Jan 15, 2017

Hi {!firstname_fix},

Some of our community members in Scotland have spoken of the *haar* rolling in - it is a dense sea fog. This morning it took a very long time for it to get light. I realized that we had a haar all over the mountains. It stayed that way all day. And it rained. You would have thought you were in Scotland. I wore my *Wellies* . Usually I only take them to England. But today was wet and muddy. This of course means that I have to deal with paw prints everywhere.  I love it when it is like this because it feels soft.

My African violets are bursting with blooms. I think my Christmas Cactus is in shock, It did not bloom this year.. I will google and read lots and diagnose what I did wrong. We have a good relationship and it will tell me.

You will see the start of a new option for you in the classes section this week.  This is flowing out of our explorations on chat about how to support those of you who really do want to lose weight, or don't want to gain weight doing the steps. It has been hard to provide individualized attention on YLD and regular sessions with me are often out of your budgets. YLD has served all of us well and the educational value of what we have done together over the past years has been phenomenal. The Obesity Myth, Fat Terror, Emotional Healing, Clothing have been a few of the topics many of you have explored. Over the last few months I have been working with some people differently and learned that having a concept, individualized plan really helps. You can see what you think.

I am opening it up to anyone who is serious about wanting this as part of the program. We will meet you where you are, whether it be on step one or step seven or anywhere in between. And I think having a mix will benefit everyone.  See what you think.


Don't forget our Spring Radiant Ranch here in New Mexico this May. 
 
Upcoming Classes

These classes will begin January 18, 2017

Is YLD For Me?
This free *tour* will give you a sense of what joining YLD will and will not give you. Other than being able to talk about weight without being asked to talk about breakfast instead, LOL, you will learn about te process, the information you can learn, the chats and the list. It is a wonderful peek into the inner workings of our rather unique weightloss offering. We will schedule this class periodically whenever 10 people have registered.


Resources for Parents
This is a special free class for parents wanting to guide their children in *doing the food*. The process is different for kids. Learn how here. The is no charge for this class. It is held right on the parents list so if you are already there, you don't have to do anything. If you are not in the group yet, just sign up here.  Look under the *special tab.*

These classes will begin January 25, 2017

Coaching for Weight Loss

This is a new offering for people who are serious about losing weight and would like to have ongoing coaching. We will do individual assessments 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 weight loss - what to do when. You can look at what things you can do to start while you are actually working on the steps.  This NOT a boot camp style process. You will be given tools and shown how to use them. We will also cover the role of doing *low carb* in the process.

The fee is $20 per week billed in 2 week intervals. It is an unusual opportunity to work directly with Kathleen to be liberated from your past diet history.  The signup is under the *special* tab on the classes page.



Using The Resources of the Community


 
You do not have to be afraid.  You are not alone. You are part of a larger miracle.
 

Testimonial of the Week
Anne Marie:
My dh does not want to be woken up by Vitamixer before 6:30 and I get up at 5:45 Feel frustrated as to how to do my shake! (live in tiny house) Must talk to him about my needs.
Kathleen:
Many of us are creative (smile)...you can put a towel over it. Or you can put a towel over him. Or you could get an extension cord and take it outside.
Anne Marie:
I think that might be a joydot today - put a towel over him! Made me smile! I have tried the towel over the blender too and it does work a bit.
Susan:
'I think that might be a joy dot for me today.
Haha! Made me smile too - actually laugh - imagining my DH mummies up in a towel while I am making my shake and especially funny to imagine my running my blender out on the deck in my robe and waking up all the neighbors!

 My husband laughed too and said to make my shake whenever I want - no worries! LOL (it saws me I think that needed swaddling in a towel yesterday). I am at peace today.  

Funny part is that I slept in and made my shake at 9:00.
 
Radiant Recovery Store
I am running this product again because it is SO helpful in dry winter rooms.

