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Leadership Team
Each of these people has generously volunteered their time to help support these lists and make them safe for you. These notes are to give you a sense of your leadership team. Please understand that they are not able to respond to you personally outside the list itself. We now have more than 10,000 interacting every day on our lists (smile). I love and respect this group of leaders and know you will love the groups.
Warmly,
Kathleen
Mentors
Kathleen
Albuquerque, NM
A few years ago, we set up the online support groups. We had 2 of them. It seems to be a system that works (smile). Now this whole system provides a way for folks to make a connection and talk about healing.
I am the pinch hitter for the groups that are waiting for their own liaison. My groups change from time to time. Come on over and check things out!!!
Alison
Jay, Maine
I began my radiant journey during the summer of 2001. I found SARP while browsing in my favorite book store. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It was like Kathleen was reading my mind. I immediately started the program and made it all the way to Step 6 in the first week. Needless to say, that initial attempt only lasted a short while. It took me several tries doing it my way, before I was ready to admit that maybe I should do what was working for everyone else. Once I made that decision, there was no turning back. I detoxed from sugar in September 2006.
Since doing the program, my life has changed in many positive ways. The self-acceptance that comes with radiance has allowed me to build healthier relationships. The self-confidence I feel has given me courage to live my dream and create the life I want. I'm grateful for this program and for the opportunity to host the Northeast list. It just keeps getting better and better.
Allison
Albuquerque, NM
In November, 1998, I was 39 years old, but I felt as if I were 80. All day, I was running on
nervous energy. At night, I was bone tired. I had to eat every couple of hours to avoid
bloodsugar crashes. And my problems weren't just physical. I'd been depressed to
varying degrees ever since I was 13. I hated myself. I felt unloved - I thought even God
had it in for me and the world was out to crush me. I had voices in my head telling me I
was stupid, ugly, a loser. I didn't dare be happy, because I thought I'd be punished. I had
drama going on in my head all the time. I'd tried group therapy, self help books and
workshops, and even Prozac, but nothing worked.
My massage therapist told me I needed more protein, and suggested the Zone diet, so I
bought the book. I noticed that the only way to eat what I felt was an adequate amount of
food was to stick to protein, vegetables and whole grains. Since wasn't trying to lose
weight, I figured I'd eat sugar on special occasions, and eat this new way the rest of the
time. I changed my eating habits. I felt awful for a week, and then I began to feel much
better. Then came a party at a friend's house. I ate sugar, junk food, and drank
champagne. Wow! I'd never realized how bad sugar made me feel when I was eating it
regularly. But the connection between feeling awful and eating sugar was really clear
when I ate it after not having it for a while.
Shortly after that, I read about Potatoes not Prozac in Christianne Northrup's newsletter.
Wow, this sounded like the answer to the question I'd been asking myself for years: What
on earth is wrong with me? I rushed out to the bookstore to check the book out. I was
skimming chapter three, and I saw something that changed my whole life. There was
everything I hated about myself, listed as symptoms of low beta endorphin. These things
weren't personality traits, they were symptoms of an imbalance!
I switched from the Zone to PnP. Back then, the Community Forum was the only on line
resource available, and I began to hang out there. I've been there ever since. I go there
just about every day forinspiration.
My life has totally changed since I found the program. I have a positive attitude most of
the time. I feel hope. I don't take everything personally. I actually finish creative projects
now. I don't have voices in my head. My compulsive shopping stopped, without my even
having to try. I knew I had truly found radiancewhen one day I found myself feeling
grateful to be alive. Life had always felt like a burden before, something I had to
endured.
Since then my life has changed in ways I never dreamed
Ann Margaret
Ludlow, VT
My name is Ann Margaret McKillop. Like all sugar sensitive people, I have been consuming and consumed by sugar all my life. As a child, I mastered the art of eating an entire pack of "Now-an-Laters" (ironic name, huh?) in the time it took me to walk home from the grocery store. In high school after track practice, I would devour a big bowl of ice cream with my dad. But it wasn't until I got older and read Kathleen's books that I realized what the problem was. You see, I thought I had a weight problem, but I had been able to keep it in check because I was a competitive athlete. But once all my injuries caught up with me and I wasn't able to run, the weight came on in a rush. I spent much of my thirties desperately trying to find an answer and also trying to revive my running as I knew THAT would solve the problem. I tried every diet that you have all heard of and a few I am sure you have not, including a wheat grass diet and injections to kill off the sugar in my system. Of course nothing lasted because nothing healed the problem. After reading SARP, I realized that I did not have a weight problem--I had a sugar problem.
