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** Quote From Kathleen ** When you eat according to your food plan, you will have a solid sense of self-esteem that comes from biochemical balance, clarity and well-being. **********************************************************************
** Testimonial of the Week ** Hi Everyone The postman just arrived with a package of new stickers for my journal, so I thought I would talk about what I do to make journaling fun. I've found these wonderful notebooks that fit nicely into my handbag, so I can carry the journal around with me wherever I go. It has a flexible, black leather-like cover, and coloured lined pages. There's a ribbon bookmark so that I can find the right page quickly, and a piece of black elastic which holds it shut, and is perfect for holding my pen. Inside the front cover I stick the lists of words for feeling good and not so good, taken from Potatoes not Prozac. Inside the back cover I stick a little pocket which DP makes for me, and that holds all my stickers. I have to draw lines on the pages for the columns, but I do about a week's worth at a time, and it takes less than five minutes. My pen is a special ballpoint, it was a gift from my co-workers when I left my favourite job to go to university. I can buy refills for it easily, and the ink never goes blobby and nasty. Thanks to the elastic around the book, it's always with my journal, so I never have the excuse that I can't find a pen. My favourite bit is the stickers. I got the idea from the step 2 list when I was just starting out. I have different stickers for different things - gold stars for enough protein, silver hearts for browns, little colourful mushrooms for veggies, strawberries for when I remember to have my sugar with meals, a footprint for movement, a flower for drinking lots of water, and so on. Each evening, or the following morning, I go through the previous day's entries and stick in the stickers. It means I can see at a glance how well I'm doing, and it makes the already colourful book really cheerful and shiny. I can flick through the pages and see all this colour, and it makes me happy. As well as the time, food and feelings, I record what time I go to sleep and wake up, and how well I've slept. I try and always write as I go along during the day, but very occasionally I have to do it a little later in the day, usually when I'm visiting family or friends. Someone on one of the lists once said 'I eat, I write' (was it you, Beth?) and that has really stuck with me. I prepare my food, and have the journal on the table with me. At the end of each day I write a list of all the things I've done that day towards making my recovery happen. Sometimes there's not much there, but I always try and find something, even if it's just cleaning my teeth or making the bed on a day when I feel paralyzed by depression. The other thing I do is write things I want to remember in the back page of my journal. I often transfer this info from book to book until I can remember it easily. My current journal has 'three meals a day and life in-between' written in the back. :-) So that's how I make journal fun. Those of you on Step 2 and beyond, what do you do to make journaling more enjoyable? Do you use the 'My Body Speaks' journal from the RR store, or do you make your own? I'd love to hear, as I'm always looking for new ideas. Jenny **********************************************************************
** Radiant Ambassadors ** Twitter is proving to be a big hit with the Radiant Ambassador folks! Someone on Twitter made a comment about how to control sugar addiction. I responded that "It all starts with breakfast - this might be fun for you to read" and then provided a link to the seven steps on the main RR site. The person (tweeter, I think!) was intrigued, we had a brief conversation and she copied it and sent it on to all her 3,778 followers. One of her friends then proceeded to send it to his 856 followers. As a result, the seven steps has had at least 66 views on the strength of one brief comment about RR! Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Kitchen **
For more great program-friendly recipes, check out these great cookbooks in the store.
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** 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 Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
** Our Online Groups ** Hi I'm Karen the liaison for the Radiant Step Three group. Like the name says, this group is all about our very favorite Step 3. This was a tough step for me when I started the programme and it was definitely the hardest! I either forgot to eat meals, ate the most inappropriate sugar-laden stuff or just grazed my way through the day. It took me ages to master this step, but now I happily eat three meals a day. It's easy and very natural and I never dreamed I would ever say that in my lifetime! The Step 3 list is a great place to stop by for those who are finding this a challenging step, or who are starting out or who would just like some extra support. We talk a lot about things like: What is a meal, exactly? How do I get my body to cooperate with eating "just" three meals a day? What are some tips to help me with consistent timing? And all sorts of other aspects of this step. We try to make it fun, because... well why not make it fun? Since being the liaison for this list, I've been thrilled to see so many people come through and "graduate" to the next steps! It's a great place of support... come and join us! (And it matters not if you are new to the step, totally re-doing the step or just shoring up your Step 3 after being further along in the program.) **********************************************************************
** My Ranch ** Jim Ansaldo
Here's a quick rundown of my Ranch experience: Wednesday: I arrive at 8:30 PM ABQ time. It's 10:30 my time. I decide to eat a late meal and stay up until 11 PM ABQ time. Otherwise, I figure that I'll end up waking at 5 AM! I have some chicken nachos at the hotel restaurant. They're tasty, but the portion is served on a plate about the size of a hubcap. You know that if I can only finish half of a meal, that's a big serving! I retire to my room and watch