|
|
|
|
April 11, 2011 Hi {!firstname_fix} Thank you all for your notes about Josie. That meant a lot. We are all feeling more settled now. Pepper and Ronan are doing ok now as well. Life goes on and we bless the time we had with her. This issue of the newsletter will bring the announcement of a new and exciting program David has developed for you with the store. 
I also wanted to remind you that we now have the schedule for Ranch all worked out. I will be presenting a whole segment for people who are just starting out outlining sugar sensitivity and why the steps are such a powerful tool. Then I will be presenting on weight loss the radiant weigh (smile) and then on why play is so healing for sugar sensitive people. I am excited about both. We still have some space, and I noticed that Frontier is having an amazing sale on airfare. Click here to learn more.
These classes will begin Wednesday, April 13, 2011. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page: Brain Chemistry:Beta Endorphin (2 weeks) is one of our most popular classes. It will teach you the core of the science behind the program. This is the outline for a critical part of sugar sensitivity, why you act the way you do and what you can do to change it. I love this class and so do all the people who have taken it. Somehow BE rocks! Weight Loss: First Steps (2 weeks) is a class for those of you who want to lose weight and are looking for guidance in getting started with that process. This class shows you how the seven steps get you ready for doing weight loss. These classes will begin Wednesday, April 20, 2011. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page: Using Radiant Resources (5 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. 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 **********************************************************************
** Quote From Kathleen ** Food will no longer by your enemy, but your support. **********************************************************************
** Testimonial of the Week ** 
I am just back from the hospital where they agreed to take out the metal work in my arm (yay!). For newbies on the list I had an accident last year and broke my arm quite badly. My appointment with the consultant was at 11.15 - now remember I'm a brit and for the Americans on the list I will explain that the hospitals here are different to yours - you turn up and you takes your chances it would seem! Well by 12.30 I had not been seen and it was lunch time, so I thought I would go and ask how much longer because I needed to eat, when one of the nurses called me through. As soon as I had finished talking through the options with the consultant (more surgery or leave the metal work in there forever) and made my decisions and signed the consent forms for surgery I was very hungry. I had a friend with me for support/amusement because I knew the waiting time was likely to be long, and so we went off to find some lunch in the restaurant I had found during one of my many visits to the hospital. It's mainly used by the staff (in fact I think it might be the staff restaurant.)There were 4 main courses on offer today and I chose the chicken pie which I had with skin-on spuds and 2 servings of veggies (you'll have to pay extra for an extra serving dear said the lovely serving lady - I smiled and said it was fine). When I sat down, my friend gave my food a puzzled look? "I never thought you would pick the pie - why did you?" "Because," I replied, "the sweet and sour pork would contain sugar, where else would the sweet come from? The veggie curry - which looked delicious - would not have protein in, the cheese and potato pie would not have enough protein for me and that left just the pie!" "But you don't eat pastry or white flour," said my friend. I laughed and said, "What did you think the spare plate was for?" - and deftly removed the pastry topping. And yay ... a nice programme friendly meal. Just needed to be a little creative (smile). Karen **********************************************************************
** Radiant Ambassadors ** 
Our very own Lori has come across some rather exciting news. More research into food addiction has been released and it has brought the topic right to the fore in America - Yay! Loads of online newspapers have carried the story, one even likening Haagen Dazs to heroin.It has also been featured on Good Morning America. Here is an article and a couple of clips of their piece - http://abcnews.go.com/Health/brain-activity-food-addiction-similar-addictions-study/story?id=13291191 As a result, Twitter has gone into overdrive. It's really exciting to see so much coverage and how real people are talking about it, passing it on and relating to it. Ok, so while we're at it, Oprah is doing a whole series called Addicted to Food which has started recently. Here is a link to the new show: http://www.oprah.com/own-addicted-to-food/addicted-to-food-about-the-show Why have I shared so many links, you may ask? Well, I've spotted that there are comment boxes at the bottom of the articles - comment boxes in which we can put our own points of view across... We might even know a thing or two that might help :) So how about we talk about not just 'food addiction' but sugar and fat addiction - and the fact that our very own Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons has been talking about this very thing for the past 13 years?? What about the fact that FOOD is also the solution? I'm going to comment on both articles and as many as I can find online - there are plenty to choose from! Anyone fancy joining me? Yours excitedly, Selena selenas@blueyonder.co.uk Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. **********************************************************************
** How I Found Radiant Recovery ** My Name is Kathy. I live in Albany, Oregon. I have been on step 1 for over a month. Though I have been eating breakfast with protein most of the weekdays, I am a complete junkie for sweets during the weekends. I was given Potatoes Not prozac by my boss months ago. She had asked me the question about not being hungry and discovering the cookies. I said, "I'd get a nice cold glass of milk and take the plate to the table. I would leave at least a few cookies, I hope." She laughed, mentioned something about a I had a sugar addition too. Now I am re-reading the book and trying to get started. I, among things, was diagnosed bipolar nearly 30 years ago. I am hoping this helps with some of the mood swings I've been going through. I hope I manage to figure out how to get to the class this time. I do believe this is my third attempt. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Recovery® Store ** David manages the Radiant Recovery® Store. He is also Kathleen's oldest son. 
