September 26, 2011

Hi {!firstname_fix}

Well, I finished my marathon of classes for my Alcohol and Drug Licensure and learned lots and lots of new stuff. I actually enjoyed it. Now, I will be getting organized for the trip over to England for Euroranch. I will stay in NY for a few days to visit family and friends, and then we will be flying over.

This class will begin Wednesday, September 28, 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.

There will be no classes beginning Wednesday, October 5, 2011.

These classes will begin Wednesday, October 12, 2011. 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.

Weight Loss and Clothing (2 weeks) will explore your relationship to clothes after you start changing your sense of your self. How you want to dress, what works, what doesn’t work. What about all the clothes in the closet that do not fit. Do you want them? Even if they fit now, are they what you want to wear? How can you have a sense of style? Come have fun and play with us in a journey of discovery.

Depression (2 weeks) is a key class for the Potatoes Not Prozac crowd. Learn in-depth information on the kinds of depression, why drugs will or will not work, how they work and how Doing the Food can help.

These classes will begin Wednesday, October 19, 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!

Radiant Play (2 weeks) is based on 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. We will be talking about the neurochemistry of play. Why it is especially important for ss people and why even more so for those of us who have committed to recovery.

This class is not about the psychology of play. It is about the the neurochemistry of it and why it is so crucial for us. And because we have been talking about play in chats, we will incorporate these ideas as well - what kind of play works for *you*...how can you nurture it?

So come take it for you, or if you are a parent or grandparent, for your children.

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

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 **


One of the real markers for your recovery is to begin to think about your food needs before you get into trouble.

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** Testimonial of the Week **


The geese are flying overhead as I type. That darn winter is coming like it or not. I've been using my light box most mornings for the past few weeks. This is my first time using it consistently so early in the year. It does seem to be helping raise my mood a bit and I am sleeping sound(er) at night.

Work has slowed down but I feel like I am still recuperating from the busyness. Our program is being taken over in a few years by another institution and I've had it hanging over my head that without an official piece of paper that says I'm qualified to do my job, there's a good chance I won't have one when the takeover happens. I applied to take the necessary courses 18 months ago and then chickened out. This week I applied again with a firm intention of starting in the new year. It feels good to go from thinking to doing.

I've had a few health issues crop up and am being proactive about them. However I was discouraged, really discouraged for a few days. There is something about losing bodily functions (especially at work) that feels so humiliating. I have a dr. appt. for the week after next, trying to get my MRI moved up from December, too.

In other areas life is good. I have been busy with some AA service work and that sure helps me get out of myself! I spent time with my sponsor yesterday, too.

Yesterday we had two of DH's nieces come spend the afternoon and evening with us. One has a baby that was an absolute delight. These nieces see our home as a sanctuary and said what an encouragement it is to have someone role modeling getting emotionally healthier. They are only in their early 20's so it's such a gift to be in their lives and see them start so much earlier.

I just pulled a casserole out of the oven, a new recipe. A chicken, brown rice spaghetti, mushroom combo. I adjusted a recipe I found online, thickening the white sauce with amaranth flour. It smells great and will be my main meal for the next few days with spaghetti squash on the side or another veggie. The days are getting colder and there was a hard frost overnight. A casserole and cold weather go together for me!

For the first time in my life I am keeping a consistently clean house. I used to vacillate between spotless and filthy. Now it is comfortably clean. I'm even making my bed. I still have a few areas that need a good cleaning and I know I'll get to them but keeping up the main areas of the house on a consistent basis feels really great. A clean house is such a relief and so nice to come home to.

Cheryl W.

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** Radiant Ambassadors **


Potatoes not Prozac. Catchy title. Fabulous read! And it changes lives too, whew.

So what do you do when you have an extra copy?

Do you read it again every so often?

Lend it to a friend?

Leave it on a park bench for someone to find?

Or even send it to the charity shop for its next owner to find?

Come tell us your story!

