Hi {!firstname_fix}

I went over to Vermont this weekend to visit my daughter, She lives in a dorm at the Putney School in Putney. Behind the house is a dirt/snow road that goes down through the woods. I took the dogs walking. They were in heaven. MOM!! There was a rabbit!!!! They were running and running. The woods were very still. The snow had not been walked on. It was an incredible experience.

I like going new places.I feel as if my heart is exploring the sea, the woods.

I am just doing one class next week because of the two New York Seminars. If you are beginner, make sure to come to the Friday evening one. And then the all day one will be a great time to do problem solving in depth.

And I have a SPECIAL REQUEST. I am wanting to put together a little task force of people who have been homeless or had very low income and have been successfully doing the program. Can you email me if you fit this category.

This class will begin the week of January 23, 2008. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

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.

This class will begin the week of January 30, 2008. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

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.

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

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Jaunary 21, 2008
** Quote From Kathleen **


Learning to recognize the subtelty of what your body has to say may take some time.

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** Testimonial for the Week**

Vicki, Step 7


It has probably been some time since I have shared my story, so I will do so again. It seems to be a bit different every time, so hopefully, those who have been around for a while will not be too critical, LOL.

I found RR 7 years ago when a friend of mine, who also has struggled with weight for many, many years, called and told me about a book she had found called "The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program". I immediately said that it sounded like me, as I knew that sugar was deadly when I had it in my body. So, I ordered it from Amazon, devoured it the day it arrived and kept looking over my shoulder to see where Kathleen was that she could describe me and my life so well. Sound familiar? (smile)

My history of feeling (knowing) I was fat began at age 5, when my mother put me on my first diet. Looking back at photos, I was not fat, but compared to my very skinny, younger sister, I was BIG. And, my mother has always had a thing about "thunder thighs" and I had chubby thighs. On the other hand, my grandfather would take us for ice cream sundaes before dinner, and when my mother complained that he would spoil our appetites, he always said that we would still eat - and we did. What a set up, LOL.

I reached my full height of 5'8" when I was 12 and in 6th grade. In spite of the fact that I was not fat, I was big all over, so I saw myself as fat. I wore a larger size than my friends. I have big feet and hands. All of that equated to not fitting the image of what a girl should look like.

I dieted on and off through high school and college by limiting carbs. After I married I gained a little weight, dieted it off and got pregnant. In those days, they did not want us to gain more than 20 pounds with our pregnancies, and I didn't. I ate so little and dieted so well at the end of my pregnancy that I didn't gain anything the last 4 weeks. I was always worried about my weight. I found out I was pregnant with my second child because I was seeing a doctor to lose weight after my first. I was eating about 800 calories a day and exercising and started to gain weight! The doctor freaked and told me to start eating. And, so the cycle continued.

I have lost over 50 pounds in 3 months or less at least twice on diets. I've gained and lost more weight than I want to count! The problem was that every time I lost weight, I was unable to maintain the loss. The first little bit of sugar in my system, and I would be out of control all over again. By the time I found SARP, I was 55 years old, was my heaviest weight ever and had given up on diets. I only gained more weight each time so I yo-yo'd higher and higher.

What attracted me so much about Kathleen's program was that she focused on healing the reason I had no control when it came to food - particularly sugars and carbs. So, I decided to give the program a year, forgot about losing weight and just focused on healing. What a relief! As I progressed through the steps, and yes, I did do them one at a time, I could feel the changes. I was very involved with the online program and do not think I would have been able to stick with doing the steps one at a time without the help of those who had gone before me. The forum was my lifeline as was YLD and the chats. I held on tight to the hope that this would work for me. And, lo and behold, one day I realized that I had detoxed without even realizing it.

This program has helped me to lose weight slowly and healthily. It has allowed my inner self to be brave enough to step into the light. It has allowed me to become the person I always wanted to be. Does that mean I have arrived at the end of my journey? Oh, no! This is a wonderful, exciting journey of new discoveries every day. I am so looking forward to finding out what lies ahead, as I know it will be a wonderful adventure.

Sorry this is so long. It is always fun to look back and see how far I have come.

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**Radiant Ambassadors**


I'm on too many lists, so I haven't been here in a long time. I've been giving books out left and right and doing some other things, but I wanted to share this story today because it made me smile -- hope you enjoy it!

When we started marriage counseling, our counselor was fascinated by the PNP story. A few weeks later he admitted that he tried the potato and experienced the dreams (he's currently on Prozac.) Kinda funny -- just like "Hmmm. It works!"