I am very excited to announce a new program for the store. We are setting up a new Membership plan in the store. If you are a subscription customer, you will achieve PRIME status.PRIME status means that you will receive a preferred price on many of the items we carry in our store. The store will offer many items at two prices, a regular price and a PRIME price (right below, in red). The PRIME price is close to 10% off a large number of the items we carry. Not all items have a PRIME price. If you have an "ACTIVE" subscription (not on hold or canceled), you will qualify for the PRIME prices at any time you make a purchase. You will also notice that we have lowered some subscription prices as well. If you select the PRIME price and are not an ACTIVE subscriber, you will be charged the regular price at the time your order is processed. The PRIME member will not need to remember a discount code or password to get the benefits of being a subscriber/PRIME member. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Kitchen ** Yam Cakes For the yam cakes… Cook up your sweet potatoes (yams are so much easier to say, but we don’t get true yams), and mush them up. Add some oil (I use coconut oil), and about the same amount of rolled oats as you have of yams. I’ll use a cup of yams as an example. So you take your cup of yams, cup of oats, blurp of oil, and about 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, shredded coconut, and mix them all together. You want it to hold together, and be nice and sticky, so add water if you need to. I then use a scoop, and make little mounds, but flatten them with a fork. Bake at 400* for about 15 to 20 minutes. I freeze these, and take them out as needed…they are yummy cold and yummy hot, and they don’t crumble, and don’t get mushy, and travel well! Using peanut butter instead of the oil is yummy. And I bet you could experiment and use different spices…for variety. Enjoy! Colette Yam Cakes 2 I bake a bunch of large yams all at once, slip them out of the skins, and freeze in 3 Cup containers. (I use sweet potatoes a lot, LOL — not just for yam cakes!) When I’m ready to make yam cakes I thaw a 3-cup container of sweet potato, add a bit of water and warm slightly in the microwave, then mash them. I use a hand held potato masher, but you could use a food processor or whatever suits you. I add 3 cups of quick-cooking rolled oats, 1 cup of Restore protein powder and 1 cup of PB. I also add some more water, about 1/3-1/2 of a cup (I used a total of 1/2 cup of water), to get a sticky, goopy, but partly pourable consistency. Press into a lightly greased 9 X 13 pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Cool and cut into 32 squares. Store in fridge or freezer. My math showed that 5 squares had about a one cup serving of brown and about 19 grams of protein. Elaine in CO For more great program-friendly recipes, check out our cookbook in the store. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Conversations ** I will love talking with you more about the Calm. Make sure to read the article this week. 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! **********************************************************************
** Our Online Groups ** Guess what? I get to start a new journal tomorrow, because my first journal is all full. Isn't that a hoot? I wouldn't have believed I could do it two months ago. Thanks again to the Step 2 folks for getting me pointed in the right direction.The Radiant Step 2 list is a source of helpful information and support with journaling. On this list we talk about how to get started with the journal, how to start listening to our body and why giving it a voice is so important. We also discuss how to use the journal for detective work in our program and, of course, how to make journaling fun! Right now the list is rockin' with people supporting each other and making big discoveries with their journal. So whether you are just starting out or are looking for a recharge in your journaling, come on over and join in the fun! We get set doing all four parts of Breakfast and then comes 'The Journal'. Many people have kept journals of food intake before to track points or calories. Others have written great long accounts of their feelings, poetry, their making sense of life, the universe. This journal is very different. Here we record what and when we