After almost two years of being detoxed, I can hardly believe the changes in my life. I am less prone to the blues, I am playful and alive, I have loads of fun with my dog, and I am much less reactive. I still have areas to work on, including self-esteem, but I have a calm about those things as I know they will heal with time. I am optimistic about the future and glad to be alive. What a blessing it was the day my sister sent me the link to the Radiant Recovery website!
Carol
Antigo, Wisconsin
I found Radiant Recovery in the spring of 2004. I
had been very ill with
both a strep and a yeast infection. Neither was in
an area of the body
where one thinks they would be and I had no idea I
was as ill as I was. I
kept trying to fix my problem with healthy eating
including no sugar.
During this time, I purchased a product that was
advertising Potatoes Not
Prozac. I checked the book from the library and
read it in one fell swoop.
Then I checked out The Sugar Addicts Total Recovery
Program and purchased
that book. I began to follow the program to the
best of my ability. I
zoomed through the steps and did actually feel
better, but because I hadn't
really understood the program I went back to my old
way of eating including
adding sugars back in November.
Then in February of 2005, I found a note in the book
about the web site. I
was not very comfortable with computers and had
never used the internet
before, but I learned fast. The online community
made all the difference
for me. I needed that daily support and I needed to
hear from people who
had been following this plan for months and years.
I started over on the
steps and moved steadily forward until I detoxed in
October of 2005.
I am filled with gratitude. Not only did my
physical health improve, but I
could have never imagined my emotional health to be
what it is today. I had
been plagued with depression and low self esteem for
years. I have been on
depression meds for over 10 years without much
success. No matter what I
tried, I just couldn't quite have a happy fulfilled
life. I came to Radiant
Recovery with over 20 years in AA but somehow a
happy life still eluded me.
When I came to Radiant Recovery, I just did what I
was told to the best of
my ability. Imagine my surprise when as my
chemistry became balanced, so
many of the things I struggled with just silently
went away.
In the fall of 2003 a few months before I found
Radiant Recovery, I was 51
years old and was taking about 12 prescription
medications. I am happy to
say I am now down to three and two of those have
greatly reduced dosages.
My energy has increased, I like myself, I am not a
depressed person, my
cholesterol has dropped dramatically and I live my
life with strength and
grace I could never have believed possible.
Colette
Louisville, CO
Hi, my name is Colette, and I live in Louisville, Colorado. I have been married since 1984 to a wonderful, supportive husband, and we have 2 lovely daughters.
How did I first find out about the radiant program? When my family goes to the health food store with me, they like to look around and find all the "weird" things in the store. On one of our adventures, my husband found a book with a funny title and wanted to share it with me. Well, it happened to be 'Potatoes not Prozac', and that is how my journey began.
I started the program in October of 2001, and have enjoyed freedom from awful sugar cravings that had at one time been a daily battle for me! But that's not all....I no longer have "dark," depressed days, I feel emotionally and physically available for my family and friends, and I am better able to cope with daily life. Getting steady on the program is helping me to deal with other health issues in my life. I continue to learn new things by being in this community, and I am incredibly thankful for this program!
Diane
Topsham, ME
I'm Diane; I live on the coast of Maine and am a Type II Diabetic. I had always been especially drawn to sweets as long as I can remember, stealing candy from an early age as well as plotting and planning my next fix and hiding wrappers my entire life. I had always felt out of control. As a teen, I started drinking and taking drugs, and was always in some kind of trouble. At 15, I was put on medication for mood disorders and then in my early 20's was diagnosed with Diabetes. No matter how hard I tried, I could never seem to do the right thing, stay on a diet or away from sugar. I felt helpless, hopeless and ashamed, hiding any way I could. Sometimes I would cry to myself that "I know I'm a good person inside- why can't I stop doing bad things?" though most of the time I considered myself a lost cause and it seemed that others did too. I had tried every treatment, medication and diet prescribed to me but nothing ever worked out. I continued to spiral downward and would go through long periods of deep isolation before I could get myself to ask for help again. The only thing that ever seemed to help me feel better was sugar and it had gotten to the point where sweets were pretty much all I ate. I started keeping a sugar bowl and a spoon on my nightstand to comfort myself when I awoke from chronic nightmares. Eventually I became so physically ill as a result of long term uncontrolled blood sugar and complications of my Diabetes that my Dr. said he didn't think I would survive another year and we should start looking at dialysis to buy me some time.
