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March 22, 2022,
 
Hi {!firstname_fix}, 
  Well, I have finally been able to sit down and put together a newsletter for you. It feels as if we are living in a different world from the one of a month ago. I went and got another image from the Valentine's Day section because it felt comforting.
   We have been having such interesting conversations. New people coming in are feeling so compromised and so relieved to find a place that reflects what they have intuitively felt for a long time.  We are working hard on the StepOne list and I think making some ground. We have restarted the Step Two list with a focus on learn the basic skills of recording. As I have been working with people directly, I have seen over and over that people want to make sense of what the journal can tell them, but they have not really m mastered how to get the data that will allow it.
    Journaling is scary. I think mostly because out means facing how we really eat. If we right it down, there is no more amnesia. And for many of us who have been sooo conditioned by diet mentality, we drift to "less" and not eating. The scale goes up a pound, and we cut back on breakfast. Doing Step 2 is an act. of courage.
 I promised a month ago to get the classes up and running. I decided to start with the brain chemical series and the first of the weight loss series. I am designing a new system for us to use with he classes. There will be a master "class" space where anyone wanting to join a class can participate and learn how the classes work.  We will then have subgroups for each specific class. So you will sign up and pay for a specific class, and go into the subgroup for the event. This is probably going to take me a week to get this set up. Be patient. It is closer.
   
    And thank you for your patience in waiting for the newsletter.
     
Support for Your Program
Journals
COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
                                                                                   

 We 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 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.

It is also the place to ask about things like what to do with your sugar intake in the afternoon while you are still on Step 1 and we won't open that discussion on the Step 1 list because we stick to the topic of learning how to do StepOne and won't talk about sugar LOL.    Join the Step One List now.

GROUPS
The groups list is up on the web site. 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 kathleen@radiantrecoverycom and we will get you all set.
 
CLASSES
No new classes starting right now. But look for Brain chemistry: Serotonin and The Obesity Myth in the next newsletter.
 
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK
If you prefer talking on Facebook, come over to our group there. Radiant Recovery®,.
 
WORKING WITH KATHLEEN 
People have been asking for a long time how they might be able to work with me directly.  I provide individual one on one intensive coaching called Signature Coaching.  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. 
This particular level of coach involves sharing your food journal and assessing where you are in the process on a whole different level.  It is a big step and an act of commitment because generally we are told "do not tell" how it really is.
     Signature coaching offers several options. Most people do a 90 day process that includes doing an in-depth assessment of where you are in the process, designing an individual plan for you and then talking with me once a week via phone or Zoom to work on your progress. You will learn to do an efficient journal and to identify your strengths and challenges.  
    Other people chose to do a month long intensive to get a sense of whether the process is suited to their style. And some people continue to work beyond the initial 3 months in special arrangements we work out for their budget and progress. All signature coaching starts with an initial assessment meeting at no charge to you. This time allows us to collaborate on the best way to work with your food and style.
   
    And in fact, we have developed some creative personalized plans especially suited to where people are in the program and what will work best to support them.You can go here to learn more about it.  Call 505-345-3737 if you would like more information. I am ALWAYS happy to talk to. you about options. We can do a "meet and greet".

 

 

Testimonial for the Week

That's funny (in the strange way, not the haha way) I felt RR would make me less free when I first started. That was a big part of my resistance. But guess what? I *gained* freedom instead.

    No more fighting the urge to binge or giving in and feeling awful. No more hating myself for being fat or crabby. No more hiding half a sheet cake in my closet and *having* to pick at it all day or buying something at the store and scarfing it down in the back of the parking lot - praying no one would drive by and see me.

    No more ordering two sodas at McDonalds and throwing one away so the person waiting on me wouldn't know it was all for me. No more going out with friends or to a gathering and concentrating on the sweets instead of enjoying the fun. No more depression. No more mood swings.

    No more feeling as if something is missing - and never finding out what it is. No more hating myself.

    Breakfast is the first step to that freedom. And we can move slowly so we don't have to be afraid of what lies ahead.

Carrie
Some Random Thoughts for the Day
 
A couple of months ago I started writing some material about gaslighting and subtle forms of abuse. I realized that we were all way too raw to think about those topics just then. I have continued to reflect. Last week I was speaking to a client and she was sharing the struggle she was having in her own personal cultural community. They all believe that COVID is not and never has been real. It is just a made up government story. She was describing how hard it has been to "buck" a cultural tenant that you know is simply wrong, how negative and disorienting it is. And how especially true if the culture has been your anchor and safety net.
 
As I listened to her, I had a flood of feelings. I realized that this type of profound gaslighting can happen in a relationship, or in a group, or a club, or a church, or a community or a nation. The impact is the same. We lose our anchor. We have. no place to trust, our hearts waver. We get told not to "rock the boat" or speak our silly "lies".  This is not a good thing. I am going to write about this more. Probably in small bits so we don't get overwhelmed. But I will keep speaking it because anchors keep us safe. And you are not alone.
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.
    Some of you noticed that our store was "down"for a bit over the weekend. Our hosting server has an auto review at random intervals and if they decide the format is too "old" they shut it off without notifying us. It is back on track, and we are working on appropriate upgrades.
 

