Hi {!firstname_fix}

I am back in Maine for a short vacation with my brother and his wife on the Island of Vinalhaven. I came here 50 years ago when I was a child. My mother's sister and her husband had a camp. We would come from Arizona to the sea. It was a powerful imprint. The smell of the seaweed, the bright cold of the water, the fog and the sun dancing in and out. The bean suppers with 2 kinds of hot dogs and many kinds of beans and a whole huge table of desserts, LOL. It hasn't changed. Even the swimming hole in the quarry is the same. Same smell. Isn't it amazing that a scent can take us back 50 years in an instant. The library is just the same. Even with the new addition, it is the same. Except now it has WIFI and you can sit on the steps in off hours and be online. This helps since the house where we are staying has neither cable nor cell phone coverage. The quiet is good. And the lobster is good (smile).


These classes will begin Wednesday, August 13, 2008. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

Store Tour (1 week) is a free guided tour of the store. David will be leading this class so if you want to get to know the guy that makes it all work, come sign up. This is his first teaching experience, so you can show your support for the work he does to keep you happy.

Step 1: The Art of Breakfast (1 week) is our foundation class to get you started. Learn all four parts of step 1 in a structured way. Learn how to progress through them with enjoyment. Let us support getting your program off to a fabulous start.

YLD Weight Loss in Action (2 weeks) is the *let’s do it!* class for YLD members who are ready to rock on losing weight in a healthy and focused way. This class will not actually start until Sunday, the 17th. So when you sign up, remember we won't start for a few days.

These classes will begin Wednesday, August 20, 2008. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

Getting Started with Limited Funds (1 week) is a special free class for those of you with limited funding who are trying to make do. Come hear some fun ideas to maintain your humor and find tasty and inexpensive solutions.

Step 6: Planning Your Detox (2 weeks) is a class for those of you getting ready to detox or having detoxed and wondering why it is so hard after. We talk about *the flat*.

If you are on disability or low income (your household income is less that $1000 a month), you may take classes for free if you get certified. I have put the guidelines for certification on the class schedule page.


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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August 11, 2008
** Quote From Kathleen **


Exercise is a crucial part of healing your sugar-sensitive body. Make time for it.

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** Testimonial for the Week**


Hi and welcome! I was very thankful when I found Kathleen's books and this list as well. As a typical sugar sensitive, though, I thought I could speed through the steps and kind of skip what didn't "apply" to me. Boy, was I wrong! I went right back to my bag of M&M peanuts and other sweets.

I didn't feel well. I was exhausted all of the time. I was in my 30s and really thought I was too young to be this tired, three children or not!

Then I re-read Kathleen's books. I figured, if she made such sacrifices to do the research and write these books, the least I could do was follow the steps as they were designed and give them an honest try.

But, that meant I had to give up control. I had to surrender to the steps. I had to let go and just_do_the_steps. They are clearly written. I understood. I just had to let them work!

So I started with breakfast and didn't move to step 2 until I couldn't imagine starting a day without breakfast, just as Kathleen recommends. I was still eating sugar, and that was o.k. I was just having breakfast with a protein and brown within an hour of waking every day. My head began to clear. I had more energy. I felt better.

Gradually I moved through the steps until I reached step 7. The change in my life is beyond measure. I have the energy I need to make it through the day. I used to feel more like a garbage can. Now I feel good about myself because I am making good choices about the foods I put into my body, which are nourishing fuels. I have a can-do, positive attitude and a sense of peace that I did not have before. My children have noticed and we have more fun together now than ever.

David (11), Daniel (10) and Olivia (8) worked through their steps with my help and are now on step 7. They help me put together menus, select foods to buy that are program-friendly, read labels for hidden sugars and help me test new recipes. Our days are peaceful and joyous and radiant. We feel as though our whole family has been liberated from the chains of sugar, thanks to the steps in this program.

It's great you're here. We are on the same journey!

Best wishes,
Amy

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**Radiant Ambassadors**


Did you know that you can get free Radiant Recovery business cards from the store with your next order? They are so handy to carry around with you and you never know when you might need one! Here are a few ways you can use them -

  • Put one in a library book or in a book at a store
  • Place one on a notice board
  • Put one in a book as a bookmark before you sell it on eBay
  • Stick one on a wall at Whole Foods next to the *Forthcoming Events* board
  • Give them to people who are interested in learning more in their own time


These are all tried and tested methods - we've done every single one of them! You never quite know when you might plant a seed and it may develop into a full blown recovery tree.

If you’re interested in finding out more come and join in the fun on the Radiant Ambassadors list.



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**Radiant Kitchen**


BLUEBERRY CREAM PARFAIT



Ingredients:

  • 1 recipe rice pudding with apples, chilled
  • 1 lb. frozen blueberries
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 1 TBS. cornstarch or arrowroot dissolved in 2 TBS. apple juice or water
  • 8 oz. cream cheese (reduced fat or no fat ok)
  • 1-2 tsp. cinnamon, according to taste


Process:

  1. Combine blueberries, apple juice and 1 tsp. of cinnamon in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.
  2. When mixture is cooled, scrape into a blender. Add cream cheese and blend until mixture is uniform and creamy. Taste and add additional cinnamon if desired.
  3. Assemble parfaits in parfait glasses or some other pretty, clear serving pieces of your choice. Make several layers by alternating the blueberry mixture and the rice pudding. Dust top with additional cinnamon and/or nutmeg if desired. Chilled at least 2 hours before serving.


Yield: 6 servings


Radiant Recovery
Cookbook

Naomi's Nutritious and
Delicious Cookbook
Sheila's
Kitchen Recipes


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

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


I thought it would be fun for you to hear from some of the members. Here is a note from Glenn.