A new friend had been talking with me some about her Sugar Sensitivity, and had been hanging around the edges of the information she shared for quite some time. Feeling desperate, I said I was ready to give her program a try. I borrowed her books and read Potatoes Not Prozac and The Sugar Addicts Total Recovery program. I couldn't put them down. I read Kathleen talking about sugar addiction and HEALING and those words really grabbed me. My friend gave me a container of George's Shake and I started the program right away. I quit sugar cold turkey, did all the steps at once and started feeling better pretty quickly. My blood test results were improving, my organs wanted to work, and my mental health was improving. My Fibromyalgia was nearly gone. It was a miracle! Still, it was hard not to have sugar and I constantly white knuckled through cravings. Eventually I gave in to them, my sugar intake quickly escalated again and I got even sicker than I had been before. Terrified that I was going to die, I started the program again. I still did it my way, went cold turkey and added in the steps really fast. Once again I slipped and wobbled on my steps, with a constant fear that I would "fall off the wagon". My health was improving again, but my fear of sugar was growing and the added anxiety that came with it was awful. I still didn't understand that doing each step slowly and fully before moving on to the next was what I needed to do to heal my addiction. My friend reminded me that there was a Radiant Recovery website and a whole community where I could seek extra support and suggested that I go take a look around. I was pleased to find the Northeast list and a Diabetes list too and joined them both in 2004. I was scared to post but finally wrote a desperate plead for help, held my breath and clicked send. I was replied to almost immediately and welcomed by such kind hearted and supportive people that seemed to know just how I felt. They assured me that I was in the right place and wow- they were right! Since that first post, I've learned the value of listening, asking for guidance and taking the advice of those that have traveled before me, committing to my program, doing the food and trusting the process. My blood sugar levels have come down and stabilized, my health continues to improve and I feel great. Prior diagnoses of mood disorders have been rescinded and I no longer take medications or Insulin. My addiction to sugar nearly claimed my life, but Radiant Recovery and doing the food has given me the opportunity to adventure into a whole new one. I am thriving and truly enjoying living which is something I had never known before. Increasingly more social, confident, capable and independent, I am currently exploring career interests and furthering my education. I am excited to see where my journey will take me as I continue to heal and grow.
Elaine
Fremont, CA
Hi! I'm Elaine. I was born and raised in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I married my high school sweetheart in 1975 right after graduating from college as an elementary school teacher. I taught Kindergarten through 4th grade in Cleveland until we moved to Fremont, California in 1993. I am currently teaching first grade in San Jose. While living in Cleveland, we had two boys, one of whom died in 1996. My youngest son is now in his 20s which is totally amazing. He is married and has a daughter. How on earth did I get old enough to be a grandma? But of course, I love it. It is one of the best things I’ve ever done. Starting this program is another.
Through the years, I dieted all the time. I bought books and magazines practically every week for "the one" that would work once and for all. I even dieted when I weighed very little. Talk about distorted image, YIKES! I tried Optifast before Oprah. I did Weight Watchers several times. I went to dieticians and just about every other thing that ever came out. The one thing that never occurred to me in all of those years was that sugar was the issue. I wouldn't give it to my children for their first several years, but never thought that it was MY problem. Many people on the lists say they knew, not me…I was oblivious. I ate ice cream and chocolate my whole life…instead of meals, with meals, etc. I was an equal opportunity eater, though. I loved everything. I love meat, veggies, and carbs, although bread was never my thing. But with all of that, my biggest downfall was chocolate. I used to say if it wasn't chocolate, it wasn't worth eating. I binged often. A great deal of my life was about food. Reading about it, making it, buying it, buying cookbooks and of course, eating it.
My health was bad. I had asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and of course too much weight. This was really scary as my mother died at a very early age. I knew I needed something that would really work for me.
In February of 2000, I clicked on an ad on another website that took me to the Radiant Recovery site, which was a much smaller community then. I found out about PnP, bought it, and knew that this was about me, and also my son. It was our story and I could do this for myself even though it was too late for him. This was truly going to be my last diet and it has been, all this time. I can't imagine ever eating a different way or not being in contact with those who I have met here and those I am yet to meet.
