I tried fasting once, about two years ago. I wanted to make it three days for reasons I still can’t fathom, but I’m sure they were noble. For this, I allowed myself to have only mineral water and fresh fruit. No juice, milk, or any other kind of food.
I made it almost two days. It was rough. I felt weak and ferociously irritable near the end of the second day, and I told myself that I had enough and went out and got some vegetarian Pad Thai, spicy.
The Pad Thai thing wasn’t so smart. Like, at all.
What also doesn’t seem smart is the “Master Cleanse” diet that’s making quite a comeback with celebrities and those looking to shed weight quickly. The Master Cleanse is:
- fresh lemon juice
- cayenne pepper
- maple syrup
- water
That’s it. For 10 days (or longer) you suck down this gruel six times per day, get your whopping 650 calories, and miraculously, you lose weight, fast.
Gee, no shit?
People are losing weight on this not because it’s some amazing mixture that forces the pounds to come off via some metabolic miracle, but because they’re giving themselves a disciplined framework to consume far fewer calories than they normally would. It’s the transference of one basic, unappealing idea to another that has some pop culture appeal and mysticism surrounding it.
The science here is simple: 650 calories per day represents 32.5% of the “recommended” 2000 calorie diet for an adult male. Conversely, the Master Cleanse is a protocol that forces dieters to consume ~67.5% fewer calories than they normally would. So they lose weight quickly.
Wow. Imagine that. In other news, if you turn the lights off at night, the room tends to get dark. FILM AT 11.
Anyhoo.
Proponents of this diet say that after 10+ days on it, their skin is clearer, they have more energy, and they feel significantly better. That’s fine and well, but it’s not because the Master Cleanse is some holistic magical intervention: it’s because they’ve cut out processed foods and are staying far more hydrated than they normally would, avoiding diuretics like coffee and alcohol, and losing weight. The only thing mystical about the Master Cleanse is the misattribution of its results to the mixture itself, not to the fact that they’re losing weight and consuming what is probably a saner and more pure diet than they normally would.
I do think that fasting has its purposes, specifically to let the body receuperate from its daily digestive duties and to let the body detoxify itself. I don’t think it’s for everyone, and in fact, I think that it could have an overall adverse effect on your metabolism if you’re not careful.
Another problem with diet fads like the Master Cleanse is that they encourage such rapid weight loss that it’s simply not healthy.
Try telling that to the converts. Peter Glickman, the author of “Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in 10 Days,” is among them. Mr. Glickman, who at 6-2 once weighed more than 230 pounds, had already made over his lifestyle, going on a vegan diet and losing 42 pounds, when he came across the fast three years ago online. He lost 23 pounds in 20 days, he said. He sold his software company and went into the business of promoting the diet.
23 pounds in 20 days? That’s not a recipe for long-term weight loss: that’s far too aggressive and anybody will almost certainly rebound back from it to some degree. The recommended rate of weight loss is around 1-2 pounds a week, not 1.15 lbs. per day.
What Mr. Glickman probably really discovered is that there’s a huge market for shortcuts like the Master Cleanse, and he’s absolutely right.
It has proved lucrative. On his Web site, themastercleanse.com, he sells Burroughs’s original book ($8.95), his updated version and an accompanying CD ($31.95), and a master cleanse kit ($49.95; just add lemons). He wouldn’t give specifics, but said his book is in its fourth printing. “I just put in an order for 10,000 more the other day,” he said.
That’s amazing. Glickman is selling the most basic precept of weight loss (calories consumed < calories expended = net weight loss) to people who just don’t know any better and haven’t the compunction to engage and think for themselves.
The irony? They have the energy and wherewithal to investigate fad diets, but not basic nutritional principles like drinking lots of water, eating smaller portions, sticking to whole, unprocessed foods and eating more frequently.
It’s times like this that I think I’m in the wrong business.
89 responses so far ↓
themiddlemanager // December 11, 2006 at 2:03 am
Absolutely. Damn straight. You have hit the nail right on the head.
I am jealous I didn’t write this!
Keep up the great posts!
