The Master Cleanse aka The Lemonade Diet

So, I wasn't going to blog about this because I didn't want to recieve any negative comments. I wasn't even going to tell anyone other than the obvious who would know. Turns out that obviously if you don't eat for 10 days people eventually find out ;) and I have been surprised at how many people really are interested on how it works and how you do it. Lots of people want to know how it works out for me and want to get started on it right away. So, I have decided to blog about it so everyone can know how it all works and how I feel, etc etc. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say nothin' at all! ;) Thanks!

The Master Cleanse is a detox 'diet.' Meaning that it clears out your system and all the impurities in your system. Like all the junk food, meats, sugars, etc that you have put into your bodies your whole life will be cleaned out of your system. People who want to be healthier and start a new way of eating for themselves go on this cleanse. Also people who want to stop their sugar cravings, binges, excessive eating, etc, also go on this cleanse. This cleanse also is known to give you a boost of energy and one of the biggest benefits (for me at least!) is the weight loss!

Benefits: Weight loss! Healthier body, cravings go away, it's known to clear acne, healtier skin...the list goes on! Some people claim they had diabetes and arthritis and once they did this master cleanse their diabetes and arthritis either went away or was significantly better. There are a lot of benefits from the master cleanse.

This cleanse is a 10 day minimum cleanse, 45 day maximum. I am doing it for 10 days and today is my 6th day on it. You drink this "lemonade" mix everyday and take a salt water flush every morning. You cannot eat ANY FOOD or any other drink other than water. The drink contains grade b maple syrup, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and water. It isn't bad. You might think you would be really hungry but this drink fills you up! Maybe for the first two days you might be a little hungry but after that you won't and this drink really does fill you up.

Here is the recipe:

You need to drink 60 oz. a day.

This recipe is for 10 oz. So 6 drinks of this a day!

2 TBL Grade B maple syrup. It HAS to be grade b! You can get it at any health food stores. I got a 64 oz. container for $32.99
2 TBL lemon juice. The book says you have to have fresh lemons and squeeze the juice from them but I don't. I use 100% lemon juice in the bottle and it works fine. Some people say it wont work so if you want you might want to use fresh lemons but really I think the bottle is fine. Just make sure it is 100%.
10 oz. filtered water. It must be filtered (says the book). I have a brita hand held water container filter thingy so that is what I use ;)
Couple dashes of cayenne pepper. Put as much as you can handle. 1/2 tsp for the whole 60 oz. if you make it in one big half gallon.

Maple Syrup: this is really healthy syrup and this is where you get your calories and nutrients. You get 1200 calories each day from this (and that is all the calories you consume on this diet per day).
Lemon Juice: you'd have to read up on why you take this. The obvious one is because it makes it taste tolerable :) It's the flavor!
Cayenne Pepper: this speeds up your metabolism. Some people take a dose of cayenne pepper every day because it is so healthy and good for you!

You also have to do a salt water flush every morning. This is the worst part and it really is sooo gross. I threw up my first time drinking it. This is the detox. It will clear out your body...make you have a ton of bowel movements after you drink it. It is a laxative. It is important to do this every morning. Some people can't handle it so there is an alternative. It is a tea or something. You'd have to resesarch it. I don't use it.

Recipe for the Salt water flush:

4 Cups water: I use warm water and I drink it slowly. You need to finish it between 15 and 20 minutes. The first time I drank it under 10 and threw it up. If you throw it up you have to do it again!
2 TEASOONS uniodized sea salt: It has to be SEA SALT. Don't use regular table salt and it has to be uniodized. Make sure you use TEASPOONS not tablespoons...that could be dangerous!

This doesn't make some people go the bathroom. Some people have to add a little salt. If you don't have a bowel movent an hour after you drink it you will feel sick and you will need to find out why it is not working. Again, adding salt usually will do the trick...but just a little. I have to go to the bathroom up to 3 hours after doing it. You need to do it on an empty stomach in the morning.

So, I feel good. It is day 6 for me. The drink makes me full. I go to the gym every day and run close to 2.5 miles. I also do sit ups and push ups and lift weights (if Jennie goes with me! lol). I don't feel weak or tired. Just make sure you drink your drink and you should feel great! I don't know how much weight I have lost. I don't think it is much yet but hopefully it will be a lot after I am done. I do feel like my love handles have gone down and that my stomach has toned up and shrunk a little (maybe because of my exercise). I will have more to update on weight as the days go by.

My parents have also started doing this. The salt water flush was hard for my mom. It didn't work for her the first time so she tried another method. It is hard to stop eating food and you have to plan to start this when you know you won't have to eat. Ex: anniversaries, birthdays, special events...etc. My dad is at day 3 and he says he feels great! He says he has more energy and it is easier for him to focus at work. He has lost 4 lbs in 3 days and feels his clothes are a lot looser.

Now it is time for you to do your own research if you are interested! It is important to research on your own and read the Master Cleanse book before you begin. Stick by the book! And coming off of the cleanse is really important to do it the right way too. It is all in the book.

You will keep the weight off in the end if you change your eating habits! Just like any other diet. But this 'diet' really makes you want to eat healthy and start off on a new foot!

Here is the website to the book http://74.125.45.132/search?q=cache:6rEpUdEyVxYJ:healthandlight.com/TheMasterCleanse.pdf+the+master+cleanse&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us
or healthandlight.com/TheMasterCleanse.pdf. If it doesn't work then just google The Master Cleanse and it will come up on the first page. Click on the HTML. Also, you can google about it and see what people think about it and youtube it to see people who have gone through it and are going through it right now. There is a ton of info online! :)

Don't chew gum on this or take any mints or anything. Remember, just the drink and the salt water. And you can drink as much water as you want. If you want to do it, good luck! Make sure you have the motivation and dedication because it isn't easy! You got to stick to it! :)