October 18, 2010

Hi {!firstname_fix}

Well, the chat we did on calories really moved me. There is something about the vitality of that process. Yep, we have all struggled with the demon of restriction and calories, but somehow the program does something. Like oh, yah, calories, right...and what about real food? And the the entire chat moved into talking about VEGETABLES. With joy and laughter and creativity. I don't think there is anything more connected to the idea of recovery than this process.

I have been thinking a lot this past week. My brain was in fog for about a week after I got home. I realized that I have not been doing my classroom service well, so I am making some changes with that. We will schedule a little differently, and some of the mentors who LOVE doing the classes are going to help out some. Many of you have asked me how I manage to do all that I do. Truth is that some of what I have been doing has not been as focused as I would like. Mostly you have been very patient and tolerant about that. Last week I got a pretty intense criticism. I worked at what part of it might be truth and have made some changes.

I think this reflects what we are also doing throughout the community. You may have noticed that we have been taking down some of the problem-focused lists and encouraging people to connect with the steps. Focus on the solutions rather than the problems. We will put up resource pages for you to draw from, but we want to encourage you to focus on the food. What a shocking idea LOL.

Also we have made some changes at Facebook. We are consolidating our two groups into one page called Radiant Recovery International. If you are a FB lover, read the column below and check us out.

This class will begin Wednesday, October 20, 2010. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:

Using Radiant Resources (2 weeks) is a free orientation 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.

These classes will begin Wednesday, October 27, 2010. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:

Radiant Store Tour (2 weeks) 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 your chance to shape how the store works and to get all your questions answered.

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.

And this class will begin December 1, 2010. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:

Radiant Play (2 weeks) - the material that came out of our discussions about the amygdala in chat. I learned that play has a huge impact on our ability to handle emotional change, and to make sense of the world. It was mind boggling to me. I want to give you enough lead time to plan for this class. It is not to be missed.

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 **


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

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** Testimonial of the Week **


I've been ruminating on this newsletter all week. Conversations chat was interesting for me as well. I think it is because I used to focus so much of my unbalanced biochemistry onto weight. It all made me happy and grateful for the freedom of choice I have, as opposed to the trapped, narrow feelings I had for many years.

I've also thought about how I used to see failure. I put on weight at the beginning of my steps. It all settled in my Step 3, and so I really identified with this part of the newsletter:

So, the question is, do you have to gain weight? The answer, of course, is no... you simply get your motivation in gear and move along in the process. Step three has a huge impact on the sugar and white stuff.


I would have said at one time that my weight gain was a failure. But I don't regret an ounce, isn't that funny? It did seem to teach me a lot.

Perhaps the best lesson is that the sky didn't fall in because I had gained a bit. I learned to put things into perspective in a very healing way.

Looking back I see in that weight gain a reflection of some of the reasons I gained weight in the past.

I sometimes think my body said - ok, you're listening, let's run through and demonstrate some living-through-it things for you to experience, LOL

  • all or nothing/on the diet or well and truly off it
  • thinking to eat now because I might as well ( feast now, in case of famine later)
  • eating more at lunch to try and "last through"
  • too much brown/ fat/protein here and there
  • then restricting because I had eaten too much
  • erratic mealtimes leaving my body confused.
  • oh and I also did 'wine isn't a sugar' and doesn't count at weekends How did I work that out? LOL
With healing, too, I can look at everything without any emotional charge or judgment, and so it has all been useful. No failure here, learning experiences.

That all bodes well for my future. I've got so much knowledge. I understand 'me' better. Add to that the things I learn in YLD about insulin resistance, stress and meditation, how to build new patterns with mind maps, its all good.

I think it's worth saying my favourite quote again:

you simply get your motivation in gear and move along in the process

Great, isn't it? Do the food. Breakfast. Motivation. I got lots of help here in the forum and then it was good.

Mosaic

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** Radiant Ambassadors **


Have you come across any interesting blogs recently? I was sent the following link to a blog entry which outlines Potatoes not Prozac and I thought I'd share it here so that you guys could see it too!

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/09/12/prozac-and-potatoes

I'm going to post a response - does anyone else want to join me? It looks like you can also vote on it, tweet it and post it on your facebook page - which I have just done :) Ahhhh, the beauty of social media LOL!

Selena
selenas@blueyonder.co.uk

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

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** How I Found Radiant Recovery **


Melaney here, from Rochester, NY. I'm here to learn all I possibly can about this program. I have been looking for an answer to get over my nightly sugar binges for years! My husband found PNP through an article in Mens Health. I ordered the book immediately and read it in 3 days. I am so excited to have an explanation to my Jekyll/Hyde syndrome and I'm tired of being overweight and controlled by sugar cravings!

