Memorial Day is a good time for reflecting about those who have gone before us. Yesterday I drove around the cemetary that is near my house. People were putting flowers out on the graves. I thought about where my parents are buried. When my father died, we planted a tiny dogwood. When we buried my mother, it was huge. I miss not being closer. I would go and sit there under the trees and thank them for giving me life. I think I will do it in my mind. The jury is in on the CDs from Ranch. I wondered if you would enjoy hearing the material and I have been pleased to hear your reactions. Just had to tell you how much I am enjoying listening to this CD. I just finished the first part, "the big picture of the steps". I learned (& laughed) a lot. Also--the meditation one is wonderful--and I am not a meditation-person because of my historically noisy mind--but I have hope that I can learn in a context such as this CD. Thanks so much for making these CD's available! - Denise CarterThe first talk is about the big picture of doing the food. This is not material I have published or shared anywhere else. And it does outline how the chemistry and the process intertwine to make some thing unique. And the second CD is about brain chemistry. I am shifting a little from what I drew in Potatoes Not Prozac to a more fluid description of *brain gel* and *seaweed*. If you want the latest and greatest, it is on the CD, LOL. Someone told me that they thought the newsletters were just a pitch for classes. They didn't check out the rest of the newsletter. Good heavens, I thought. I better make sure to tell you to READ the whole thing. We will be starting these new classes this week, 5/28. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: Step 2 Journaling: An Introduction will teach you the basics of journaling. The class will give you step by step instructions in how to record your food and feelings in a way that gets you excited. This is a beginner’s class. We assume you are just starting or wanting to review. Come for skills. Resource Center Tour is another one of our free walking tours through the website. This one takes you through the resource center. Explore all the nooks and crannies and discover things you did not know were there. Everyone who takes this class is amazed at what is tucked away in little places. And I run this class personally, so you can get to know me as well. YLD Weightloss Emotions is the class for those of you who are ready, are on step seven and want to clear out a little of the being fat baggage. You don't need therapy, this two week class will give you wonderful, wonderful tools to get you on your way. The techniques I will share are tried and true, ideal for sugar sensitives and really fun. And even if you have taken it before, this one will be new. I adapt each one to the folks who sign up. We will be starting these new classes the week of 6/6. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: Back to Basics 1 is our friendly ole standby for the step 7 folks who hit the wall and wobble around. Come join us if you are concerned about your program. You do not have to be in full-blown disaster. Even if you are just slippin a bit, come join us. This is a very fun sequence. Everyone loves it. No shame, just learning how to get back on track. Anxiety is one of our most sought after class offerings. We look at anxiety, panic and phobia. And since I have found some new info, we will be also tying this into gut and bowel stuff as well. Come learn the chemical causes of these issues. Find out why anxiety is not a character flaw that you can will away. If you deal with it, or you have someone in your family or a child who is fearful, this is the class for you. Step 3: Three Meals one of our core classes. This is a skill-based class. If you want to learn the baby steps of a successful step 3, come join us. This class is ALWAYS fun. And since step 3 is the foundation of a successful program, this is an ideal way to shore up your progress. Money: Time for a New Frontier one of our special step 7 series. Take a look at your relationship to money, your wounding , your joys, your hopes and your messes around it in a safe and loving place. Learn how money and recovery go hand in hand. Learn about abundance and healing. This is the only time I will be doing this class this year. I have posted a new class schedule on line. Click here to see what is planned. 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 and you do not have to be at your computer at any set time. And although I advertise that the classes are one or two weeks, sometimes we are a little flexible and they may run longer. And please go read the questions and answers before you write to me. If you have trouble getting through the process, write the tech forum. 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 **********************************************************************
May 28, 2007 ** Quote From Kathleen **
Rather than simply giving up sugar, you are working on a life plan. *********************************************************************
