
BACKGROUND
The Master Cleanser Diet, also known as The Lemonade Diet and Maple Syrup Diet, is a fasting plan that will shed pounds quickly. The diet was created by Stanley Burroughs more than 50 years ago. Burroughs, a proponent of varying alternative health remedies, had no medical or nutritional training.
The Lemonade Diet claims that its fasting technique rids the body of toxins that are induced by bad diet, lack of exercise and "negative mental attitudes." But where does the lemonade come into play? Well, that's all your going to ingest for 7-10 days. The magic elixir, purported to have been used by celebrities like Beyonce, Denzel Washington and Robin Quivers (of the Howard Stern Show) has grown in popularity, evidenced by the user video diaries that can be found on sites like YouTube.
PRO
- Fast weight loss - although there are no scientifically proven benefits to the Lemonade Diet, but that's obviously going to happen when you starve yourself
CON
- There is no medical evidence that cleansing diets work to rid the body of toxins
- It's a short-term solution to something that needs to be a lifetime change
- The Lemonade Diet, like all extended fasts, can have adverse effects on your organ function and metabolism.
FOOD and RECIPES
The Lemonade Diet has fasters drink anywhere from 6 to 12 glasses of lemonade daily. The recipe for the concoction is as follows:
2 Tbsp. lemon juice or lime juice
2 Tbsp. real maple syrup
1/10 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 oz. water
EXERCISE
Exercise is not addressed on The Lemonade Diet. And how could you properly exercise when you are fasting on a liquid diet?
EXPENSE
Master Cleanser kits start at $59, and include the founder's book, The Master Cleanser, along with the products needed to make the lemonade.
CONCLUSION
Fasting, or "cleansing" diets, are fantastic bait for people looking for a quick fix to their weight woes. It's why celebrities are drawn to it. Maybe any possible health risks are okay for them, since they can write it off as a danger they take on for their career. But for the rest of us who should be thinking about a lifetime solution, look for something you can live with forever.
COMMON MISSPELLINGS
lemonaide diet, lemon diet, limon diet, lemonade deit
Anonymous: i lost 20 lbs on this diet after being on it for 10 days. its a quick fix but not long lasting
Christine: I heard of a product called Simply Slender a premixed master cleanse lemonade diet, my girlfriend tried it and liked it, back in her skinny jeans!
anj: It's not a diet! It's a toothbrush cleanse for your insides! Everyone shoud do it at least once in their life.
nobuddy: I just used RealLemon brand juice and made lemonade because I liked it, sugar and all and 20 lbs fell off in two weeks doing nothing other than replacing pop with lemonade.
sherry: Yea it works, because you're starving yourself. You're hungry and it tastes horrible!
Anonymous: Disgusting..... tried it for a few days. Hard not to throw up from the taste of the cayenne.
shannon: wow i tried starting this today and after only my secodn dose of the day I've decided to return the product. It burns and tastes horrible. There's no way I can handle this for a whole a day let alone four.
cj: I drank 16 ounces for breakfast, ate a 6" bmt sub from subway for lunch and a half of a pickle for dinner for 2 weeks straight and lost 13 pounds. I wasn't hungry because of the pickle and sub. Try it guys, I feel and look great.
Kelly: It was a testing 11 days, but after going through the cleanse I felt better and looked better. I lost about 15-20 pounds and kept it off because it remotivated me. It may be a test of self-control, but it's worth it. It is good for the body to rest periodically anyway, and I have never been able to fast completely because of how low my blood sugar would get. And, hey, I actually like the spicy lemonade.
shugg: I did it fir 10 days and lost 19 pounds. once u go back to eating solids u gain about 5 pouds back. You do however loss inches so thats good. I plan to incorporate this once a week on a two day basis and see how it goes.
meme: I am on day 2 of the diet and I have already noticed a change. My body is quickly releasing waste and i know its part of the purifing section of the diet. The lemonade is horrible at first but I drink it cold and its not so bad. It also eliminates your appetite when you are hungry. Think of it a a milkshake for lunch!! NOT SO BAD...DONT GIVE IT UP!!!! I waiting to see my final results
Ali: I am on lemonade diet and this is my first day, I am just feeling week and hungry otherwise its taste is not bad at all, i am not sure if i will be able to continue with for 10 days.