Here is a testimony to the impact of your input. One of our regular customers told us about a Nordic Naturals product she had tried. It is called ProDHA Eye. She said her ophthalmologist had recommended it for *dry eye* and it was having a huge impact for her. Kathleen read that email and asked me if I had sent in our Nordic order yet. I said, *No, I was doing it that afternoon.* Here is her response:

As I have gotten older, the issue of dry eye has become more of a problem. Living in New Mexico, which is DRY, DRY, makes it way worse. You know I LOVE Nordic products, let's give it a shot. I know it is a bit pricey, but when I think about how much I am spending on eye drops, this sounds way better.

Here is what Nordic Naturals says about it:

  • Added Zeaxanthin and FloraGLO Lutein for ultimate eye protection*

  • 93+% true triglyceride form for optimal absorption of essential omega-3s*

  • Promotes healthy eye moisture and tear production*

ProDHA Eye® combines concentrated omega-3 fish oil with key nutrients that have been shown to protect the eyes and support healthy vision.* The omega-3 DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is more concentrated in eye tissue than in any other part of the body, and is vital to the structure and function of healthy eyes. By supporting healthy inflammatory levels, omega-3s can also help​​​​​​​ alleviate many common symptoms of eye discomfort such as dryness, pain, and redness.* FloraGLO® Lutein with zeaxanthin has been added to further support the structures of the eye and provide protection against harmful ultraviolet blue light.* ProDHA Eye combines these key eye nutrients in one convenient formula.

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

Yam Cakes

Many, many of us use these recipes!

Yam Cakes #1
Cook up your sweet potatoes (yams are so much easier to say, but we don’t get true yams), and mush them up. Add some oil (I use coconut oil), and about the same amount of rolled oats as you have of yams. I’ll use a cup of yams as an example. So you take your cup of yams, cup of oats, blurp of oil, and about 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, shredded coconut, and mix them all together. You want it to hold together, and be nice and sticky, so add water if you need to.
I then use a scoop, and make little mounds, but flatten them with a fork. Bake at 400* for about 15 to 20 minutes. I freeze these, and take them out as needed…they are yummy cold and yummy hot, and they don’t crumble, and don’t get mushy, and travel well!
Using peanut butter instead of the oil is yummy. And I bet you could experiment and use different spices…for variety.
Enjoy!
Colette

Yam Cakes #2
I bake a bunch of large yams all at once, slip them out of the skins, and freeze in 3 Cup containers. (I use sweet potatoes a lot, LOL — not just for yam cakes!)
When I’m ready to make yam cakes I thaw a 3-cup container of sweet potato, add a bit of water and warm slightly in the microwave, then mash them. I use a hand held potato masher, but you could use a food processor or whatever suits you.
I add 3 cups of quick-cooking rolled oats, 1 cup of Restore protein powder and 1 cup of PB. I also add some more water, about 1/3-1/2 of a cup (I used a total of 1/2 cup of water), to get a sticky, goopy, but partly pourable consistency. Press into a lightly greased 9 X 13 pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
Cool and cut into 32 squares. Store in fridge or freezer. My math showed that 5 squares had about a one cup serving of brown and about 19 grams of protein.
Elaine in CO 

 For great program-friendly recipes, check out our Cookbook in the store and visit our online Radiant Recipes site.


 
Radiant YLD
We talked about Your Last Diet at chat and looked at how the weight loss process fits into the bigger picture of healing. If you have been buffeted by all the cultural hype of what you have to do to lose weight and you are tired, this is the place for a new look. If you read the articles just published talking about the long-term outcomes of *the Biggest Loser* and feel you are doomed to regain whatever you worked so hard to lose and feel you have to end up regaining it, then the Your Last Diet is the antidote. The rebound only happens if you haven't HEALED your body and brain. Just working with the scale will doom you to always regaining. But it doesn't have to be that way.

And this is a wonderful backdrop for the new coaching class Kathleen has agreed to set up.