I am to the point in YLD (my first reading) where I have started the writing exercises. Wow, they are amazing! Really the book is amazing. I couldn't read it and focus the previous time I tried. Now I am just amazed at how smart Kathleen is, how she is answering every question I had and bringing so much incredible depth into the process. So this is why they say to read the book first?! LOL

I am committed to reading it twice and going slow and steady. I still have a bit of race horse in me chomping at the bit, but I know rushing will get me nowhere, especially after making a graph of my weight loss and gain.

I love the leading from your strengths section, so smart!

I also can't believe how different YLD is from the standard RR. To me, it is so deep and rich and personal. No steps to follow, just me working with myself to make my life better and maybe lose some weight too. On top of it all, I know my relationship to YLD will completely change a year from now!

Glenn


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.



I always love to talk about pycnogenol. Here is the list Kathleen gave me about its wonders:

  • Treatment with pycnogenol reduces menstrual pain
  • Pycnogenol is a significant anti-inflammatory
  • Pycnogenol prevents edema in long air flights, and it is a major inhibitor of deep vein thrombosis associated with long flights
  • Pycnogenol has a major positive effect on inflammatory bowel diseases
  • Pycnogenol lowers glucose levels and improves endothelial function in type II diabetes.
  • Pycnogenol accelerates wound healing and reduces scar formation
  • Topical pycnogenol protects from inflammation, immunosupression and carcinogenesis induced by UV radiation (that means sunburn)
  • Pycnogenol has enhanced sperm motility and concentration in infertile men
  • Pycnogenol causes a significant improvement in sexual function in men with erectile dysfontion without any side effects
  • Pycnogenol has a positive impact on asthma
  • Pycnogenol inhibits the release of histamine from Mast cells
  • Pycnogenol inhibits lipogenesis
  • There is some evidence of pycnogenol casuing death in human mammary cancer cells
  • Pycnogenol reduces platelet aggregation in smokers


Whew, OK I can't do any more....

Let me summarize what Kathleen thinks might be most important for SS people:

  • Pycnogenol reduces inflammation in many way - asthma, allergies, gut stuff, heart stuff
  • It inhibits fat storage
  • It is really, really good to take on long flights or if you sit at a computer all day.
  • It helps with PMS.
  • It strengthens capillaries, so if you are taking fish oil or other things that thin the blood, it helps to prevent bruising.
The typical dose is one milligram per pound of body weight. Each of The capsules we carry have 50 mg. If you are starting off, and need more than 2 caps, ease into it and stagger the timing. Sometimes if you take a lot at once, you can get an upset stomach.

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**


The RadiantBreakfast list is a great place to learn the nuances of breakfast, build a strong foundation for the rest of the steps, and find how helpful it is to share our journey with others. It is great for new people and those who have been on the program a long time. Sharing helps everyone. The awesome thing is we all, Step 1 or Step 7, eat breakfast every single day. How cool is that? We have had a lot of people join us this week. Do plan on coming over to the breakfast list to talk with others about what you are learning. Since we are doing the breakfast class this week, it is a nice combination.

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


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**How Things Change on Step 7**
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.


We have been doing a step 7 class. We were looking at how things change on step 7. One participant wrote a post about procrastination. I want to share it with you because it touched me so much. It's funny, it shows how something that we might think is a tiny part of our recovery can hold the essence of it.

Many of you come here to lose weight. More come to stop the craziness. It is almost impossible for me to convery the power of what happens over time. Step 7, the “Getting a life” step is really code for getting a transformation at a cellular level. I think Jo captured that.

The real issue is Dopamine driven procrastination.

I've been mulling this over at length lately.

The way I have seen it working in my life, pre-RR:

*I procrastinate. Things pile up. Big jobs don't get done. Little jobs pile up behind the big jobs.

*It's a mess. I stress. Big dopamine hit.

*I react to the mess by doing something else addictive. Instead of tackling a job, I eat, addictively.

*I don't bother getting dressed. I vegetate in front of the TV.

*I feel terrible, but instead of doing something about it, I wallow in it. I make a list of what needs to be done and beat myself up about not doing anything on the list.

*When my partner asks me how my day went, I'm embarrassed to tell the truth, so I pick a fight instead.

Since Step 7:

*I procrastinate less. When I do procrastinate, I recognize what I'm doing. I prioritize jobs. I ask for help if I need it. Jobs don't tend to pile up.

*Even when I do procrastinate, it never gets to the mess stage. If I start to feel that tightening in my stomach that means I'm beginning to stress, I analyze why and fix it.

*Or I laugh at myself for being such a silly human (I like geese too much to compare myself to one).

*I look at my food and make sure I'm not getting off track. If I am, I fix that, too. No drama there, just data and response to data.

*If I'm going to vegetate, I vegetate intentionally, not reactively. I plan it. I assemble books, DVDs, comfortable clothes, a cat and a blanket. I clear The procrastinated stuff first, so I can vegetate with A calm mind. Then I enjoy my down time to the fullest.

*I still make lists, but I do the most important items and I don't worry about getting the entire list finished.

*When my partner asks me how my day went, I can answer "frustrating -- I wish I'd gotten more done" if that was the case, and not pick a fight. But even those days are getting fewer.

I had one of those mini-procrastinating days yesterday, so it was very clear in my mind how I was going to write this today. I know what happened. I know why I was procrastinating -- it was food-related. I know what to do to fix it. I had a good breakfast today, and I'm back on track. I have a few jobs to clear out tonight, which I can see my way clear to doing.




©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 Geraint Smith