Jeff Ventura // December 11, 2006 at 9:06 am
TMM — thanks man. I appreciate your comments, as usual. Keep ‘em coming.
kystorms // December 30, 2006 at 1:42 pm
Great post ! More woman need to hear this message over and over, until it gets into our heads. The damage done to ones body by these fad diets sometimes take years to become obvious and by then it is too late. I know this all to well.
You were right about it being a short cut problem for many people, myself included. Its not that the work ( proper nutrition) is too hard, its that its discouraging to have it take so long to become obvious.
Kim Devonshire // January 8, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Living a vegetarian Lifestyle?
Some great Vegie Recipes available to complement your tips here:
http://vegatarian-lifestyle.blogspot.com/
Marlo Capps // January 12, 2007 at 2:27 pm
You must live a miserable life with such a negative outlook on such a positive cleanse. I take nothing you say to heart because you obviously are extremely naive and uneducated in nutrition if you do not see the benefits to this fast. Being a cancer survivor and now a nutrition counselor I find it unbelievable you could discredit it like that! There are many positive results from a fast like this and wieght loss is the least important of them. Woman do however need to realize this is not a quick fix for weight loss but most of us are smart enough to know that a ” cleanse” is not. A cleanse is a way to rid your body of accumilated toxins in the intestines and improve, skin, hair, memory, energy and digestive functions. Weight loss is just a added benefit! Its not necessarily that this cleanse is the ultimate BEST ever but it is healthful, tasty, affordable and easy to do. Most people get discouraged because there are so many rules and what to and what not to eat so this one is foolproof. Infact, you seem like just the canidate for this fast with such a TOXIC attitude!!
Jeff Ventura // January 12, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Marlo: Thanks for your feedback, but I have plenty of science that shows such fasting, especially injected into the life of someone who’s looking for faddish, rapid weight loss — is indeed a HORRIBLE IDEA.
Try to divorce yourself from the emotion and look at the facts, the science, and how companies are trying to sell only the results with no mind to potential risks and fasting safety.
In reading your comment, it’s clear you did not read my article in its entirety, nor did you follow the links therein. If you had, you’d understand that I’m not judging all fasting in a negative light.
Nadia // February 12, 2007 at 3:17 pm
I agree with Marlo… I don’t think the Master Cleanse will ever be a popular fad diet. Popular fad diets these days tend to be starvation, or cutting out all carbohydrates. The general population doesn’t seem interested in cleansing or fasting, in my humble opinion. Also, your post didn’t at all talk about the benefits of cleansing and fasting. Your post criticized the Master Cleanse as a ridiculous, unhealthy diet — and it’s not even meant to be a diet! Since most of our fellow citizens are not as interested as you or I in avoiding processed foods on a regular basis, I think it would be much better to be recommending and encouraging the general population to try a cleanse or fast once in while… Just my 2 cents.
Jaime // March 5, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Regarding fasting, it actually does have health benefits if done properly. However, if you would have talked to someone who has done it for long periods of time, they could tell you that the first two to three days are the hardest.
And if you’re fasting in order to detoxify, you should even be careful what fruit juices you drink. It takes approximately two weeks without food (read food, not restricted foods, food) before your liver will begin the process of detoxification. As someone who has fasted that length of time before, I can tell you that you feel terrible the first couple days, a little better by the end of the week, and remarkable by the end of the second week. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever felt better in my life. However, that feeling is temporary. Within a few days after that, your body will begin to break itself down in unhealthy ways. Regular long term fasts are not a smart thing if you’re trying to get healthy. It is much smarter to do targeted fasts. Cut a certain food out of your diet, and allow your stomach the three or so weeks necessary to adjust. After that, you will generally not enjoy the sensation in your stomach if you eat that food.
I have only done a two week, water only fast on two occasions. I believe it was worth it, and I felt spectacular for several days afterwards, even after resuming eating. But you need to take proper measures. Do not do this when you are working a job that involves physical labor.
Allow plenty of time for resting, not just sleeping, but resting. Make time for contemplation, meditating or praying in order to really feel a focus in your fasting. I find it best to replace meal times with meditating times when I’m fasting. That keeps me from “boredom hunger” and “habit hunger”.
