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This option is ongoing. You may join at any time.
Radiant Coaching
This is a unique offering for people who are serious about their programs and would like to have ongoing coaching. We do an individual
assessment to sort out exactly where you are in the process. You will be guided in making your own individual plan. You can learn about journaling and adjusting your food for your life goals - what to do when. You can look at things to do to start while you are actually working the steps. You will be given tools and shown how to use them.
The coaching is done online in a group using Yahoo and Google. We currently have two levels for coaching - one for people who are newer in the program which focuses on the earlier steps, and one for people who are skilled in the program and want to take things deeper.
I do want to clarify that
coaching is not the same as the classes. It is more responsive to you and where you are in the program. If you want help and are ready to be be guided, this is the process for you.The benefits you get include learning how to do skilled journaling and to interpret it to really understand how the changes you are making affect your well being.
Another perk of coaching is that you can attend the regular continuing classes I do at no charge,
The fee is $20 per week and is billed in 2 week intervals. It is an unusual opportunity to work directly with me to be liberated from your past diet history. The signup is under
the *special* tab on the classes page. If you want to join, please email me first so we can touch base about whether this is right for you.
Starting the week of May 24th
Using the Resources of the Community
This free class will teach you all the ins and outs of the resources in the community. You will learn to navigate the community forum, learn how to use the resource center, check out Radiant Ranch, and learn your way around the website. You will be on your way with an invaluable resource in your pocket! The Obesity Myth
I LOVED this book and I think it should be required reading for anyone who is concerned about weight. Come join us in an in-depth
look at the *myth* issues and the emotional residue we all have from them. This book will change your life and the class will help you make sense of it. This class is open for YLD members only. This class will be free and will be conducted on the YLD list. You do not need to specifically sign up for it.
Starting the Week of May 31st
Clearing Clutter
This is a continuation of the clutter series we have been doing over the last few
years. This will be focuses less on physical *stuff* and more on the mental or emotional stuff that keeps us from being able to embrace new ways of living. This class will move forward with some of the ideas presented in the 2017 Radiant Ranch this month. | | Signup |
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Nothing is ever lost in your process. Every slip, every derailment is in your service.
Hello to all,
As of tomorrow I will have written in my journal for 30
days consistently!! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, emotional and physical feelings are all there. It wasn't always perfect and it wasn't always complete but I DID IT! I honestly wasn't' sure if I would be able to do this so this truly is a milestone. I've drawn smiley faces along the sides of tomorrow's journal page.
For those of you looking for help I can say that, prior to March 7, I was inconsistent. I kept a journal - with a day here or there - since October 2004. I started
getting more consistent in January and even more so in February. I have not tried to analyze the journal or draw conclusions. That just seemed too overwhelming. Now, I think I can begin to do that some. I am still making the shift away from judging what I'm putting in my mouth. This will be a BIG step for me.
Some tips that have worked for me - I try to put the time I feel things, I especially find it helpful to spend time with the journal first thing in the morning and last thing at
night - I think it fortifies my commitment. I like the idea of writing in the journal as "dessert" and have tried to do this. Sometimes I forget but always come back to it. I can say that, for me, the novelty of writing in the journal has worn off a bit and I find myself getting a complacent. And, who knows, I may "forget" my journal at times. It's all learning.
The bottom line for me is that my healing is a top priority at this time. And, journaling is a big component of the healing. So,
here I am doing the journal..meal by meal..day by day.
I know the YOU can do it too. We'll help each other along this path.
All the best,
K
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Sometimes people ask me why we carry CetylM in the store. Kathleen went to a Golden Retriever Dog Show show a number of years ago. She watched these two videos of Jap. At the time, I had just moved to Albuquerque and my large Rottweiler was about 8 years. He had terrible arthritis and could hardly walk. Kathleen was blown away by the videos and
said, *we have to get this stuff for your dog.* So we ordered some. In 3 weeks he was like a puppy. He was running all around. We have carried this ever since.
Click the following to view video.
They also make a product for people called CMResponse. Everyone who has tried it has said it works way better than glucosamine. You can go here if you want to learn more about Cetyl M.
And their premier product is for horses. Let me know if you want me to get that. I don't know how many
of you have horses. If you haven't been to the store for a while, how about just coming over and browsing. You will be thrilled to see all the changes!
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This is a recipe from Maggi. She served it when I was up in Minnesota and I loved it.PUMPKIN CUSTARD- 3/4 c. pureed canned pumpkin
- 1.5 c. milk (I use whole, the recipe calls for 1%)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 c. apple juice concentrate or maple
syrup flavoring.
