November 7, 2011

Hi {!firstname_fix}

Why did you come to New Mexico, they said.
The light, I said. But they do not understand
this moment when trees or houses or the mountain
light up with the fire of the divine
reminding me to turn and drink from it.

Today was a grey November day,
Cold and Windy,
Grey on Grey,
Like I always expected November in New England to be.
But here, in the desert, with the mountains and cottonwoods,
the Light awakens my heart.

In those moments
I remember
Why I am here.


These classes will begin Wednesday, November 9, 2011. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:

Step 2 Journal: 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.

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.

These classes will begin Wednesday, November 16, 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.

Clearing All That Clutter (2 weeks) - a one week, quick and dirty get ready for the holidays class. We are going to have fun, learn how to grab that stuff and get it out of the way, make it easy and fun and share with all the rest of us sugar-sensitive collectors, LOL




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 **


Weave Step 7 into your life a hundred times a day.

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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 lightbox 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.

In other areas life is good.

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 **


There is a large mental health charity in the UK called MIND.

As spotted by an eagle-eyed reader, its website carries a section on food and mood. Well, it's funny - I know a few people who know a thing or two about that!

So I wrote to them, as you do, to tell them about my experiences with Radiant Recovery. After a couple of emails back and forwards I have now been invited to write a guest blog post about how I no longer have depression (or mood-swings!) thanks to 'doing the food'. Its blog has over 70,000 readers.

Watch this space!

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 **


My name is Kathy. I heard about potatoes I think from my physical therapist. She mentioned the book. After deciding that I could be a candidate for Overeaters Anonymous, I began to see more issues with sugar than with overeating. So I decided to buy the book and check out the website. I am struggling with the amount of protein per meal, (I am overweight and need a lot), but I have been working on it for a couple of weeks now. When I have cravings or grumpiness, my dear husband gets out the book and reads to me.

All of it is confusing, I have been on and off a vegetarian, vegan, raw food..... not sure what is the right way to eat anymore.

I live in Michigan, in a small town, I work for myself as a Real Estate Broker, my husband is a State Farm Insurance agent. We have 7 children, the last one will be moving out soon, and we will be empty nesters in a big house.

I look forward to any insights and helps that the class can offer.

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** Radiant Recovery® Store **


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

This week is gussy up your shake week.

Take your shake
Add some flavoring...maple maple for the fall, or coffee for a hot shake
Put in some carbs by way of SPROUTS
And if you want to be bold, add your vitamins right to it
I use Restore, some vanilla flavor, the sweet potato/bean Sprouts, and the anti oxidant vitamins.. and it is GREAT!

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 **


Fall is upon us in the Midatlantic, I have my crockpot back on the counter. I am looking forward to one crockpot recipe a week. Here’s what’s cooking for tonight. I will serve it with brown rice and steamed broccoli from our CSA. My rice cooker is all set up with the lamp timer so it will go on and be ready at dinner!

Crockpot Peanut Chicken


  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/3 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup chunky salsa
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoon finely minced ginger root
  • Hot pepper for garnish.
In a 3-5 quart crockpot/slow cooker, mix all ingredients except chicken and chopped peanuts. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover crockpot and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts as a garnish.

Servings: 4

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 **


I had a little revelation today that I wanted to share. I've been very happy and comfortable with RR this time around and have, in fact, lost weight which has just "melted" off. I mean to say, I eat breakfast, do the food, move, take vitamins, drink the right stuff, etc. OK... for the past four weeks, my weight has stayed the same even though I have been steady. The Big News is that I NOW have the belief and confidence to KNOW that if I keep plugging along, I'll be all right and the weight will move again. My OLD thinking would have been: "I haven't lost weight for a month, despite doing all I've "done" and "given up", so @#$$^ it, I'm just going to eat a bunch of Twix bars, brownie batter, and finish that off with a large Diet Coke!!!" LOL .... I think there are two main differences between the Before RR me and the After RR me: 1) I know if I follow Kathleen's plan, it works; and 2) My living RR is just that - living - no diet mode or diet head.

Patricia in VT

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.

I hope you have been reading the chats. This whole discussion about commitment without reservation has been so powerful for all of us. I think it is just incredible that we can have such a dialogue with people all over the world, and in all different places in the program. And the outcome is wonderful! I love it.

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 radiantrecovery group was set up as a support for people who are in recovery for alcohol and/or drugs and would like to add the Radiant Recovery nutritional piece to their healing. Or it is for folks who are wanting to explore whether alcohol is a problem for them and what they might do. We talk about recovery for those of us who have a *dual* story can work the program in a special way. The folks on the list are warm, compassionate, caring and straightforward.

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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**Another Look at Commitment **
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.



Hi folks, you know I sent out a letter asking for your input. One interesting thing came up. I got some inquiries from folks who said they have been doing everything *perfectly* and were disenchanted with the program because they hadn't lost weight. So I want to talk about this.

Sometimes I get a sense of people following the rules and doing it perfectly. Everything. But it doesn't include the listening to your body, the mucking around that makes the program become your own. You see there isn't a *perfectly* in this program. There is simply a committed, not a perfect way.

Committed means you show up when you are discouraged. You show up when you are still fat and you think you have tried everything. Your show up with a beginner's mind and you say, what does my body say here? What needs to change? What have I tried? Why did it work for a while? What changed?

Committed means you ask the people you trust to help you see things you can't because you are in the middle of it. This is a big one. SS people are not team players. We think we know better. We know how to beat the diets. We ask for *advice*. But not for counsel. And then we ignore it.

Or we fail to ask the ultimate authority - our own body. We say, *Still fat!!! You slug....* and go off and do Atkins. I can't tell you how many letters I have gotten about knowing that Atkins will work and then I will be back.

So what *is* this program anyway? It is accepting on faith something that is so radical, so different from anything we have ever done. Trusting the voices of those who have done it longer. Not done it perfectly, not finished, not all fixed, but those who have hung in there, who are open and willing and are connected. Those who give back. Those who have learned that the heart of the program comes in service. Sitting with one more frightened tired newbie in despair. Or sitting with an old timer who crashed and burned and wants to bail with every molecule of who she is. Or being patient with the one in the middle who is bored and disenchanted.

Rules don't work for that. Heart does. Honesty and tenacity does.

Now here is the bottom line. For some folks the losing weight part is easy. It comes, it works and life is changed. For others, it is a bear. You will go though everything I have written and found you are not losing weight. And then, you decide whether you pitch it because *it* doesn't work or you stay in there as we find out. We don't have all the answers by a long shot. We are living the solutions. And the edge of our story is pushed out by those of you who are stubborn losers way more than by the success stories.

I don't know if this is making sense. Maybe I am just moved by all those letters you wrote me. But what I CAN tell you - Kathleen is in for the long haul. There are some things I do not know, actually LOTS of things I have not a clue about. I don't know why some of you get stuck. It may be that you haven't done the package, it may be that this package is not the one for your body. It may be that your leptin is inadequate or your delta 5 desaturase in under active. But I do know, if you stick with it, you will be able to hang in there and keep plugging away and having fun along the way.

I am going to. So I hope you don't follow the rules, but you find the program.


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 our recipe each 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/