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April 6, 2015 Hi {!firstname_fix} The east side of my house has a whole row of Lilac bushes. Last year they hardly bloomed because we has such low water. This year we had a late snow fall that kept moisture on the ground for several days. This year they are bursting with buds and have started to turn violet. In a few days, I will start getting the miracle scent when I walk by the bushes. It always reminds me of high school. I went to a school that was surrounded by 10-foot lilacs bushes and we would always pick them for a May celebration of Mary. it is a nice association. I recently listened to a wonderful Ted talk by a woman named Christina Warinner. It is called Debunking the Paleo Diet. Watch and listen to the whole thing. It is totally fascinating. I especially loved the question at the end about how many feet of sugar cane stalk would we have to chew to get the same amount of sugar as in a 32 ounce soda. No classes for a couple of weeks. I am getting caught up and getting ready for Ranch which of course is getting me really, really excited!!!!! I was just talking with someone who attended a conference recently. As she was describing her experience, it made me realize how much work we have done to accommodate introvert brains and sugar-sensitive neurology in learning. I think I forget that part so it was fun to realize how much work we have done with it. 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 are not striving for perfection. You are seeking commitment and progress. **********************************************************************
**Testimonial of the Week ** I haven't connected with this list for a while - in terms of sharing my progress. So I just wanted to say hello and give an update :-) Although I have only been doing this program for about 9 1/2 weeks now and I am just tightening up step 2 before moving on to step 3, I have felt some significant progress lately. Between starting an anti-depressant and starting the program, things are looking up! I am beginning to feel back to my old self! :-) And I'm sure by the time I make it through the steps, I will be feeling even better than my old self! This week I had an appointment with my chiropractor (who emphasizes nutrition) and he announced a significant progress in my health (without knowing about SARP and the medication). He even asked me if I had lost some weight (and I haven't). But then he wanted to start talking about a plan for weight loss. I explained this program to him and told him that I wasn't focusing on weight loss, I was just taking the steps slow and steady and I would eventually lose the weight. He was very impressed that I wasn't trying to accomplish the weight loss so fast like most people do. I am grateful to this program for helping me shift my focus away from the weight loss! This experience confirmed to me that, as we start experiencing little bits of radiance, our countenance changes to the point where people wonder if we have lost weight because we are starting to "radiate", not because we really had lost any weight! I had heard someone talking about this in a post, but didn't realize that I might even experience it 2 1/2 months into the program! Also, a friend of mine whom I hadn't seen in a few weeks and who knows I had been struggling, told me yesterday that there was more sparkle in my eyes, that they didn't look so "flat". Wow! Although I was realizing a slow change, it helped me to hear those confirmations from other people, that, yes, I am on the "up and up"! I am seeing how those glimpses of radiance can be felt as we go throughout the steps - and I love it! I can't wait for what is to come! Thanks to you all for your help and encouragement! Now I just need to get myself ready to start step 3! Amy **********************************************************************
**Notes from the Forum ** In Response To: Weight gain and waiting I was actually terrified by my weight gain - not too strong a word, as weight was something I was really focusing on - I thought it led to all my problems at the time. The gaining stopped in step three for me. I think step three really steadied me, from a blood sugar perspective but in a lot of other ways too. I used to live on erratic patterns, feast or famine, really. I was quite stunned to stay a steady weight as I had been on a see-saw up, down, all my life. So even though I was heavier, the novelty of being the same really impressed me. For weight loss I have found YLD a support. But mostly what I learned was in doing the steps in the first place - that taught me so much about how I am, the things I do, how my biochemistry and me work together. One thing I did discover early on was I had a nibble-time at 4 pm. Really quite cravy. I found that paying attention to breakfast helped that. Playing with different breakfasts set me up better for the day somehow. And making sure I had the 4 parts spot on.  I also had a lateish dinner going on back then. So I had a planned snack at 4 pm. Actually kept the snacks in for a long time as it was a healing thing for me I think. Do let us know what you discover. I know for me the best advice I had was to focus on the solution and not the problem. I like to remind myself of that one. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Recovery® Store ** Many people have asked me about Omega 3 fatty acids and the value of taking fish oil. I asked Kathleen to write something for all of you. Click here to read her suggestions. And, of course, we carry great fish oil options.
Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
**Radiant Kitchen ** This week, I want to share what Janie did to alter the hamentashen recipe. This is what these recipes are all about, make them your own (smile). Here are Janie's comments: "Hi all, I tried making the cookies that was posted in the newsletter and they turned out great. I used slightly different ingredients. Grace can't have wheat so I substituted the wheat. Grace loved them and also incredibly my extremely picky 16 year old did too. Grace has an easter party at her school this Wednesday and all the kids are having cookies and juice so now Grace will have her sugar free cookie and bubbly water. I now have another weapon in my sugar free arsenal, LOLOL! Janie Janie's Hamentashen Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or use parchment paper (I used parchment) Place all ingredients in a large mixer bowl and beat together. Roll into a ball and refrigerate until firm, covering completely in plastic wrap. Divide into four parts. On a well-floured board, roll out each portion to about 1/8 inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out circles (I used 2 inch cutter). Place 1/2 tsp of apple butter on each circle. To shape into a triangle, lift up the right and left sides and have them meet in the center above the filling. Bring the top flap down to the center to meet the two sides. Pinch edges together. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about 6 1/2 dozen cookies
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**Radiant YLD ** I cannot understand how our *diet* program has turned into such a joyful place. Somehow we seem to have converted our collective *fat terror* into humor and skill. When did this happen? It sort of crept up on us. But man, oh man, do we love it. I just have to catch up with the energy. But chat is beyond exciting. If you would like to join us in YLD, come find us here **********************************************************************
**Radiant Living ** Radiant Living? What happens on step seven? Here is a glimpse into the world of radiance...which means how we do struggle, heartbreak, joy, hope, vision and laughter. I have no way of describing Radiant Living since it is kinda organic. We talk about the subjects I write about here, so you can well imagine, LOL. If you would like to join us in Radiant Living, come find us here **********************************************************************
**The Secret of Self-Esteem ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
Now, I wrote this article more than 10 years ago, but it is still one of my favorites. It just sort of gets to the biggest payoff of doing the food. This is what happens, this is recovery and it doesn’t wear off. See what you think. Optimism and self-confidence result from our body chemistry, not our mental attitude. Sometimes we are ready to take on the world. Other times the bag lady sits at our feet clucking her disapproval of our lives. Enduring and consistent confidence is a thousand times better than those few moments stolen on the back of a sugar high. I have been fascinated with the beta-endorphin story for years. As you may recall from Potatoes Not Prozac, beta-endorphin is the brain chemical that enables us to tolerate pain. So when I first learned that sugar evokes beta-endorphin, it made perfect sense to me. Sugar as a pain-killer seemed to resonate with what my body already knew. But I hadn’t thought of sugar as an emotional pain-killer. Reading that first scientific article about sugar reducing “isolation distress” knocked my socks off. When baby mice were given sugar, they didn’t cry as much when they were taken away from their mothers. This wasn’t about physical pain, this was a whole different story. I wanted to piece it together. We know that children of alcoholics have naturally lower levels of beta-endorphin. What does this mean in real life? Beta-endorphin cuts pain. Therefore, lower levels of beta-endorphin mean we feel pain more deeply. We may be more distressed by going to the dentist. We may hurt more if we get banged up in a backyard game of football. We may cry more at the movies. Because we naturally have less of the brain chemical that protects us from pain, we are naturally more 'sensitive.' Because we are more sensitive, we feel more deeply. I suspect that lower levels of beta-endorphin make us more aware, more tuned in to the subtlety of what we are experiencing, and perhaps more vulnerable emotionally. Beta-endorphin also affects self-esteem. Confidence, optimism, a sense of connection, and a sense of elation all come with high levels of beta-endorphin. The euphoria of the 'runner’s high' is very real. That sense of being on top of the world is a byproduct of the beta-endorphin flood. By the same token, low beta-endorphin can have a profoundly negative effect on our feelings. Self-esteem eludes us — even though it seems we should feel terrific, we don’t. We are successful, we have enough money, we have love and support in our lives — but inside we are convinced it all will soon disappear and we will end up as a bag lady. We feel disconnected from those around us. Even though our mind tells us that we have a loving partner, an attentive husband, devoted children, caring parents or loving friends, we still feel isolated and alone. Sometimes we shake our heads in disbelief. 'How can this be?' we ask. It makes no sense. What is even stranger is that we don’t feel this way all of the time. Sometimes we are ready to take on the world. Other times the bag lady sits at our feet clucking her disapproval of our lives. Having our confidence and self-esteem be so elusive, so unpredictable can be crazy-making. It makes no sense until we begin to see our life through the filter of beta-endorphin. When we have naturally low levels of beta-endorphin, our brains try to compensate by increasing the number of beta-endorphin receptors in order to catch as much beta-endorphin as possible. If something (like drugs, alcohol, or a large helping of sugary food) causes a big hit of beta-endorphin (also called a spike), the extra receptor sites will grab it and cause us to have a 'WOW!' reaction, a 'rush.' Let’s focus on the sugar effect. We start out with low beta-endorphin, we eat sugar, our beta-endorphin spikes, and we feel really good. We are confident, hopeful, and excited about our lives. We banish the bag lady with a flash of the hand and pronounce our enthusiasm for life and its demands. We feel great! For a little while. But then, in the middle of a conversation, at a board meeting, or on a date, our sense of possibility slips away. Doom descends and we are back to square one. The flood of beta-endorphin has receded and we are left with all those extra receptors sitting empty, forlorn — and craving for more. So how do we handle this situation? Can we raise our beta-endorphin levels by doing healthy things instead of using sugar and drugs? And what’s wrong with that 'rush?' If our beta-endorphin is low, don’t we want to do things that get us more? Here’s the key: We don’t want the rush because when it recedes, we end up feeling terrible. Instead we want a steady stream of beta-endorphin which keeps us in a steady state of optimism, higher self-esteem, confidence, and connectedness. We want to enhance the natural production of beta-endorphin without the dramatic ups and downs that have been a big part of our lives. In some ways, this may be hard to get used to. We may not want to give up the rush that sugar evokes. To use my own words from early recovery, life without the rush may seem 'boring.' It was almost as if I was willing to endure the pain of the down side in order to have the thrill of the up side. This, in a nutshell, is the seduction of addiction. We forget the down side and only remember those few moments of glory. We will seek forever and endure anything to return to the state of WOW! Trust me on this one, though. Many years later, my body, my mind, and my heart all know that a steady state of clarity and self-esteem is so much better than the illusion I carried around so long. Enduring and consistent confidence is a thousand times better than those few moments stolen on the back of a sugar high. I didn’t know this until I did the food plan — and kept doing it over time. But I do now, and there is nothing better in the world than living from this place. **********************************************************************
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Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:
Gretel, our webmaster, puts it all together. David runs the Radiant Recovery® Store. mosaic contributes to the Notes from the Forum column. ©2015 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 |
