Hi {!firstname_fix}

First of all we have a fun announcement this week. We have a new feature on the website called *Ask Auntie Claire*. It is the first step in our adding audio service for those of you who learn better with ears than eyes. Click here to hear what she has to say. And if you want to hear her sing our Ranch song, click here. She outdid herself in creating a three part round with one voice. Ah technology!! Let me and her know what you think.

This week I am opening another Relapse/Restart:Waking Up class because a number of you have told me you are in trouble (smile). Come join us this week and get settled and focused again.

We had three other classes scheduled to start this week, but I am deferring them for one week. I want the folks in the Brain Chemistry 101 class to be able to finish that foundation so if they want to take serotonin they can.

The Step 4: More Intriguing Than You Think class is about that potato and those vitamins. If you think this step is a snap, you may be wrong, LOL. There is lots more to the art of the potato and this is the place to learn.

The Brain Chemistry: Serotonin Week 1 class is a perfect class for all sugar sensitive people and especially those who have dealt at all with depression. Find out *why* so you can make effective change.

The Working With Clients class is for anyone working with clients in the healing professions - therapists, CD counselors, doctors, nurses, massage therapists, coaches, you name it. Learn the art of helping other people by teaching them to do the food. This class is the introduction to a whole training program I will be developing for you.

A number of you have asked me about how the classes work. I conduct them via email through Yahoogroups, so it does not matter where you live or what time zone you are in or whether you can get to the computer at a specific time. After you register for payment, you will receive an autoresponder email from me with instructions on how to get to the class. Please be sure to click on the link in the email that will take you to Yahoo to sign up

If you come right now, sign up, then immediately return the autoresponder email to join the Yahoo group through which the class will be conducted, we can fit you in... Just click on the links above.

Also, I would like to thank all of you for your continuing input on the classes. It is VERY helpful to me and I think it means we are creating a real resource that suits your needs.

We have posted a schedule of the classes for the next month.

Please feel free to pass this week's newsletter on to your friends and family. Don't forget to let me know what you like and would like to see me cover.

A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, use the link at the bottom of the page. Do not email me, do not get mad at me, just click on the link and you will be forever removed.

And be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery® website and Community Forum regularly.

Warmly,
Kathleen

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March 21, 2005

** Quote From Kathleen **

All this work will create enormous gains for you. As you 'do the food,' you are going to reconnect with your birthright.

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** Testimonial for the Week**

Hi All,

Just wanted to post a journaling breakthrough. Oftentimes in the past 3 months since I started the program, I've wondered, 'Am I 'really' sugar-sensitive? I don't really eat sugar that much'. Well, yesterday I decided to go through my past 3 months of journaling (however sketchy it was) and write down all the things I keep eating. I was shocked at the result!! My sugar/white thing to non-sugar/white thing ratio is about 50/50. The journal showed it right in my face, in black in white (or in my case, pink, as that is the shade of my pen).

Here is all the stuff I keep eating!

Granola bars/cereal, chocolate chips, soda, jalapeno bread, ice cream, cookies, snack mixes and crackers, cookie/cake/muffin dough, chocolate milk, hot chocolate, donuts/pastries, eggnog, croissants, cake and pie, pizza/pizza pockets, waffles and syrup, chocolate bars and truffles, Doritos and BBQ potato chips, pudding, Asiago cheese bread, sweet coffee drinks, apple and orange juice, red wines, pasta alfredo, jam, hard candy, bagels, stuffing, caramels, biscuits, brownies, Pirate's Booty, spaghetti, french bread, and bean dip (the canned kind in the chip aisle).

It's totally amazing how all of this can totally slip my mind when thinking about what I eat. What I imagine I eat and what I actually eat are two very different things. Thank the gods for food journals to show me otherwise!

I've really been keeping up with my journal, especially since I ordered the 'Your Body Speaks' version. (Good call on suggesting that one, Cindy ;) ) It's interesting that the quote for today in that was 'If you don't have a journal, you have no record of your process.'

I love stickers, so I got a bunch of sparkly ones that I put in the book for when I do exercise. I'm thinking about getting some food- shaped stickers for different goals like complete days of journaling (maybe I'll do it for each step I'm on, eh?). Anyway, I just wanted to share my discovery. :)

Carmen

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**Recipe of the Week**

I was so inspired by the recent browning your family class that Kathleen gave, I have been playing around in the kitchen with some new exciting browns. Here is a really yummy 'pudding' that I invented based on a recipe I found (theirs had sugar in it LOL). Even my kids really liked this. In fact, one of my sons said I should make for the Sabbath LOL.

BANANA COCONUT PUDDING

3 cups oat milk (or regular milk or other milk substitute)
3/4 cup millet
1 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 tsp. alcohol-free vanilla extract

Bring oat milk to a boil, add millet and salt and cover. Simmer on low for 40 minutes. Turn off heat and leave sitting for 30 minutes. Add the coconut, banana and vanilla, stirring well. Pour into 6 custard cups and serve hot or warm (do NOT serve it chilled - yech!)

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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**

Well, all of you in YLD know that change is brewing in a big way. I have been hearing that you are excited about what is coming. It is wonderful to hear your voices. I have put the email I sent out to all of you last week here in the newsletter so you can read it again. I will be sending you more information as we go.

For those of you who are not yet YLD members, Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun.

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**Radiant Ambassadors**

If you have ever been talking about the program and finding yourself writing the URL for the web on a napkin, then order some ambassador cards. You might even want to get a potato key chain and hook it to your purse. Man, does that evoke questions!