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 **


Hi all. My name is Beverly and I found out about this through the sugar addict book. I have flirted between knowing and denying that I am a sugar addict, even to the point of praying for the addiction to be cured so that I could still have dessert. It took me a long time to get regular protein at breakfast, so I had put the book down until I had been adding protein regularly. I am trying to journal, and hate it. I don't want to stop and think about how I feel all day. I finally had to come to the place where I said, "I just have to trust that this way is better than my way." I am eagerly awaiting my PnP book. I had always been intrigued by the title, but kept putting it off. Now that I know what it's about, I am eager to read it. I got introduced to the idea of how neurochemicals affect us and how we can eat to adjust them through a church recovery ministry. May I also say that it was easier by far to give up alcohol than my cigarettes or sugar.

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** Radiant Recovery® Store **


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

I first learned about digestive enzymes when a friend shared that she had tried every trick in the book to heal constipation. Nothing had worked. She tried enzymes and was delighted.

Since then, I have read a lot and worked with a number of people who experience bloating, gas, digestive problems. When they take digestive enzymes, they get better. And it seems that enzymes are not all equal. We carry the brand we have in the store because so many people have commented on liking them. We carry two types:|

Quadrazyme The first is Quadrazyme that is a formula that digests starches (carbohydrates), proteins, fats, dairy, fibers, sugars and malts. The enzymes simply break down the food into a more digestible form.
Gamma Zyme The second is Gamma-Zyme that digests starches (carbohydrates), fats, dairy, fibers, sugars and malts. It doesn't have protease to digest protein. I recommend this for use if you have ulcers, gastritis or burning in the stomach after eating. If you have any kind of open sore in your stomach, you do not want an enzyme that degrades protein. Gamma-Zyme also includes other ingredients to soothe and restore damaged or irritated intestinal linings.
Take two to four capsules with meals, depending on the size of the meal, not the size of you.

Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better.

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** Radiant Kitchen **


Apple Butternut Squash Soup


  • 1 onion diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded & diced
  • 2 Granny Smith Apples or other tart green apples, seeded and cut into wedges
  • 1 1/2 quarts chicken of vegetable stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 cup very cold diced butter (or margarine)
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste
In a large saucepan sauté onions and celery in oil until soft and translucent. Add squash and apples. Cover reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Transfer ingredients to a large stock pot. Stir in the stock and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples and squash are easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.

Remove from heat and carefully transfer part of the contents of the stockpot to a blender or food processor and puree. Puree remainder in batches. Return puree to the stockpot and place over medium low heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon each of the nutmeg and allspice, then whisk in the butter. (The cold-diced butter gives this soup its creamy consistency.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish soup with remaining nutmeg and allspice and hot sauce to taste.

Submitted by Gail

For more great program-friendly recipes, check out our cookbook in the store and visit our online Radiant Recipes site.


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** Radiant YLD **


Here is a fun quote from Sue. I asked her if I could include it here since I know that sometimes I forget to tell you about people losing weight (smile).

Hi, I am Sue from Philadelphia. I am on Step 7, thanks to many years of following Kathleen and her work :-) I lost 52 pounds in 52 weeks when I was 52 and have kept off every pound for 4 years! Many people ask me to explain more about YLD so I'm taking this class to be more conversant on the topic.


If you would like to join, come find us here

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** Radiant Conversations **


We have a new portal for the Conversations program. Come check it out here.

The Conversations Chat continues to weave its way through our hearts. Last week we were talking about commitment to recovery and how that shapes our choices. It was very moving. I love these chats and I am happy that you come to share how your lives are unfolding.

If you would like to join us, you can do that below.

Join YLD Weight Loss Now: click here - $99

Join Conversations 2011 Now: click here - $99

Join Both YLD and Conversations Now: click here - $149

Current YLD members wish to Upgrade to Both, click here - $49

Current YLD members who wish to Transfer to Conversations 2011 Only can do so for a $14.99 admin fee: click here

If you are not a member, come and join us if you want to be a part of the latest and greatest or just have some plain ol' fun!