eat, and how the body feels. We are able to discover what our body likes, doesn't like. What makes 'our' body function and feel best. We get to know the dear body who has faithfully carried and served us our life long. And we get to make the best food choices to nurture our body and allow the body to heal. The journal is a tricky step for a lot of people! (smile) Learning the language that the body uses can be harder than learning Russian without a phrasebook. But if we persevere, the rewards are wonderful. Getting to know 'you,' getting to know 'all' about you is the best, and most lasting love affair you will ever have. On the step 2l list, we talk about how to have the journal work for you and your body. How to manage carrying a journal, being kind to yourself when it seems too hard, and how to understand what it tells you. Come on over dan join us to learn to hear your body speak. **********************************************************************
**The Calm ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
"Am I right in identifying it this way: the hit--as horrible as it is--is the meltdown and the immediate afterglow in which I can actually get my work done; as the hit wears off I'm left flat--that would be withdrawal; my anxiety levels begin to build and that increases the chaos in my life--the hunt is on for the next big storm.... Oh, lord, it's good to know what's going on but I'm horrified that my actions are the actions of an addict my entire life...because I was labeled "drama queen" right from the getgo and teased mercilessly for it, which only fed it...." Katrina I know that many of you can relate to the idea of being a drama queen (or king). The quote above came from a class member of the beta-endorphin group. I think that perfectly describes the pattern. You create a big thing - using whatever stuff is at hand. It could be leaving bills 'til they are overdue, not paying taxes, forgetting a key appointment, having a fight with husbands, wives or partners or children, blowing up at work, having a temper tantrum, whatever......you get a rush. You get a rush from the STORM. It is such a great image. The rush is a flood of beta-endorphin, and a subsequent dash of dopamine. You feel clear, mobilized, able to cope and in charge. This is drug-induced euphoria. The skilled and effective drama queen. And then the flat rolls in. And you have no tolerance for it. Something, you need something. Sweets, fights, sex, drama. They are all activated beta-endorphin and then pushing through to trigger dopamine. This is euphoria and then rush. And then withdrawal, the flat. The problem comes over time. You build tolerance, so you need a bigger drama. Life starts to unravel and the drama becomes unmanageable. You pull it together; the pulling together is done in a flurry, another rush, more drama. Now the drama of getting fixed, organized, settled. So the pattern is veiled. Now the drama comes with the fixing. And the sugar use builds. When you step into the program, and work the steps, the steps themselves are designed to minimize drama. You want to teach you to cope with thoughtful planning rather than reaction and mobilization. You are creating behavioral change. Learning to "wait" for meals on step three teaches you to learn to wait...and tolerate discomfort. Step six rolls in. Now you have biochemical flat since the charge from sugar is out. This is the hardest part of the program. You are learning to do life without spike. You are learning to tolerate some flatness rather than creating drama, drama.... Then something funny happens. Flat starts taking on color. Flat becomes The Calm. And something in you starts to like it. And something in you starts to really like it. Eighteen months in and drama no longer holds the charge. You find yourself wanting to deescalate rather than amp up. Now the drama seems like an unnecessary wasting of energy far more suited to fun things. Another change slips in. Rather than drama queen, your funny, creative, innovative self starts growing. You are flexible and resourceful. You deal well with crisis, you no longer cope but are proactive in problem solving. Who is this person anyway? There is nothing in the world so wonderful as a healed drama queen. 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. Tina tells us 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/ |