Come find us among the Online Groups

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**David's Corner **

Kathleen is working on making some new CDs. I can't wait. And she has also planned to tape this year’s ranch sessions. So we will have more soon.

Speaking of Ranch, if you have been thinking of coming, and haven’t signed up, now is the time to do it. This year’s ranch will be awesome. I saw the schedule and am really excited about the creative things that are planned. If you don't know about ranch, click here and read everything on the ranch pages.

I know it is spring sports time since I just got home from taking my team to a national volleyball tournament. If your kids play sports, get some George’s Junior and put it in their back packs. It helps with performance and endurance in a big way.

And if seeing asparagus in the store is making you want to cook veggies, come get a copy of Perfect Vegetables. The book doesn’t say this, but dogs LOVE the asparagus ends. And we were having a whole discussion of whether it makes them have asparagus pee on the pets list. The consensus is yes!

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

Thanks
David

And of course, we have something for everybody in our store

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**Our Online Groups**

Hello! My name is Ann, and I am the liaison for the Radiant Elders list. I have been doing the steps for three years and my quality of life has improved immensely. When I started working on the steps I was probably at the lowest point in my entire life. Now just three short years later I look forward to each new day. My health has improved and I feel twenty years younger than I did the day I started on this wonderful journey. I want to live a productive life into my eighties if the universe allows. At the beginning of the month I joined a gym for the first time in my life.

One of my main supports in working this program has been the connection on the community forum and the email lists. Many of us on elders make a commitment at the beginning of each month associated with working the steps. Every day I look forward to reading and sharing with the other members of the group.

It has been wonderful to have a group of people to share with that understand being sugar sensitive. Sharing ideas for SARP meals and how to keep our BE's raised and different types of "browns" are some of our topics of conversation. The elders is a chatty, friendly group of people working the SARP plan. Anyone is welcome to join our group and gain some support.

Warmly,
Ann

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** Featured Topic**
Some Changes Coming
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.

Well, I am in the process of making some major changes in some of our programs and thought I would say a little more about it here. First of all, let me outline some ideas I have about YLD.I have been teaching the weight loss class and I realize that it would be helpful to have YLD really focus exclusively on weight loss.

This means, we would move the things that are the readiness parts like the YLD foundation group would be folded into the radiant recovery equivalent breakfast group. We would keep the main YLD list. The new YLD membership will include participation in a 10 week class on weight loss at no additional charge. After you had completed the class, you could join the weight loss group to talk about what you were doing and how it was going.

There would be no requirements about *time* to enter the classes. You would not have to have 6 months on step 7. The only requirements will be no whining and no desperation. We would do two chats a week. They will focus on weight loss. They will be held on Monday night at 7 PM mountain time for one hour and on Monday afternoon at 1 PM for one hour to accommodate our European members.

If you are currently a YLD member, it simply means you get more for what you have paid. If you are a lifetime member, that will continue.

I will be starting a new membership program called The Seventh Step geared to new ideas, radiant living (not just the food), spirituality, research, outrageous thoughts, exercise, skills, meditation, play, sex and all the stuff that is part of the seventh step. That program will offer:

The Wednesday night chat and a Wed afternoon chat. A main discussion list about life stuff. A 10 week class on The Seventh Step, and a discussion training group that will follow the class.

The cost of the program will be $97 a year (that would be less than $2 per week or less than the cost of one latte per week or 15% of the cost of netflix). If you joined YLD and really didn‘t care about the weight loss part, but wanted to come to the Wednesday night chat and want to transfer your membership I will do that.

The concern came up with those who have lifetime memberships in YLD. Would you get a lifetime membership in the new program? My initial answer is no. Mostly this is because I think the idea of a lifetime membership is way outdated for a couple of reasons. First of all, when we started YLD, it was access to the book which had not been published, a main group and a chat. Since then, there has been huge value added for which there has been no additional charge because I am wiling to honor my promises of the past.

And, over the last few years, I woke up and realized that I was subsidizing the web work with my own book income. We would call this the ultimate codependency (smile) which means giving your self away in the name of service. As part of my own healing and recovery, I have learned that this is not such a good plan. If I wish to be in service and provide what we do, it means I need to have a source of income. (smile). So I created a job that gives me the freedom to manage a forum, 100 lists and a volunteer team of 50 people. My new *job* (conducting the classes) has meant that my time commitment has doubled.

This solution is acceptable for the short term. However, I am almost 60 years old and would like not to work 60 hours a week and would like to be free to write another book (smile). This means being creative in ways to generate income. And no, the store does not support me. It provides service to you, pays the cost of the web and pays David a salary.

That is a long way of giving you context. So yes, I will be charging for this new service. And yes, the membership will be annual. And if those of you who are lifetime YLD members feel that is unfair, and you deserve a lifetime membership in the new program because you purchased a lifetime membership in YLD but don’t want it, you may write me directly and we will sort it out. It seems to me that this issue is a very minor part of the exciting changes that are coming down the pike.

I hope this all makes sense. If you have questions, you can ask them on your lists or on the forum. All the leadership teams can help you sort it out.

Warmly,
Kathleen

©Kathleen DesMaisons 2004.

Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:

Gretel, the liaison for the recovery list and the webmaster puts it all together
JoAnna, the liaison for vegetarians gathers the testimonials
Naomi, the liaison for Yisroel gathers the recipes
Terri, the liaison for Ambassadors sends over the ambassadors quote
Marie, the liaison for diabetes gathers the info on the online lists
David, who runs the Radiant Recovery® Store talks about what new products we have.