Preheat oven to 325, set a kettle of water to boil. Take a roasting pan or 9 x 13 cake pan and lay a small dishtowel in the bottom of the pan. Put the milk on low heat to scald (do not let
boil; just let it begin to steam). While milk is heating, whisk eggs and juice/syrup together until well blended. Whisk in milk, but pour in a steady, small stream as you whisk so that the eggs do not cook. Whisk in pumpkin puree and spices until well blended. Skim foam off top with a spoon. Ladle goo into custard cups. Pour boiling water into cake/roasting pan (it shouldn't be deeper than 1/4 - 1/2 inch). Gently set custard cups into pan (this is called a bain marie - it steams the custard and
gives it that custardy texture). Put in oven on middle rack and let bake for 45 - 50 minutes - until custard shimmers slightly in the middle of the ramekin. Remove, place in refrigerator and allow to cool for several hours. Top with whipped cream that has vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice folded in. Serve!
 | For great program-friendly recipes, check out our Cookbook in the store |
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I like that YLD has evolved so much. The desperation about weight calmed down. We got functional and mobilized. Yah, it really is Your Last Diet. The chats just bring that home over and over and over. You don't have to be fat or working on step 7 to join. You can be slender and caught in restriction and you will be totally comfortable.
Your program includes: - LIFETIME membership
- Exclusive information on what contributed to your weight and what you can do about it.
- Special classes on weight loss including The Obesity Myth, Fat Terror, Exercise for Weight loss, Clothing for your size and style. These will be at no extra charge
- Ongoing, in-depth discussion about successful weight loss with searchable archives.
- Weekly private weight loss chats held at two
different times each week led by Kathleen herself. They are funny, informative and healing.
- Access to a private facebook group (secret) to share joys, progress, pictures and questions.
If you would like to join us in YLD, come find us here.
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Radiant Living is really just about the joy of recovery. Radiant
Living will allow you to share a dialogue with others – people who are asking the same questions and exploring answers boldly and with the humility that comes with doing the food. These conversations will help you transform fear and give new tools for healing. We look at topics such as grief, crisis, trauma, emotional healing, revitalizing your program and stepping into your big self. So the dialogue will be about the big picture and the practical ideas for daily implementations of
the changes you are seeking. The dialogue will meet you where you are and offer ideas that you may not have heard before. Let go of old thinking that growing up has to be hard or painful. This is about joy, discovery, fun and creativity. And, of course, LOTS of laughter. There is no step requirement to participate, only honesty, willingness, and openness. Your membership will give you what you need to master this new way of being. Your membership will include: - People who understand and mentor you
- A dedicated list on Yahoo with my own personal involvement
- Access to a dedicated membership-only chat held at 2 different times each week
If you would like to join us in Radiant Living, come find us here.
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*The C57 Mouse- Part 2*
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
Let's translate what I wrote last week and play a little. Replace the word C57 with a sugar sensitive person and replace the word morphine with sugars.
Let's go through the list again.
1. We all know some people who act like DBAs. They are the ones who say to us, "Why don't you just......say no.."
They are the ones who decide to diet and do and then lose ten pounds in a month. They are the ones who give up chocolate for Lent and never look back, the ones who carried a little orange pumpkin at Halloween. They are the ones who would eat the chocolate chip cookie only if they were hungry. We know immediately who they are. Since society tends to recognize and value DBA behavior, we will judge ourselves against their standard. We carry the message that "DBA behavior is good, C57 behavior is
bad."
2. And we also know that WE are the C57's. Intriguing to think why we can feel connected to the C57 mice so well. We are often children of alcoholics. We feel deeply, struggle with self-esteem issues, are sensitive, creative and impulsive. We may do rage or depression. And we all share the deep feeling language whether we are male or female.
3. When we feel defeated and overwhelmed, we assume the fetal position, lie still and don't move, and tell everyone is not our fault.
Now, we may not do this on the outside. On the outside we may be doing big theater and having everyone believe that we are absolutely in control. But inside we are holding on by a thread and feeling horrible.
We may be "lying still" way inside our hearts but we absolutely know this pattern. And we see our DBA friends who when faced with the same crises, get mobilized and energized. We take Prozac; they change jobs and get a promotion. We hate this "injustice" and have not a clue how
biochemically mediated it is.
4. Sweet foods give us "energy". That means they get out of the lethargy of beta-endorphin withdrawal. Sweet foods can give us "motor mouth." We become engaging, funny and self confident. Sometimes our friends wonder if we have been drinking.
