Pouring rain
June 25, 2022,
 
Hi {!firstname_fix}, 
  It is raining here today. People who live in the desert feel differently about rain than folks in the UK or Portland, OR. The plants all sing and the flowers glisten with joy. I put on a sweat shirt to stay warm as the rain cools everything. The birds have gobbled all the seeds out of the feeders outside my window. It only took a day. They told their friends. The hummingbirds are back and fighting over the feeder. I hear the buzzing as they dive bomb each other to secure the rights to the food.
    I have spent the day cleaning the house. It comforts me in the tumultuous changes that have happened in the last few weeks. Last night, David and I watched a show on Rescuing Homesteaders who were in over their head. They had goats and chickens and pigs and dogs, a solar system that was not attached and no water and no garden. I did wonder if they were sugar sensitive.
    This morning the local rabbit was out nibbling the new grasses that have sprouted under the lilacs, Brody is lying on my feet under the desk, Rosie is in her crate with he plaid blanket arranged neatly to read each corner. She does that. I have no idea where she got the idea of wanting it that way but she arranges it carefully. And Finn is curling in his bed snuggled in a blue blanket.
    The rabbit has squeezed through the fence and is nibbling on the bird seed that got spilled in the turmoil of the sparrows. Hmm, I happen to love rabbits, so that is a sweet image out there .
    I apologize for not getting the newsletter out every week. I, like all of us, am operating on "slow". I think that the COVID "at home" time shifted planning and execution function in my brain. Everything seems to be running in slow motion. I do think that many of us are dealing with a cultural PTSD which has in fact altered our functioning. We are slowly rebuilding and making sense of the changes.
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.
 
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
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 has asked me to remind you of his concierge service;  Don’t forget that you can have an automatic order set up for you. Or you can have shake sent ahead to your vacation destination.

 

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.

d

Come visit our STORE. Call 505-345-3737.
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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.

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. We have 2 YLD ZOOM. meetings to the offerings included in your membership. They are a time for connection and learning. We are looking at all sorts of intriguing ideas like "Why we crave chocolate".
strawberries
 

So What About Cravings

by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.

 

I have been getting a number of emails asking 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. It does NOT mean that protein "antidotes" sugar.

 

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 just quiet down.

 

 

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 quiet down"

 

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.

 

The key is to stop trying to "manage" your brain chemistry and just let "the food" work its magic.

 

Kathleen

 
 

Grace is unfolding. You are not alone.
©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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