Radiant Recovery® Newsletter #747

Josie in Kathleen's '53 Chevy Truck

Welcome to Radiant Recovery®

March 4, 2018

Hi {!firstname_fix},

My time away in Florida was a renewal. First off, a group of us from the program met at Roseann's house in Venice. She cooked tasty food, and we just spent the whole day talking. Good food and sugar sensitive people in recovery is a mighty fine combination!

Then I came back to Sarasota to stay with my family. My brother and his wife take me to all sorts of cultural things. We went to a very interesting talk about what is happening in China. Now when I read the paper and they reference the events there, I have a whole different perspective. Then, we went to hear a virtuoso violinist named MIdori play. MIdori was amazing, but so was the 4 ft tall young woman who was playing the drums for the orchestra. She was fantastic. The next day we went to the Ringling museum and their homestead on the bay. It reminded me of the old mansions in Newport RI, but with a more Persian theme. I got a deep red t-shirt with a picture of the elephant on it. Thankfully, they do not use elephants in the circus now.

Our next cultural escapade took us to the local movie house that runs $2.50 movies. They don't even take your ticket at the door. You just walk over the popcorn to find a seat and hope it is not sticky. We saw 3 Billboards which is one mighty grim movie. Brilliant, but grim, Whew.

By this time, my brother had returned from judging the stamp show in Alabama so we had a day trip up to St. Petersburg. Danielle wanted to take me to see the Chihully Exhibition but wanted to surprise me so I had no idea of what I would see. Dale Chihully is a world-class glass blower. The museum has a whole collection of his work. It was absolutely breathtaking. I was so moved by the beauty of the glass. It was like it was alive with light from the inside.

I am writing all this because of course you want to know how my vacation was. Usually we never have a chance to share what really happened. My regular life is a wee bit more mundane with dogs and leaking roofs, and chats and laundry and spring mud tracked all over the house. Peter and Danielle sent me one of the power washers I had put together last week with Danielle. It will help scrub the peacock poop on the patio. You can see my life goes from the sublime to the functional.

Check the classes section for our new schedule for the first half of the year. I will be doing one regular 2 week class each month. I will also be introducing a new special series on focused topics. The topics will include things like migraine, reflux, diabetes and depression. Rather than being an ongoing class, we will have special readings and then a 2 hour chat to discuss the material. So it will be information based, highly focused and it will give you a chance to get your own personal questions answered.

Remember if you have ideas or input for us on what you would like to have available, share them on the community forum. We do listen and are very interested in your ideas.

Support for Your Program

COMMUNITY FORUM

Share with others, ask questions, explore everything and anything about your program without a charge.

GROUPS

Learn the steps, get fit safely, learn creative program cooking, learn about depression, learn with other men, learn with parents, share in local areas. There is no charge for groups.

Sign Up for Groups

CLASSES

I will be offering one 2 week class per month. Registration will be limited to 20 per class. If more sign up, I will open a second section. Classes are done by email, so there are no specific time constraints to be present. If you are new to the community I strongly recommend you take the brain chemistry classes.

Starting Wednesday, March 14

Serotonin
Learn all about the “just say no” chemical. Learn how your depression may be affected by your diet. Learn how to manipulate serotonin levels safely and with tenderness. A real hands-on lesson in feeling better. I will be adding a lot of the new things I have learned about ginger and serotonin, and referencing the serotonin/migraine connection. Even if you have taken this class before, this is a great opportunity for an update. Lots of NEW information for you.

WORKING WITH KATHLEEN

I feel very strongly about offering you a way to work with me directly. I have set up a whole range of options for you to do that going from private coaching to being involved in small groups. This link will show you all the choices. Please note that coaching apprentice is open to people starting or restarting. Coaching skilled is for people who are settled with their steps and want to look at other issues more in depth. Signature coaching is for those who want an individualized program support.

And you can always call 505-345-3737 and ask me about how each works.

"Do the steps and get biochemical balance, clarity, and well-being."

Testimonial of the Week

I now have my father asking me permission before he will offer my daughters anything. Tonite Kayla had a band concert. My parents came along. My father wanted to feed Lindsey lifesavers - first he asked me can I offer her a lifesaver, and before I could answer my Mom said *no*. I reminded him Lindsey doesn't do peppermint so it wasn't an issue. After the concert I could feel the let's go for ice cream vibe - but the words were not spoken. Isn't it weird how I heard them though. Sure enough my father called later to say, "you know I would have taken everyone for ice cream but I know you don't want your children eating that!" I had to reassure him that his attending the concert was a big treat - we didn't need ice cream also!

Gail

Radiant recipes cover

Radiant Recipes

Come visit our STORE. Call 505-345-3737 if you have questions.
David, the store manager is always happy to help.

$16.95, $15.29 (subscription)

This is the handbook for program-friendly food. It has recipes, it has conversion tables. If you are starting the program, you will find it incredibly helpful.

Crockpot® Cabbage Rolls

Crockpot Cabbage Rolls

I know there are crocuses springing up, but more of you are having snow. This is a wonderful recipe for a cold evening.

Come to our recipe blog for all the details.

Get the Full Recipe

Radiant Living

I have changed the rules about Radiant Living and Your Last Diet Chats. If you are a member of either program, you may attend the chats for both Living and YLD. If you would like to attend 2 chats a week, you are more than welcome to do so.