I went through the steps and found all the things Kathleen promised and more. I am still and will always be a work in progress, but with this program, the possibilities are endless. AND, it all starts with breakfast.
Elaine CO
Aurora, Colorado
I live in Denver with my partner, my dog Daisy, and my two cats Nicky and Sophie. I also love to ride my motorcycle and to travel throughout the American West. I found Radiant Recovery in the summer of 2004. While I had other addiction problems in my life, the biggest one was that I was a practicing late-stage alcoholic. I had begun reading Potatoes not Prozac because I hoped to deal with my chronic depression, but when I read that the program had its beginnings in healing alcoholics, I broke down crying. I had been drinking daily for decades, and had known that I was an alcoholic since my mid-twenties. But in reading about the original program’s 92% success rate, I was filled with hope that I could finally quit drinking, and I began the next day by eating breakfast. It took me five months to finally stop drinking for good, and then it was another year before I achieved a stable detox from sugar, but all along the way I was learning, practicing my skills, habituating my new way of eating. The payoff has been dramatic, miraculous even!
After putting down the bottle I have confronted a host of other symptoms, mostly caused by sugar sensitivity: extreme anger, depression, fibromyalgia, binge eating, exercise addiction, codependency, shopping, money, the list seems endless sometimes (smile). By having an open heart and listening and speaking in this community I have healed each one in turn. I find that helping others is a critical piece of my recovery. It’s like I am one of a series of pools of water in a stream. The pools of water upstream from me feed into me and fill me up, and when I am filled to the brim, I feed the pools of water that are downstream from me. It’s important that I keep the wisdom, strength, and hope flowing throughout the stream. And I love sharing my journey. I know that when I am constantly learning and sharing, I am constantly growing and living into my birthright. Life truly just keeps getting better and better!
Fiona
Edinburgh, Scotland
I live in Edinburgh with my husband, daughter and son and dog. I started doing the program in July 2007 when a friend showed me Potatoes not Prozac, which had been lent to her by someone doing RR.
I knew right away that here finally was something that would help me out of a lifetime of food cravings, yo-yo dieting and chronic depression. And it has. I got the book, read the forum and listened when people said take it slowly because I wanted it to work. I joined each step list in turn and after 6 months I found that I had detoxed without realising it!
I loved the support on the lists from others who were doing the program and I am happy to be able to give a little back to a program that has given me so much.
Gretel
Chatham, NJ
Hi, I'm Gretel. I'm married with three young adult children, one son and twin daughters. I began recovery from alcoholism 19 years ago when a doctor told me I'd never see them graduate from high school, that I had the body of a 70 year old woman (I was 50 at the time) and 70 year old women die. Today I am 71 and feel more like 50, LOL.
Then 10 years ago my sugar consumption was so high I began having hangovers that rivaled any I'd ever had from alcohol and was suffering mild depression. A friend suggested I read Kathleen's book, Potatoes Not Prozac. I immediately identified with being sugar sensitive and began following her program in 2000 at age 60.
To say my life has been totally transformed feels like an understatement. I now have a body that accurately reflects my age, I even look younger than my actual 71 years so I'm told, LOL. And I'm still very much alive!
I got involved in the Radiant Recovery community right away, posting on the forum when there was only a forum, then helping with the email lists as they began to develop. For many years I liaised the recovery list for those who want to give up alcohol/drugs in connection with this program. I feel addressing the underlying sugar sensitivity is a big first step in helping to balance a whacked out biochemistry, thereby reducing cravings and promoting relapse prevention.
I went back to school to learn web design and have used that skill to help maintain the Radiant Recovery website and work with Kathleen to publish the weekly newsletter. All this serves me well in my retirement, keeping me excited about being part of a community that is vibrantly focused on healing and growth. I take all the classes that Kathleen offers because I love that she cares enough to continually research and present to us information that will contribute to our recovery.
I attend the weekly chats because I love the connection each week with Kathleen directly where she presents cutting edge information and with others who are committed to strengthening their program.
Jeannie
Sandy, UT
Orcas Island, WA
All my life, I battled a little weight problem and a big compulsion to eat sweets and whites. After I turned 40, I plunged headfirst into junk food, and my mood took a dive as well. The worse I felt, the worse I ate. The worse I ate, the deeper I fell into depression and anxiety.
