What is it?
The Lemonade Diet is a weight loss fad diet that claims it can detoxify and cleanse the body. It’s also known as the Master Cleanse Diet, and it became popularized by the celebrity Beyoncé who also used it.
Only liquids are allowed and it claims it’s able to promote an improved digestive system for more energy, vitality, happiness, and overall health improvement. It was originally mentioned in a book but there have been numerous variations on this diet. Our review experts have researched many different dietsand the most effective for weight loss was found to be the 18Shake Diet. It combines an appetite suppressing meal replacement alongside a fat burning diet pill. Both have natural ingredients with no cheap fillers, stimulants, colors, preservatives, or artificial additives. Read more about the benefits of the 18Shake Diet by clicking the link here.
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Lemonade Diet Ingredients and Side Effects
For 10 days the goal is to only drink the following:
• Salt water mixture: 2 full tablespoons of non-iodized salt and a one quart of slightly warm water. First thing in the morning one has to drink this on a completely empty stomach.
• Lemonade drink: 10 ounces of spring or purified water are mixed alongside 2 tablespoons of either lemon or lime juice, a tenth of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. A minimum of 6 to 12 glasses need to be drank each day.
• A laxative or peppermint tea: The herbal laxative is needed for those who can’t have a normal bowel movement. It’s preferably drunk before bedtime in order for it to process fully by the body. Peppermint tea is also recommended as it can help reduce any bloating, stomach cramps, and nausea.
Under no circumstancesare there any other kinds of food allowed. This is to properly detoxify the body so it can flush out toxins and rejuvenate itself. After the full 10 days are done and weight loss results are achieved, it’s then advised to slowly introduce light foods such as soup, juice, raw fruits, and raw vegetables.
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It’s mentioned that side effects are possible, and that’s why they allow for peppermint tea and the laxatives. Possible side effects revealed by the official diet are:
• Nausea, food cravings, headaches boredom, nausea, and lack of a normal bowel movement.
It’s claimed that these kinds of side effects are normal, as it’s the body flushing out harmful toxins. This is not proven however. These same kinds of symptoms are possible from eating a diet that is rich in sugary maple syrup, acidic lemon or lime juice, and a diet high in sodium. It may also be due to the lack of sufficientvitamins and minerals.
A Dr. Hansa Bhargava adds:
“If weight loss is your goal, it may work temporarily. Anytime you limit your food intake, especially this drastically, you will lose some weight”
Other issues mentioned by the doctor are:
“problem is, you will losemuscle mass. This diet puts you at risk for nutritional deficiencies, too”
As far as sustained weight loss the doctor saw no benefit:
“you will likely gain the weight back really quickly once you start eating normally”
These are serious issues which show that this diet has not enough nutrition, calories, and an unlikelihood of promoting positive weight loss results. This is why this fad diet has not been proven to be safe and effective. The doctor finally recommends:
“it is better to lose weight gradually with a balanced diet that makes sure you get the nutrients you need. Cross this one off your list”
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Exercise is not mentioned by this diet, but it's unlikely with a 650 calorie limit that it would be advised. Health US News.com adds:
“it may even be dangerous to exercise when you’re consuming so few calories. Ask your doctor before exercising while (on this diet)”
This can also potentially make it difficult to perform regular tasks as the caloric demands for both men and women are around 2,000. The Lemonade Diet offers less than half of the advised daily amount for maintenance and proper physical functions. This can potentially lead to issues such as fatigue and brain fog.
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Lemonade Diet Quality of Ingredients
While lemon or lime juice, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup can be healthy in moderation, relying on theingredients for weight loss is not a good way to lose weight. There are far too many potential issues with this mixture, as it does not have enough vitamins and minerals.
There’s also a need for laxatives in order to promote a bowel movement, as no solid foods are allowed on this diet. The fact that one cannot rely on their own body for a natural process shows how potentially unsafe this diet is.
There’s also a salt flush which can contain a large amount of sodium which can promote water weight gain. The extreme limit by eating only 650 calories is also another issue which can cause many side effects.
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The Price and Quality of Lemonade Diet
The price will likely be cheap since the bulk of the diet is limited and relies on the same basic foods. Howeverthere’s no evidence that sustaining oneself on these kinds of foods would be safe and effective for weight loss. Health experts have also agreed that this is simply another fad diet lacking in sufficient nutrition and calories.
Due to the many potentially side effects which can damage the body, there’s far too much risk involved with this diet.
Business of Lemonade Diet
The diet was first mentioned in a book called the “The Master Cleanse” which was published in 1976 by Stanley Burroughs. The creator has not provided any proof showing whether or not this is a safe and effective diet.
He has also been charged in many lawsuits for proving false and ineffective nutrition and health advice. He was a specialist in natural medicine, which is a field of medicine which his not accepted in the medical community.
