Master Cleanse Diet

At a Glance Review News Success Stories The Food

Amazon.com

Our Reviewer Says ...

"There's only one reason a diet like this keeps coming back: It works. But when you're eating nothing and drinking only a special mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper several times a day, plus perhaps a glass of salt water and an herbal laxative tea, who wouldn't lose weight?"

At a Glance

When it comes to losing weight, there is no magic bullet. Unless, that is, you ask proponents of the Master Cleanse Diet, who swear by its lightning fast, weight-reducing properties. Also called the Lemonade Diet, this liquid diet was promoted in the 1970s in a book titled The Master Cleanser as a way to detoxify the body. It was also used to treat ulcers. In 2004, the diet's popularity was renewed in a book titled "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days."

Today, the diet's most fervent fans are people who want to slim down in a snap. Not surprisingly, numerous celebrities have become followers of the diet, including Beyonce Knowles who reportedly lost 20 pounds in two weeks for her role in the movie Dreamgirls.

The diet calls for drinking a mixture of water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper several times a day for varying lengths of time. Unlike other diets, the Master Cleanse has only a loose master plan so there's not one exact way to follow this diet.

Just be warned: There are few nutrition experts who support this diet, citing that it's unhealthy and may not promote long-term weight loss. .

Checklist

Cost: Minimal
Meals Provided: No
Diet Duration: 10 to 30 days
Fitness Requirements: None
Time Commitment: Minimal
Eating Out: No
Alcohol: No
Vegetarian-Friendly: Yes
Strict/Flexible Eating Plan: Strict

More Info

Books:
Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days, Second Edition

9 Comment

Last Updated on Nov 30th 2009 5:14PM by Karen Asp

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, All Diets

Master Cleanse Diet">

Around the Web

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

tasha 1-07-2010 @ 9:59PM

Help me!!! I start a diet, do really good for the first two or three days and stop.Please give me some ideas for a diet that I can stick with, taste good and don't loose interst in in the first few days of me trying it.

Katelyn 7-18-2010 @ 2:56AM

Hi,
Stop trying to do hard diets and do something you can live with.. I was just like that. Try to stop some of bad habits gradually. Like for me one thing was eating sweets at night. So that screwed up everything. Since my legs are messed up from a car accident. I was trying strength training. www.bodyrock.tv. It works really good but you have to make sure its something that can works for you. I don't have a nice enough neighborhood to do it outside and I hated it inside, it makes me dizzy. (I guess because of the air) So often I wouldn't work out. Now recently a friend came over and we walked to the park and ran around the 'bike path' with my yorkshire terrier.. It feels great now that I walk everyday with no hating exercise. And after a while when you gradually eat healthier you'll see how the piece of candy isn't worth it. One other thing that makes people stop dieting is how they stop eating a whole bunch of stuff all together. My motto is when I really want something eat it! because telling yourself no i'm not going to eat it, just makes you want it more and then you Will go overboard. So eat what you want but maybe cut that piece of cake in half, try to eat healthy, and definitely exercise it makes it much easier for you

rmj92 1-25-2010 @ 1:23PM

ANY DIET IS ABOUT Motivation and will power!
First, take a full length photo of yourself (head to toe in one picture wearing minimal clothing such as a close fitting swimsuit or bikini) upload the photo to fotoflexer.com and then using the options on the web site, "tweek" your photo into what you "want to look like" in say a reasonable time frame like 90 to 120 days. Of course you cant safely go from 250 pounds to 140 pounds in 90 days or even 120 days but when you reach your FIRST GOAL PHOTO that you created at fotoflexer.com then you can take another photo and create your NEXT GOAL, and so on. Always save a copy of the FIRST PHOTO - your BEFORE you started photo and promise to yourself that you will NEVER be "THAT" again! You don't have to share any of this with anyone else if youre not comfortable with it, just make it your PERSONAL QUEST! When you start getting compliments or are able to fit into your "GOAL JEANS" do something for yourself- NOT A NIGHT OUT drinking or eating- but a goal oriented gift, say a new pair of gym shoes or a new pair of jeans for YOUR NEXT GOAL accomplishment! Keep them hanging where you see them EVERY DAY! If you travel a lot on your job, PACK THEM IN YOUR SUITCASE! No excuses!
Print out the before and after photo each time and put it in the room or area where you work out, and also put the same photo on the bathroom mirror or if youre really brave, the family refrigerator!
A VISUAL PICTURE of yourself at THE WEIGHT AND FITNESS LEVEL you want to be at will help keep you motivated and help with your ability to follow through with your weight loss and fitness plans.
It is working for me!

Mane 4-12-2010 @ 1:32PM

I'm exactly the same as Tasha where I go on a diet for 3 to 4 days and that's that so rmj92 what you said sounds like it would help alot and I'm def going to try that asap Thanks

Barbra Waters 4-22-2010 @ 11:02PM

Im a young early 30's healthy mom of 2 with a loving hubby at home and a part time job - so I am always busy!

I have been taking the Dr Max Powers 15 Day Cleanse (no, its not just for men as my dr told me) for approximately 8 days and they have worked wonders with my diet.

In the past 3 days I have lost 6 pounds of waste. My appetite is down and I feel great. I'm taking 2 pills a day, 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. There is no stomach cramping, although my stomach has made a couple of growling noises at me..giving me a warning that it is time to go to the bathroom..but other than that..no real problems..I am going to continue using these pills. Looking forward to more waste (weight) loss...hip-hip-hooray!!!

the fluff 4-30-2010 @ 1:43AM

... if your over weight ... which am really not,well ,yes twenty or so pounds but it does not change anything in my life ... off track ... the question is why can't we diet the way all our brains think but don't realize how to do .... we all know what to eat & what not to eat ... what healthy & what is not healthy ... excerise or not ... so on & so on ... so why it so hard to do ..our brains know better... but we stick to the way we've been doing ..

Pete 7-21-2010 @ 10:45PM

Guys,
Please stop calling this a weight loss, diet plan. It's a cleanse. Yes, you lose weight over the ten days. But you gain it back. If you go on it longer, you lose muscle mass as well as fat and when you come off it, you gain the weight back faster because you've got less lean muscle mass to burn it off. I know. I've been doing it 1-2 times a year for over a decade. Yes, I've done it longer (38 days), but I eventually gained back all of the weight I had lost and had a harder time losing it until I got it through my thick head that it's for cleaning out your body. It's for giving your digestive tract a little time to rest and recuperate. It can help in getting rid of addictive nature and help in diagnosing food allergies. BUT IT DOESN'T WORK WELL IN HELPING YOU LOSE WEIGHT!
If you want to lose weight, start with the cleanse. Go with a good vegetarian diet afterwards for at least 3 weeks and start a daily exercise program, mixing aerobics and weight training. THAT will help you lose weight.

debo 8-01-2010 @ 2:59AM

Thank you Pete,

I agree with your view on the fact that it is a cleansing method and not a diet, I have a brother and three sisters who have also practiced this cleansing formula for several years. I am now ready to try it for myself and it helps to know that I should experience it for what it is. I just hope that I can stick with it for the first ten days.

Diane 7-31-2010 @ 2:51PM

Bang on, Pete! It's an excellent cleansing diet, but the focus needs to be on the cleanse ... nothing else. When the body is given a chance -- and when the person is ready and willing to deal with the emotional/stressful side of the "dis-ease" -- it can certainly heal itself.
The Master Cleanser® helped me eliminate rheumatoid arthritis, having had it for 30+ years. So yes, anything is possible when the individual chooses to participate as a complete, whole person regardless of the type of disease they are experiencing at the moment. They need not identify or label themselves based on any medical diagnosis.