 Hi {!firstname_fix} The buds on the trees just opened today so there are tiny bits of green showing through. And now the beach grass has new shoots poking through the old dried grass. The birds are coming back so the morning is filled with bird sounds. Spring is amazing when it comes after winter. The excitement is palpable. Hearts quicken. Yesterday I sat on the steps in back, towards the sea. Ronan sat with me, just watching. It was a moment I will remember always. There will be no classes for the next two weeks as I travel from Maine back to Albuquerque, then conduct our ranch. If you haven't signed up, we still have a few slots open, just click here to register. 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 **********************************************************************
April 21, 2008 ** Quote From Kathleen **
The foods you think of as providing comfort are the very things that have contributed to your problems. *********************************************************************
** Testimonial for the Week**
I found RR a year ago this week. At the same time two of my closest friends were doing weight watchers, both had lost about 65 pounds - yet I knew WW did not work for me. I felt shame about my body size, I hated being really really fat, but the minute I connected with this community I knew I was in the right place. Over the last few months I have come out of addiction amnesia, which I had previously called body denial. I have learned to love myself in a whole new way. I also gained about 15 pounds on the first 3 steps. I am now on Step 6 and my body is waking up to wanting to eat only program-friendly foods. I can tell the difference between how I feel when I eat enough protein, on time and listen to my body vs. listening to my head which had always told me dieting was the only way I would ever be "ok". Now a year later... I just saw these same two WW friends, and both of them have put almost all of their weight back on, one of them is now talking about weight loss surgery, the other is even more miserable in her shame. Both are Sugar Sensitive, but neither are at a place they can hear about the program, so I just continue to love them from where they are, and hope to model a different way of living. This program is saving my life, one step at a time. Sometimes it feels really slow, but I trust in the stories of those that have traveled the path ahead of me and know that my body is healing from the inside out. As someone told me recently...if you decide you need to try a detour (weight watchers - or anything else) - we will be here waiting for you with open arms when you decide you are ready to return. I realized when I heard those words, that I knew without a shadow of a doubt, I am in the right place. There are no failures here, just lots and lots of learning experiments. I wish you well with whatever choice(s) you make. Sue CO ********************************************************************
**Radiant Ambassadors** I have had a "success." After strongly suggesting PNP to one of my longtime sponsees in AA, and my super-longtime sponsor, both went and got the book. My sponsee, who is scattered beyond description along with many other SS descriptors (in fact, I read the list to her), hit a wall trying to read the book. It turns out she just couldn't understand everything she was reading, even though she could relate, and so I am basically "sponsoring" her in RR now, too. She was not grasping the four parts of breakfast, so we reviewed them, and she is giving it a try, one part at a time. I do not think she has the best Internet access, and she feels overwhelmed by that anyway, plus all the information, plus the typical weight insanity, so this is maybe the only way she will get the message — one SS/RR helping another. I think others are in this boat where they try and read the book without the support of the online community, and they get overwhelmed, or get confused. I really think the extra support is necessary. And I think Kathleen was right on when she recently suggested that the "old-timers" tell more of their "what it was like" story, because the newer people need to hear that stuff; it's what connects the dots. Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. ********************************************************************
**Radiant Kitchen**
My girls favorite at the moment is PB&J (on whole wheat bread, heavy on the P, light on the J - all fruit spread). However, we do lots of others. Cheese and crackers is a regular standby. Cereal with power milk. My girls also like to have dry cereal for their brown for a snack. Meatballs, quesadilla, nachos, turkey slices, english muffin pizzas, leftover cottage cheese pancakes/waffles, muffins with PP added, shake, apples & PB, hardboiled eggs (although the girls always seem excited about this, but then leave most of the yolk), egg salad or tuna salad on crackers. Hopefully, that will give you some ideas even though all of those aren't toddler friendly. Emily
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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**
