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Welcome to Radiant Recovery®
 
May 7, 2018

Hi {!firstname_fix},

We got our swamp coolers set up. This year, I had to replace one, so the task was a little more complex since replacement means rewiring. It was nice to have a person who knew what to do and could just do it. My job was scaling calcium and rust off of one panel. So there was a fair amount of *discovery* in seeing which process was the most efficient. It is  kind of like what we do with the food, LOL. See what works. But now it is done, settled and working just fine.

I have been reading the transcripts of old chats and will be posting them this afternoon. It's funny how sometimes we just stumble into the most incredible insights. Start on one topic and end up on another, with the most amazing path in-between.

We are gearing up for Ranch. Planning for pickups at the airport, planning for the food, and getting the coloring book off to the copy place. In the middle of all that, I have placed 3 rescue dogs.  Regular life in Albuquerque.

As promised, I have set up a new coaching group called Coaching - Directed. This is for people who would like more structured support in their process. Our first focus will be taking a look at how to structure a food plan around a new diabetes diagnosis. Here is the link if you would like to join.

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.

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 Support for Your Program

COMMUNITY FORUM
Share with others, ask questions, explore everything and anything about your program without a charge.
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GROUPS
Learn the steps, get fit safely, learn creative program cooking, learn about depression,  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.


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. Directed Coaching is a specialized format geared to people who would like concrete, specific direction, 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 to work individually with Kathleen in a 90-day process.

Another option is setting up a one hour assessment and then making a decision based on that conversation.

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

Sign up
 

"The relationship between your food and your life is powerful."

 
Testimonial of the Week

How wonderful to think of loving and appreciating food as something to

be thankful for, instead of it feeling like a curse!


Mosaic
 
Seven Steps to Healing
This is David, your Radiant Recovery® Concierge

Come visit our STORE. Call 505-345-3737 if you have questions.
David, the store manager, is always happy to help. 
This CD set adds so much to understanding the depth of the program.


Deepening the Process
Visit the Store
 
Chicken Fingers
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
I think this particular recipe is one of our all time favorites.

Come over to our recipe blog for details.
Get the Full Recipe
 
Radiant Living
Radiant Living is geared to looking at Step 7 issues. These would include things like jobs, relationships, hopes, dreams and joys. It is open to people who are on Step 7 or people who have been on Step 7, got lost and want to come back to what they know is best for them.  We will be having some exciting topics in chat because I will be asking chat members to talk with me about some of the material for the new revision of the book.

Find Radiant Living here
 
Your Last Diet!
Your Last Diet Book Cover


I just want to lose weight. Is this the right place for me?
Probably not. You will get irked by what we ask you to do first. You will feel like it it taking forever and summer is fast approaching.


I am just starting the steps. Does it make sense to join now?

Yes, it does.  We have found that the people who come to chats do the best with the steps. The connection in chat is awesome.


If you are not a member yet, 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.  ​​​​​​​
 
Step Three foods
 
BE Hunger
Martha Carnahan
   

I have something to share on this topic, something I learned from Kathleen at ranch several years ago, and it has helped me immensely with cravings.


It has to do with two kinds of hunger: BE hunger and Real hunger.


BE Hunger = you have that sort of itch, a hunger for something, you don't necessarily know what, but you know that food has cured this feeling in the past. You eat, and immediately feel better. BE Hunger happens when our beta endorphin receptor sites (which are all over our body, inside and out) are open, empty and screaming. When we eat, especially sugar or something that gives a nice BE hit, the chemistry flows pretty quickly and those screaming BE sites are happy and content and quiet down (for a while, until they starve again and start all over!)


Real Hunger = it's a similar feeling, but also might have an empty stomach feeling, or a feeling like the growlies inside. When we eat, we still feel not-so-great for a bit -- it takes about 10-15 or so minutes for the food to make our empty stomachs feel okay when we have true hunger.


With real hunger, only food will satisfy it.


With BE hunger, we have a lot of options. True, food/sugar will satisfy it. But so will a nice gentle BE raiser like taking a walk, picking up the phone and calling a good friend who will make you laugh, snuggling with puppies and kittens, getting a massage, etc. (ooooh, can't forget my fave, a nice relaxing soak in a hot tub!)


Those BE-raising activities satisfy those empty screaming BE receptors just as the sugar does, only in a more gentle way so that it's not some big hit, and there is less of a big crash afterward.


When I stay mindful of this, it's enormously helpful. If I have a craving or itchy feeling between meals, I can check in and see if I am having BE hunger or real hunger. Hint: BE hunger is more of a heart hunger. Real hunger is stomach hunger.


If it's stomach hunger, I check my journal and see if maybe I just didn't have enough at the last meal. Or maybe I've been doing some strenuous physical activity that is out of the norm for me... I check in and figure that out.


If it's stomach hunger, I have a protein/slow carb snack.


If it's BE hunger, I do one of my BE raising activities. Even if I'm working or in some awkward situation, there is almost always something I can do! Even if it's to sneak off to the bathroom to meditate for 10 minutes, LOL.


Bottom line is, when you are aware of the difference, you have more options when the cravings come upon you.


I don't know about you, but when I clicked with this idea, I was able to relax about my sugar with meals, because I knew that I'd be okay, that I have an arsenal of options to get me through to the next meal.


Hope this is helpful!

Martha
 

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 http:// 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 questions 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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