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July 16, 2017

Hi, {!firstname_fix},

I am home in New Mexico now. I love traveling and I love the joy of seeing family and friends. And, of course, I love coming home. One of the things I reflected on most was the movement of the tide. It flows in and it flows out. If you sit and watch it moving into the cove, you cannot actually see the movement of the water. But if you go and make a cup of tea and come back, you can see that the water is up another 5 inches or so. It is imperceptible at the moment, but it just keeps moving in. And then later in the day, it moves out.

Each year I learn to be more skillful about doing the food in another person's house. I take the car and go and get the things  I need to feel safe. It's funny, this is what happens at Ranch as well. The rooms have refrigerators and microwaves, and people go to the grocery store to get their stuff.  Everyone's cache is different, but each is designed to provide the *I am safe* factor.  This might be a really fun discussion for chat.

Dogs and people all touched noses when I came back. David provided the damage report.  This year his charges included a number of anxious dogs so there were a few casualties. Lots of ripping up things this year. But it is part of doing rescue and reinforces my compassion for being anxious.

Now it is back to settling into regular life and thinking about what we would like to do in the community.
 Support for Your Program
Ongoing Groups

Discover ongoing discussion geared to the step you are on, or special considerations like depression, parenting or fitness.


Radiant Coaching

Coaching is individualized support. We are just started a new sequence for beginners so if you are beginning the program and would like to have individualized support from Kathleen, please come join us. The commitment is for 2 week intervals.

Classes

These classes will begin Wednesday, July 19, 2017. Please Signup and it will take you to the step one group page:

Is YLD for me?

Come discover if The Your Last Diet Program is right for your weight loss journey. This is another free class that will allow you to sort out where you are in your process and if connecting with YLD is right for you.
Beta Endorphin

​​​​​​​Most of you know that Beta Endorphin plays a big part of the store for Sugar Sensitive people. If you haven't taken this class, you will LOVE hearing an in=depth discussion of how we are shaped by it. Learn how your self esteem fluctuates based on your BE level. Learn why sometimes you are ready to take on the world and other times just want to crawl into bed. It is one of our most favorite classes.
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“If your food is steady, your life will be steady. If your food is rocky, your life will be rocky. ”
 

Testimonial of the Week
When I go on holiday, I always pack my own coffee. Well, I am fussy  And why not? I have a whole checklist of important things, coffee, sardines etc, clothes are secondary!
this year, I was rationing it a bit, and saw a likely ground coffee package in a reputable Spanish supermarket. I thought, well, I'll try it ! its only a few euro so if I end up wasting it, is not the end of the world.

I noticed I was drinking double my usual amount. I was sort of wearing a trail between me and the coffee machine. It was Lovely! I thought, perhaps I'll take some home. A souvenir. Two packs? or six? how many can I cram in the suitcase. I bet I could smuggle some into DDs suitcase. I could get some more for now, and take my old remaining coffee home. how many trips to the supermarket can we make? Perhaps they sell it in Greece too for next year. Or maybe I'll stick with Spain to get at that coffee

so.......... on some level...... I KNEW.

after three days of it and me a bit awash with coffee, I decided to play with the translator thing on my phone and see what the delicious write up was on my coffee packaging..

COFFEE WITH GLUCOSE SYRUP

what? what? how can they put glucose in ground coffee? No wonder I liked it. It didn't even taste sweet and I can detect sweet in anything LOL LOL I was so amused at myself. My body knew it was in there.......... it must have been a tiny amount.......... and was giving me a good old obsess and stockpile. Old pattern 

I had only read the bit that said Descafeinado. I didnt think for a second there could be anything else in it. My label reading radar had gone off at the bacon etc but I was careless over the decaf 

I was truly amused more than anything. Apart from getting fixated on it I didn't have any repercussions otherwise. Thank goodness was a justa that didn't lead me on to other Justas. ( just a little...)

Got home and ordered three bags of my old faithful 

Mosaic
 
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Radiant Recovery Store​​​​​​​
While Kathleen was in Maine, I stayed with the dogs. One of them came in with some pretty major digestive problems. Kathleen started giving her digestive enzymes and it was amazing to see what happened.  This was a dog who had been having problems all her life. But the vet only treated. her symptoms. She actually was not digesting her food properly.

I actually hear wonderful things about the enzymes we carry in the store. But seeing it up close and personal with that rescue dog really surprised me.

Please send questions and suggestions.  I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. Come visit at the Radiant Recovery Store.
 
