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COMMUNITY FORUM
Share with others, ask questions, explore everything and anything about your program.Yes, even topics like chocolate and Fritos.
GROUPS
Work on your steps, get information on what to eat while running a marathon, ask about depression meds, learn how to do life ;) . Groups are free and fun.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK
CLASSES
I realized that we haven't done a series of the *brain* classes in a really long time. We have all these new people who have read the book but really haven't had a chance to learn about the neurochemistry in depth. WHOA! we need to fix that. So I will start with the serotonin class this week, and then plan to cycle through these others over the next few months.
Serotonin
Learn all about the “just say no” brain chemical. Learn how your diet affects your mood. Learn how to manipulate serotonin levels safely and with tenderness. A real hands-on lesson in feeling better, this class is a key foundation to understanding *why* this program is so different from anything you have tried before.
Sign up for this class
WORKING WITH KATHLEEN
I feel very strongly about offering you a a number of ways 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.
Chats are offered 4 times weekly through the
Your Last Diet Program and the Radiant Living Program. We have talked about Adult Children of Alcoholic issues, Gaslighting, Problem Solving, among other things in the last month. I have been told this is one our most helpful offerings. Those who come to chat
flourish.
We are restarting Coaching as well. This is a special offering for people who are serious about enhancing their programs 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 your own life needs – what to do when. You will be given tools and shown how to use them.
Apprentice coaching is geared for people who are on steps one – three.
Skilled Coaching is for people who are steady on step three and ready to move through
four-six. The small groups who stay together as they learn skills.
The fee is $20 per week billed at 2-week intervals. It is an unusual opportunity to work directly with Kathleen to maximize your skill in doing the steps.
Signature Coaching is intensive individual coaching geared to your specific situation. You may want to 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 is a way to step out of feeling overwhelmed with where to start and what to do. Because it is so individualized, we can work on what is right for you at this point in your
journey. People tell me that coaching helps them feel safe and focused. We work with your style, your rhythm. We address your fear and let go of shame.
Ready to Start?
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"You are in the process of becoming more aware, more attentive and more committed as you go. It is cumulative."
The boys ( 11 and 15) were at their dad's for a couple days after being with me for over a month and being in very good shape.I picked them up from their dad's to take them to my sisters for the weekend for a get-together.
On Monday night they ate dessert and then on Tues. the three of us were at my sister's alone for a couple hours and when I came out of the shower WWIII was happening between the boys.
We spent some time reflecting on the difference that just a couple days of not doing the food can make. I have been stressing over how they are going to stay on program at their dad's since they both came home wanting to amp up their programs after Ranch.
I started making suggestions: Sit your dad down and maybe together you can ask for his support; take him the CDs; take him the book; leave my name out of it; suggest a call with Kathleen.
Finally my older son held up his hand for me to stop and basically said Mom - you don't understand Dad. I do, because I am just like him. The things you are suggesting won't work. When the time is right I am going to say "Dad - get over it. My brother needs your support and you are being selfish." That will start a conversation and....just don't worry Mom - I'm on it and it will be ok.
LOL - it just cracked me up. He is so grown up all of the sudden. When did that happen? His brother was almost applauding. I love it when they do team. LOL
Well - I have no doubt - it will work out now. he's on it.
VL.
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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.
$50.99/45.95 (subscribers)
We are putting this into support the article about recovery from stimulant addiction. If you are dealing with any of the things referenced in that article, this is a great option.
Science
This will be a new section for me to present material that I will be discussing in chats and in other places I will be setting up for you.
this article talks about what happens when you slip while dieting. It actually alters the dopamine receptors in a key part of your brain. Come to chat to learn new stuff.
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Chats, chats, chats. They keep getting better. The topics are getting deeper. I mention this up in the new science section. We will be upgrading weight loss options AND adding new science to help you understand why do do what you do.
I don’t think I understood that this program is much more than weight loss until I got “stable”. Weight loss was the motivating factor for me in the beginning, so I understand why everyone is talking about it. It is so nice to be even-tempered and “radiant” that I would continue the program if I hadn’t lost weight, but it’s nice to know it can do both! One friend commented that I have such
willpower….nope…I wasn’t the slightest bit interested in it. Enjoying the people at a party instead of obsessing over the food, do I look fat, how much can I eat without people noticing…can you imagine? I find that miraculous!
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Recovering from Stimulants
Kathleen DesMaisons, PhD
I have recently been working with a number of folks who are trying to crawl back to sanity after detoxing from stimulant addiction. When I first wrote about this it included things like cocaine, methamphetamine, diet pills, ephedrine drinks, psuedopepipephrine drinks, Sudafed, caffeine, Ritalin, or Aspartame products. Now I will include detoxing from gaming, diet and high stress. Or - drum
roll - restriction!!!! One thing you can count on if you hang around Radiant Recovery® - we grow with the process. Over and over
All of these substances activate or cause to be activated a brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine makes you feel bright, clear, focused and functional. 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.
Withdrawal from these substances makes you feel just the opposite. You feel dull, foggy, sludgy, torpid, teary, scattered and incapable of functioning. And as soon as you get your 'drug', even if it is a Diet Coke or Diet Dr. Pepper, 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 get off.
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 have stopped using and you feel pretty crappy. This is a how to intervene to hold you up and restore your brain so that your willingness to get clean can stick over time.
If you haven't stopped yet, doing these things are going to temper your discomfort in a big way.
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!)
- Increase your protein intake to .6 - .8 grams per pound of your body weight. If you have been using the more hard core drugs like cocaine or meth, use the upper end. If you have been using caffeine or diet products use the lower end. But play with it to see what has the best effect. 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 addicts mind, LOL). You want the package that comes with protein meals. In the early weeks of your detox, you may want to add a protein snack mid morning and mid afternoon. A protein drink such as Georges® Restore will be a particular comfort.
- Increase the size of your potato at night. Serotonin reduces the craving for stimulants. If you start having wild or hallucinogenic dreams, simply cut back some. Find the edge so you are getting restorative and restful dreaming and not getting uncomfortable dreams. If you are diabetic or prediabetic use a sweet potato rather than a white one.
- Take omega 3 fatty acids with a high concentration of EPA/DHA. I put the ones we carry in the store section above. 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.
- In your early phase, you may find it helpful to supplement with omega 3 fish oils capsules like the ones we sell in the store. The recommended dosage is 2 caps per day for a 150 pound person. You may
want to increase this proportionate to your size and the severity of the detox you are experiencing. Read the article I wrote about dosing.
- If you are taking fish oil, it will tend to thin your blood. Sometimes this will make you more vulnerable to bruising. I have found that the antioxidant pycnogenol helps with this by strengthening capillary walls. I added this product to our store as a nice adjunct to the fish oil.
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.
- 1Fernstrom, JD, Can nutrient supplements modify brain function? Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Jun ;71 (6 Suppl):1669S-75S. Review.
- Yu 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.
- Zimmer 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
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