an amazing youth poetry contest on HBO. Inspired, I drift off to sleep. Thursday: My plan works! I awaken at around 7 AM ABQ time. I head to the hotel restaurant and enjoy an omelet, potatoes, and blue corn tortillas. Yum. I head up to the hospitality suite to set up. I'm working the morning shift. I set out cheese sticks, hummus, crackers, etc. Water and Pelegrino are in the frig. No one's around for a while, so I watch the president speak on CNN. I find the general message of 'we don't have to make decisions from a place of fear' quite appropriate and inspiring. Pretty soon, my peeps start to roll in! I reconnect with old friends and meet some great new folks. It's getting toward lunch, and I'm able to hitch a ride with Verla to the local co-op. She drops me off and says she'll pick me up in a bit. I shop for the week: protein powder, pumpkin, almond milk, ryvita, smoked turkey, cheese, prepared Indian food, pre-cooked sausage, carrots, and snap peas are on the menu. Just as I'm finishing, I'm pleasantly surprised to find that Kathleen has picked me up! Yay! We head back to the hotel and have lunch together. The hotel has a chicken wrap, but I ask for blue corn tortillas instead of the white wrapper. They improvise, and it's delicious. The afternoon is spent in the hospitality suite, again enjoying the company of friends new and old. That evening, I eat some of my sausage and Indian food, along with my veggies. Later, I enjoy a raucous game of Apples to Apples. This will become a theme for the week :) Friday: I'm talked into going to The Range for breakfast (twist my arm!). With the way timing will work, I have half a shake before going. Then, I have a full breakfast at the restaurant: the 'kitchen sink' omelet with sausage and potatoes. Decaf and cream on the side. We take our time getting back, and upon our return, I head to the hospitality suite to see who's arrived. More fun socializing commences. I eat lunch from my in-room supplies. A group of us then head off to walk around Old Town. Small streets, old buildings, beautiful surroundings, and fun shops make the rain a secondary concern. I buy some fun socks for my boys. We get back in time for the show to begin. Ranch begins in the afternoon with welcome and greetings. I make it my mission to say hello to every new person before dinner. I think I made it! Dinner was so-so: dry chicken and a very small portion of Uncle Ben's instant brown rice and veggies. Kathleen is already on it for next year -- don't worry. After dinner, Kathleen welcomes us and gives an orientation to Ranch. Then, after the evening concludes, I head to the hospitality suite for another great game of Apples to Apples. Saturday: A tasty breakfast buffet is served by the hotel. Kathleen talks on The Theory of Sugar Sensitivity. Every time I hear it, I get something new. This time, I really keyed into how so many issues (anorexia, computer addiction, etc.) are related to the biochemistry and how doing the food is the key to healing them all. Next, Kathleen gives an overview of the 7 steps. We eat a yummy lunch: cheese enchiladas, tamales, guacamole, beans, rice, etc. In the afternoon, Kathleen talks in depth about step seven and the concept of 'stacking'. Throughout both days, it's been suggested that we sit at different tables for each session. Kathleen also built in 'table talk', so it was a great opportunity to get to know others better and hear multiple perspectives. Dinner was on our own, and I was happy to host the Third Annual Cheapskates' Dinner in the hospitality suite. A bunch of us got together, shared food, chatted, laughed, and had a great time whilst being economical. The evening then moved back to the conference room, where we enjoyed live music, Apples to Apples, and a bit of Dungeons & Dragons. Good times. Sunday: The hotel provided a continental breakfast: hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, toast, and fruit. Tasty. Kathleen led us through the Safe Place meditation. I was moved by all of the sharing that took place. Then, Kathleen talked about the transition back home, took questions, etc. It was all over too soon. We took lots of pictures, said goodbyes, and made plans with those staying longer. I enjoyed a great time at the pool and hot tub that afternoon. In the evening, Kathleen hosted a cookout for the RR leadership. Heather and the gang made the most delicious meal: grilled chicken and salmon, potato salad, coconut brown rice, broccoli, strawberries and whipped cream. Good food and great people. We capped off the evening with the required game of Apples to Apples. Monday: After my shake, I was enjoying jammy time when I received a phone call. 'They're going to land in the hotel parking lot! Come down! Come down!' A group of Ranchers had gone on a hot air balloon ride and were attempting to land by the hotel. They ended up crash-landing a few blocks away. We went, took pictures, and helped heave the balloon and gondola over a barbed wire fence. Fun! We then had a Radiant Recovery leadership meeting. It was a great business meeting, full of good conversation, planning, brainstorming, and laughter. A group of us went to Kathleen's for lunch and spent the afternoon lazing, chatting, and printing boarding passes. Dinner was spent at an Indian restaurant. We brought our own coconut brown rice, and they heated it up and served it. Yum! Just for consistency's sake, we finished off the evening playing Apples to Apples. I said my final goodbyes. Tuesday: Shake, dress, pack, and it's off the to airport. After a long day, I'm glad to be home, but I miss my radiant friends already. Can't wait for next year! Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:
Gretel, our webmaster, puts it all together. David runs the Radiant Recovery® Store. Selena provides the weekly Ambassadors column. The banner photograph is by Patti Holden. ©2009 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, use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®", and notify kathleen@radiantrecovery.com of the location. Please visit the Radiant Recovery® website at http://www.radiantrecovery.com for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction. 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. |