I came to Radiant Recovery in 2002 and did the program my way--fast and in diet head. After about 3 months, I detoxed from sugar. I remember how weird it felt to write *steady* and *calm* in my journal, day after day. I also remember wondering where my radiance was.
I hung on for 6 months so I could join the YLD active weightloss group. Immediately my diet head, which had never gone away, took over. Ironically, I had lost almost all the weight I needed to, and pretty fast, but I began to feel horribly inadequate about losing those last few pounds. I never posted my concerns--I didn’t post much, and when I did and got feedback, I didn’t listen very well. Instead, I slipped away from the community and started yet another diet.
Not surprisingly, after the dust cleared from that diet, I was fatter than I’d ever been and desperately depressed and anxious as well. My life had shrunken down to a tiny remnant of the rich, full life I once had. I came back to Radiant Recovery on January 1, 2005, finally willing to do the program as written.
I decided to focus on one step at a time, clearing my mind of everything I thought I knew about the program. I felt very uncomfortable posting, but I made a commitment to do it anyway every single day. Some days it took all I had just to push that submit button. I started to connect and listen and work the program. One by one, the steps blossomed inside me. I detoxed from sugar in June of 2005, very grateful to get back to that steady place.
The program has brought me everything I wanted from it and more. The end of my bingeing on step 3 brought relief to my soul and a stable weight to my body for the first time in 10 years. Next, with the potato in place, my depression lifted almost overnight, though I was still miserably anxious. Months later, with a solid step 7, my anxiety faded, and I was ready to embrace life again. And as my life got bigger, my body started to release weight, slowly and steadily, without deprivation, obsession, or extremes.
Most of all, this program has given me the opportunity to participate in a vibrant, healthy community based on respect and love. It is an honor to be here.
JoEllen
Karen
Kent, England
I first read PNP shortly after it was published but didn't finish it. I thought the whole science bit was fascinating but did it apply to me? No way! I carried on being depressed, eating sugar, drinking wine and feeling life was awful and thought no more of the book.
A few years later, browsing through magazine a book with a bright pink cover caught my eye. It was a review of the UK edition of SARP. I'd just eaten a family sized tub of ice-cream for lunch and was wondering what to do until it was time to begin the evening bottle of wine.
The write up referred to those who were eating sugar and depressed - well that was me! I bought the book and didn't even make the connection with the book I dismissed all those years earlier. I was hooked - not only did the book describe my many symptoms and me but offered a simple solution to the problem. I began with breakfast, which wasn't quite as easy I thought it would be so I joined the online groups.
I shared my difficulties and confidently predicted I'd be sugar free within a few weeks. It didn’t turn out quite like that. Step 3 turned out to be quite a challenge. I had to rearrange my life just to get 3 meals in, had to learn to shop, to cook, to plan ahead. And, biggest of all, I gave up drinking the wine every evening. I couldn't have done this without the support of the online groups. Eventually I progressed to be ready to detox - life was better than I thought it could be. For years I had struggled with depression and anxiety and things had improved. I began to be happy.
And then I had a bad accident and after a short spell in hospital I was home recovering and found myself back at the beginning. For me those were very dark days indeed. I was barely able to work or even move and had little joy in my life. I had begun to drink again. Even doing breakfast was a struggle. I was on the verge of giving up the programme completely when hope arrived by email. The Radiant Recovery Community came to my rescue - literally. A plan was set out and all I had to do was follow it. I gave up the wine, settled down to breakfast and hope returned. Hope that my life could be rebuilt. Second time around was quicker because the foundation was still there. I eventually detoxed from sugar completely.
Today my life is better than anything I imagined it could be, and every day I feel gratitude for the community that rescued me during some of my darkest moments. I am delighted to be able to serve here to share experiences and offer hope.
Kath
Perth, Australia
I have been doing the food since 2000, when a friend loaned me her copy of Potatoes Not Prozac. We were rebuilding our lives after a series of floods in 1999 through our wheatbelt country town in Western Australia. My depression and constant illness even before the floods had been a major drain on those who loved me, and on my effectiveness as a wife, and mother to our little 4 kids, let alone as a contributor to the church, school, or community. Doing the food has brought healing to my body and my mind. My life is now far beyond what I had allowed myself to hope could be mine for real.
