P2R1 VLCD #16 (has it really been 16 days?)

1 lb gone this morning! That was great to see! 14 lbs total, in 15 days of the diet. That's an average of .93 lbs/day. Net loss (loading weight not included) is 11.4 with an average of .76 a day. Not bad either way. Total inches lost as of 3 days ago is 9 1/2. woo hoo! This train is rolling along! If I continue on the .76/day average, by the end I will have lost 22.8 more lbs, or be at a total of 36.8. I am happy if I just get to 30 this time around, so I think we're doing GREAT. As you might tell I am feeling encouraged today. I am so glad to be well into this, no longer at the very beginning. I felt so impatient to get moving along. So happy to be where I am, and even happier at where I'm headed.
I thought today I would give you a break down of the products I am using and those I have discontinued on my skin during this protocol. For those who don't know, Dr. S found that while under the influence of HCG, even the skin absorbs anything with nutritional value, and slows down or stops weight loss. At first I thought this was kind of hokey, and impossible. And I still don't know if it's true... but I am not going to risk it. If it is true, I think its pretty amazing that during pregnancy, a woman's body would use any and all means it could to keep that baby fed, even if it meant taking the coconut oil out of the that lotion and using it for food. The human body never ceases to amaze me. The more I learn, the more respect and awe I have for the creator of it.
Anyway, here goes my list. I have stopped using the following products: Lotion (this is a hard one!), conditioner, bubble bath, soaps with moisturizers (for the most part... I forget occasionally), make-up foundation, sugar free gum and sugar free cough drops, any type of in- shower skin moisturizer/shaving cream, gels, ointments (ie neosporin).
I continue to use: Shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, all make-up besides foundation, hair mousse.
Substitutes:
For conditioner: Spray in moisturizer (this way it doesn't have so much contact with my hands... ) It's not technically a conditioner but its supposed to help prevent damage from blow drying. I think it makes my wet, unconditioned hair much easier to comb out.
For lotion: I bought an oil free lotion at the pharmacy but I really don't like it. My hands have gotten very dry even while using it twice a day or more. That is what I am using on my 3 old as well, because I put her lotion on after baths. I recently bought some baby oil. It is made of mineral oil which has no nutritional value. I put it all over my body after my shower while I'm still wet, then towel dry. It has helped the dry skin a lot. I am also planning to put it in my next bath.
For bubble bath: Like I said, I am going to try the baby oil next time. I have used Epsom Salts a few times because I heard they are supposed to soften skin, but I don't know if it helped or not.
For foundation: Compact powder, same brand and color as my normal foundation. I don't think I look very different but my face definitely feels different... way more dry. I can't wait to go back to using my normal makeup.
Hand soaps: I try to use the kinds that aren't creamy. Sometimes I end up using just a hand sanitizer. But if I don't have the hand sanitizer with me and the only choice is creamy, I use it, because I am NOT going to stop soap washing my hands after using the restroom.! It's just not going to happen people!
Sugar free gum and sugar free cough drops: I don't have a substitute for these, but I wanted to explain why I included them in my hygiene/grooming items. I am a mouth breather and during the night I get a VERY dry mouth and throat. The dentist has told me that my mouth breathing actually does damage to my gums... he could see exactly where the air passes over them and where they dry out. So to keep my mouth moist at night, I normally chew a piece of sugar free gum or have a sugar free mouth drop all night (I know, weird, but the dentist told me this might help, and it does help alleviate the uncomfortable dryness. And so far, no choking!). Anyway, I have not been using them at all. This is definitely not helping with my ketosis breath (see post from Easter day) :)
Something that might also be noteworthy is that I have been taking AdvilPM at night. I have had major insomnia issues for the past few years. Sometimes, for several nights in a row I will only sleep a couple of hours and then wake up and be awake the rest of the night. When I take AdvilPM I fall asleep and stay asleep until morning, like a normal person should. Others in my family have similar sleep issues, so I don't know that they are going to go away no matter what I do. Obviously not getting enough sleep takes a huge toll. I can't fathom being on this diet without getting adequate rest, and that is why I have been taking the sleep aid. I just don't want to risk it. On the other hand, I have read of others who have had sleep issues that have resolved while on this diet. So I think at some point, I should probably stop taking it and just see what happens.
So there you go! More later...