 
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Radiant Kitchen​​​​​​​

  Strawberry Soup​​​​​​​

  • 1 lb. (about 4 cups) sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 c. apple juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
  • Yogurt or sour cream for garnish
  • Sprinkle of cinnamon for garnish​​​​​​​
Combine first 8 ingredients in a blender (strawberries through cardamom). Process until smooth; you may need to work in batches. Chill at least 3 hours. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and dust with ground cinnamon. Serve cold. Makes 3 servings.
Notes: If you use frozen strawberries, be sure to purchase unsweetened brands. You may wish to slightly thaw berries to make processing easier. This soup can be served as a refreshing appetizer or as a light dessert. The addition of black pepper may seem odd to you, but it is an old culinary trick which greatly enhances the fruitiness of the strawberries. Do give it a try!
Another option that I love...if you add the soup to your Vitamix and put in a bunch of ice, you will get the most amazing ice cream. There is something about the pepper.

This is actually one of my most favorite recipes.

 For great program-friendly recipes, check out our Cookbook in the store and visit our online Radiant Recipes site.
 
 
Radiant YLD
I have been spending the last few weeks thinking about the revisionsI would like to put into YLD over the next few months. The program works beyond anything I ever imagined. And it is hard to do because it is sooooo different from all the diets you have done. We do maintenance first. And the hardest thing is to settle in to learn skills before glamor of 30 pounds in 30 days. We literally reprogram all those messages.

I am thinking it would be fun for you to hear some of the success stories. Because I put so much emphasis on *healing*, sometimes I forget to pass on the reports of weight loss. This is going to be interesting since I do not define success as a number, LOL. But we shall see. Here is a nice report.

I had mentioned this program as a way of ending cravings, getting rid of depression and anxiety, gaining clarity and joy in living, and he replied that he saw me as a woman transformed. He couldn’t believe I was the same person he had met two years ago. He remembers an anxious, solemn, depressed, slow moving, sad looking person. He said he can't get over the changes in me, and that I even look years younger, and that with my just letting my gray hair grow out, (smile).
Anna

Come to chat, join the private list for members.

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 *after the steps* place.

If you would like to join us in Radiant Living, come find us here.
 
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The Calm

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.


"Am I right in identifying it this way: the hit--as horrible as it is--is the meltdown and the immediate afterglow in which I can actually get my work done; as the hit wears off I'm left flat--that would be withdrawal; my anxiety levels begin to build and that increases the chaos in my life --the hunt is on for the next big storm....
Oh, lord, it's good to know what's going on but I'm horrified that my actions are the actions of an addict my entire life...because I was labeled "drama queen" right from the getgo and teased mercilessly for it, which only fed it...." 
Katrina

I know that many of you can relate to the idea of being a drama queen (or king). The quote above came from a class member of the beta-endorphin group. I think that ...perfectly describes the pattern.

You create a big thing - using whatever stuff is at hand. It could be leaving bills 'til they are over due, not paying taxes, forgetting a key appointment, having a fight with husbands, wives or partners or children, blowing up at work, having a temper tantrum, whatever......you get a rush. You get a rush from the STORM. It is such a great image.
The rush is a flood of beta-endorphin, and a subsequent dash of dopamine. You feel clear, mobilized, able to cope and in charge. This is drug-induced euphoria. The skilled and effective drama queen. And then the flat rolls in. And you have no tolerance for it. Something, you need something. Sweets, fights, sex, drama.

They are all activated beta-endorphin and then pushing through to trigger dopamine. This is euphoria and then rush. And then withdrawal, the flat. The problem comes over time. You build tolerance, so you need a bigger drama. Life starts to unravel and the drama becomes unmanageable. You pull it together; the pulling together is done in a flurry, another rush, more drama. Now the drama of getting fixed, organized, settled. So the pattern is veiled. Now the drama comes with the fixing. And the sugar use builds.
When you step into the program, and work the steps, the steps themselves are designed to minimize drama. You want to teach you to cope with thoughtful planning rather than reaction and mobilization. You are creating behavioral change. Learning to "wait" for meals on step three teaches you to learn to wait...and tolerate discomfort.

Step six rolls in. Now you have biochemical flat since the charge from sugar is out. This is the hardest part of the program. You are learning to do life without spike. You are learning to tolerate some flatness rather than creating drama, drama....
Then something funny happens. Flat starts taking on color. Flat becomes The Calm. And something in you starts to like it. And something in you starts to really like it. Eighteen months in and drama no longer holds the charge. You find yourself wanting to deescalate rather than amp up. Now the drama seems like an unnecessary wasting of energy far more suited to fun things.

Another change slips in. Rather than drama queen, your funny, creative, innovative self starts growing. You are flexible and resourceful. You deal well with crisis, you no longer cope but are proactive in problem solving. Who is this person anyway? There is nothing in the world so wonderful as a healed drama queen. 
 
©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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