More often, we chose other C57s as friends, so we go out for "coffee", have cake and REALLY enjoy our social times. And having coffee with the sweet roll feels like heaven. We get clear, focused and relaxed
for about 30 minutes. We LOVE that feeling. And those cold frosty coffee, sugar drinks (you know which ones I mean) are the BEST because they make us feel so energized. Our DBA friends enjoy their coffee (they have the plain bagel), but they do not live for it.
5. We see these same behaviors clearly in our children and grandchildren. Give a three-year-old C57 a piece of birthday cake and he will be the life of the party. Give a two-year-old a twelve-ounce can of Sprint on the plane and
she will be bouncing over the top of the seat for two hours. The more work we do with our program, the more clearly we see this profound shift in behavior pre and post sugar.
6. When we detox from sugar, we kinda sits around and waits till its over. We hunker down with our discomfort. Immobile. We literally feel as if our cells are made of lead and/or are all screaming. We feel the effect of withdrawal in our gut, our skin, our brain - wherever there are beta-endorphin receptor
sites.
The Patterns Are Powerful
Pretty interesting isn't it. For many years we have struggled with learned helplessness, with self-esteem that fades in a moment. We vacillate between hyperactive clarity and lying on the couch in a stupor. The Dr. Jeykll/Ms.Hyde syndrome is very close to home.
Beyond Mood Swings
But now, I am pushing us beyond the idea of mood swings. I am inviting you think of yourself as a big C57 and to connect
with the enormity of what these mouse studies mean for us. Those things which we have considered "character flaws for all this time are a function of your sugar sensitive biochemistry.
Our alcohol, sugar, fat, white things literally get us mobilized, make us brave, funny, self confident for a little. But we only remember the feeling okay, feeling brave. It's why so many people who come to the forum lament that they cannot imagine giving up the sugar. It's the "only" thing that makes life
worth living. This is addiction. This is being caught in a place that kills us. But we don't see it.
The Power and the Disappointment of Beta Endorphin
The beta-endorphin hit wears off and we crash. Then it's horrible. And we become more immobile, hopeless, demoralized, overwhelmed and tearful. But we don not make the connection to withdrawal. What we remember is that when we "use" we feel okay. And so we are willing to trade 30 minutes, then ten minutes of feeling
okay for the rest being horrible because we are so desperate to feel okay. We will do ANYTHING not to experience the horror of the withdrawal.
Ironically, many sugar sensitive people are very intolerant of alcoholics and drug addicts. But alcoholism and drug addiction are only the more intense forms of what we ourselves experience - a life driven to feeling better, terror of the withdrawal, and a life centered around getting our "fix."
Putting the Story
Together
And along comes the Potatoes Not Prozac food plan. Suddenly things start to make sense. The vague "knowing" we have had for a while (and we are intuitive people!) gets a name, It makes sense. We don't have to think of ourselves as hopeless, depressed and out of control. We are sugar sensitive. But Potatoes Not Prozac is only the beginning of the story.
We create stability. We heal the brain. We take out the foods like sugar and white things that prime us.
Sometimes this spooks us because when we take out the stuff that has made us feel "good" in the past, we enter an uneasy space. We feel better overall, but hardly confident. After all, our core brain is a C57, not a DBA.
Raising Beta Endorphin Naturally
This is the magic of all those things we affectionately refer to on the www.radiantrecovery.com forum as BE raising activities. Mozart, laughter, exercise, yoga, meditation, prayer, pups, babies, grandbabies, good
sex, rollerblading, and great movies. What is not to like in the list? Do these things and create beta-endorphin. Slow and steady beta-endorphin. They wash us with feeling self-confident. And it grows on us. The more we feel it, the more we want to do these things.
Many of us have been listening to the voices on the forum. We can see these patterns as our friends in the sugar sensitive community make changes with the food. The voices of our "newbies" are very different from the voices of
the "old-timers." When our food wobbles, we wobble. We whine, we munch, we get cranky. We go into beta-endorphin crash. We retreat, we isolate, and we crouch, get defensive and withdraw. Beta-endorphin crash.
Claiming Our Birthright
And miracle of miracles, when the food is steady, we are steady. We are funny, compassionate, tolerate, patient, resourceful and willing to hang in there and find solutions. Same bodies, same brains, same biochemistry. But under
the influence of a different way of eating. Balance brings our birthright home.
If You Listen, Your Body Will Speak.
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