thing I loved about Ranch was knowing that all those thin and normal people got it about me. On Friday I went swimming with a woman who weighed - maybe - 100 pounds. On Saturday, when I was telling people goodbye, she came up to me and said "Lets keep in touch. We are so alike, with the same problems." Sugar sensitivity.
The third thing I loved about Ranch was how very deep my emotions ran. There were times when the tears streamed from my eyes. I certainly was not the only one.
There were other things, but I've posted enough. If you can, go to Ranch next May. It is safe for us bigones. It was a profound experience.
Claire's Story
| I went to Ranch looking forward to meeting Kathleen and some of the people I've seen posting for the past few years and with otherwise really no huge expectations. I was perhaps hoping for a deeper understanding of the bio-chemistry which I definitely got, but what absolutely blew me away was the depth of connection we established with each other in such a short time. It was happening all over! Not all of us with everyone, but all of us with someone, or two or three or more. All those isolating C57?s making deep and I think for most of us, what feels to be life long connections with other people. What a miracle! |
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And this was happening in totally safe environment. We were not standing alone or being encouraged to spill all our pain in a public setting (can you tell I've been to a few therapy workshops!). We were simply listening to Kathleen sharing her profound understanding of our special bio-chemistry and hanging out with each other at the pool, talking at dinner and watching the sun set on a mountain. And how rowdy can a bunch of totally drug free people get? Answer ? Very! At one point when we were in hysterics eating our potato outside by the hot tub, I suddenly realized that not one of us was high on anything other than the feeling of being together and sharing the journey. I NEVER had that much fun when I was drinking, smoking, or stuffing my face with chocolate! So the hangover never came either, just every day, better and better, and a deepening connection to the people there with me.
I could not believe it during the music evening when Kathleen asked us if anyone knew Dona Nobis Pacem. To me this song belongs to my family. My mum taught it my brother and sisters and I to sing in a round while we were doing the washing up when I was about 5 and I sang it to my children as a lullaby, now they sing it while they wash dishes! Hearing it sung by 60 people in the joy of being together was something I will never forget. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. Really.
I was worried about the post Ranch crash getting close so fast, then separating is a recipe for a crash for me but it didn?t happen. I've felt a little disoriented and slightly off but I?m not lying in my bed with the covers over my head not able to function which is what happens to me when I crash hard. Kathleen led us in a guided imagery on the last day which helped a lot and of course, I'm doing the food! So I felt peaceful instead of anxious, sad but not unbearably so.
I know that most of you are really curious about our ranch experience. All I can tell you is that what is superficially a conference about food, is actually a life changing and spiritual experience and I am very, very glad that I went.
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This year we will again be holding the annual Radiant Recovery Ranch at the 
We have reserved a block of rooms at the 
The hotel is about 15 minutes from the Albuquerque airport by taxi.
If you plan to do some New Mexico sightseeing, you may want to rent a car. The hotel is very easy to find and there are no scary tricks in getting there.
We don't "dress for dinner" at Radiant Ranch. You won't need nicer clothes for the seminar itself.
Seminar participants will be at all levels in the program, from just starting to old timers. Remember this is a program of doing what works for you. What works best at Radiant Ranch is choosing food similar to what you are used to eating. We will post the menu for ranch once I have firmed it up with the hotel.
