I often use the Master Cleanser program for a quick energy boost and detox before starting a long term weight loss program. While many people will criticize detoxification programs like the Master Cleanser lemonade diet, my experience with the program has been great. As with any program, you need to do your research before starting.
The Master Cleanser program is outlined in the book of the same name by Stanley Burroughs. I found this book on Amazon, both used and new. Although the Master Cleanse, or lemonade diet, is very simple, I continue to refer support to my book each time I do the cleanse, so it is well worth purchasing.
The basic lemonade recipe is very simple. According to The Master Cleanser with Special Needs and Problems by Stanley Burroughs, it takes 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. maple syrup, 1/10 Tsp. cayenne pepper and about 10 oz water. The book recommends using darker maple syrup, Grade B or C. I was able to net Grade B in a health food store, and I have used Grade A in a pinch until I could earn to the health food store. You can also use slightly less maple syrup if you’re trying to lose weight in addition to the detox, which I always do. However, never vary the amount of lemon juice. Drink six to twelve glasses of the lemonade per day, with no other food during the cleanse. Drink as noteworthy as you need to avoid hunger, but drink less if you are trying to lose weight. I gather six to eight glasses is plenty for me.
To help the cleanse, the Master Cleanser book recommends drinking a gentle laxative tea in the evening and again when you wake up. Instead of the tea in the morning, you can do a salt water flush, which is 2 Tsp of uniodized sea salt mixed with a quart of lukewarm water. Drink this first thing in the morning, before you drink anything else. This step was the hardest for me; at first I could only do a exiguous portion of the salt water, and many times I could not keep it down. The problem was that I was trying to drink it quickly, to score it over with. When I stopped trying to chug it down and drank small amounts slowly, I was able to enact the entire amount and keep it down.
The first time I did the lemonade diet, I was in poor shape. I was addicted to diet soda and junk food, and I did not follow the recommendation in the book to clean up your diet a few weeks before starting the cleanse. By the end of the second day, I was miserable. My head throbbed, I felt physically ill, and I could barely move because my body hurt so badly. This lasted for three days, then I was fine. In fact, after those three days of serious withdrawals and detox, I had more energy than ever. My skin cleared up, my headaches disappeared, and for the first time in literally years, I was sleeping soundly. It was an amazing change. I did not have a scale, but I could tell right away that I was losing weight. My tightest clothes were looser, and by the slay of the eleven day cleanse I was wearing a smaller size. I could have stayed on the cleanse longer, but we were going out of town, and I didn’t assume it was feasible to do it while traveling.
The biggest mistake I made was not easing back into regular eating. I tried to, and I even made the vegetable soup that the Master Cleanser book recommends and ate only it for a day after ending the cleanse. But then I had a few french fries. That was a big mistake, because I was so sick after that. I felt worse after eating those fries than I had during the first three days of the Master Cleanse, because my stomach reacted so violently to the fried food. It was not worth it, and in all the subsequent cleanses I have done, I made certain to ease back into healthy eating very slowly. I have found that the lemonade diet works best for me as a quick ten day detoxification program if I’ve gotten off track with my healthy eating, although I have read many distinct experiences with much longer cleanses.
The Master Cleanser/lemonade diet is a sizable way to jump start your weight loss program or just give your overall health a enormous boost. Follow the instructions in the book, and be positive to ease into the cleanse with healthy eating and end the cleanse slowly by gradually adding healthy foods to your diet.
Stanley Burroughs, The Master Cleanser with Special Needs and Problems
Making a Choice Between a Body Detox or a Colon Cleanse