We are now using our new chat room. I have posted the logistics of getting into the room on the Living List and Steph posted them at YLD. Please go over and practice before chat. Read the room instructions and the guides for chatting. Begin at the landing page. But remember you will need the password to access the landing page. We will not cross post the transcripts though.

Find Radiant Living here

Your Last Diet!

Your Last Diet Book Cover

Do I have to be on step 7 to join YLD?
No. In fact, it is great to join right at the beginning. YLD gives you a whole level of support you can't find anywhere else in the community.

I am ready to lose weight now! Is this the right place for me?

Maybe, maybe not. Depends on whether you are willing to explore our philosophy which is to heal your biochemistry before you just start another diet.

I don't need to lose weight. Is there any point in joining?
Absolutely. The chats alone are worth the price of joining. It is where you can actively participate in shaping the vision of the community, learn about the latest trends, and have a terrific time with other members from around the world.

If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. If you are a current member and want to join us in the new chat room, come to the landing page. I will post the page chat words on the YLD list.

If you would like to join us in YLD, come find us here.

dog on roof not following rules

Following the Rules

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.

Not long ago, I sent out a letter asking for your input. One interesting thing came up. I got some inquiries from folks who said they have been doing everything *perfectly* and were disenchanted with the program because they hadn't lost weight. So I want to talk about this.

Sometimes I get a sense of people following the rules and doing it perfectly. Everything. But it doesn't include the listening to your body, the mucking around that makes the program become your own. You see there isn't a *perfectly* in this program. There is simply a committed, not a perfect way.

Committed means you show up when you are discouraged. You show up when you are still fat and you think you have tried everything. You show up with a beginner's mind and you say: What does my body say here? What needs to change? What have I tried? Why did it work for a while? What changed?

Committed means you ask the people you trust to help you see things you can't because you are in the middle of it. This is a big one. SS people are not team players. We think we know better. We know how to beat the diets. We ask for *advice*. But not for counsel. And then we ignore it.

Or we fail to ask the ultimate authority - our own body. We say, *Still fat!!! You slug....* and go off and do Paleo. I can't tell you how many letters I have gotten about people knowing that Paleo will work and then they will be back.

So what *is* this program anyway? It is accepting on faith something that is so radical, so different from anything we have ever done. Trusting the voices of those who have done it longer. Not done it perfectly, not finished, not all fixed, but those who have hung in there, who are open and willing and are connected. Those who give back. Those who have learned that the heart of the program comes in service. Sitting with one more frightened tired newbie in despair. Or sitting with an old-timer who crashed and burned and wants to bail with every molecule of who she is. Or being patient with the one in the middle who is bored and disenchanted.

Rules don't work for that. Heart does. Honesty and tenacity does.

Now here is the bottom line. For some folks the losing weight part is easy. It comes, it works and life is changed. For others, it is a bear. You will go through everything I have written and find you are not losing weight. And then, you decide whether you pitch the program because *it* doesn't work or you stay in and get help with solutions. We don't have all the answers. We are living the solutions. And the edge of our story is pushed out by those of you who are stubborn losers way more than by the success stories.

I don't know if this is making sense. Maybe I am just moved by all those letters you wrote me. But what I CAN tell you - Kathleen is in for the long haul. There are some things I do not know, actually LOTS of things I have not a clue about. I don't know why some of you get stuck. It may be that you haven't done the package, it may be that this package is not the one for your body. It may be that your leptin is inadequate or your delta-5-desaturase in underactive. But I do know, if you stick with it, you will be able to hang in there and keep pluggin away and having fun along the way.

I am going to. So I hope you don't follow the rules, but you find the program.

Here is the Annie Lane column that brought so many of you here.

Dear Annie: I read with interest the letter from "Weird, Stupid or Selfish?" – whose husband eats all the decorative candy she puts out. His inability to resist sugar resonated with me, as I have sugar sensitivity and have engaged in exactly the same behaviors. I simply could not resist sugar.

After years of struggling and dieting and sitting in work meetings obsessing about the doughnuts instead of the topic at hand, I discovered the book "Potatoes Not Prozac," by Kathleen DesMaisons. Her theory is that people who are sugar sensitive have brains that respond differently to sugar, alcohol and refined carbs and that what they eat and when they eat it have a huge effect on them. She shows how to rebalance blood sugar levels, serotonin and beta-endorphins through small lifestyle changes and offers the latest research, free online support and seven steps to change your life. It is not about willpower; it’s about biochemistry, which her program can slowly improve, just one tiny step at a time, with amazing results.

I have been sugar-free for six years now, lost 25 pounds and never gained any of it back. I can go to dinner with family and don’t even think twice when someone orders dessert. I don’t have cravings, and sugar is no longer on my radar. I am more focused and more tolerant, and the daily mood swings are gone. The woman who wrote to you could suggest to her husband that he check out https:// radiantrecovery.com to see whether he does have sugar sensitivity. At the very least, she would be better informed about this condition. – Happy Without Sugar

Dear Happy Without Sugar: I hadn’t considered that health issues might explain
her husband’s behavior. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of sugar sensitivity.
Thanks for opening my eyes to the condition! I’d like to encourage all readers to talk to their doctors if they find themselves compulsively eating sugary snacks.
—Email question to dearannie@creators.com

ANNIE LANE

©2018 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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