March 8, 2010

Hi {!firstname_fix}

Last week in chat we had a LOT of fun talking about things we might do to enhance our newsletter. We did some creative brainstorming which was incredibly exciting. So, look for some additions and exciting new columns over the next few weeks. I also think that it is so apropos that out of the *diet* room, we shifted to *radiant discovery* for chats. And then, BOOM! the creative energy just burbled up like it has never done before. I am thinking that we put soooooo much energy into the angst of being fat, that when it is shifted, released, it can go into mind-boggling creative exploration. Folks suggested stories from step 7 people, as the rice burns (instead of as the world turns, heh heh?). Why does my rice cooker keep doing this? :), going from chaos to rigidity to steady, solutions of the week, the rise of the DBA, travel foods of the week, pictures of our favorites and many, many more. The energy was flowing...

Now we are posting pictures of our shakes and shake cups over at facebook. Come to facebook.com and search for Radiant Recovery International. We KNOW that everyone has a favorite shake cup, LOL.

And this week, I have reposted an article I wrote when the big tsunami blasted Indonesia. I think it is relevant today as well.

These classes will begin Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

Radiant Step 4 (2 weeks) is the potato class. Come learn everything you ever wanted to know about the timing, size, frequency of your potato. Learn about the best vitamins and talk all you want about them. This is a nice way to strengthen and refine your step 4.

This class will begin Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

Radiant Step 2: Introduction (2 weeks) will teach you the basics of journaling. The class will give you step-by-step instructions in how to record your food and feelings in a way that gets you excited.

The class schedule is online. Click here to see what is planned.

Please wait to sign up for classes until a week or two before, and 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. 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.

Be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery website and Community Forum regularly.

Warmly,
Kathleen
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** Quote From Kathleen **


When you pay attention to your body, you are sending it a message that it is valuable. If your body feels valuable, it will talk to you more.

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** Testimonial of the Week **


I felt sooooo horrible in the beginning. I was depressed, anxious, and phobic, as well as miserable about my uncontrollable bingeing.

In a way, I was lucky to be in such a bad way. My life had pretty much imploded. I had dropped out of school, dropped my volunteer job at church. I wasn't working, I wasn't cooking or taking care of the house. I decided to put my whole focus on getting better.

I am just a leetle bit obsessive by nature :) Well, when I'm healthy I am impassioned and detail-oriented. When I'm off-balance, I can't let go of things.

So I consciously decided to channel that into the steps. I joined each step list in turn. Couldn't post--I was so socially phobic that pushing the send button was a nightmare. I listened and ate breakfast. I read the Forum, which scared the bejeepers out of me. Definitely didn't post there. But I could take the classes and post my assignments in a nice small group. I bought the CDs and listened to them over and over in my car and kept moving through the steps.

I was already a member of YLD. I read the list there and started to post a bit. The chats were way too scary at first. Eventually, I could go and participate a little and then turn off the computer and feel like I'd made a fool of myself.

Then I signed up for Ranch. I was still pretty messed up. Most newbies on any step have a great time at Ranch. I did what I could, showed up, acted friendly and then went to my room to cry and pace at night. When I came back the next year, it was like being a different person. Ranch made my program deeper even though I was still nuts while I was there. I was learning to connect. I posted on the Ranch list (after Ranch) more than anywhere else. Then I came to this list and started to post. I held on for dear life till healing caught up to me. I started to serve in small ways, answering posts from newbies. Kathleen talks about putting every skill we gain as an addict into the service of our recovery. That is what I was doing. I obsessed on the steps until that obsessiveness started to heaI and my death grip on the program could loosen enough to let the joy in. My BE and serotonin healed, and eventually I didn't feel so raw and weird.

So I think it is good to ask ourselves what we have to place in the service of our recovery. Perseverance? Knowledge? Experience? Social skills? Compassion? It all helps.

Jeannie

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** Radiant Ambassadors **


We are so lucky to have so many talented people on the ambassadors list! Being a writer, our very own Kat attended an editorial meeting for a parent’s magazine recently. Here’s what happened.

“It was a fairly critical meeting as a new editor is taking over and it gave her an opportunity to meet the writers and discuss the direction of the magazine, which has changed a bit since I was last a contributor as well as try to figure out content for the next two issues, which comes out every other month. I am going to be one of their regular contributors on a variety of subjects, but I just got off the phone with the new editor and was very happy about our conversation. After submitting a lengthy list of ideas that were based on the topics we discussed here on this list a few days ago, she said she thought I should consider tackling one topic a month via a regular department or column under some sort of nutrition/health heading to be determined. Isn't that fantastic? That means all the ideas will fly plus others under that heading. I could also talk about food allergies (another topic becoming near and dear to my heart LOL) and anything that concerns kid health! This is very, very good news!"

Kat

How exciting is that?!

Selena

Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news.

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** How I Found Radiant Recovery **


I found out about RR from a therapist I had been seeing for 5 years.

I think that she had seen over the years that the anti-depressants weren't quite doing the trick and she knew about Kathleen's work so she suggested I go to the website and take a look.

I think without the trust that had been established between us I never would have checked it out but she was a wonderful guide.

It didn't take me long to start reading Kathleen's book, SARP, and start with breakfast.

I feel very fortunate that my therapist was so open-minded and wise and that also goes for Kathleen and her books.

-John

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** Radiant Kitchen **


Lentil and Bean Stew

As in all "my" recipes, the quantities are a bit ropey, but you don't need to be exact with this one, even if you're a scaredy cook you'll still be able to produce lovely, steaming pot full of delicious stew! This takes about 45 minutes, and I always make a big pot, it keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days and you can also freeze portions.