It's been a few months since we've been seing him and today he said to me: "I thought of you on Sunday. We were leaving the beach and my wife was just being so stupid. Nothing she said made any sense and I was getting really frustrated with her. Then I realized that I had not had anything to eat in many hours. It was amazing how smart she got after I ate something!"

Pretty cool, huh?! The awareness we can spread is invaluable. (I gave him a copy of PNP I bought at Ranch today too.)

Spreading the Radiance,
Barbara

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**Radiant Kitchen**

By Naomi Muller, Step 7, author of Nutritious and Delicious Cookbook.


Here is my favorite split pea soup recipe from my cookbook. You can make it vegetarian style or you can add the meat bones or turkey necks for a meaty soup. I love these types of hearty soups on cold winter nights. It also freezes very well.

SPLIT PEA AND BARLEY SOUP

  • 10 cups water
  • 1 c. split peas
  • 1 c. barley
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 4 carrots, chopped
  • 1 sweet potato, cubed
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2-4 cloves garlic (I like to use 4 cloves as I am a big garlic lover), minced
  • 4 zucchini, chopped
  • 2 T. salt (or to your taste)
  • Optional: add some meat bones or turkey necks
Put all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer over very low heat for at least two hours, stirring occasionally. The longer you cook it, the better it is. Just be careful not to let the barley and split peas burn on the bottom of the pot!

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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**

YLDonline is a membership program run directly by Kathleen DesMaisons herself.


We talked about how our sense of selves is shaped by brain maps. I loved the chat and your ideas of ways to shift that map. I actually think it is really fun to take the science and see what it means for us as lived experience.

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.
 


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**Radiant Recovery Store **

David manages the Radiant Recovery Store. He is also Kathleen’s oldest son.



A lot of folks have been getting sick. Seems to be that time of year. Make sure to take the vitamins Kathleen recommends. George's Original Shake is an easy way to do that.

Or if you are using Restore, try the All-One Vitamins.
And add pycnogenol for the winter.It is a great addition as an immune booster.


Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better.

 
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**Our Online Groups**


Our Radiant Dog list is a fun place to hang out if you want to talk about the favorite canine(s) in your life. We talk about all sorts of things related to food, training, service work, companionship, medical issues care, grooming or just kissing black noses when we need a special BE boost. So come join us, and let us know how your dog enhances your life!

Or come to the group page to see all our groups. http://www.radiantrecovery.com/list_serves.htm


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**Is Your Child Sugar Sensitive**
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.



You may intuitively feel that you have a sugar-sensitive child. But how can you know for sure? We have no blood test yet that will tell you. What we do have, however, is a solid list of the behavioral clues that point to sugar sensitivity. To see if your child fits the profile, ask yourself these questions.
  • Does your child ask for sweet foods all the time?
  • Does your child have a hard time paying attention?
  • Is your child restless and in motion all the time?
  • Does your child have a very short fuse?
  • Does your child cry at the drop of a hat?
  • Does your child go from being absolutely charming to pouting and moody?
  • Is your child wildly dramatic and goofy?
  • Is your child known as a motor mouth?
  • Is your child depressed or withdrawn?
  • Is your child impulsive and reactive?
  • Is your child mouthy and argumentative?
  • Does your child have lots of allergies?
  • Does your child still wet the bed?
  • Does your child come home from school exhausted?
  • Does your child have unexpected meltdowns that turn into tantrums or tears? And here are the two most important clues to sugar sensitivity in children — and adults.
  • Does your child have low self-esteem even though he or she is smart, skilled, and capable?
  • Does your child feel alone, isolated, not a part of the in-crowd at school or in the playground?
If you have recognized many characteristics in this list that fit your child, you may be stunned. You may have simply assumed that you have a moody child, or a little goofball who bounces around with motor mouth turned on. You may have just figured these things were a part of your child’s personality or personal style. The truth is, all of these behaviors can be rooted in your child’s biochemistry. The degree to which your child displays them will depend on what and when she eats.

Many parents intuitively have made the connection between sugar and hyperactivity. Even though much of the medical establishment dismisses this theory, most of you see it at work in your kids’ lives. You know the connection exists. Often, though, because you are sugar sensitive yourself, you get stuck; you feel like an inadequate parent. So you join your children in evening treats to help contain the pain and complexity of the feelings you have. I will show you how to change this cycle and recover both your own joy in parenting and your child’s happiness.

This is from the beginning of my book Little Sugar Addicts. If you feel this sounds like your child, won't you come over and join us on the parent's list? We are doing a LOT of problem solving there. We have a wonderful and very skilled team to help you.



©Kathleen DesMaisons 2008.

Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:

Gretel, our 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.

©2008 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