Pouring rain
Mar 19, 2023,
 
Hi {!firstname_fix}, 
  
That is a picture of spring in New Mexico. Simple, unassuming and cheery. My lilacs have a faint green aura. Its funny, there are no leaves yet, just a sense of things to come. They were so happy when it snowed for a morning and then everything stayed wet for a while.
 
In my last newsletter I reminded you that Radiant Recovery is a "living" organic process and things grow and change as we learn. Last week I had an idea about setting up a place to talk about restriction and it affects our recovery. I imagined having 5-6 be interested and maybe having something like a "focus group".  I seemed to have called up a tsunami of interest.
 
Not only did a whole lot of people who had been around many years ago resurface for a "tune up but a cascade of people who had wanted to do the steps but couldn't came tumbling in.  So we ended up with this wild churn of ages and needs. Ir was a little chaotic to say the least.
 
I was truly baffled to say the least. I had thought I would do a neat, orderly class on the science of restricting, so some exploration and discovery and then work out the best way for people to work with the concepts. Well, that sure wasn't what emerged.
 
I called together our mentors, a team of trusty folks who have been around since the beginning of time LOL, and we brainstormed. We got bits and bobs and then I rested overnight. Woke in the morning and everything was crystal clear. And Its funny, this is how I know exactly that things are on the right track. I realized it was like having a group of college freshmen and graduate students in the same classroom. Easy enough, split the room into 2 sections. And then plan a separate class. 
 
It took about 30 minutes to do that. I was clear on what to do with both groups and went ahead and set up a new classroom for people who wanted to learn the science.  You can sign up from this newsletter..  And it will be interesting. I started doing some research and I found NOTHING about what I am thinking. So I guess I will just go ahead and be ahead of my time again and give a working hypothesis. You can have the fun of seeing if it fits your experience.  I think it is a very helpful filter to look at some of what creates impediments to progress.
 
BI wanted to touch base on the eurythritol story.  I got an email from Dr. Will Bulsiewicz who did an absolutely brilliant analysis of the questions. I don't think he has it up on his website yet. But if you email me, I will forward the article to you. I trust him and it is well written!
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 ReD THIS, LOL. IT DOES HAVE SOMETHING NEW IN IT. REQWe have a master community email list. It is nice place to get started if you are new to the community or are coming back and are wondering what to do.  Introduce yourself and ask for help. Or just listen. We won't mind.

The list has been quiet recently but we will get some energy over there with conversations about sweeteners and doing the food. The community is made up of a huge number of introverts which means LISTENING is held in high esteem. We will direct you to the right spot for your questions. It's fine if you know nothing, just stop in and you will be welcomed.

 

GROUPS
The groups list is up on the web site. Click on the top bar where it says GROUPS> Just sign up for the group you would like to join. Read about the group before you ask to join. If you are starting or returning, join the Step One list. Don't join Step One and Step Two and Step Three all at the same time. If you. have any trouble joining, send me an email at  and we will get you all set.
 Join the Step One List now.
 
Let me give you a little overview of how things fit together.Think 3 phases of recovery, pre-steps, steps, and life on Step 7.  Now, all of this kinda slowed down during covid.  It may seem like a lot of "new" stuff but it really isn't. We will talk about it in the chats over the next couple of weeks so you can ask questions and get clear.
 
Step lists: doing the food and getting skills for each step. They support getting off of sugar and healing sugar addiction. There is no fee for being on the step lists.
 
And then comes support for the things you want to do after you are steady.
 
YLD is for  healing fat terror, losing weight, healing your body image and learning to exercise in a healthy way. We do zoom chats  every week as part of YLD. And there are a lot of people in YLD who are not at all concerned about weight but just love the connection.
 
The newest class is about learning HOW RESTRICTION SABOTOGES YOUR RECOVERY. It will be a 2 week online class done through email.  We will start on Monday, March 27. You do not have to show up at any particular place at any one time. It does not matter what time zone you are in.
 