** Testimonial for the Week**
Peggy, Step 7, Pregnancy and Nursing, N. California I thought I might chime in here too to offer some support and some of my history to see if this helps. I started doing the RR program also to lose weight. I am now on step 7 for three years. Prior to this I had lost and regained lots of weight. Like many of you, I gained weight during the time I was working to get to step 7, not because of the program, but because prior to the program I maintained my weight by not eating meals and healthy food to "compensate" for the junk my sugar addiction made me eat (smile).You know the little games I am talking about (wink,wink). As I got to step 6 the good program foods had supported my healing and I was no longer eating the addiction foods. So, guess what, I lost all the weight I had gained during that time. So the task for me in step seven is to lose the rest of the weight that I want to lose. Now here is the thing that I think is sooooooo interesting. All the fuss about how my weight was "causing" all the bad numbers in my blood work disappeared from my doctor's vocabulary when I went in for my physical 6 months later...all of the numbers were in the normal range and I still weighed 200 pounds. So for me, I now exercise regularly, have a great deal of muscle mass (the good part of my "extra" weight) and I am slowly losing the weight. This is doable for me now because my brain is calm, focused, able to plan, follow through, etc. For me to lose weight I needed to get ready. Getting ready was about changing my brain biochemistry so I could actually DO what I need to do. Having the intellectual knowledge of how to lose weight was there, the reading of books, taking classes, etc., this was necessary for me, but NOT sufficient. Healing was required for me to be in a place to actually be able to use all the information I already had about being able to lose weight. ********************************************************************
I love buying vegetables are that fresh in season. This week I saw some delicious zucchini and thought of this recipe from my cookbook. SUMMER SQUASH & MUSHROOMS
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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**
YLDonline is a membership program run directly by Kathleen DesMaisons herself. Please note that we have changed the time for Euro Chat to one hour earlier. And remember, you do NOT have to be concerned about weight loss to enjoy YLD. The chats are the leading edge of the community - where I bring new ideas, get your input and explore what new things we all need to learn. These are the new times for Euro Chat: Wed 8pm (British Summer Time) UK time Wed 10pm Sweden Wed 10pm Ankara (and I think for Cyprus too) 12 Noon PDT Wed 1pm MDT in Albuquerque Wed 3pm EDT in New York Thurs 5am Sydney Australia Thurs 7am in New Zealand (you never know, some might make it!) If you are already a YLD member, think about joining the Weight Loss Emotions Class. It is a great way to start clearing some of the *baggage* we all carry about weight loss. If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun. ********************************************************* ***********
**Radiant Recovery Store **
A number of you have asked what the differences are between our shakes and who should use what, when. I thought it might help to do a little review for you.David manages the Radiant Recovery Store. He is also Kathleen’s oldest son. 
George’s® Original is a mixed protein powder. It has our recommended vitamins and a complex carb right in it. So it is basically a mix and go product. The primary protein is soy, so it is ideal for women over 45, men and people in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. It is not advised for teens or children. And it is not good for cooking. But is has great holding power and really, really makes you feel good. Add some fish oil to your shake and it will taste CREAMY! George’s® Restore is a whey protein isolate with a little milk protein isolate and egg white added in for taste. It is creamy and very light flavored. You can mix it with almost anything including milks, pancakes, peanut butter, etc. Many people use it to supplement Original if they need more protein but not more vitamins. Everyone who has tried it tells us that they think it is the best tasting whey protein product they have had. George’s® Junior is the children’s version of Restore. It just has the mouse label. Kids love it. Mix it in chocolate almond milk with a little baby oatmeal (that is oatmeal from the babyfood section of the store) and watch your kids become shake lovers. Then you can add flavors as you like. And I can send shake just about anywhere. And many of you are now getting it on subscription. That means, I just send it out without your having to keep filling out that order form. And we can work out a schedule that works for you. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. ********************************************************* ***********
**Our Online Groups**
Julia, Step 7, RadiantBrits Geo Coach RadiantBrits is my ‘home’ group and like all good homes it’s where my heart is. We are technically a geo group and cover the UK and also sometimes have visitors from overseas who may be planning a trip over the other side of the big pond or just like to hang out with us! I say ‘technically’ because the Brits list has always been somewhere we talk about the programme, the food and how we do it. When I first started on the programme in 2002 I was really happy to find that there was a list which could tell me where I could get programme friendly foods over here. We do some cross cultural interpreting of terms like ‘crockpot’ ( slow cooker), have a brits breakfast document which all new list members get and often talk about supermarkets, eating out and where to get ‘browns’. We talk about what we are doing today, how the food is helping us to do it, what we are having for tea, relationships, family life, work and career, all in the context of ‘getting a life’ ( step 7). And we just do simple too , what for breakfast, have you had dinner, what browns are you eating? Over the last few years we have had some get togethers, maybe once or twice a year mostly in London. Last year though was very special. Kathleen ran the first ever Euro ranch, a weekend seminar which was held in Ireland. People came from all over the