The Master Cleanse, also known as the Lemonade Diet, may sound too good to be true. Introduced by Stanley Burroughs in the 1950s, it is a detoxification program that requires drinking only a lemonade solution for 10 days. Although the program was not designed as a weight-loss tool, celebrities such as Beyonce Knowles and Jared Leto have used it to lose significant weight. Consult your doctor before using the Master Cleanse to lose weight.
Step 1
Eat only fresh fruits and vegetables three days before you begin the diet, says Burroughs in his book "The Master Cleanser: With Special Needs and Problems." Eating only living foods will help you ease into the diet.
Step 2
Drink only fresh fruit and vegetable juice, vegetable broth and water two days before you begin the Master Cleanse. Drinking only liquids will help you transition more easily to the all-liquid lemonade diet.
Step 3
Drink only fresh-squeezed orange juice and water the day before the diet, instructs Burroughs. This will help your body acclimate to drinking only citrus juice and water for the next 10 days.
Step 4
Drink as much lemonade as desired, approximately six times a day for 10 days while following the Master Cleanse, according to FitnessMagazine.com. The lemonade mixture will curb your hunger and provide minimal nutrients to detoxify the body. To make the lemonade mixture, combine 2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 1/10 tsp. cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp. grade-B maple syrup and 8 oz. of spring water, says Peter Glickman in his book "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days: Take Charge of Your Health with the Master Cleanse."
Step 5
Drink only the lemonade mixture for 10 days, then ease out of the diet. Drink only orange juice and water the first day after the diet, fruit and vegetable juices and broths the second day after the diet and only living foods the third day after the diet.
Tips and Warnings
- Use the Master Cleanse diet only under the direct supervision of your doctor. Eat immediately if you feel faint or woozy while you are following the Master Cleanse diet. The Master Cleanse is a fad diet that will not provide sustainable or healthy weight loss results.
- Stanley Burroughs was not a doctor -- he was charged with second-degree felony murder in 1984 when a cancer patient died while using the Master Cleanse under Burrough's supervision.
Things You'll Need
- Fruits and vegetables
- Fruit and vegetable juice
- Vegetable broth
- Orange juice
- Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- Cayenne pepper
- Grade-B maple syrup
- Spring water
References
- "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days: Take Charge of Your Health with the Master Cleanse"; Peter Glickman; 2005
- "Fitness": Celebrity Detox Diets You Should Try -- and Avoid
- "The Master Cleanser: With Special Needs & Problems"; Stanley Burroughs; 1993
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