The cost will be $29.95.  You will need to have a copy of Potatoes Not Prozac on hand for reference.
 
For some reason the newsletter will not allow me to embed the link, but if you cut and paste it in your browser, it will work.
 
  http://www.1shoppingcart.com/SecureCart/SecureCart.aspx?mid=86505158-FD4F-480E-AFBE-A51E85CDCC89&pid=6f860ba4d92049aaa8eaf1559b40dcbf&bn=1
 
You can email me if you have an questions.
 

WORKING ONE ON ONE WITH KATHLEEN 
People wonder if it would be beneficial with me directly. I can help you step out of the craziness of sugar addiction, return to steadiness and clarity after slipping away, slow down and focus on your recovery, or deepen a steady rhythm of recovery. This particular option is especially helpful if you did the steps a while ago and then kinda meandered away. Or if you are facing some intense times and would like skillful support. 
 
The most useful time to think about this is after you have started Step 3. Even if you do just one session, I can help you "see" the places that might be the hardest for you. Basically it shortens the groping around by a year or so. 
 
Go here to learn more about it.  we can do a no fee"discovery" session to see if commiting to one on one work would be a good fit for both of us. Email me if you would like more information. I am happy to talk to you about options. 
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If you prefer talking on Facebook, come over to our group there. Radiant Recovery®, While our Facebook presence is primarily intended to be "social". The step work support happens on the lists.

Testimonial for the Week

 Here's a great idea about how to get moving even when you can't find any motivation to do so. There is a concept from CST that helped me. From a Russian saying: "the appetite comes with the meal."


 

(I know! -- huh what? LOL)


 

But it's like when it's dinner time and you're not that hungry, but when you see it and smell it, then it's like whoa, it's dinner time.


 

For movement, the idea is to do something, anything, that you really really like. Then when you're up, your appetite for movement might come back.


 

It does for me just about every time. The only times I want to go sit down and be immobile again is if I have no energy from sleep or food or water problems. But that's very different from motivation.


 

I use things like juggling couch pillows or tossing them at a family member. Hey they're always close at hand LOL! But then I just love games where you get to throw things.


 

Connie

 

Radiant Recovery Store
David Smiling
David, my oldest son, runs our store. He makes sure your orders go out quickly and works with you to find the best things suited to where you are in your process. Many people think of him as their personal concierage.
 
Please note, George's® Restore is on backorder. We will keep you posted.
 

  In this newsletter we are featuring our wonderful cookbook Called Recipes to Remember. It has great ideas for a successful program. Way more than just recipes.

 

 

Come visit our STORE. Or call 505-345-3737.
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Recipes to Remember

Your Last Diet

After all this time YLD continues to be a favorite place for people in the community. If you struggle with your body image, if you have chased diets for years, here is a wonderful alternative to all the things you have tried. The Zoom chats are really fun and people learn a lot. They are a time for connection and learning. We are looking at all sorts of intriguing ideas like "Why we crave chocolate and why some people don't" [it's genetic. If you want to learn about designing a personal weight loss plan, here is the place to do it.

 

If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun. And remember it is a lifetime membership so if you joined in 2008, you can still come back.

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POST COVID RECOVERY

 


 

In the past few weeks, I have been hearing more from people who are trying to crawl back to sanity after what we have been through with the COVID pandemic. I have referenced the idea of our experiencing cultural PTSD. I think the neurochemical impact is much like recovery from stimulant addiction. Too much, too fast, more than can be processed.

 

Stimulant addiction includes things like cocaine, methamphetamine, diet pills, ephedrine drinks, psuedopepipephrine drinks, Sudafed, caffeine, Ritalin, or NutraSweet products.

 

All of these substances activate or cause to be activated a brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine makes you feel bright, clear, focused and functional and creates a state of hyper alertness. When you first start using these substances, you feel like you can take on the world. After a while, your brain adjusts and you simply feel “normal” after use and very discombobulated when the effect wears off. Addiction sets in when you start needing your substance in order to stave off the withdrawal.