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups of lentils (I used two different types, little green ones and big brown ones)
  • 1 cup of (brown) rice (any sort)
  • 1 can of beans (any sort)
  • 1 tin of tomatoes (chopped)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2 onions, chopped
  • stock cube (I usually just dump in the stock cube and add water as I go instead of making up the stock first) water, added slowly during the cooking process.
  • 2 tsp rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3-4 juniper berries
  • 3-4 cloves
  • 1-2 tbsp paprika
  • 1-2 tbsp vinegar (I use cider, but any sort will do)
  • some garlic if you like, salt and pepper.
Directions:

Add tin of tomatoes, stock cube (you may need 2, depending on quantity, but you can always add the second one later if you need it), rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, juniper berries, cloves, rice and lentils. Add a bit of water. Stir.

Put the lid on and simmer for half an hour, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Add more water as you go, but don't let it get too "soupey".

After it has simmered for about half an hour, add the vinegar. (Watch it! too much vinegar is the only thing which can possibly ruin this! Start by adding 1 tbsp, then do a quick taste-test.) Add the can of beans (drained) and the paprika. Cook for another 15 minutes - this is the time to boil excess water off or add a bit more, depending on how you like it. Before serving, you can try to pick out the bay leaves, cloves and juniper berries. (I said try! You'll never find them all!!!) Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy your protein-packed veggie meal!

Now, I like to do my vegetables separately, but you can add them during cooking. I find that if I put them in and cook them with the rest, and store it in the fridge, the veggies lose their crunch.

This recipe can be modified in lots of ways. For example, instead of rice, you can use millet or quinoa. But, as these have a shorter cooking time than rice, add them after about 20 minutes or so. Tofu is another good ingredient. I made this stew yesterday with quinoa, and it turned out absolutely delicious. Also, try adding a bit of cayenne pepper or chili powder for a more fiery version.



For more great program-friendly recipes, check out these great cookbooks in the store.


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


We have been having a conversation in the YLD Weight Loss in Action group. This is the place where people who are steady with the steps come to master the action steps for losing weight. A new person asked, *Well where is the action? Why aren't you guys talking more?* I was so laughing because the fact is by the time we get to that point, it is so much about simply doing it rather than talking about it. It was actually quite a revelation.

So we started talking, LOL. There are 8 pieces to the weight loss actions. We each do whatever one of the eight suits us. Take them as the easiest first, or the one we feel is more important first or the one that is the most enjoyable first. As we talked, I got this sense of how different this is from all that hype we have all so long endured. I just love doing weight loss this way.

If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just have some plain ol' fun!

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** Radiant Recovery® Store **


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



Here is a heads up for all you new people. Make sure to get a copy of our CD, The Theory and Practice of Radiant Recovery®. This set is the complete audio resource for learning about the program. And it has things in it that are not in the book. Get it, put it on your ipod, listen to it in the car, it REALLY makes a difference.

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.

Or come to the group page to find the one that will best support your program: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/list_serves.htm


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**Why You Are Having a Hard time **
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.



I first wrote this article after the huge tsunami a couple of years ago. I think it is relevant now as well. Sometimes I think we get so caught up in our personal lives, we may not connect to a bigger, global energetic.

The past couple of weeks have been difficult. I went out to Florida for a family crisis. . I came back and found that a whole number of folks on my leadership team were having a really hard time. At first blush it seemed as if it were simply coincidental... timing maybe, post Christmas stress, or winter fatigue or something like that.

But as I sat and thought about it, I realized that this is way deeper than personal stumbling. I began to hear the same story, spoken in different ways and the more I listened the more I began to sense that something bigger is happening.

The tsunami was caused by an earthquake. But really it was a huge shift in the surface of the earth - a planetary shift. This was a monumental event. The energy flooded, literally, and wiped away everything that had been. You held on for dear life or you were swept away.

Now, it is funny, but this is the same theme I have been hearing over and over. Nothing that was makes sense. It all feels pointless. Everything I counted on no longer fits. I don't know who I am, I don't know where I belong, I cannot find my center. Too much, too fast and I feel like I am being sucked into a dark hole.

Now a medical model will diagnose these feelings as clinical depression. And that same model will prescribe medication. It will identify the situations that precipitated these feelings of darkness. Of course there will be "situations" - a lost job, a move, a promotion, stress at work, no sleep from a new baby, the death of a mother, a son at war, an abusive husband, a lost relationship or all of the above. But we have all had these things all our lives. Why are we stumbling so now?

I think the energy shift of the world discombobulated us on a cellular level. Things as they were actually do not exist any longer. Literally, our 'magnetic north' changed and we can't get our bearings. And if we stumble and then our food gets off, we cannot sort it out. It feels so personal. We do not experience it as a major spiritual crisis, it just feels horrible and we feel lost.

In last week's chat, I talked about this. I talked about this as a time of awakening. When things no longer fit, we have an opportunity to clear out that stuff, to throw away the stuff that does not fit and to make room for something new. We don't know what that will be yet, it has not emerged. So we have to endure this time of "in between" where the old is gone and the new has not emerged. However can we make sense of this? At the first level, comfort comes with doing the food, doing the program. Not just taking out sugar, that is a tiny part of it. But following instructions, being connected, being patient. Rebuilding a solid foundation that cannot be swept away are all part of creating a way to hold what is emerging.

This is the time to go back to basics. Literally. Rather than getting caught in how horrible it is, ask for help. Get connected. Trust that this is not just a personal stumble, but that you are part of a great shift. You got thrown off kilter and you can get steady. Get back on track with your food and program. Don't beat yourself up.

Last week, I said "If you are going to be with a person in a dark hole, take a ladder and a lantern." (smile)..the steps are the ladder and our humor and perspective is the lantern. You are not alone. Grace is unfolding.


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.


©2010 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/