Your program will include:
  • People who understand and mentor you
  • A dedicated list on Yahoo with Kathleen's personal participation
  • Access to a dedicated chat. It is held at 2 different times each week so it is accessible to people all over the globe
  • ​​​​​​​
  • If you would like to join us in YLD, come find us here
 
Radiant Living
Some of the old timers wanted to know where to talk about their process. They wanted to have a place to share about *refinements* and *life enhancements*. We have support for depression and cooking and fitness, but nowhere to look at *life* stuff. The logical option is Radiant Living. It is kinda the *living step 7* place.

If you would like to join us in Radiant Living, come find us here.
 
It Doesn't Have to be Hard

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.


As many of you know, I usually present a new concept at ranch. This allows us to have a dialogue in person on these emerging topics. One year, I presented on the idea of Addiction to Misery. This topic started in chat and I had been thinking about it a bit. The talk was fun and challenging. It certainly moved me.

Janice posted a reflection on the forum that knocked my socks off. She got it. Come share this process with us.

What if none of it has to be hard? This is the radical thought that has followed me home from Ranch. Kathleen had been talking about addiction to misery and how it seems to be one of the easier pieces of our sug sen puzzle to fix - it doesn't have t be hard. And then she blurts out what if none of it has to be hard? I think most everyone's instant reaction was "huh? I don't think so," me included. But the hair on the back of my neck stood up when she said that. And I have not been able to get this idea out of my mind.

I was listening to a (country) CD in the car and it seemed every song was about some kind of "hard." And a voice in my head is saying, "What if it doesn't have to be hard?" I looked at my shoes that have been by my bed for weeks now patiently waiting for me to wake, shake, walk. And the voice again, "What if it doesn't have to be hard?" I came home to what could have felt like an overwhelm of laundry, no groceries, starting the potato and the need to gain weight. But what if it doesn't have to be hard? And the laundry and groceries got done. The potatoes are ready in the fridge. I'm remembering to eat a little more than usual. These are, I realize, simple things, easy to not be hard. But what if none of it has to be hard?

I've been thinking about why I am so invested in things being "hard". I was brought up in a culture that taught 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps,' 'nothing worth having is easy,' 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger,' 'true beauty lies in struggle and pain' and so on. And I am very attached to the idea of having been "brave" in my recovery journey. I think the dopamine-boosting reward factor is in play, too, when I feel I've done something "hard."

So what happens if I let go of the idea of doing what's hard = worthy accomplishment. If it's easy will there be that sense of accomplishment? Will the act of letting go of "hard" be the accomplishment? Maybe it is all in the re-framing. What if instead of "hard" and "how can I possibly do what seems impossible and just too difficult and where in the world do I start?" the "hard" thing becomes a challenge and the doing of it an adventure?
The feeling/idea of my life being an adventure instead of a struggle is something I have been becoming aware of as I've done my post detour work. If I stop and look at the past 7 months what started out as hard became easy. Not easy as in in being a piece of cake (sorry) but easy as in being a joy to do. I have come to think of my regular life as a grand adventure, too. It still has it's moments of scary-as-all-get-out but it doesn't spook me any more.

And I think maybe that is another key - seeing "easy" as joyous instead of just easy and not really valuable. So if "hard" becomes an adventure and "easy" becomes a joyous thing to do, then "what if none of it has to be hard" becomes pursuing the business of life as a joyous adventure. This idea feels incredibly real and true to me. 
Would I have been ready for it at the beginning of recovery? I honestly don't know. I think I might have said, "This is nuts, I'm outta here." It's hard (no make that it's a joyous adventure ;-) ) to turn our long held, deeply embedded, highly invested way of being in the world upside down with such a radical thought. I am ready to give it a go. By the way, I got up and put my shoes on and walked for 20 min. this morning :-D Turns out it didn't have to be hard.

I'd love to hear other's thoughts on this idea of it doesn't have to be hard. Thanks as always for listening to my long ramble.
Janice in Maryland 

 
 
©2016 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. 

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