sharon: I am on day 1 and after reading some of these review I really want to continue and not give up but its so hard because I keep thinking about food! LOL I'm on my way to church so I'll try not to think about it so much there
blackviolet: I have tried the pre-mixed Simply Slender one that is a 4 day fast. It was expensive, and had lots of other fruits like noni, acai and mangosteen. I ws shocked that I didn't feel hungry, except for craving snacks, and the motion of eating, if you know what I mean. I didn't like the cayenne and it burned. I cheated by adding extra water and some Crystal Lite Lemonade to it, which made it so much better! I didn't lose as much weight as I might have without the Crystal Lite, but I lost about 5+ lbs in those 4 days, and I honestly felt better, happier, and much more energetic. I was so surprised! I'm going to try the homemade lemonade fast. I read that you need to do it a minimum of 4 days, and up to 40 days, if you want! The only health concern after about 2 weeks is not getting enough potassium. I read that if you don't like the cayenne, you can just swallow some cayenne pills, and if you get sick of the lemonade, just drink water. Don't use tap water, and do use Grade B maple syrup, because it tastes better and has more vitamins. Make sure you use REAL maple syrup, without added sugar. The only problem I had was that it made my teeth hurt. I read that to prevent this, it helps if you drink from a straw, and after you're done drinking, swish your saliva around in your mouth and over your teeth a lot, since the saliva helps neutralize the acid. They say don't eat or drink anything else (except water), and don't take any vitamins or pills.
mirka: ok ... so ive been preparing for the lemonade cleanser and im gonna start it tomorrrow, well tonite i guess would count too. i havent eaten much today, drank alotta water, gonna drink up sum "herbal tea" tonite, do my salt drink tomorrow mornin and start with lemonade after that. im planning on taking pictures of my body and my tongue tonite or tomorrow. and check back to let you all know how its goin.
Misshottt31008: I'm on day 1 me and my husband both. We decided last night to start the diet and we both are starving...I want to eat so bad. We are walking around the house sniffing things that smells good...We can do it...I HOPE!!
sigkill9: I am on my 2nd day. I am religious about following the instructions. 1st day was HADES. 2nd day has been high level of energy. The first day I did the salty cleanse and nasty BLACK stuff was eliminated. WOW. I will try this for 3 more days...maybe.
sigkill9: I am on my 2nd day. I am religious about following the instructions. 1st day was HADES. 2nd day has been high level of energy. The first day I did the salty cleanse and nasty BLACK stuff was eliminated. WOW. I will try this for 3 more days...maybe.
pinky: I'm on day 1 but i've done this before about 2years ago. I really does work if you follow the rules. 2years ago i lost 18 pounds. So i'm going for anyother 18-20 pounds this time. All i could say is that yes its hard at first but after the first 3 days it gets easier. And drink from a straw to prevent your teeth from hurting. =) Good luck !!!!!!!!!!
shanea: I am going to try this I am just worried about anything vital happening I don't think so but if it feel s too wierd I will stop I think that I am skeptical because I have went to all of the sites and some discourage it and I work at a hospital and one of my nurse collegues says don't do it but I am stoked about the testimonies that have done this more than once and have lost I know if I loose weight then I will do better by my self and I am not big I just haven't taken care of my mid section
dizzydesi: I tried it and made it until the end of the 4th day. I had to stop due to all the side effects. Not sure how this is healthy, experienced major headaches, serious hunger, very irritable, and dizziness. Can someone explain the difference between this and anorexia? Both include starvation.
serendipity: I'm at the end of my second day.. I don't know why but I feel really full.. no hunger at all... I'm planning this for 21 days well actually I want to lose at least 10 kgs but I don't know how many days will be enough.. I think something betwen 15 and 21
Karmisha: This lemonade drinks is great! It taste great and you feel excellent. Someone had stated that you are hungry with this detox. Totally not true! This is coming from a person (me)who can eat a horse if I did not pop a phentermine pill. The key is this, you must drink the lemonade. If you feel as though your getting hungry, drink. I lost 10 lbs in 10 days. It was so great, I am about to start again!
TJ: well im goin 2embark on this on tuesday. ive just come back from a longggg holiday and i feel and look hugeeeeeee!!!! i also ate a lot of rubbish while i was away so im pretty sure that i need a good cleaning out! my husband is goin away 4a month, so i wanna try it d whole time he's away wit abt a 5 day break in between simply bcz im not sure that its safe 2do it 4a full 30days, so ill break it up in between. ive read ur comments and im pretty excited so wish me luck!!!! will luv 2c his face when he ges back 2a new slimmer wife!!