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** Our Online Groups **


The Radiant Step Two 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!



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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**Numbers **
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.



We were recently having a conversation in the weight loss class about tightening up the steps. One of the class members ranked the quality of each step as a 90% or 100%. Then she averaged the seven steps to get a sense of how she was doing. Her average was 90%.

Connie chimed in and said that kind of math doesn't work in this instance. She talked about how the steps are cumulative. And that when you did the math a different way, the actual score was 68%.

Some of us, including me, said, WHAT are you talking about! I asked her to try again. Intuitively, I knew she was onto something. But this explanation is a winner.

A quick Google search didn't show up any high-level intro explanations of quality and reliability in steps, so I'll just make up an example. First I'll use one for an everyday manufacturing process, and then I'll talk about our 7 steps.

For the everyday manufacturing, say Connie decides to make a DVD about Warrior Wellness. The steps to get the DVD from the manufacturer to the person, are:
  1. DVD maker sends the DVDs to Connie's mail room (LOL)
  2. Connie takes orders from the net and gets them ready to ship
  3. The shipper, say the US mail, ships to the person
  4. The person gets it
  5. The person can play it! yay!
What we want is, 100% of the DVDs getting from the manufacturer to the person. But let's say each step has 10% problems:
  1. 10% of the DVDs get squished when Connie drops the box in her mail room to sign the invoice
  2. 10% of the addresses entered on Connie's web site are off somehow
  3. 10% of the people's mailboxes are ripped off from local drug guys stealing identities, and they rudely toss the DVD
  4. 10% of the CDs don't work in the person's DVD player somehow (Connie has el cheapo manufacturer)
So, you'd think, well okay, each step is 90% there, so my customers should be 90% happy right? But let's follow 100 DVDs.
  1. After Connie drops the box of DVDs, there are 90 DVDs on the way to the customer. (90% of 100)
  2. After step 2, wrong mail address, there are 80 DVDs (90% of 90 DVDs)
  3. After step 3, the mail theft, there are 72 DVDs on the way to the customer. (90% of 80)
  4. After step 4, unplayable DVDs, there are 63 DVDs that actually get to the customer. (90% of 72)
So of those 100 DVDs starting out, only 63 got to my customer. That makes a "reliability" of 63% for the end-to-end process. But I thought each step was 90% ! well, it is. Still, if what I want is DVDs to customers, I find a way to tighten those steps.

This happens to EVERY process where the later steps depend on the reliability of the earlier steps.

What I think is hard to understand until it's experienced , is that our steps really truly DO depend on each other. No one else in the diet world talks about this and that's why they all say, make these zillion changes all together.

And, our steps each have smaller steps, so imagine the opportunities to get a little off. Here's just ONE path.
  1. Breakfast. Protein is 90% of what it needs to be.
  2. Journal. Writing 90% down, but maybe the 10% not written, is what happened after breakfast with light protein! So now I lost a little feedback.
  3. 3 meals, 90%. Lunch had "justa" whites and it was early. Somehow I was "extra hungry" today but I don't make the connection to breakfast.
  4. Vitamins. 90%. I ran out of vitamin C days ago and keep forgetting to pick some up. Hence, my food is not metabolized quite as well. I'm a little hungry.
  5. Browns. 90%. By dinner I feel off and resentful and have my browns and then some.
  6. Sugars. 90%. More justas. I make the family a program-friendly dessert and have more of it than is appropriate for my plan right now.
For me, this would be a day for overeating either at dinner or at spud time. I might THINK "oh, my program is 90% on" but, that evening sure FEELS like a not-so-good, only 50% radiant day, and sure enough, the idea of multiplying instead of averaging, matches what I'm feeling.

Connie


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.
Gail provides the recipe of the week.


©2011 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/