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Customer Opinions of Lemonade Diet
Featured below are some reviews from users of the Lemonade Diet:
“This diet is very restrictive”
“I was miserable. I had no energy… felt like I wassuffering from a rare disorder”
“It’s mostly nonsense from those who don’t understand physiology or any aspect of medicine”
“The cleanse is not the best way to lose weight”
People often had extreme hunger pains from a lack of solid foods. There were major complaints as well from those who lose some weight but managed to pile it back on as soon as they ate normally.
The majority of users had trouble not thinking about food, and once they resumed eating they felt like they had to binge. Some failed to lose any weight at all.
Common symptoms were listed by users including nausea, headaches, fatigue, low blood sugar, mood swings, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and low mental performance. Some also experienced serious issues such as extremely low blood sugar and depression.
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Conclusion - Does Lemonade Diet Work?
The Lemonade Diet is similar to other fad diets which suggest limiting oneself to just a few foods. Only liquids are allowed, and the diet suggests only using it for 10 day periods. Since the caloric limit is 650 a day, this will likely result in weight loss. Any extreme caloric deprivation like this is known to promote weight loss. The issue is that it’s not sustainable. Many people have experiencedseriousside effects, and they also mentioned how all the lost weight returned as soon as normal eating continued. The diet has also not been proven to be safe and effective. There are health professionals who have concluded that this diet is not safe or effective. It enforces a strict lack of calories with very little to no nutrients.
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User Feedback
(Page 5 of 18, 343 total comments)ashley
I'm starting the diet today! I'm 5'2 & 120lbs i want to lose at least 10 off this diet & keep it off! Any suggestions?
posted Apr 15th, 2011 2:35 pmCelly
i was wondering how often you go to the bathroom with this diet. i still have school. Is it possible to hold it for 8 hours or is it too strong an urge ?
posted Apr 10th, 2011 12:38 amJaa
I had a date while on the diet, does that ruin the cleanising for me ?? please answer ASAP
posted Apr 1st, 2011 4:43 pmBriana
+Hey everyone I started the Lemonade diet today and so far I'm feeling a little lightheaded. Just 9days to go and I'll weigh myself!
posted Mar 28th, 2011 1:28 pmSue
Day 3, started at 130 am now 125. I still feel very hungry at times and keep drinking, and that feeling goes away. My main issue is my beer gut from excessive drinking and for the first time I am seeing it go down. 7 more days I can do this! Just looking at the physical results is giving me all the strength I need. This is amazing.
posted Mar 28th, 2011 10:25 amJAY
+Day 2 of the diet. So far so good I guess. Hunger pains (physical or mental) are not as bad as the 1st day, but when it hits, it hits hard. I get my will power by reading these posts. Down 5 pounds, so it's working!!!!
posted Mar 27th, 2011 9:52 pmGina
Im starting this diet in four days! :) cant wiat but also nervous at the same time since i dont know what to expect in this diet... wooop!!
posted Mar 27th, 2011 9:10 pmSue
I am on day 2 of the diet. The initial salt water cleanse was rough! Thankfuly I was on a day off. Had a headahe last night and drank another glass before going to bed much earlier than I usually do. Got up this morning feeling fresh! It feels amazing not to be controlled by my cups of coffee. So far I have lost 3 lbs. From 130 to 127. Fingers crossed I will reach the teens by day 10. This cleanse is an amazing experience, everyone should try it once in their lifetime, it makes you think twice about all the junk we've been feeding ourselves.
posted Mar 27th, 2011 1:18 pmAFEYA
+Day 2 of my diet. I've gone from 161 to 157. So thats 4 lbs. I only need to lose 11 more and I'll be set. I do feel light headed but I just drink some of the juice..and when i get bored of that I drink some Hot tea with the slim tea and maple. Reading this page is giving me motivation to keep going!!
posted Mar 22nd, 2011 9:19 amBaba
I have done this diet 3 times for 10 days once a year for 3 years. It has worked miracles with my body and I feel funky fresh every time! and never once did I see those pounds I lost ever appear. I admit in winter i get carried away with my hot chocolates but I do the lemon detox in spring and I already have my summer body back which lasts till that cocoa starts singing my name again. I started off weighing 100 kgs and on my 5'1 frame that wasn't very healthy. So i tried all these different diets but nothing seemed to really work for me. I soon just rationalised my calories and ate what i felt like and exercised 30 mins a day I was dropping weight at a steady pace but i felt sluggish, bloated and i looked up detox one night and found the lemon detox diet. I decided I would give it a go, I couldn't do a salt water flush and never want to attempt to try it ever again but instead I had green tea which worked like a charm ;). I felt terrible for the first 3 days but started to get happy and energised by day 4 i stayed on the plan for 10 days and lost 10 kgs. I returned to my diet and the weight just kept dropping faster then before. So I decided to give my body a clean once every spring and i'm glad I do because now i am 55 kgs and proud
posted Mar 16th, 2011 9:11 pmSarah
Hey guys,
posted Mar 16th, 2011 5:37 pmI'm now on day two and I'm feeling weak, light headed, nauseous and a bit disorientated. Apparently all this symptoms will go away in few more days. Will weigh myself on day 7 :)
Good luck peepz!
