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November 4, 2013 Hi {!firstname_fix} Ok, I am back from my trip to Southern Illinois and speaking to the children's coalition conference. I arrived in town on Halloween with scary-looking clouds. Went to dinner and heard screaming sirens. Seems as if we were in a tornado warning. Took my food up to the room, turned on the weather channel and they were broadcasting tornado warnings. Went downstairs, the receptionist was about 22 and was totally freaked out. She lived in a town that was obliterated last year. I calmed her down and then asked about what the drill was and got a quick lesson on tornado preparedness. Went up and watched the weather channel that was doing an excellent job of tracking where the tornadoes were touching down. When the storm system passed by the town, I went to sleep. Gosh I learned a lot. I learned I don't like tornadoes, LOL. The conference went well. Another group of people have learned about sugar sensitivity and sugar addiction. I am glad I went. The people were lovely. But traveling is tiring and I am happy to be home to get all things radiant settled and in place. Note Below. The classes that have been on hold will get restarted tonight. These classes will begin Wednesday, November 6, 2013. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:
These classes will begin Wednesday, November 13, 2013. 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 ** Think of your food journal as your body's book. Your body needs a place to tell its own story. **********************************************************************
**Testimonial of the Week ** I can remember being ruled by sugar even as a kid. We didn't have sugar cereal at our house, but I looked forward to spending the night with certain friends because they had sugared cereal. Captain Crunch was my favorite. I would eat it until the box was gone and the top of my mouth was torn up. One friend was actually kind of mean to me and her mom was an awful crab (probably an ss family), but I loved staying there because they always had Captain Crunch. Once or twice a week I would make my own concoction that my mom and I called brown sugar candy. Butter melted on the stove, add brown sugar, sometime raw oats and freeze. I would eat a whole pan of it in a couple days. I was never overweight as a kid, don't know why not, lol. But I was a loner. Now and then I would have one or two good friends, but I always felt on the outside or on the fringe. I was smart, but I was a C student. Looking back, I wasn't always "present" in class. I would also fight with teachers instead of keeping my mouth shut. No energy, few friends, low self-esteem. As a teen, I smoked, I partied, I did drugs. I was also a very responsible employee, but my finances were a mess, my love life was always a mess and because of low self-esteem, I let people walk on me. I was a magnet for friends and boyfriends that had huge issues. I took care of all of them and they treated me badly. I quit smoking to have kids and ate more sugar and junk. Gained massive amounts of weight with both pregnancies. Was in a rotten marriage, spent too much money and hated life. My family has big issues around weight and I was the only one in the family for generations that was over-weight. It wasn't long before I was bulimic. For several years I was either gaining weight at an alarming rate or I was actively bulimic. I tried to be a good mom, but had no energy and most of the time no patience. I was out of the horrible marriage, but not really "present" for my kids. Of course they are ss too. I would lose my cool with them and then feel bad and spoil them. I would put my foot down on something important and then give in when they begged. I was mean and strict about stupid things and ignored big things everyday. Mush brain, moody and no energy. I would completely lose my temper over something stupid and stomp around, slamming doors and throwing Mornings before school were terrible and on the way to school, I would drop by the donut shop and that is what the three of us would eat for breakfast. The year my kids' dad and I divorced, I fed my kids donuts every morning before school. OMG you know, now, it is more embarrassing for me to write that about the donuts than to tell you about the bulimia and drugs. The way I was with my kids still makes me cringe. I was in a 2nd wonderful marriage to a great man, and still a mess. Would come from work and go to bed. Grumpy, no patience, hated summers because my step-daughters were there (and they are great kids). Some days I didn't want my husband to talk to me, much less touch me. I wanted to be alone in my universe with a gallon of ice cream and no one to bother me. Still a great employee and even a good boss, but a sick, whiney wife and grumpy, no energy mom. I was starting to instinctively know that sugar was at the core of my problem and did a search for sugar addiction on the web. SARP and Kathleen came up. I ordered the book and a few weeks later it arrived. The night I received the book, I remember posting on the forum while eating a bowl of cake mix. LOL. I really haven't looked back since. I trusted what I read on the lists, I whined and posted a lot and I healed at an amazing rate. My kids and I have this great relationship. They don't even attempt to beg these days. LOL. We spend a huge amount of time laughing and playing together. We have big issues now and then still, (hey, I have an ss teen in the house LOL), but I am present, I handle the situations calmly and wisely My marriage is better than ever. I actually wait on him now and then instead of the other way around. More intimacy, more laughter, less