UK and Sweden. They arrived by plane, by car and by public transport. People who had never met before left their partners with lists and meals in the freezer, some brought their families, and some were thrilled to meet up with old friends. And it was so successful I think it may be going to be a permanent fixture. This year it will be in Salisbury in England in October and people have been talking about coming for months. Something happened at that first ranch that changed the brits list. We shared about how it feels to do the programme and be British, Swedish and Northern European. We talked about food and connection and learnt how much it meant to all of us to put the two together on our own territory. Since then we have a euro chat night on Wednesdays (as a part of YLD) and we had a wonderful lunch in the spring when 15 of us took over part of a whole food restaurant in Spitalfields in London. One brave soul even flew over from Northern Ireland just to be there for lunch! The people on the Brits list are a fabulous bunch. This list coached and supported me through my early days on the programme, they talked me through step by step with answers to questions, tips on shopping, fun and humour. And they have seen me through wobbles and worries, changes to my life and my programme and shared their own stories and trials and triumphs every day. As the host for the brits list I love seeing new people join us and start to be able to see the changes that the programme makes for them. If you are a brit and you are doing this programme come and see us we‘d love to have you join us!. ********************************************************************
**Some More Thoughts on Abuse** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. We had an interesting dialogue on one of the lists this week. One of our parents shared about an incident with her daughter the past week. She had gotten angry and flung some of her dinner in reaction to that. We were doing some problem solving about where that anger comes from and how we might find ways to deflect it before we do things we regret. As part of that discussion, another member of the list said: p.s. isn't the great thing about kids how forgiving they are when they know deep down how much we love them. This comment generated a number of private emails to me from people who were victims of abuse when they were little. I knew they were raising really core stuff, and really legitimate stuff. And...all of it was very highly charged. I made the decision to speak *for* all those voices - all of those who were in hard situations and were not able to speak because they were little. I want to share t his here because I think it is an important thing for all of us in recovery. OK, I would like to comment on these two ideas. One, I really do not want to talk about an incident of abusive behavior in more detail. I understand the idea of learning what triggers anger. But I think it is more important to look at the idea of impulse control. As we know, sugar sensitive people are not so good about impulse control. It does change with the program. But then we need some practical advice along the way.... Many folks who are abusive or have low impulse control were abused either physically or verbally when young. They were imprinted with the idea that a *feeling* means a *doing* - someone felt something and then did something. So the little brain never learned to differentiate between a feeling and a doing. We can be angry, but it is crucial to learn how to hold the anger and not act. This means learning to put a space between a feeling and acting on it. Counting, breathing, walking away....waiting. Holding your tongue and not hitting, throwing or lashing out. Part of it is deciding that you will commit to this. OK, and let me address the *how forgiving* issue....kids have no choice. They have to because their lives depend on the adult. I am going to speak directly here. What abuse to people you love does is imprint a message that abuse and love are tied together. This is not an acceptable message. If you love someone, you do NOT abuse them. If you are wounded, and you learned this pattern when you were young, you may think is is a reasonable state of affairs. It is not. Abuse is not all right. And I think part of recovery is having the willingness to face that in our wounding and in our addiction we do or have done things that are not all right. Let's not make it seem that if our children, friends or spouses *forgive* us that it takes us off the hook of a fearless moral challenge of accepting our own darkness. In order to heal it, we start with accepting it is there. And then, we say, I will not do it. And we take steps to not. I want to share a story about abusers...I worked with guys in prison who had done some awful things to children. This experience pushed me to a level that I could not have imagined. When I started, my brain was not very forgiving. After ten weeks of learning what the stories behind the abuse were, I understood in a place very deep in my heart, that this is a darkness that weaves from parent to child over and over. Victims become abusers and do not know how to get out. And not one of the guys I worked with wanted to be that way. They simply did not know what to do. And addiction, i.e., biochemical imbalance, meant it was an almost unsolvable problem. So here, we are going to speak some clear things. Abuse is not OK. And abusers need support and tools and healing to change. We will do that as well. ©Kathleen DesMaisons 2007. 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 gathers the recipes. 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. ©2007 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 Patti Holden, Step 7 |