Now I live in Perth, with my family of 4 young adults all doing the food with me, and my very patient non SS DH who does the food with us regardless. Ashleigh, our cat, puts up with us, and talks to other pets of radiant people on the radiantpets list. She also helps me to look after our little granddaughter when she comes to visit.
Who would have thought that spending a bit more on our food, but more wisely, could actually save us money overall? It has significantly reduced our medical and pharmaceutical bills, and we are much happier healthier people with energy and humour and joy. Teenage mood swings and other 'typical' problems are a rarity in our household!
I am becoming less timid, and feeling inadequate is becoming a thing of the past. I am again using the Nutrition and Food Science degree I had gained before our children arrived. Somehow doing the food has made it possible to *know* the things I learned. Now I can apply the healing, to myself, and compassionately with my clients. My involvement in RR has significantly informed and shaped the outlook I had after my theoretical and clinical training. My ongoing learning in this area is informed by the practicalities and experience born of my own growth and of voluntary work I have done, with people on low incomes in rural Western Australia.
Now living in the city, I really appreciate the abundant availability of fresh vegetables to buy. Colourful and flavoursome, they add texture and variety to the foods I can prepare. And they make a wonderful colourful decorations in baskets in my kitchen while they are waiting to be cooked! My vegetable garden is a growing pleasure to me.
I enjoy cooking, adapting recipes to become healthy, yummy and program friendly. I have cooked for church camps, and school canteens, and continue to enjoy cooking for myself and my family. It is my joy to share my experiences with others on the journey.
Kitty
Colorado Springs, CO
I've done a lot of programs and read a lot of books over the years. Some of them worked for a while. But most of the time I was struggling and had these
big energy slumps in the afternoon. Finally I let up, and gained back the
weight I lost, and let my exercise program (which I loved) lapse. I wasn't
sure what was wrong.
But when I read a review of Potatoes Not Prozac and read the words "sugar
sensitivity", I had a very strong feeling this was about me. When I read the
book, the pieces fell into place and it just blew me away. Though I haven't
had problems with depression for about 15 years, I recognized many of the
other symptoms of sugar sensitivity in myself.
I read the book and found the web site in December, 1998, and became
actively involved in the community when I joined YLD in August of 1999. I am
one of the people who answers technical questions (e.g. about the email
groups or the web site).
Mel
England
My bookshelf was groaning with self help books, I’d read them all. I’d stopped drinking alcohol, and had been in therapy for over two years. So why did I still feel hopeless, a failure, less than? Life wasn’t different enough.
Reading ‘Potatoes not Prozac’ was like coming home. ‘This woman knows me’ I thought! It was astonishing yet reassuring to read of my feelings and behaviours on every page, and none of it was my fault.
I loved learning about the biochemistry of sugar sensitivity in accessible terms, and discovering the framework of six simple steps to recovery. Immediately there was a message of hope.
Better still, the programme worked!
My life is unrecognizable since November 2005 when I had been morbid, trapped, and full of shame at my pathetic lack of willpower. Within six months I had left depression behind, and now I have friends, a job, a life.
There is a way out whatever your drinking or using story. I hope you can join us.
Mosaic
England
I live in England with my husband and 2 children. I started the steps in April 2005. My introduction was via "Your Last Diet". I bought it because it had the "Diet" word on the cover!
Starting Step 1, my sole intention at first was to lose weight. But I read "Potatoes not Prozac" and "Sugar Addicts Total Recovery Program" and things started to make a lot of sense to me.
Like a lot of people I did the steps quite swiftly, then went back for another go! But I started to change along the way.
I lost the diet mentality, became calm, gained self esteem.
I began to realise how important the steps are to my wellbeing, in so many ways.
The community is brilliant and has given me so much support.
Life is a pleasure doing the steps. And as for the diet? I'm a happy member of YLD. It's the approach I was seeking all my life.
Selena
Bristol, England
Hi, I’m Selena and I live in Bristol in the west of England with my husband and two daughters.
Before I found RR I thought I had an eating disorder, no willpower, psychological problems, the works. I would drag myself through the day bingeing for Britain, being cranky, moody, depressed, and totally bonkers. I thought the answer was to lose weight so I tried every diet known to man. But they made absolutely no difference to how I felt inside. Sure, I lost some weight, but it kept coming back bringing some of its friends with it. I knew deep down that there was something more to it but I didn’t know what.