stress. We still owe money, but I don't spend it like I used to. And when we are broke, or screw up and bounce a check, I don't go off the deep end like I used to. We deal with and it doesn't take over our life. I have weight to lose, but it doesn't affect how I feel about me or how I relate to my family. I know that it will take a while for my body to trust me again. Hey, look what I have put her through her entire life. Sugar, drugs, bulimia. My house is clean, meals are on time, homework is done, plants are watered, pets are healthy and happy. Kids like mom and bring their friends home with them. I am still a good, full-time employee, but now I am also writing and actively involved with learning all there is to learn about being an author and writing as a career. I look forward to the time that I work at home and am there when my kids get home from school. Who was that person in that other life? I don't know, but I guess I learned a lot from her. Thank goodness *I* live a radiant life. (grin) Vicki L. **********************************************************************
**Radiant Life ** Helllooooooooo Fiona!!! Oh yes, it certainly is wonderfully wonderful. :)) My reality is without it I don't quite know where I'd be!!! And honestly it feels so warm, fuzzy and comfortable being around the community. I'm just so grateful to be able to come here and chat with you lovely peeps. I've had a lovely weekend. DS2 has been in a fantastic mood. Hmmmmm, I wonder if that's got anything to do with me having breakfast....haha!! Steph **********************************************************************
**Radiant Ambassadors **  Did you know that Potatoes not Prozac has been translated into Swedish? You do now! Do you live in a country whose native language is not English that you would like to see any of Kathleen's books translated into? Apparently it's a pretty straightforward process! One of our ambassadors in Norway asked this same question recently. I will let you know how we get on! And if you'd like details in the meantime, then just ask! Selena selenas@blueyonder.co.uk Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. **********************************************************************
**How I Found Radiant Recovery ** Good morning from Sydney, Australia. I discovered Kathleen's book, Potatoes Not Prozac, almost 2 years ago when a book was published by an Australian bloke on sugar addiction. I saw myself on every page and gave up fructose, lost 11 kilos over 9 months and was a true convert. True to my personality, all or nothing, I did not let an ounce of fructose pass my lips ..... until I had a big hiccup in my life and the draw of sugar was too much for me. But again, all or nothing, I began to binge eat (sugar) which I had never done before in my life. So back to Kathleen's website and here I am. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Recovery® Store ** David manages the Radiant Recovery® Store. He is also Kathleen's oldest son. 
I think a number of you know that we have decided to hold production of George's® Original for a while. It really was not cost effective for the investment. We decided to put our development skill into creating a George's® Vitamin powder that you can add to any shake base. So that is in the works and I am very excited about it.But, I wanted to find a good soy product to offer you. While I do not recommend soy for younger women and children, it is an excellent option for older women dealing with hormonal changes and for men because it is prostate protective. it is also a great alternative for early recovery from alcoholism. I went back to the original Naturade product I loved when we first started making shakes at the clinic. I love the taste and the texture. This is not a glamourous or hyped up product. It is kinda like the Vermont Country Store - old time good stuff. And now it is certified as non GMO. It is soy isolate so it has no aftertaste. And I stand behind it. All this being said, we are going to carry it in the store so you now have 3 excellent choices. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
**Radiant Kitchen **
Now, I know if I can make this and love it, you will too. I never thought I would like something *strange* like wild rice, but oh is it great. And I am hearing all sorts of wonderful things about its cholestrol-lowering properties. For more great program-friendly recipes, check out our cookbook in the store and visit our online Radiant Recipes site. **********************************************************************
**Radiant YLD ** I remember at about this time of year, my thoughts would turn to which diet I would be following in January to lose the weight that I was about to put on over the next couple of months! Wow! That happened for many many years. Why not do something different and give yourself an early present of lifetime membership to YLD. And there's still lots of time to participate in the YLD Christmas stocking exchange! 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. Come over to *teatime* for our dialogue about ideas and issues that are important to us. 