 

But if the stimulation comes from DANGER, it really wouldn't occur to you that you would have "withdrawal." But think about this: withdrawal from stimulants makes you feel dull, foggy, sludgy, torpid, teary, scattered and incapable of functioning. If we feel this coming down from the hyper-alert state of COVID, it makes sense that we would be drawn to something to take care of it.

 

And it is fascinating to me that all of a sudden ADHD diagnosis is spreading like wildfire. And as soon as you get your ‘drug”, even if it is a Diet Coke, you feel better. Stimulant addiction is seductive. You feel so fine when you are using and so bad when you are not, it is almost inconceivable to imagine not having it.

 

But, part of you has known that it is progressive and you are feeling worse. You no longer have times of feeling good, and a particular kind of bone weary exhaustion started setting in. You had to up the dose, or shorten the time between your “fixes”. What started as one latte in the morning became a triple in the morning and a single in the afternoon just to function. You knew you were in trouble and decided it was time to do something.

 

Doing the steps helped to get you to this place. You have been reasonably steady with your food and you were ready to get out from under this addiction. For the sake of this discussion, I am going to assume you  feel pretty crappy. This is a how to intervention to hold you up and restore your brain so that your willingness to get clean can stick over time.

 

There are 3 very specific changes you are going to make over a 3-month period to get your old brain back. [and yes, you will get back to normal!]

  1. Increase your protein intake to .6 grams per pound of your body weight.  But play with it to see what has the best effect.  Or, since many of you have been cutting your protein because you are concerned about gaining weight or because it just seemed like the right thing to do, maybe just slide it back up to .5.
  2. You are working to increase the level of large neutral amino acids, particularly one called tyrosine. Tyrosine is the precursor to dopamine just like tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin. Do not just go get some tyrosine [you see I know the addict’s mind, LOL]. You want the “package” that comes with protein meals. 1
  3. In the early weeks of your recovery plan, you may want to add a protein snack mid morning and mid afternoon. .
  4. Increase the size of your potato at night. Or actually have the potato LOL. Serotonin reduces the craving for stimulants. If you start having wild or hallucinogenic dreams, simply cut back on the size of the potato.. Find the edge so you are getting restorative and restful dreaming and not getting uncomfortable dreams.2
  5. Take omega 3 fatty acids. Do not take mega doses. More is not better. These fatty acids are abundant in the membranes that are associated with synaptic function – the place where the neurotransmitters talk with one another. Increasing the omega 3s helps restore this function. 3 

Make a concerted effort to stay away from foods that are high in omega 6 fatty acids – things like margarine and saturated fats [butter, cream, and meat fat] Eat foods high in omega 3 like cold water fishes such as salmon.


 

I am including some citations here if you would like to read more about this. They are linked so you can read the actual abstract on line. If you click on the link that says related articles, you can follow the topic and gather more information. The cites are older, but you can read what people are writing now about each topic.


 And of course, you may always email me at radiantkd@mindspring.com

 

Kathleen


 

1Fernstrom, JD, Can nutrient supplements modify brain function? Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Jun;71(6 Suppl):1669S-75S. Review.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10837313&dopt=Abstract

2Yu DS, Smith FL, Smith DG, Lyness WH. Fluoxetine-induced attenuation of amphetamine self-administration in rats. Life Sci. 1986 Oct 13;39(15):1383-8.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3489876&dopt=Abstract

3Zimmer L, Vancassel S, Cantagrel S, Breton P, Delamanche S, Guilloteau D, Durand G, Chalon S. The dopamine mesocorticolimbic pathway is affected by deficiency in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Apr;75(4):662-7.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11916751&dopt=Abstract

 

This is Grace unfolding. You are not alone.
©2023 Kathleen DesMaisons. All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your blog 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 for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction. 

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