I found Potatoes not Prozac when it first appeared in 1999 as I was always on the lookout for the latest diet/self-help/personal development book. When I read it, I was amazed that Kathleen had told *my* story. But the book slowly got left on the bookshelf for five years when the next diet book took its place. When I picked it up again I spent another 2 years messing around with steps 1 and 2, only half-heartedly doing the program.
I finally started to commit to the program when I gave myself the gift of a YLD membership. I started turning up at Eurochat every week and my program began to blossom!
In June 2007 I detoxed completely by accident. I was planning to wait until the September when my children went back to school so that I could still participate in summer ice creams. But my body had other ideas. Sugar had been gone from my life for 3 days before I even noticed it was missing! I still find that a miracle - I cannot believe how much my life has changed through *doing the food* and showing up!
If you had told me that I would wake up each morning with a spring in my step, have *happy* as my default setting, like both my self and my body, and not crave sugar or white things then I would have laughed until I was sore.
I am so very grateful for this program. It is nice to have the opportunity to give something back to the Community who have helped me so much on my journey.
Terri
Barstow, CA
When Amazon.com kept trying to get me to buy Potatoes Not Prozac, I really wasn't interested because I knew I wasn't depressed. I had dealt with depression many times throughout my life and I was fat, not depressed, at that time. I was on a quest to find the plan that would solve my weight problem.
When SARP was released in December 2000, I was ready for the message. I started reading SARP and I couldn't put it down. I knew I had found the missing piece. I read it in 2 days (while polishing off my chocolate stash). I had myself convinced that I was ready to do all 6 steps on January 1. My detox was awful!!! I had to take time off work, I was so sick. Luckily, the people on the forum were there to tell me to slow down and to provide the support I needed as my body healed.
Continuing my quest, I joined YLD and after I got steady doing the food, I realized I had been the victim of my biochemistry. I wasn't fat, I was depressed! Now I love my body. I love the radiance that comes from something so simple as eating right for my body. And even though I stopped worrying about losing weight, my body has responded and I have continued to lose weight at her pace.
I love being able to serve in the Radiant Recovery community. I'm
thankful for this program and the profound impact it has in helping
me lead a radiant life and invite anyone who wants the same to
connect with us in the online community.
Vicki
Hamden, CT
Hi! I'm Vicki G. My DP and I have been married more than 40 years, have 2 wonderful grown daughters and 2 grandsons and 1 granddaughter, who are the light of my life.
My mom tells everyone that she put me on a diet when I was 5, so I grew up "knowing" that I was "fat" and needed to be on a diet most of the time. Looking back at photos, I know now that I was a normal weight as a child. However, years and years of yo-yo dieting added up to my being about 80 pounds overweight by the time I heard about The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program. I had given up on diets by then and had just decided that I would be a fat grandma for the rest of my life. I was 55 at the time.
I started step 1 in February 2001. Everything I read in SARP resonated with me and I loved that it focused on healing the reason for my inability to control my eating. But, being a typical sugar sensitive person, I just knew that with all my experience with all those previous diets, I could do the 7 steps slowly in about 2 weeks. (grin) Was I ever surprised when it took me at least 6 weeks to learn to eat breakfast within an hour of waking!
So, I decided to focus on healing. After all, I knew I could lose weight on a diet, but then I couldn't maintain the loss and always ended up heavier than when I started. With lots of help and encouragement from this wonderful community, I was able to work my way through the steps. Step 3 was particularly hard for me, as I had never eaten meals at regular times.
Over the past years I have learned so much about my body and myself just by changing what and when I eat. My body now trusts me to feed her on a regular schedule and not starve her, so she is willing to let go of the extra weight. I have lost weight very slowly, and as long as I pay attention to my program - eat on time, eat appropriate portions, get enough sleep, take care of my BE's - I can continue to lose or maintain a healthy weight. No stress about it. Just one good choice at a time, and I am a happy, peaceful serene woman who can juggle family and work gracefully. By making my recovery a priority, I am more available to others.
I love working with this community and serving wherever I am needed. I have worked with many of the lists and never tire of the questions and fears that new people have when they find this program. They remind me of where I started and how far I have come. That is what enables me to keep making those good choices - one at a time.
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