Master Cleanse - anyone try it? Feedback?

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steveo27
steveo27 Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
Otherwise known as the Lemondae diet -- anyone try it?

I'm interested in doing a detox but I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried this detox method or any other detox methods. If so, what did you think?

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  • Jena_72
    Jena_72 Posts: 1,057
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    I was thinking about this just today! I have never done it either, awaiting advice....
  • servingthealiens
    servingthealiens Posts: 144 Member
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    I tried an acai cleanse the first time I did MFP.

    For me, diarrhea is not a healthy way to lose weight. :sick:
  • simplexserenity
    simplexserenity Posts: 116 Member
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    I've talked to many people who have done it and they certainly lost weight in the beginning, but eventually gained
    it back. I'd say It's okay if you're wanting to just clean out your system..but the results usually aren't long term. I could be wrong though, definitely not an expert but I was curious about it at one point and got discouraged when most of the people I knew who tried it gained the weight back.
  • aaddaammggoolleeaaffss
    aaddaammggoolleeaaffss Posts: 230
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    I've talked to many people who have done it and they certainly lost weight in the beginning, but eventually gained
    it back. I'd say It's okay if you're wanting to just clean out your system..but the results usually aren't long term. I could be wrong though, definitely not an expert but I was curious about it at one point and got discouraged when most of the people I knew who tried it gained the weight back.

    Ya my sister was talking to me about this every day, she said there is a guy at her work who does it every few months and loses weight but it comes back quickly.
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    What about simply eating healthy foods and letting your own body take care of what it does best? No real reason to detox your body it's simply a hype some get caught up in thinking after they eat junk detoxing will clean out the junk. Pooping...that will work too!:tongue::glasses: :laugh: that'll cleanse the body out naturally without taking drugs or eating funky crap to do it.
  • servingthealiens
    servingthealiens Posts: 144 Member
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    God. I just read more about this. People seriously do it?

    You take unnatural laxatives and give yourself diarrhea for 10 days, all the while chugging nothing but salt water, lemon juice, and hot peppers. What about vitamins and other nutrients? You're flushing them all down the toilet, dehydrating yourself, and not putting anything back in.

    Really? Seriously? This CANNOT possibly be healthy. At all. Ever.

    If you really were hell bent on doing something like this, I think a better way would be to take ONE cleanse, like the acai one I used, to make sure you're not backed up (it was one rather unpleasant day and then it was done), and then go on a juice fast for a few days. Make sure you vary the fruits and veggies you use to get all your nutrients, but that seems a lot more healthful than this. JHMO of course, but it seems just this side of a witchdoctor.
  • kelly_a
    kelly_a Posts: 2,010 Member
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    What about simply eating healthy foods and letting your own body take care of what it does best? No real reason to detox your body it's simply a hype some get caught up in thinking after they eat junk detoxing will clean out the junk. Pooping...that will work too!:tongue::glasses: :laugh: that'll cleanse the body out naturally without taking drugs or eating funky crap to do it.

    THIS, exactly! if you're eating and going regularly, um, that's normal and healthy.
  • NightOwl1
    NightOwl1 Posts: 881 Member
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    I had a friend who did this and found it worthwhile, but I definitely don't see how there's anyway this can be healthy or productive towards long term weight loss.
  • megalicious24
    megalicious24 Posts: 11
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    I actually did the Master Cleanse twice, the one thing I will say is that it helped me to not crave sweets so much. However, in the end it did not help at all. I first tried the detox when I was 18 and weighed about 190, mind you I am a girl and I am about 6 feet so that is only 5 lbs over the maximum that I should weigh without being overweight. Well by the end of the detox I lost 10 lbs, but within the next 4 months even with me eating my regular diet from before I ballooned to 230. I thought I did something wrong so at age 22 I tried again as I could not shed off this new found excess weight, well I again gained another 35lbs after I got of the diet. So at the end of the day at age 23, my weight tipped the scales at 287, and now I am 24 at just about 255lbs and just eating sensibly and exercising to take the weight off. To put it simply this detox did not work at all. I gained more weight than I ever needed to initially take off, and even with the weight you do take off at first it is because you are not eating. There is no intake of protein, healthy fats or good carbs, your body is going into starvation mode which in turn slows your metabolism. Please do not do this, I can tell you from personal experience it is not worth it. It does not detox you as I got sick after this, the weight loss is temporary as shortly after you gain it all back and then some. Do it the natural way, if you want to clean your body out eat yogurt, natural plain yogurt and let the cultures do what they do best.
  • Jena_72
    Jena_72 Posts: 1,057
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    God. I just read more about this. People seriously do it?

