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| February 13, 2012 Hi {!firstname_fix} It has been a week of ups and downs. A couple a weeks ago I had someone cancel their subscription to the newsletter because she did not want to hear about my *life* things. I think she just wanted me to stick to the food. She never really told me. But I thought it might make sense to share with you why I wrote about life stuff. I think it will help you see what recovery brings....the power, the tenderness, the reflection. So it is not really *me* per se, as much as wanting to model that we are all doing this together. This week's article is about my last week. It was very, very difficult for me. You will see why. And you will hear what I did, and how I am moving through it. Personally, I think this kind of sharing will give you *why* we do the food. I hope this makes sense. We can talk about it on the forum and of course we will talk about it in conversations because that is what we do. This class will begin Wednesday, February 15, 2012. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:
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 ********************************************************************** ** Quote From Kathleen ** You don't have to work through self-esteem and take care of feelings your whole life. You just do the food and the feelings will take care of themselves. ********************************************************************** ** Testimonial of the Week ** I have a couple of breakfasts that are pretty economical. My current breakfast is a shake made from almond milk (any milk will work), spinach, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie spice and Pea Protein powder, but any protein powder would work. I do make this fresh each morning, but perhaps it could be made the night before, left in the fridge and given a good shake before drinking. Along with my shake I have a porridge of my own design. I cook the three grains ahead of time and then just heat in the microwave each morning. I mix buckwheat groats (inexpensive and easily cooked in the crock pot), brown rice (I bake this in bulk in the oven and freeze), and millet (cooked quickly on the stove top and stored in fridge). I learned to never freeze millet, it changes the texture and is yucky, although my great nephew's chickens love it. lol. My shake might be an acquired taste, but I love it. The spinach can be left out, too, but it really doesn't add much taste and does a lot of good healing benefits. The second breakfast is a frittata, which is mostly made out of eggs and then anything else to top up the protein and nutrition value. I always add some kind of meat or cheese to bring up the protein and often I put rice on the bottom and add whatever left over veggies are in my fridge. This stores well and I often take it with me when I travel. It also freezes but is not quite as tasty when frozen. I think for me one of the most important things when beginning was to work on the every day nano first. I worked my way up to the full amount of protein and browns for my body but it was hard to tell if it was helping if I didn't do it every day. Good luck and I hope you find something that will work for you! Carol ********************************************************************** ** Radiant Ambassadors ** 
So, you've discovered Radiant Recovery and you want to help spread the word...
Here are a few things you might like to try:
Selena selenas@blueyonder.co.uk Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. ********************************************************************** ** How I Found Radiant Recovery ** I found RR in a search for something to help my daughter. At 6 years old, she was having regular meltdowns, tantrums, and rages that would last 45 minutes to an hour. There was no reaching her. I consulted with my pediatrician, had recommendations for specialists. I was crying regularly. I felt a failure as a parent. My pediatrician suggested I keep a journal of her sleep and food and behavior to see if there were any connections. It became quickly apparent that her worst rages were directly related to big sugar hits in the previous 24 hours. So, I started doing searches on kids and sugar and found Little Sugar Addicts. I checked the book out of my local library and as I read, I realized that not only did this fit my daughter, it fit me too. I got on line, joined the parents list, and we started on breakfast. Within a month, our house had transformed. I think she only had 2 or 3 rages after that and they were milder and less frequent. And I started to become the mom I wanted to be. That was just the beginning. Emily ********************************************************************** ** Radiant Recovery® Store ** David manages the Radiant Recovery® Store. He is also Kathleen's oldest son. As I am sure most of you realize, we carry some special products that Kathleen believes will help support your program. Many times when people come into the program, they have *other* complaints like constipation, bloating, gas and the like. Kathleen explained this to me that many years of poor nutrition and high sugar use can mess up the healthy function of the digestive enzymes in our guts.
Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. ********************************************************************** ** Radiant Kitchen ** Here are some more stuffing and cranberry recipes.? Hope you enjoy them!! RICE STUFFING
CRANBERRY SALSA
For more great program-friendly recipes, check out our cookbook in the store and visit our online Radiant Recipes site. ********************************************************************** ** Radiant YLD ** I would have never imagined that doing this book study would make weight loss come alive the way it has. Of course the ole process of the *nano* steps always works its magic, doesn't it, LOL. If any of you are concerned about weight loss, I really encourage you to join YLD. You do not have to be on step 7, you can be on step zero (smile). There is such joy in this sharing. I simply love it. If you would like to join, come find us here ********************************************************************** ** Radiant Conversations ** We have a new portal for the Conversations program. Come check it out here. Well, we will talk about the *barney's* of our lives and how we find and hold our programs in the face of hurting. 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! ********************************************************************** ** Our Online Groups ** The Radiantdepression group is all about support for the person who is depressed and trying to work the 7-step program of recovery from sugar addiction. Many of us have struggled with severe depression for years without any hope of finding an end to it. But through doing the food we have found that hope returning and have found light where before there was only darkness. Some of us are taking anti-depressants while doing the food, so we talk about how the two are compatible and we also share about getting through the tough spots together, with support from each other. If you are feeling depressed please come join us. There is hope. **********************************************************************
