Well, OK, you may have gathered from my *interim* picture of little Teddy Paw Paw, that most of last week was spent getting puppies and momma settled. Of course doing a kitchen renovation at the same time didn’t help. The cabinets are out, the floor has been sanded and refinished. The plumber comes tomorrow, the electrician on Wednesday. Then we patch and paint and two weeks later the installer arrives. It will be beautiful and I am really stoked. The puppies are chunky and happy. Their eyes are open and they are getting ready to get up on all fours and roam around. Pepper is loving but bored with them, LOL. It is hot and she prefers to be in the bathroom on the tile floor than with three furballs all cuddled up. These classes will begin the week of July 9, 2007. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: YLDweightlossinaction is the working class for YLD members on Step 7 who are ready to move to the next level and actually get the skills to get the pounds off. It is always a really exciting class. Doing the Program on a Budget is one of our free class offerings. This one is designed to help you do the program on a limited budget. Come and get all sorts of really terrific tips. These classes will begin the week of July 16, 2007. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: Brain Chemistry: Beta Endorphin is one of our most popular classes. It will teach you the core of the science behind the program. This is the outline for a critical part of sugar sensitivity, why you act the way you do and what you can do to change it. I love this class and so do all the people who have taken it. Somehow BE rocks! Step 2: Journal: Skillful Use is the next level of journaling. This is for those of you who know *how* and want to learn what to do with your data. This class shows you how to interpret what you have written in an exciting and pragmatic way. Using the Resources of the Community is for those of you who are brand new and would like to find your way around town. Come sit on the top of our double decker bus for a guided tour. And even if you are not brand new, this is a really fun class to reconnect with all the treats of the community. The class schedule is on line. Click here to see what is planned. Please do not sign up for classes that are not yet scheduled. 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. It does not matter whether you are in the US, Europe, the Far East or Australia, you simply respond on your own 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 **********************************************************************
July 9, 2007 ** Quote From Kathleen **
Don't forget the details. They will point the way to healing. *********************************************************************
** Testimonial for the Week**
We have a bookstore on campus and I like to raid the office supply section. They have fun things I haven't seen at Walmart (the happenin' place in town LOL). Actually, they have more fun things than I've seen at Staples, too. I guess they cater to a younger crowd who are into fun. I have highlighters in different colors that are double ended-pink, or green, or blue on one side and yellow on the other. I've also got post-its, flags, scissors (to clip the current day's page as a bookmark), and tape (for my boku pages). It's nice because I can carry my journal to whatever location works for the day without having to lug all the other supplies around. I review the day before if I didn't review it at night. I highlight any feeling words that seem to be noted more than once. Sometimes there's a pattern. I mark the unbalanced or negative in ones color and the balanced or positive in another color. I also highlight goals met in another color. I find that doing a daily review is much easier and actually gets done rather than doing a big review each week which tends to get put off. It also gives me cues as to things that I need to watch out for before they "sneak" up on me. Thanks for asking. (smile) Terri ********************************************************************
I love to grill! The best part is being able to make an entire meal on the grill and my house stays nice and cool in the heat! In addition to grilling chicken, meat and salmon, I put some little baby red potatoes and some veggies on the grill, too. I will also put some corn on the grill for the family. I thought it would be great to share some great marinades from the Radiant Recipes cookbook. Marinate small pieces of whatever you are grilling for 1 - 24 hours. The longer the marinating time, the more intense the flavor. Remove meat, fish or tofu from the marinade and cook as desired. Brush a little marinade onto the protein as it cooks for greater flavor. Do not use the leftover marinade without boiling it first. Boil the marinade until slightly thickened and then you can use it as sauce. Lime Ginger Marinade
Teriyaki Marinade
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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**
YLDonline is a membership program run directly by Kathleen DesMaisons herself. Here is a wonderful quote from Mosaic. I think we can all relate. It is so wonderful to be free of this. I am so glad you are laughing! You must be healing! My daftest bit was thinking that if I got on slower it might say a lower number, and leaning over 10 times trying to get the dratted thing to say something different. Not to mention cutting my nails and taking my contact lenses out, the last actually quite helpful as I couldn't focus at all. 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 **
David manages the Radiant Recovery Store. He is also Kathleen’s oldest son.
Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. ********************************************************************
**Our Online Groups**
The Joy in Motion group is all about doing the food while being active in the world. We fall somewhere between the total couch potato who is just getting up, and the experienced high-performance athlete. We talk about anything that moves us and gets us moving. It can be playing in the park, or a "gym workout," or a class, or going to the zoo and playing with the kids. A quick glance through the archives will show us in a wide variety of activities and challenges. From doing an all-day festival with food and walking, or a hike, new bike, new dance step, or how to keep one's modesty while showering in a gym - the whole world of being physically active while "doing the food" is our Joy in Motion group focus. And our group can help figure out how the food program works with movement needs too. It doesn't matter what your size or fitness level is, either. Anyone of any size or age, with challenges or raring to go, can find something to do physically that brings them joy. Our members prove it and I truly believe it myself, so come and join us! ********************************************************************
**The Neurochemical Control of Crying ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. This is an old article, but it remains one of my favorites. In 1979, a group at the University of NC had the idea that there might be a connection between the crying (distress vocalizations or DV) of chicks and narcotic addiction. They made this connection because opiate drugs are very potent in reducing distress vocalizations. This may seem self-evident on one level. Give the little one a painkiller, and they will stop crying. But remember they were not measuring physical pain. This was the emotional pain of separation. Yah, you say, "knock em out," and of course they will feel no pain. Very Low Dosage But they and I were intrigued that the DV reduction occurred at very low dosage of the drugs - long before any sedative effects were observed. And my hunch is when you are talking about "very low dosage", we can infer a similarity with the pain-killing effects of sugar. But let's go on with the experiment. The scientists took 5-day-old chicks and measured the number of times they cried when taken away from mama chick. They gave some chicks saline. The salt-water chicks cried 821 times in 10 minutes. They gave the chicks a low dose of morphine. They cried 115 times in 10 minutes. If they gave the chicks a morphine blocker, the crying went right back up. Their scientific conclusion after a whole number of complex experiments was "the opioid system may have considerable neurochemical specificity in the control of distress vocalizations." Now think about sugar as an opioid drug. Sugar comforts. Sugar stops emotional pain. This is why you are drawn to it. But there is more to the story. Let's keep going. Opioids Block Isolation Distress Opioids block isolation distress. What does this mean for you? Isolation distress means feeling bad about being alone. You feel yourself "outside the circle," "not a part of," "not good enough, valued or wanted." You feel isolated, alone and alien. You feel that the group leader doesn't notice you. These feelings are biochemical. They come from low beta endorphin, the brain chemical that soothes pain. Low beta-endorphin means greater vulnerability to separation pain. Low beta-endorphin means greater vulnerability to isolation distress and feeling less than. Sugar sensitive people have low beta endorphin. Opioids go and sit in beta-endorphin receptor sites. So when you use sugar or alcohol, your beta endorphin is activated. You feel like you belong. You feel connected, loved, a part of the group, and valued. Until the drug effect wears off. Then, it's worse. And you don't generally make the connection to feeling worse in withdrawal from things like sugar. You only know that if you eat sweet stuff, bread or pasta, life is manageable. These foods are called "comfort foods" because the comfort is real. On a cellular level, the beta-endorphin response makes you feel loved, and makes you feel safe. Tolerance Because of your biochemistry, if you use these (alcohol, drugs or sugars) all the time, you will develop tolerance. You will need "more" to feel better. If you stop using for a while and then go back, you get a bigger hit of comfort. Your non-sugar sensitive friends have no clue of the power of that first "comfort" running after warm bread or a hit of fudge sundae. Your food recovery can bring an intriguing dilemma. If you are diligent about staying away from sweet foods and white things, your cravings drop, but your sense of isolation may emerge. Your food is good, but you feel disconnected and out of sorts. It makes no sense. There should be no reason for feeling this way. This is what we call the flat after detox. Beta-Endorphin Needs Cranking Up But there is a reason. Your beta-endorphin needs cranking up. You have to "add in" something to the equation. Exercise, music, meditation, dance, laughter, sex, inspirational talks, yoga all raise beta-endorphin. Raise beta-endorphin and you will feel connected and cared for. Simple chemistry. This is the joy of step 6 and step 7. The Flat becomes The Calm. And this is how recovery unfolds. Panksepp, J et al. The Neurochemical Control of Crying, Pharmacology Biochemistry & Behavior, Vol. 12, pp.437-443. Panksepp, J et al ., Endogenous opioids and social behavior. Neuroscience Biobehavior Rev. 1980 Winter;4(4):473-87. Panksepp, J et al ., Brain opioids and mother-infant social motivation. Acta Paediatr Suppl. 1994 Jun;397:40-6. Review. ©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 |