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** Happenings on Facebook **


Radiant Recovery® International | Promote Your Page Too


Well, we have been talking a lot on the Facebook team about how to make the best use of Facebook to share the message and FUN of doing the Radiant Recovery program in that forum. As you may or may not know, we've had a long-standing Group called "Radiant Recovery" with almost 700 members! More recently we have been developing a Page called "Radiant Recovery International" which is steadily growing at 400+ "likes". After lots of discussion of the pros and the cons of groups versus pages, we have opted to merge the Group into the Page as the technology for Pages is more interactive and up-to-date, and the Page updates show up in the good ol' Facebook news feed. :)

Our vision for Facebook is to create a dynamic, open gathering place for participation and sharing in the program. If you haven't checked it out yet, you'll see that we've got photos, recipes, polls, and more. Plus we are posting quotes and content from the newsletter, updates on the classes and other important community happenings. I'm picturing the spark of recovery reaching many people through this platform and the Facebook team is excited to really get things going!

I'd love your feedback about how to use our Page effectively. If you have ideas to share, email me at tinacastronovo@gmail.com.

Come find us on Facebook at

http://www.Facebook.com/RadiantRecovery.

Then click "like" to become a fan and don't hesitate to click that "Suggest to Friends" link on the upper left hand corner of the Page to share it with your friends!

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** Radiant Kitchen **


Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches


I wanted a chicken sandwich of some sort one night. Heidi sent me this recipe and it got 4 thumbs up in our house! Here is the recipe from Heidi with my notes.

This recipe is based on an Emeril Recipe for Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches. I wanted something with chicken though, so I altered it to make it what I wanted.

I do this without a recipe these days, so amounts are approximate. Adjust to your own personal taste!

Ingredients:
  • Olive oil
  • 2 large white onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 or 2 green peppers, depending on your love of peppers, thinly sliced (I did green, red, and yellow)
  • 2 t. minced garlic (I used jar minced garlic because I’m lazy that way)
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. pepper (I didn’t measure the salt and pepper, I just added)
  • 4 chicken breasts, very thinly sliced (Freeze them a bit and they will slice beautifully)
  • Provolone cheese slices
  • Bread or rice for serving (Most of the family did whole wheat hot dog buns. I did DeLand oat bread and then the next day over brown rice. Both were great!)
  • Other condiments like mayo or ketchup to dress it up your way (We skipped this. It was yummy as is)
Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
  2. Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle (I just use a regular saute pan) over medium-high heat. When hot add the oil, onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, until caramelized. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Push off to 1 side of the griddle. (I take it out of the pan and set it on a plate to the side while I cook the chicken because my pan isn't that big.)
  3. Add the meat to the hot pan and cook, stirring and breaking up the chicken into smaller strands. Mix in the sauteed vegetables. Put the mixture on bread or rice, top with cheese slices and melt in the oven until bread is toasty and cheese is bubbly.
  4. Dress with condiments to make it the way you like it and serve!
  5. This is also great with mushrooms.


For more great program-friendly recipes, check out our cookbook in the store.


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** Radiant Conversations **


Well, I think our discussion on calories was really fun. Isn't it extraordinary that you really would prefer to talk about vegetables? Who would have ever thought! Let's get started with the vegetable exploration over on conversations. I am stoked!

If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. Click here if you want to be a part of the latest and greatest 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.

We are revising the store inventory some and trying out new ideas. The kitchen team is plotting a revision of how we do recipes online. I am thinking it would be really fun to gather 101 ways to use Restore. I know that many of you have been very, very creative with it. Write me if you have a special recipe. I think of it as our flagship product.

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 Radiant Step 1 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 Step 1 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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**Sniffing Out Trouble **
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.



We were having a wonderful conversation on the step 6 list about how do you know if a food is a danger, danger, halt food? Doreen asked the question, and Jeannie wrote this wonderful post. I asked her if I could share it with you. I think we can all relate. See what you think.

I like the natural unsweetened peanut butter at Costco. Or from the grocery store. But here's the rule of thumb about fruit and coverts. Say there is something like ketchup with covert sugar. Or mayo or peanut butter. Do we love it? Are we finding ways to eat it every day? Every meal? Do we dream about how to eat it? Stock up? Snarl at our significant others when they scrape the last bit out of the jar?

If so, it might not be a great food for us :) The goal here is not to be squeaky clean. If we eat zero coverts and no fruit, ever, especially just after detox, our little neurotransmitter receptors will drastically upregulate. They will kinda lie in wait, just in case we get a little covert sugar, maybe in a restaurant meal. And when that happens, they will wake up and start screaming for more. Bigtime cravings.

So it is very individual. I have a few coverts, a little fruit, and over time I've found what works for me. The right amount keeps me feeling steady. Too much and I start feeling like my insides are rocking and rolling. You can play with what works for you. Doing that keeps me from thinking *clean,* which for me takes me into obsession, another spiky behavior in itself.

I aim for attentive with a dash of humor, because my own imbalance was always toward grim perfection. But that's me. Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the decaf for now. As time goes on, you will absolutely know how it works for you. Does that help?

Jeannie


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.
Emily provides the recipe of the week.
Tina provides what's happening on Facebook.

©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/