  David just came back from a family cruise in the Caribbean Islands. They did music all week. Nothing like a boat full of music lovers and musicians! He asked me to remind you of his concierge service;  Don’t forget that you can have an automatic order set up for you. I am being really creative with some of our members. I put together a shipment of shake, pycnogenol, and cod liver oil, and send it out each month. On the third month, I send a journal. Just email me or call me at 505-345-3737 and let me know your heart’s desire.

Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better.

And thank you for your patience about George's® Restore. The. holdup was the lids from China were "sittin on the dock". Ah the joys manufacturing and production. Everything is in stock now!

We are also introducing a NEW product by Nordic Naturals called Omega 3 Gummies. We wanted to offer an omega 3 product that was low dose to use for children, and had no scary stuff in it. It does have a little cane sugar (4 grams in 2 gummies) but we think that its a fine trade off for the purity.

Thanks

David

Come visit our STORE. Call 505-345-3737.
Omega 3 Gummies

Chewable, tangerine fish oil treats for children two years and older.
No artificial coloring, flavoring, or preservatives 
Gluten FREE Yeast FREE Milk derivative FREE 
Easy to chew




Omega 3 Gummies
Your Last Diet: A Surprise Awaiting
Your Last Diet Book Cover

    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.

In the meantime here is a quote from a YLD member:

    It has been quite a while since I checked in with you folks. It was not because I wasn't following the plan or had lost interest. Life was unusually stressful from early Dec to the present and I have been putting "stress management" at the top of my agenda. I continue to be absolutely in awe of what Kathleen has discovered. I feel I have found "my home" - a place where I feel at peace with my body. I weighed myself today for the first time in 2 months - I have lost 10-12 pounds since starting on this journey with you. And, more importantly, I feel so good in my body. I've read with interest what some of you have been saying about the loss of emotional energy around weight loss. This feeling of being OK with where I am now - no, not just OK, but radiant - is incredible.

***********************************************************************************

I have recently heard that a number of current YLD members do not have a YLD book. We have some extra copies and will offer them to you at a special price of $4.99. 

    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. 
FOGGY MORNING
 

So What About Cravings

by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.

 

I have been reading a lot of posts on the issue of what to do with cravings and I thought It might help to say a little more....

Cravings come from beta endorphin withdrawal. If you had something sweet, when it wears off, you will crave. If you have a big event that spikes beta endorphin (a fight, a joy, a lot of sex, dancing all night, getting a job, not getting a job), when it wears off you will have cravings.

Sometimes the *wearing off* effect takes 4 days, so you do make a connection between let down and craving.

So the key question, is what to do when you have them ....

First all, entertain the idea that it is possible to have a craving and not *do* anything.

Now when you are just starting out, this is hard. Not doing anything is called impulse control. If you have low serotonin, you may not have much impulse control, so you get a craving and you do something right away. One strategy is to simply work the steps and allow your biochemistry to heal and imporve your impulse control. Another strategy is to start right away and learn to recognize this phenomenon and simply practice waiting. Cravings by nature are simply your brain calling. If you start to get antsy and scared, they call more. If you do something else, you can overide the call.

So, bottom line, sort out ways to reduce the BE priming - this means having your sweets with meals or always with protein. This cuts down the *hit* effect.

Use your journal to mark when to expect the whispers or yelling to come...Mark 4 days down the road when you have a BE spike. Being prepared for the edginess helps.

Do the food. When you get to step 7, cravings go away.

Kathleen

 

Ok this is great Kathleen. I got it till I got to the last sentence:

"Do the food. When you get to step 7, cravings go away"

Could you or someone else elaborate on this a little. I thought you said cravings are caused not only by food, but by life also. Actually you wrote that cravings are due to BE-withdrawal, so are you saying that once we're on step 7 we learn to avoid BE spikes hence no cravings? Or we manage the withdrawal better? What I'm noticing is I'm trying to avoid spiking because I'm noticing the effects it has on my body, but sometimes it's impossible to avoid spikes. I see them too late and that's when I get cravings. I'm sorry I'm a bit puzzled with what comes after step 7. It sounds like the step 7 is somehow magical and all the bad things go away and I feel disappointed because it's not the case in my life. What I do see is that I start to manage things better, I have a better control over things, I have choices, but the things I've struggled with, I still have them in my life. I just manage them better. Anyway, I just got a little confused by the last sentence.

 

Sure :-) As your brain heals, the beta endorphin receptors don't scream so much. If *life* creates a spike, you have skills to not react in the same way. So it is a blip not a flood. The more you heal, the more you up the normal level of beta endorphin. Let me see if I can describe this...

When you start, you have low level BE. Imagine it at a 2 out of 10. Something happens that spikes it to an 8. So when it drops, you have a 6 point gap with big screaming and big fallout craving. Over time, you heal. Now your normal BE runs ar 7. Something spikes it to an 8. It drops back to a 7. The BE receptors say, Um, did you notice that and you laugh with them.

Make sense?

 

Kathleen

 
 

You are not alone. Grace is unfolding.
©2022 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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