Last summer I voluntarily chose to stop eating for 10 days. I gave up solid foods as part of the Master Cleanse.
At 5’6”, I couldn’t budge my scale from around 140, no matter how many times I tried South Beach or Slim-Fast (and yes, I realize my desire to lose was more about vanity than health). A colleague told me he’d permanently shed 20 lbs. on the Master Cleanse, a very controversial liquid diet that helped Beyoncé quickly slim down for her role in Dreamgirls. The no-solid-food rule sounded a little scary, but the thought of losing 10 lbs. fast was too tempting to resist. So I started poking around the Internet and found a surprising number of Master Cleanse tips—some useful (always stay near a bathroom) and some not (rub your belly to rid it of toxins).
I was ready to spend 10 days ingesting nothing but homemade lemonade. Here’s what happened:
Day 1: Every day I was supposed to guzzle 16 oz. of salt water in the morning, and sip a mug of hot laxative tea before bed. According to Google, this was supposed to eliminate years of waste accumulated in my body. That’s basically a fancy way of describing water-like diarrhea and killer stomachaches.
Day 2: I wasn’t as hungry as I expected to be and even felt more energized than normal. But that night I went to the movies and could smell my friend eating gummy worms two seats away. I had to sit on my hands so I didn’t reach over and steal some.
Day 3: Wanting to burn some extra calories, I spent the day walking around the city. Since you’re not eating anything on the cleanse, you’re not supposed to exercise—and I soon found out why. Feeling faint, I had to sit down on more than a few benches on my way home. “Are you insane?” my friend texted me mid-rest, begging me to stop.
Day 4: I woke up weighing 135—I’d finally broken my 140 plateau! Seeing the scale go down was exhilarating and addicting.
Day 5: Socially, it was an awkward week to cleanse. My colleagues and I were taking our new manager to lunch, and an old college professor wanted to have dinner. My new coworker asked if I wasn’t feeling well when I ordered a measly bowl of egg drop soup at a Chinese restaurant. Embarrassed by my no-solid-food streak, I faked an upset stomach.
That night my professor picked a steakhouse. After just two bites of steak and some asparagus, I realized there’s a reason you’re not supposed to eat solid foods while consuming all that laxative tea.
Next page: Slipping on my skinny jeans
Comments (39)
Oops, I copied the wrong site. Here it is for the recipe for master cleanse.
http://www.themastercleanserecipe.org
I have been doing the master cleanse since 2006, and I would definitely say that it’s a great experience every time I do.
Anyway, I didn’t see any master cleanse recipe here, so I went to search online and there is a very detailed recipe at this site..
http://www.gradebmaplesyrup.org
Keep the great work up!
I suffered from stomach pain and burning mostly, couldn’t sleep well and just hated those extra pounds I couldn’t get rid of no matter what I did. Now I stumbled upon this system that is easy and it doesn’t require expensive medication or difficult exercises.
Through a 100% natural process I was able to get rid of my extra pounds in less than two weeks, 10 days more precisely, as the master cleanse diet lasts.
Not only I am now free of pain and got my body full detox but I also know how to stick to a diet and get the best of its results. I feel a lot happier and I can honestly say that Master Cleanse Secrets has considerably improved my life.
Jessica,a happier person who has already found the right secrets.
The master cleanse is a DETOX, not a crash diet! Intentions should be clear before starting this. You should drink the appropriate amount of lemonade recommended to ensure you are getting enough calories to last you through the day… and, if you did any real research about this process, you would know rest is vital while detoxing. Steak and egg drop soup are not part of the cleanse! Your results weren’t satisfying because your intentions and methods were in the wrong place. I hope that your counselor can help your body and weight issues, because attempting the cleanse just for weight loss is dangerous.
Just note, you did not complete the MC. You broke it… more than once. So, your opinion about it’s effects aren’t correct and this article should be taken as a blog entry, not an informational source.
Great article! Yes, you captured very well the difficulty of the Master Cleanse. Ten days is a LONG time drinking just lemonade. Food starts to smell incredibly good. Lemonade no longer tastes like summer. The Cayenne Pepper Diet is a cleanse, not a diet.
I’ve been to several different sites on the web searching for why grade b maple syrup is recommended for this cleanse, and could not find much information about it… Then I found this site dedicated to it, so I thought I’d share with those of you who are also interested.
http://www.gradebmaplesyrup.org
I’ve been doing the master cleanse for years a well. It has rid my body of yeast, which had totally contaminated my whole body. I had rashes under my breast and arm pits, athlete feet, chaffing on inner thigh, dandruff, acne, and vaginal yeast infection. All of these problems caused by yeast, disappeared on the 10 day master cleanse. But I must mention that if you read the book, you will understand that the cleanse must be ended properly. Not with chocolate chip cookies!!! HELLO
I love the Master Cleanse diet. It doesn’t work for those people who cheat and eat all the wrong foods afterward. It takes will power. It has worked for me and I will continue to do the diet for years to come. It has lowered my cholestrol and my Lupus levels. WHen I first ried it I stayed on for 10 days. My second go round I stayed on for 21 days. Third I stayed on for 26 days and this last time I stayed on for 30 days. I have only gained back 6 pounds out of the 22 lost. I am doing this diet at least 3 times a year. I will go back on it again in September and I will stay on for the whole month. Keep up the good work all!
Be careful! The detox or diet (whichever you want to call it) does not give you the nutrients you need. Consult with a doctor or a nutritionist before doing this diet/detox for an entire month because what you’re doing is rather dangerous.
I agree you definitely do need to prepare and know what you’re getting into before doing this cleanse. No one really said how sick they got during the first few days. I got really headachy and almost feverish. I’m at the end of my third day and feel much better but I didn’t do the salt water this morning. The thought alone had me heaving and I still eliminated because of the laxative tea. What about anyone else out there, do I have to try to get that salt water down? I felt so good today!
Kristen, I agree with you 100%. The MC is not a diet, but a cleanse I believe everyone should consider on doing. The first time I try it, I was soooo amazed by it that I did it for 15 days instead. For many years, I had work out, drinking plenty of water and still, at 5 5′1/2 I was 195 lbs. and no matter hoW hard I tryed to loose weight, I couldn’t accomplished anything. The MC has really changed my life. On the 10th day I have loss 15 lbs and never felt as good in my whole 41 years. When I decided to stop drinking the lemonade on the 15th day I have loss 20 lbs already. I was soooo happy, and felt so good about my self I ordered books that would educate me about eating and how to maintain my weight off. Now I just turned 44 and 154 lbs (10 more to go) and have not gained a single lbs since I stop the MC. I increased my work outs and starting to lift weights for tonning and everything is falling right into place. Whoever said the MC dosen’t work I believe is because they don’t have the full understanding in what the MC is all about.