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 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 ** On our Radiant Fitness group we talking about working on a couch to 5k plan and people are having a lot of fun with it. We also talk about how doing the food can support our fitness program and vice versa. Some favorite topics are what to eat when doing intensive exercise when all that's out there commercially are sugar filled products. We also talk about what to eat before and after morning workouts, and what to do for those folks whose training program requires a twice a day workout. We have runners walkers, bikers, dancers, aerobicizers, yogis, and many more types of exercise enthusiasts on the list. One of the neat things on the list is people who are recovering from exercise addiction who are learning how to work exercise back in their life in a healthy way. If any of this fits you, well, come on over and join in. **********************************************************************
**Misery Calls More Than We Realize ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
There was a motivational speaker at the conference who talked about holding onto a painful story and running it over and over. it really touched people. It made me think it would be helpful to offer you the Addiction to Misery article again. I have often reflected on why some people stay stuck in being miserable. No matter what life presented them, they would pick out certain variables to show that once again life was against them. This pattern went beyond your basic garden negativity. It was more like “I will continue my attachment to misery no matter what. It doesn’t matter what good comes to me, I know it is not real.” This pattern defied logic to me. Why would perfectly thoughtful, intelligent people want to live this way? My first clue in sorting this out came when I noticed my own physical response. I withdrew energy, disengaged and did not want to hang with misery or the miserable. When I realized that nothing I did or said changed anything, I just backed off. One day, in the shower, I had an incredible thought. My body was responding to les miserables just the way it does around active alcoholics and addicts. If someone commits to change, asks for help, listens and moves, I am there in a flash. But stay stuck, go round and round, whine, stay miserable no matter what, I just don’t want to spend time on the boat with it. The more I have healed my own codependency the less I can do rescuing. As I was rinsing the shampoo, I thought, “what if we can be addicted to misery?” As soon as that thought passed through, I knew it was true. It would explain the tenacious holding on, the energy, the devotion to it. So then I trundled off to do some research on this. My books, google and PubMed all gave clues. Yep, misery evokes beta-endorphin. Misery evokes the same brain chemical activated by alcohol, heroin, morphine and sugar. When we are miserable, our brains release BE so we feel better. It soothes us until it wears off and then we have to go back for more. We become attached to it. We get romantic and intense about all the bad things that have happened to us. We do “woe is me!”. And…significantly, we become tolerant to it, just like with any drug. Then we need bigger misery. More, more. We amp up the feeling of less than, not good enough, poor, not smart enough, not rich enough, not educated enough. And if life does not cooperate by offering enough brutal events, we create them in our minds. We need to feel worse to feel ok. We create catastrophe in our minds, we exaggerate, we munch to create drama and perpetuate the BE feelings. The increasing tolerance creates immunity to the little negatives, so we need more misery. We then take neutral events and shape them into desperate drama. For example. Perhaps you live on little money. You feel bad because you are poor. And you have low BE because you are sugar sensitive. So you overdraft your account, you pay late, you skip your taxes. And your tolerance grows so things get worse and worse. And when you try to change this pattern, you actually go into withdrawal. So you need to find other misery to grow. You stay in a horrible job, an abusive marriage, a bad apartment. You go round and round and misery becomes your way to being in the world. When you first hear this, it may be confusing. You don’t feel you are seeking it; you aren’t looking for a "high”. But think of it another way. BE is a painkiller. When life is hard, your natural tendency is to look for ways to soothe the pain. You unconsciously turn to things that do that, and then you get hooked. You didn’t know. Just like you didn’t know sugar was a drug until you were way in. Les miserables is a hard one to face. You might feel shame at first and think, “oh dear gawd, not more!” But the joy of healing is that now you understand. Now you have a name for what you thought was just circumstance. Now you can make sense and take action. You start to laugh at yourself. You get amazed at the skill your little inside addict has…it can find ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to make you feel ok. It has a good heart, it is trying its best to have you not feel pain. It is just a little misguided and now, in your recovery, you will do something a little different. You will kiss it on its little black nose, and say “ah, nice try, baby, but we aren’t doing that anymore…..” You will see that you do not want a life of les miserables. You are ready for something different. You can go to school, you can find ways to work with little money, you can leave abusive relationships, you can find a life of joy. This is what recovery is about. When you do the food, you do way more than give up sugar. You are HEALING addiction on a cellular level. Healing is real and it is yours for the doing. Thanks for reading! If you know someone who could benefit from this, feel free to forward it to them. Not a subscriber yet? Like what you have read? Sign up to get future issues delivered straight to you: http://www.radiantrecovery.com Until next time!
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. Steph provides the Your Last Diet column. ©2013 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/weeklynewsletter |