    You take unnatural laxatives and give yourself diarrhea for 10 days, all the while chugging nothing but salt water, lemon juice, and hot peppers. What about vitamins and other nutrients? You're flushing them all down the toilet, dehydrating yourself, and not putting anything back in.

    Really? Seriously? This CANNOT possibly be healthy. At all. Ever.

    If you really were hell bent on doing something like this, I think a better way would be to take ONE cleanse, like the acai one I used, to make sure you're not backed up (it was one rather unpleasant day and then it was done), and then go on a juice fast for a few days. Make sure you vary the fruits and veggies you use to get all your nutrients, but that seems a lot more healthful than this. JHMO of course, but it seems just this side of a witchdoctor.
    whoa I was just talking about water for 24 hours then back on the wagon of healthy diet and exercise now I must go google this too!:laugh: No WAY I am giving myself diarrhea!!
  • slansdown
    slansdown Posts: 94
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    I have ACTUALLY done this. I did it for 3 and 5 and even 10 days. It has always made me binge when it was all over. I have never lost weight on it. I do still sometimes belive in it, but I think that might be insane thinking to think that I can lose two pounds a day and then not gain it back in a couple days of regular eating.

    I did have a friend who had a juice fast day one day a week and that helped him lose weight, but he drank those high quality vegetable juices.

    Be careful with the idea that not eating at all is the solution.
  • wanderinglight
    wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
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    I did it for 10 days -- I would recommend it as a way to really learn what your body wants and to get away from bad-for-you cravings. Towards the end of the cleanse I was craving things like salmon, brown rice, strawberries, etc. I had no desire to eat sugar or any food that was bad for me. It was like my body had "reset" its desires.

    I had tons of energy when I was on it but I really didn't lose any weight at all while doing it. I think I must have been the exception rather than the rule...maybe I was in starvation mode. Regardless, it was very interesting to try it and to learn what kind of willpower I could call upon.

    However, do NOT do the cleanse as a way to lose weight. You gain it all back within a week of being off it, plus more.
  • steveo27
    steveo27 Posts: 7
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    Wow, thanks for the feedback everyone. Good to hear from personal experiences. I was thinking about trying it not to lose weight per se, but as a way to jump start my metabolism. But based on everything I've researched and what most people are saying, I might have to reconsider that idea. Thanks everyone.
  • blatantnarcisism
    blatantnarcisism Posts: 11
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    MasterCleanse is NOT for losing weight. It's to clean you out, to give your body a break from all the junk you've been eating and allow yourself to heal BEFORE you start losing weight.

    You lose 5-10kg of gunk from your intestines, retained water and VERY LITTLE fat. It is not a diet.

    Having said that, it's amazing. Try it. The salt water flush doesn't hurt at all, the way actual diahorrea hurts, and the drink is surprisingly tasty (a little tip: drink it hot. It tastes like butterscotch). And after the first day, you'll have more energy than you've ever had before.
  • jbqueen
    jbqueen Posts: 89 Member
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    I found WebMD's discussion of the Master Cleanse diet pretty thorough, and thought this was especially interesting:

    "The Master Cleanse Diet is supposed to "release years of built-up waste in just 10 days, while your energy soars."

    Yet, experts point out, the liver already detoxifies the body. Further, there is no medical evidence that fasting or "cleansing" diets actually rid the body of any toxins not otherwise discarded in bodily waste.

    "The suggestion that we are filled with toxins creates fear that drives people to these kinds of plans," says Michelle May, MD, author of Am I Hungry. "But in truth, our bodies naturally rid themselves of undesirable substances without any human intervention whatsoever."'

    Here's the link to the full article: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-lemonade-diet-master-cleanse-diet
  • rjlam
    rjlam Posts: 149
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    If you are truly interested in doing a cleanse, I recommend you go see a naturopath in your area. I see one and he has stated that cleansing is a good idea to once a year just like you would do spring cleaning. They way my naturopath does it is he take all of all the refine sugar and processed foods out of your diet. Your eating only whole foods. It's not easy at first but it does work and you feel a hundred percent better.

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