 I have been getting some emails about having to *wait* to start doing the program until funds are available. Made me realize that my writing about the classes may be misleading you. A huge portion of the community resources are provided at no cost at all. I went ahead and wrote a lot more about this in this week's main article below. Also, I want to let you know of a new feature we are adding to the site. It is called *radiant moments*. We are going to be collecting your stories of those little glimpses. Click here to read the first one and share your own. And our classes are continuting. I just posted the schedule through February. If you wonder why I don't just schedule out for the year, let me explain. I plan the schedule based on two things: what people are signing up for and what people are talking about in the community. So it is truly and interactive process. Step 6: Eliminating Sugar is a class that I only do once or twice a year. This is the class to take if you are on step 5 and thinking about detox or if you are ready to detox or, LOL, if you are on step zero and are convinced that you HAVE to detox now before anything else. (smile) Step 2: Journal Skillful Use provides the skills to *use* the data you have collected. This is another class I am updating with lots of new information. So even if you have taken it before or even if you are on step 7, I think you will enjoy it again. Anxiety - Week 1 is a repeat of the class I did a few months ago. People just loved it. If you want to add this piece to your equation, the class will help. And if you have family members who are anxious (inlcuding children), this is a good resource. Brain Chemistry 101 is the introductory to the neurochemistry behind the whole program. This is a meaty class so if you are just starting out, I suggest you wait on it. But if your brain is getting clear and you want to make sense of what is going on in there, this is the place for you. A number of you have asked me how the classes work. Check the class list page for more information on this. The classes are done online with one lesson each day. You do not have to be at your computer at any set time. Please feel free to pass this week's newsletter on to your friends and family. Don't forget to let me know what you like and would like to see me cover. Be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery® website and Community Forum regularly. Warmly, Kathleen ********************************************************************** January 23, 2006 ** Quote From Kathleen ** Its clues may not be in words, but your body talks in a consistent and predictable way. You just have to learn its language. ********************************************************************* ** Testimonial for the Week** I just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying journaling right now. I used to have almost a mental block against it. Not sure why but I just couldn't force myself to do it. So I've gone through periods of writing in the journal for maybe a week and then stopping (and then going off program). Now I'm enjoying reading even those few weeks and learning from them. And I'm thoroughly enjoying journaling now. I look forward to the time of day when I sit down and write in my journal. It's a soothing, calming time now. I don't really think of any "rules" while I'm writing....I just write! Good luck with it, Leslie ******************************************************************** **Recipe of the Week** I think this is a great stick to your ribs type winter meal. I hope you enjoy it! ROASTED VEGETABLES AND BRAISED TURKEY Roasted Vegetables:
To prepare the roasted vegetables, place first 7 ingredients in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Bake at 450° for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of turkey, and sauté 5 minutes or until turkey is browned on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with 1 teaspoon oil and remaining turkey. Return browned turkey to pan; add 1/4 teaspoon salt, broth, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Uncover, bring to a boil, and simmer until the liquid is reduced (about 5 minutes). Serve turkey with roasted vegetables. > ******************************************************************** **Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think** I thought you might enjoy hearing some more comments from YLD members. the chats are an amazing resource, and help to solidify the commitment, and to clarify any areas of misunderstanding, as well as to cement the bonding that exists in this wonderful community. when i first started, a little over a year ago, i went to monday nite chats, where i felt very comfortable with the pace. later, as i started to get more comfortable with online chatting, (about step 3) i started to go to wed. nite chats. even tho there were discussions there that were fast-paced and a bit over my head, after sitting and reading and watching for a few times, i found i was able to keep up, more and more. now i look forward to chat, and feel i've missed out on a treat when i cannot be there with you all. oh, and leave us not forget the great BE(beta endorphin) lifter of comic relief!! those of you new to chat or only reading the transcripts may notice that half of chat can often be spent laughing uncontrollably!! this is the most fun you can have without getting arrested!! LOLOL (and for you newbies, you will see ROOFTOP a lot on chat. that is how kathleen's spell checker interpreted writes ROFLMAO, which basically means laughing so hard you hurt cin If you are a YLD member, you can access the transcripts by going to: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/YLD/YLDchattranscripts.html It is interesting to see what is happening in YLD these days. People feel so settled. I think we are growing into a very mature and fun approach to weight loss. All the classes are fun and you all are bringing so much to the table. It continues to be a joy for me to come to chat and find you all there. Come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun. It is not too late to get into the classes if you come right now. ********************************************************* *********** **David's Corner **  Kath sent in the really funny story... I ordered a few items from the Radiant Recovery store online, and they took a bit longer than usual to get here. When the parcel arrived, it had been repaired by Australia Post, the sealing tape had been slit. Inside I found two leaflets from AQIS (the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service). One said "Opened for inspection" No items have been removed...All international mail is screened. Our screening process which uses detector dogs and Xray machines, indicated that there may have been an item of quarantine concern in your parcel. However, no items of quarantine concern were found, or the items met current quarantine import conditions and were released. AQIS inspects all mail containing items of quarantine concern to ensure there are no pest or disease risks that could harm Australia's agriculture of environment. They also enclosed a brochure about what things can't be mailed to Australia. So what did I order that would be of such potential concern? there were 2 journa;s, 1 bottle of pycnogenol capsules and a Potato keychain. My potato keychain has been remarked upon (this one is a replacement for one I had before which (sob) came off my handbag, it had been the trigger for many a conversation, and an opportunity to give a Radiant recovery business card) The potato on the key chain looks like a real potato, it is a realistic size, shape, weight, texture, pliability...well it is a spud! (just happens to be made of plastic)...And look at that, It tricked the xray at quarantine too!...I wonder if we will have someone joining us from AQIS, looking up the website they found printed on that sneaky spud? My daughters both just love my "spudato" as one of them calls it, and want one to have on their school bags. Kath
Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. ********************************************************* *********** **Our Online Groups** Hi, I'm Gretel, and I'm the volunteer liaison for the radiantrecovery group. I had been sober with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous for 8 years when I found Radiant Recovery 7 years ago. At that time I was suffering severe sugar hangovers that rivaled any I'd ever had from alcohol and was sliding into a depression. I commented one night at a meeting that I might as well go back to my drug of choice, alcohol, if I was going to feel that bad. A wise lady came up to me and suggested I might be interested in Kathleen's book, Potatoes Not Prozac. I read it in one day, felt Kathleen was speaking directly to me, and embraced the program because I intuitively knew it would add a whole new dimension to my recovery. The radiantrecovery list was set up as a support for people who have already given up alcohol and/or drugs or who would like to in connection with the Radiant Recovery program. We are a very warm, compassionate and caring group who have known the depths of despair that addiction brings. We are grateful for the understanding Kathleen has provided us, that our addiction is biochemically based, and for the nutritional solution she offers to help us in our recovery. We would love to have you join us. And let me add one thing to Gretel's comments. I am not sure that all of you know that I have reopened my private practice here in Albuquerque. I have had a number of folks interested in designing a recovery plan come out for a few days. We sit down and look at resources together. Before you spend $30,000 on an inpatient program, we can brainstorm developmental options. Or, if you are dealing with a family member who is out of control and you want a game plan, let's talk. kathleen ******************************************************************** **Getting To Know Your Community** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. When you are just starting out and want to learn about how to do the program, your best bet is to go to the home page of http://www.radiantrecovery.com and click on the bar that says sugar sensitivity. I You can learn a little about the biochemistry of your body. It is a nice background. Then click on the 7 step bar and read about the steps. This gives you the most up-to-date version of my thoughts on doing the steps. When I write a book, the concepts get set at that point in time. Here, on the web, we keep talking and learning. Eight years and hundreds of thousand letters have taught us how to do breakfast better. At some point, you will want to read the books. I am often asked which to start with. My suggestion is to get both Potatoes Not Prozac and The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program as a start. If you have kids, get Little Sugar Addicts. PnP will teach you the theory and the big picture and SARP will give you a how to map. Now, what comes next is connection. Start with the community forum. This is like our drop in community center. Some people jump right in and some find it a little overwhelming. Here is a tip to making the forum more friendly. Click on the link at the top that says *set preferences* and change the style of the posts to threaded chronological. This will group the posts into topics (thread) that are easier to make sense of. Be bold and send a post. Simply introduce yourself and say something like *hi, I am new* in the subject line and then write a little about yourself. Make sure to put a check in the little box that says *if you like would an email notification* and you will get a note saying someone has responded to your post. After you have done this for a while, you may want to join a special topic online group or take a class. The online groups are no cost support groups. They are run by our volunteer leadership who are skilled in both doing the program and in serving as my liaisons to the groups. You can join the breakfast group or a special topic group such as depression or bigones or Brits. Your pet can come to radiant pets to learn how to deal with you. All the groups are hosted at yahoo. It takes a little practice to learn to navigate yahoo. We have written a little special instruction guide called Yahoo for Smarties (you will see the link on the Online Groups page) to help you make your way around over there. We also have a tech forum to help you if you get stuck in figuring it out. Another route to support is to take one of the online classes I speak about each week. We do charge a modest fee for the classes (this is what supports the website). The classes offer a continuum of support from a guided tour of the community to advanced topics like brain chemistry 101. We have a resource center, and many other things as well. The website resources can support you for years and years. And of course we have a store chock full of fun things to help you do the program. You can get books, CDs, shake, and even our famous potato key chain referenced in today's news letter. And if you are brand new and would like to take advantage of a special savings offer, try our Getting Started Pac. No matter what, please know that I love having you here and want to help you in any way I can. Warmly, Kathleen ©Kathleen DesMaisons 2006. Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together: Gretel, the liaison for the recovery list and the webmaster puts it all together Naomi, liaison for big ones gathers the recipes Marie, the liaison for diabetes gathers the info on the online lists David, who runs the Radiant Recovery® Store talks about what new products we have. You are getting the weekly newsletter from Radiant Recovery® in response to your signup. A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter.htm. ©2006 by Kathleen DesMaisons . All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your ezine or website as long as you leave the content unaltered and use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®. Please visit Kathleen's website at http://www.radiantrecovery.com for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction." Please notify me at kathleen@radiantrecovery.com to let me know where the material will appear. Banner Photograph by Geraint Smith |