Luis
+I know most won't believe me because I haven't read any reviews with my type of results... So I started the diet mainly to cleans, three days ago. My weight before the cleanse was 178! Anyways, I weighed myself this morning and lost 9 pounds!!! I really want to do the 10 days but don't want to look sickly after the cleanse. Keep in mind I'm a 5'10" male and am pretty happy with my weight. I did expect to lose up to 10lbs, but not on day 4!!! Ive read through the process over and over and don't see myself doing anything wrong. No headaches and only 2 to 3 bowel movements a day. Anybody have any similar results? Should I stop the diet or continue? I don't want to put my body thru any dangers risks so any info helps.
posted Mar 3rd, 2011 10:34 pmgordita30
?Can I drink Tea?
BL
Hey, I'm starting this diet this upcoming weekend, I'm a bit scared because last year i lost 20 pound just exercising and eating right and this year i started college and I gained 5 back , I'm not doing this paticularly to lose weight but to get rid off all the toxins and back foods that have been retained in my body, losing weight is an awesome benefit, but how do I keep the wreight off? I'm also scared of vomiting throughout this diet. Hope all goes well with this. If anyone could just let me have some tips on how to keep the weight off, that would be great!
posted Feb 16th, 2011 12:46 amKarl
+Ive done the diet several times over the last few years. Sometimes it works great sometimes not, but thats up to you. For me...I had to do the full 10 days, no partial meals or snacks at all, most weight loss and energy came in days 6-9. By ten I was ready to quit. Ive done it up to 13 days but started to feel tired and week by then. Best if you can get rid of all the food, snacks, ect from your house during the diet so you wont be tempted. Its hard with family members who arent doing the diet but if you live alone or family or roomates are doing it with you its much easier to stay focused. After the diet you must be careful what you eat and need to start exercising or you gain it all back quickly.
posted Feb 13th, 2011 10:46 amSmiley
How often are u suposed to use the bathroom? I'm on day four and i don't feel like much waste is comming out? Thinking about having a colonic cleansing.
posted Jan 30th, 2011 10:32 pmKatiuska
im a big soda and coffee drinker. i started this diet and by the 3rd day, i had massive headaches. i couldnt concentrate in class with such headaches so i quit it . my friend who was doing it around the same time said she would take some tylenol or something. but im not sure if we could .
posted Jan 30th, 2011 4:23 amfor the past few weeks ive tried to stay off caffeine so ive started the detox again. im on day one. hopefully the headaches arent that bad.
i attend college. i cant afford not to be able to concentrate in class.
Katiuska
im a big soda and coffee drinker. i started this diet and by the 3rd day, i had massive headaches. i couldnt concentrate in class with such headaches so i quit it . my friend who was doing it around the same time said she would take some tylenol or something. but im not sure if we could .
posted Jan 30th, 2011 4:21 amfor the past few weeks ive tried to stay off caffeine so ive started the detox again. im on day one. hopefully the headaches arent that bad.
i attend college. i cant afford not to be able to concentrate in class.
Nelly
Ok So I never did any diets in my life. I never feel the need too. We went to Mexico for 2 weeks and well u can guess�?�.. came home with extra 10lb. I was looking for something that�??s all natural and that�??s not expensive to cleanse my body. My friend adviced to try the �??liver/gallbladder cleans. So I tried it and I tell you it was difficult for me. I didn�??t feel eating for the next 3 days which encurreged me to start this Lemon cleanse. Because I had just come out of the liver cleans this was easy to start.
posted Jan 26th, 2011 7:55 pmP.S: Liver cleans is done with Epsom salt/olive oil/grapefruit. My friend did this diet to and she couldn�??t wait to eat so be carful what you do to your body and not everyone reacts the same.
This is my 4th day on this diet, I don�??t feel hungry. I am worried because I can still see my fat stomach �? I lost 5lb this is working�?� So exited for my self�?�.
P.S don�??t forget the morning salt very important and wake up early if you work so u can be all finished with the toilet by the time u have to go to work �?
penni
+It's a fab idea for a detox..or if you are in a serious rush to shift some weight. have done it a couple of times over the past 2 years and on both occasions noticed the difference in my energy levels and my skin was so much fresher looking but the downside is when you eat anything and i really do mean anything, the weight just piles back on. so for a detox-cool but that it.
posted Jan 22nd, 2011 8:54 pm