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May 16, 2011 Hi {!firstname_fix} Well, Ranch for 2011 has wound down. I would say this was the year of serenity. The entire weekend was serene, relaxed, fun and focused. People seemed to love the material I presented which included a discussion of the Theory of Sugar Sensitivity, The Steps, Play, and Awakening into Your Big Self. On Saturday night, we played. That part is a little hard to describe, but imagine a room full of men and women just having fun, laughing and doing different stuff...games, origami, music, puzzles, scrabble, knitting and taking the origami frogs and making them jump into cups. Half of our group was brand new people on steps 0-1 who were brave and came to Ranch with the hope that they would make connections and meet people face to face. They all said they LOVED what happened. They felt energized and filled up with the people and the learning. The other half was split between the folks coming back because they just love Ranch, and the long timers who wouldn't miss it for the world.
The ongoing classes will resume tomorrow and these classes will begin Wednesday, May 18, 2011. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page: Brain Chemistry: Dopamine (2 weeks) the newest addition to the brain chemistry series. Learn about the mighty cousin to serotonin and beta endorphin. Learn how he sparkles and seduces and what to do to have him as an ally rather than a dragon. If you have taken the other two classes but not this one, come join us..you will love seeing how it fills the package out. 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, May 25, 2011. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page: Step 1 (2 weeks) 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. Using the Resources of the Community (4 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. 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 ** Most sugar addicts who have not started to heal do not plan much. **********************************************************************
** Testimonial of the Week ** Hi all, I now have 17 pages in my journal; I have not ripped out any! Previously I was having a lot of trouble on my exercise days. This past week I did much better, not so exhausted, on my hiking day. I attribute that to steadiness on the food plus two days of no exercise prior to the hike. Usually I have a swim day two days prior to the hike. From my journal, I can tell I really have to pay attention to my body on days that I'm tired or stressed. And one evening while hubby was gone I had thoughts of food again; in the past the nights alone were prime binge times. I had my snack of brown rice cake and half a banana a bit earlier that night to ward off the bad urges. I've been getting caught up on reading all your posts; one day I was gone the whole day and the other day I had computer problems so have not posted in a few days. I don't have a lot to say, but love reading what you all have to say! Thanks for being here. Kathy **********************************************************************
** Radiant Ambassadors ** 
Ok, so you know what being sugar sensitive feels like but how do you go about explaining it to other people? Well, the ambassadors list has several suggestions - how about a copy of a powerpoint created by Kathleen DesMaisons herself? Or maybe you need an in depth scientific description? We have that! Or how about a flyer to explain what sugar sensitivity is in children? We have that too! Did you know that you can also use the flyer as a poster? Which suggestion do you think might be the most useful? Can you think of any other ideas? Selena selenas@blueyonder.co.uk Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. **********************************************************************
** How I Found Radiant Recovery ** Hi. I'm Teresa from Wisconsin. I am currently on Step One and lurking in Step Two. I searched on the World Wide Web, looking up sugar addiction. Wasn't sure that there was such a thing, and then I found this program. I become "manic" when I start eating sweets. I do not have a stop button, once I start eating sweets. I want to learn how to use all of the resources of this program to be able to get the most help that I can. Looking forward to this class. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Recovery® Store ** David manages the Radiant Recovery® Store. He is also Kathleen's oldest son. Sunday night after Ranch and the store looks like Macy's basement at the end of the day on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The floor supervisor took a hot shower and is making grilled salmon for the mentors reflecting on the weekend. We had such a great time! I love meeting everyone in person. Give me a few days to recuperate. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
** Happenings on Facebook **   I love looking at the pictures posted on facebook. We are such foodies! http://www.Facebook.com/RadiantRecovery and join the fun!. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Kitchen ** 
Okay, I am just too excited to not share some of my experimentation.The last two mornings I've eaten thermos-cooked cream of buckwheat cereal. I have a little travel coffee pot that actually boils water and I used it to heat the water. Then I tempered the thermos with the water and boiled more water. I mixed the cereal with water, salt and butter, put the lid on and then zipped it inside my insulated lunch bag to help retain some of the heat. It was yummy! I made chicken and pasta with alfredo sauce in my rice cooker and magic bullet blender. I diced up raw chicken breast and steamed it in the steamer basket that came with my rice cooker while pasta cooked below. As this cooked I made alfredo sauce in my magic bullet. I used the steamer basket as a colander to drain the pasta and then I mixed it all together. I still have a few other things I want to try making. This is such a cook gadget. I did some research on the internet and it's amazing what you can cook in a rice cooker. This will be nice during the summer months because it doesn't heat up the kitchen much. Terri For more great program-friendly recipes, check out our cookbook in the store. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Conversations ** It was so much fun to talk about the mountain in chat. I LOVE this circle where we start in the newsletter, then talk in chat, and then follow up on the chat study group. Nice loop! 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 ** 
Hi I'm Karen, the liaison for the Radiant Step 3 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.) **********************************************************************
**Sitting with the Quiet ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
People often ask me how they can sort something out. You say, “Kathleen, I just can’t figure out what to do.” Often you are desperate and feel that you have to know NOW. Well, first of all, the haziness, that sort of fog and cloudy sense of not knowing, is often induced by what you are eating, or by when you are eating. Skip a meal and get dumb. Have sugar and whites and get foggy and not be able to make sense of anything. These are the times when you push forward trying to find answers and you feel as if you are pushing into cotton. Nothing comes, even if you wrestle for hours. The first way out, of course, is doing the steps. I know you thought that doing the food would just deal with cravings and your weight, and maybe mood. But there is a huge payoff...you get clarity as well. The fog lifts. Things make sense. Answers come unbidden without thrashing. But let’s say you have a problem now. You can’t wait for step 7. You need some practical skills today. So let’s do some of those. Usually, sugar-sensitive people munch – this means you say, "Is it this? Is it that? Is it this? Is it that?" You never find anything, you just fret for hours. The task is to go under what appears to be the question and seek a deep answer. Go under the surface, see what it conceals. When you start you will often think you are too busy to sit with it. Or if you sit, you just munch so why bother. This is different. You take one issue, and you decide to focus on it. You call a sense of clarity. You basically decide to leave the munch and ask the real question. Let me give you an example. I recently had a discussion with a friend who is trying to figure out some major life choices. Should she go to graduate school, what if she gets the new job she was interviewed for, should she stay with the old job, what if she has to move, how will she have enough money? Sound familiar? So I suggested this technique of going under the munching. I asked her what she wanted in her life in 5 years. I asked her to sit with that in stillness for maybe 30 minutes and let all the “stuff” quiet. This is going under the surface. Not the munching, but the real question. She did. And she discovered that she really, really wants to be an art therapist. You might imagine that all the munching faded away. Once she was clear, the choices were clear. She didn’t have to wait for step 7. And she realized that she had been munching for weeks and had never stopped to ask what was underneath. Once she was clear, she focused her energy and in 3 days, all those issues were settled. Concentrated focus is a mighty tool but we rarely use it. We dissipate it with sugar or munching. This is a learned skill. We will talk more about it as we go. Practice the first piece. 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/ |