Shabakka: I have read all of the above comments. Let me share my experience with the master cleanse. Last Oct. (2007) I did the cleanse for 18 days and lost close to 50 lbs. I went from 240-245 down to 193. I suspect I gained a few pounds back, but did not feel them as my 38 waste paints (down from 42 inch waste) did not feel more snug. Here was my plan. About a month before starting the cleanse I had a pretty healthy diet. I elimanated the junk foods, fried foods and incorported much more whole and raw (salads) into my diet. This was the diet I planned to continue after the cleanse. Everything went well until the last week of November. On thanksgiving I allowed myself to indulge a little. Interestingly many things that I was afraid of did not tempt me. No desire for any of the sweets. After thanksgiving I began to slip into my old eating patterns, i.e. fried foods and my breakfast beacon, eggs and cheadder cheese. I went back to SAD (standard American diet) during the month of december and in Jan. I felt the weight inching back up. I did not stop; I continued to eat SAD. In June I decided to get a physical because I knew that an important element to keep weight off is to also excercise. I was afraid to excercise because of heart problems. Dr sent me to cardologist. Cardologist said my heart was great. The problem I had was weight. The weight is bearing down on my stomach causing me to have acid reflux. The acid reflux cause heart burn and I thought I was having heart problems. The key to successful weight loss is to prepare for a new way of life. Also, I like the cleanse as I am in agreement with the body taking a break to work on functions that it generally does not have time to, especially because of SAD. I would like to quickly address two above responses. The cleanse is not starving yourself as those who have anorexia nervosa. Anorexia Nervosa is a psychological disorder. Aother stopped the cleanse because of the physica reaction they had. According to everything that I have read, those reaction are natural. The more you have means the more intense your cleanse is. Remember once the toxins are released from the tissue into your body there may be some reactions. This is why it is so important to do the tea at night and salt water flush in the morning.
skinny: don't drink the cleanser...all you have to do is limit calories in and expend calories out by excercise. trust me on this one.
sam: I just started my lemon diet today, and I like the taste of the lemonade with cayenne pepper since i always like spicy food and spices. I am getting a little hungry but I am surprise that I can control my cravings to even taste any food. I will have some laxative tea before bed and will have the sea salt flush tomorrow. My husband is gone for a business trip and he won't be back in three weeks. I can't wait to see the look in his face when he see me. keep you posted.....
sheree: I'm on day 3 of my cleanse and i must say i feel great! When i started this cleanse i was only doing it for weight loss,but now i am looking forward to detoxing my body and losing the weight as well.the lemonade is actually good even with cayenne pepper..i haven't had many side effects just an occasional headache and a few body aches but nothing too major. I've lost 8 pounds so far overall i feel great.I'm not using the cleanse as a temporary weight loss I'm doing it to overall to make life changes so my advice to anyone thinking about starting the cleanse is to go for it! It wil take alot of will and dertermination to finish but once you're done it will be a good decision made
venus: hi guys.I'll b starting my lemonade diet tomorrw.lets c wat happens.I hope it works.
sam: hi! I am back for my update, it's been seven days on this diet and I started Monday @ 130.8 lbs now it's 120lbs. Woo Hooo!!! I can't believed it for myself . I went to visit my Aunt last night and for the past 6 years this is the first time she ever told me that I am skinny and I lost a lot of weight that she was even thinking of giving it a try. Two more weeks and my hubby will be back!!! I can't wait to see his reaction. I will continue on the diet for three to five more days the latest, so that by the time my husband come back I am eating regular food and he will not have any clue how I lose all this weight. Keep you posted;-) !!!!
Freaky: Hey guys! I am so excited...tomorrow is my first day...I'm gonna post everyday...let's see how it really works!
Sara: My husband is considering this diet and asked me to research it for him. He has been overweight his whole life. He was actually in pretty good shape when we got married, but that was over five years ago and he has since gained about 55lbs. His current lifestyle is not suited to keep any weight off that he may lose w/ this diet. He tried a similar diet once and didn't even make it through the first day. I know he will neither eat right nor exercise to keep the weight off...he just wants a quick fix. Sounds nasty to me. Even if I wanted to do this diet, I couldn't cause I'm nursing my four-month-old. I'll stick with healthy, sensable eating and exercise to get back to my pre-pregnancy size. Good luck, suckers!
tikki: Hey guys, this is not the first time for me, but I decide to try it again and I am on the fifth day and going the temptations are there but I want to lose some weight but I don't actually feel or see myself looking any different until the second week of the cleanse but IT WORKS I am hoping to go until the end of September 2 see if I can look extremely good. I'll gonna post u another result in a week's time hope I last
evelyn caro: today's date: sept. 4 august 21 i started a liquid diet in preparation for the master cleanse. i drank soy milk for 5 days while i got the ingredients together. tuesday, august 26, i started the diet. this is day 10, and i have lost 14 lbs. day 6 was hard for me, i started breaking out in tiny bumps over both eyebrows and down my nose, like a mini mask. by day 7 the bumps all encompassed my face, neck, chest, and both hands. this was very discouraging but i knew that the toxins had to be removed from my body. so today the bumps are partly dried, but they itch. i have decided to stay on the diet until the lemons i bought run out. i have been exercising a lot, i don't have a car so everywhere i go, i walk. i feel comfortable not eating food, that means less fat in my body. i have wanted to stop so that i could go to avalanche pizza and eat the vegan stuff. i can wait. i've learned that you must be in the right frame of mind to do this diet. i am ready for a change, so change happened. thank you for reading!
























