... do the Master Cleanse! Have you heard of the Master Cleanse before? It's often referred to as the Lemonade Diet. The gist of the Master Cleanse is:
for 10 days, you eat nothing and you drink 8 glasses a day of a 'lemonade' concoction consisting of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and grade B organic maple syrup. In the morning, you do a salt water flush by drinking 1 quart of water + 2 teaspoons of uniodized sea salt (this definitely gets your bowels a-purgin'!) and at night, you drink a cup of Senna (natural laxative) tea. For complete information, you'll want this book by Stanley Burroughs.
Beyonce has gone on the record stating that she dropped 22 lbs. for her role in Dreamgirls by doing the Master Cleanse for 14 days. Though she may have revived it's popularity recently, it's not a new, fad diet as Stanley Burrows first came out with it in 1941.
Here's what the 'lemonade' actually looks like:
It really doesn't taste that bad. A while back, I read someone describe it as tasting like 'spicy Gatorade' and I suppose that's pretty accurate.
Why I am I doing this? Well... I'll go in depth about each of these in separate posts, but for now here are the bullet points
1. Weight Loss -- I have a couple of trips in June that I'd like to look and feel better for (including one to the beach). Stamping has not been kind to my figure these past couple of years... LOL!
2. To actually cleanse my system. No telling what's in there or how long it's taken up residence.
3. To prove to myself that I have the self-discipline to start and finish it (I've started it once before and lasted for about 2.5 days).
4. To jumpstart a more healthy lifestyle once I'm done with this. I've got The China Study on my nightstand, and from what I hear, it lays out the cold, hard facts connecting nutrition and disease. One of those "Can't put the genie back in the bottle" things once you learn of it.
I'm publicly announcing this to my MILLIONS (*giggle*) of readers to shame me into sticking with it, in case I begin to waver in a couple of days. I figure now that I've published this all over the world, I HAVE to see it through -- no turning back!
For those who come here purely for the stamping, that'll be here, too, but I do plan on giving daily updates on my cleanse experience for the next ten days. If this is something you've ever considered doing, consider me your guinea pig! And if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them as best I can.
See you tomorrow, for Day 2!
Hey, thanks for the comment! I responded on my blog, but I just wanted to pop over here and say hi, and Good Luck! It's going to be so awesome when you come out the other side in 10 days - just keep that in mind.
Luck!
~Sayward
Posted by: Sayward Rebhal | May 21, 2009 at 05:16 PM
I just used your link to go and read about this book. I read many pro comments, and then many con ones. Both sides have good points... It'll be interesting to see what you think after you read the book.
Posted by: Patti | May 21, 2009 at 05:38 PM
OK, I'm very eager to read about your results. I'd like to know how bad the hunger is--I have a hard time keeping my attitude together when I'm hungry, but this intrigues me... (And does the hunger start out bad on days one and two, but then get better/worse...do you get headaches...I could perseverate all day about this!) Please update us on the hunger situation! And thanks for sharing this with us--I sure get an education in blogland. --Elena
Posted by: Elena | May 21, 2009 at 05:58 PM
best of luck! i've only completed about 6 or 7 days. you're right, the lemonade really isn't all that bad. once you get through the first few days, you won't really be hungry [it's mind over matter]. congrats on focusing on good health :)
Posted by: Cat | May 22, 2009 at 05:45 AM
WOW~
Good luck and lots of wishes. It seems real hard to me. (for me)
But I am sure that you will be able to do it just fine.
For me...would you let us know how many inches you loose?!?! thanks
Posted by: jules p | May 22, 2009 at 08:04 AM
Hey Carole!
I have to tell you again that I am SO glad you picked up the China Study. It has information that no one initially wants to hear (I almost went through a grieving process over eggs and dairy when I read it), but in the long run, it feels empowering to know that I can control disease by what I put in my body.
I have mostly stayed away from cleanses in the past, because they seem too extreme to me. I tried the hollywood miracle diet one time (which is a 3 day cleanse I think), and I lasted about a day and a half before I felt really really crummy. 10 days is a LONG time! I'll definitely be cheering you on (even if I think this is nuts!) :P We all take our own paths to figure out what's best for our bodies.
If you like cleanses, I have another one you might want to check out. I fell on it via a youtube video one day. It's called the 8-1-1 diet. From what I've been able to tell in (very very brief) research, it involves eating only one food for a week or more at a time. People have said it clears up all sorts of problems like skin, yeast imbalances, etc. Might be worth checking out. I would never do it, but that's just me :)
How did day one go?
Posted by: Kathy Daume' | May 22, 2009 at 08:07 AM
Carole,
Congratulations and I hope that it goes really well for you. I will be camping this weekend, but rooting you on from high in the Colorado mountains and I will check back in on progress on Tuesday! I too would like to know how many inches you loose during this process. That translates better to me than pounds anyway. I will be starting my own cleanse type thing in the next couple of weeks, so I hope your strong will and good karma rub off on me:)
Posted by: Darsana | May 22, 2009 at 09:54 AM
I'm tempted to do it with you, I've had a few freidns so this. You go, girlfriend! :)
Posted by: Melanie Muenchinger | May 22, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Good for you on wanting to be healthy. Aways remember there are no quick fixes in weight loss. It took time to put it on and it is healthy to take it off over time. Also, to build a healthy routine takes time, and is better in the long run because it lasts. I have been trying to loose weight since I was a teenager, and it is one of the hardest things, next to raising kids. Good luck! I hope the best for you.
Selena
Posted by: Selena Bennett | May 22, 2009 at 10:30 AM
All I can say girlfriend is more power to you! This girl couldn't do it. Not because I couldn't go without eating but because the brew would make me gag. I don't have a very strong stomach!LOL! Seriously though, I hope you reach your goal. I showed it to my husband and he had the usual man answer..."If you don't eat you loose weight anyways right?"
Enjoying your blog,
Posted by: Pam SCS-craftea19 | May 23, 2009 at 12:24 AM
GO CAROLE!!!! Sending encouragement your way and congratulating you on your initiative! Will follow your progress because I'm routing for ya!!! Good luck and here is to your healthy cleansing! :)
Posted by: Carol C. | May 23, 2009 at 01:47 AM
I could handle the drink, it's the whole salty water that would KILL me. I don't like getting sick and I go number 2 several times a day. I don't think I have EVER had the constipation problem! lol never! I get a lot of reading done at work and keep a Readers Digest in my locker...shh, it's my quiet time.
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Posted by: Cleanse Pro | November 20, 2013 at 03:26 AM