YLDonline is a membership program run directly by Kathleen DesMaisons herself. YLD really helped me get to step six. You are in a group of people who are motivated about the program, many of them are very successful and on step 7, and you can see qualities in them that you want in your own life. So, you dig in a little and get going! Also, Kathleen leads almost every chat and access to her is amazing. She tries to pick topics that will help all of us move forward in our lives. Sometimes we tell our children to pick their friends carefully, as they will become like them. Who else would I want to become like than Kathleen, and a lot of people who are happy, healthy, and radiant? I love YLD, and the people there. Therese 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.  I don't want to come off sounding like a commercial for the RR store, but the powders there really are "Da Bomb". If you get George's Regular, all you need to add is milk/juice/fruit to taste. It has the protein, brown, and vitamins already in it so it is WAY convenient. It is soy protein and oats for the brown, so it is fine for a vegetarian. If you order Restore, you need to be aware that it is just whey protein powder. But it is really great whey protein powder. It doesn't have any added junk in it and it tastes very good -- most whey protein powders either taste awful, or have loads of chemicals and/or sweeteners in them, or both! There was one brand that I liked before Kathleen came out with Restore and that was Whey To Go protein powder. Nowadays I get Restore and add my own oats and vitamin powder, and mix it into chocolate almond milk. You can use it however you want, though. I think there are as many shake mix recipes out there as there are people eating shake for breakfast! When I first started eating breakfast, I liked to use cow's milk, thawed frozen strawberries, cottage cheese, and protein powder to get up to my required amount. I ate my brown on the side back then: a couple of slices of whole wheat toast, or some oatmeal, or something along those lines. I also had coffee with creamer, and often some juice or other "extras", but I always had my shake and my brown! I hope this helps you to get some ideas. Elaine in CO Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. ********************************************************* ***********
**Our Online Groups**
A lot of new people have come over to radiantparents and are talking about how to do new behaviors with their kids. We are talking not just about food, but about new patterns of recovery in your family. If you are looking for great support for toddlers to teens, come join us. The problem solving is such a comfort and I love seeing the more experienced parents give so much help to new people. ********************************************************************
**Artificial Sweeteners**
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. I do not encourage you using artificial sweeteners as an alternative to sugars for a number of reasons. The taste of sweet, whether from table sugar, corn syrup or aspartame evokes a beta-endorphin response in your body. This reaction will create cravings. Essentially, artificial sweeteners, while not evoking the same insulin response, will prime your brain to want more “sweet.” This sets you up to go back to the sugars. Many sugar-free products use aspartame (Nutrasweet®) as a sweetener. Aspartame is made from phenylalanine, which is an amino acid. Having a lot of phenylalanine can be a problem for a number of reasons. It is a precursor to dopamine (the same way that tryptophan is a precursor for serotonin). Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that creates a feeling of brightness and excitement in your brain. You like the dopamine effects in your brain. They are considered potent reinforcers. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter affected by cocaine. I have observed that a very large number of sugar addicts is dependent upon sugar-free products. My hypothesis is that the phenylalanine evokes dopamine and creates an “upper”-like effect. I suspect that sugar-sensitive people get a bigger reaction to this than do people who are not. This drug effect can be addictive, sometimes as addictive as sugar. Caffeine in diet sodas heightens the effect even more. Sucralose is made by chlorinating sugar and changing the molecular structure. The makers claim that you just get the sweet taste without absorbing it. However, there seems to be wide disagreement about it safety. The fact is you get the sweet taste which primes cravings and makes you want more. Try doing a google search on sucralose and see what you think about its safety. Stevia is an herb which is promoted as a “ safe” alternative to sugar. Of all the alternatives, it is probably the least problematic. But remember, if you have “sweet’, you will have cravings. I think that even stevia is seductive, giving you the illusion of a “free ride.” We are working with addiction to sweet. Not playing games. Do not to switch to sugar-free products as a way to ease into a sugar-free life. If you are already strongly attached to them, work on holding your “dose” steady while you detox from regular sugars. You can then work on a “sugar-free” detox down the line. I do not recommend going off of sugar-free products all at once. Plan a taper, one quarter the amount each week. ©Kathleen DesMaisons 2008. Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together: Gretel, our webmaster, puts it all together 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 |