**Barney ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. 
Barney showed up in my life about 10 days ago. A shelter in Northern NM had called to ask me to take a young male who was found running on the mesa. I declined because I had 4 dogs already and my rescue pens were full. Three days later, I got a call from a young woman who does rescue up there. She had pulled Barney from the shelter and had him at her house. She loved him. He was loving, sweet affectionate, great with her kids and dogs, and even her chickens. But he did not want to be locked up and kept breaking out. He had ripped all her fencing, and broken down the gates. She had to put him on a chain and she knew that it was not a good solution. She was willing to drive 3 hours to bring him to me. So, of course I said yes.Barney was wonderful and yep, he was a breakout artist. He ripped out the wire in pen #1, so went to high security which has pig fencing and a dog cannot break it with his teeth. It is also designed so no one can dig out. I noticed when I let Barney be with me and with the other dogs, he calmed down and played and laughed. I figured out that he just did not want to be alone, he wanted to be with his gang. So I rearranged dogs, invited the best, most settled dog in my network to come for a visit, and Barney was in heaven. He had a *pack* and the world was right. I have another grumpy, old fat guy who snarls at everyone. He got the lock down spot and would do the curl the lip thing and snarl at Barney. Barney just looked at him and said, *Get a grip , dude.* I was looking forward to finding him a loving home. Thursday evening, I glanced out the window and saw that Barney was having a pretty major seizure. I went out to get him and it quieted. He was totally disoriented and I had no idea how I could get him to the vet because he was a big guy. He finally stood up and started going in circles. I guided him to the car, and drove to the vet. She took him in, and did the standard protocol. Nothing in the blood work to suggest his eating something toxic. After 30 minutes she came back and said, *We need to put him in the hospital so they can stabilize him. I will load him with phenobarbitol and valium. He may have another seizure in the car.* It is a long drive to the emergency hospital. And yes, he had another seizure in the car. They took him in. The resident came out and went through the long list of possibilities and asked me what I wanted to do. *No MRI, no spinal tap, let's get him stabilized and see where we are in the morning,* I said. The late night doc called me later and said he was still having episodes and she was concerned. In the morning she called and said he was walking, eating, wagging his tail and she was optimistic. Fifteen minutes later, she called back and said he had another major episode. I knew at this point we were in trouble. I knew that I could not place him with uncontrolled epilepsy. I knew that the bills were mounting and every dollar we spend means it has to be raised. So I made the decision that we would euthanize him. I told her that. She agreed that it seemed to be the right decision. I hung up and felt incredibly sad. She called back in 10 minutes and said they needed a witness to the decision. I decided that I would drive up and sign the papers in person. I did. While I was sitting in the waiting room, I decided that I would sit with Barney for this passing.He had no one, and it just seemed like the right thing to do. It was part of taking care of my *pack*. I told the receptionist. And I waited and waited. Then they put me in the kill room...I guess they feel that a carpet and upholstered chairs are better than stainless steel and linoleum. The doctor had told me that Barney was under deep anesthesia. They brought him in and set him on the blanket...a white polyester fleece with multicolored flowers. He opened his eyes, wagged his tail and tried to stand up. The doctor seemed like she was 18. I asked her to just let us sit alone. So I held him and I stroked his head and as I wept over him, I told him that he would be safe. I asked my old girl who had died if she would come for him, show him where the balls were, where the fields were to run it and explain that all wounding would be healed. I told him he was a good boy and that I cherished him. He went to sleep. The young doctor came back. She explained all the stuff. I wanted her to just shut up. I wanted to tell her that I knew all the process. I just held Barney and he passed. I asked her to leave me alone with him for a while. I turn off the overhead light and simply sat with Barney for a long time. I have been with people who have died. I know that the big soul goes first and the cells are confused. So I told them what had happened. I felt that Josie came for him. I thought about the fact that had he not been with me, he would have died in a ditch on the mesa. Probably his owner knew of the seizures and had simply thrown him out to die. I have often said that when we experience a grief, we add a bead to a cord of the like griefs. I put the Barney bead on the cord and then touched all the beads before it. My Josie dog, George who committed suicide by alcohol, my mother, my therapist who committed suicide, my father who also drank himself to death. One death gives us all the deaths. And perhaps this heart, opened by a goofy blond boy dog, now could experience those other beads because somehow the recovery had allowed me to FEEL. I got in the car in so much pain, I thought I could not drive. I wanted to drink, to have a hot fudge sundae, to go shopping, to go to a casino, to have sex, to do almost anything not to have this pain. And somehow in that moment, I realized that this is what it means to be sugar sensitive, to feel so deeply that we do not know what to do with it. I knew I had to get some lunch. Flying Star has a take out on the way home. I got a grilled cheese sandwich on whole grain bread, and an iced decaf coffee. I ate it. I didn't drink, I didn't have sugar, I didn't do anything but go home and weep. I just waited. I told my dogs that Barney was with Josie. I made a phone call. The next morning I shared in a 12 step meeting. I did what we do in recovery. And I didn't die. I found that pain would not kill me, it would heal me. This is recovery, this is why we do the food. Why it sustains us, holds us and heals us. It is why we show up for one another, and why we sit with our sisters, our brothers, our friends as we learn this new way. Thank you for being part of my life. 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. ©2012 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/ |