Regards,
Jaime
Elisabeth Perkins // March 7, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Hi
I would just like to say that I fasted for 21 days last Spring 2006. My insides were clean as a whistle! I lost about 28 lbs, my skin looked great! But you have to listen to your body. About the 20th day, my body was telling me, it is time to eat now. The first couple days of the fast is terrible! Past the 4th day, it is okay, you dont miss the food that much. After the 2nd week, you gain incentive because you look and feel better than you have most of your life! When you break the fast, BE CAREFUL! Look for foods that are easy to digest and break down easily, like oatmeal, or soft steamed vegetables. Dont overload your body with meat and fat…your stomach will hurt and you will regret it! Learn from the experience and you will have done something very special!!!!!!! Liz
Fasters are stupid // March 14, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Golly, Elisabeth, your body told you to eat after 20 days? What are the odds? Fasting is just modern penitence, a way of punishing yourself for perceived indulgence. Cleansing is a crock too - your body already has an inbuilt cleaning mechanism (liver, kidneys, heard of these?) and any benefit is entirely the result of consuming less caffeine and saturated fats. You’re not a steel tube, you don’t need a good internal frisking with a wire brush to stay ‘clean’. Adopt good eating habits, stop being a slave to fads, be happy. And by the way, JUST MY TWO CENTS, why do idiots insist on putting that at their end of their brainless posts? Shit, no really? I thought maybe it was someone else’s opinion you were expressing, you spanner. Way to take ownership of your worthless drivel there, Nadia.
From Experience // March 18, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Obviously the previous poster calling fasters stupid is indeed several beers short of a six pack themself. People have been fasting for hundreds no, thousands of years for all sorts of reasons, spritual, clarity and of course, for their health (even Christ). Yes, your body does have its own cleaning system but in case you haven’t heard, they don’t always work too well, hence a great reason for considering a cleanse.
What it boils down to is that people must educating themselves to alternative methods of healing themselves. While I agree that it is senseless for people to use this cleanse simply because it will help them to lose a few pounds, unfortnately there are many who will but it is no reason to humiliate anyone.
I am a Southern Belle. I have been raised on fried/smoothered in gravy , filled with butter everything. It has been just recently that I learned that my eating habits are killing me and affecting my liver and kidneys. This is the way I have been raised and how I was raising my kids. I am just now learning how to prepare healthy foods without deep frying. I am learning to steam veggies and about proper eating proportions, things that I wouldn’t have ever known about had I not did this very cleanse.
Since completing my 21 days on the Master Cleanse, I am happier, I feel better and I am determined not to return to my former eating habits and my family will too be healtier because of these changes.
Cynic // March 19, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Try the master cleanse without draining your body of nutrients, in other words ‘consume your daily calorie intake’……..your skin should still feel better IF the ‘master cleanse’ is a detox cleansing aid!!!
T. Derscheid // March 21, 2007 at 9:53 am
I heard cayenne pepper is a thermogenic spice that helps you burn calories. Plus, it keeps Cajun vampires away.
As long as the Hacker Diet is available online, I don’t see why anyone would ever pay for a dieting book. Any diet that uses Excel is all right by me.
Jeff Ventura // March 21, 2007 at 10:19 am
T: cayenne actually *attracts* Cajun vampires. Milk repels them. And sugar.
Many Sparrows // March 24, 2007 at 2:47 am
A friend of mine told me about this “cleanse” as a formula to use when fasting for spiritual purposes. She said it works. I never tried it. I wouldn’t use it to lose weight though.
cajun vampire // April 2, 2007 at 2:03 am
jeff and T , cajun vampire here, Ran out of supply of cayenne, resorting to finding and suckin on dem heads of leftover crawfish, talk about butt burn sha’ next, i tink im gonna go try to get me sum of dem boudin balls, gimme a cleansin anyday! AHHHEEE!! bon temps rouler’
Eileen // April 2, 2007 at 5:02 pm
So….should I not do a 3-day fruit cleanse then?
I’ve heard and read about the master cleanse diet as well and it sounds too extreme for me, especially since I can’t imagine I’d look too healthy after 20-30 days of not eating, regardless of the magical powers of the lemon concoction (I mean really, should someone who is normal to low weight EVER really do one of these things??), but I AM interested in the effect a “cleanse” of some kind might have on my body. I decided that a fruit cleanse seems least ridiculous - fruit all day and a salad with raw veggies at night and lots of water (I found one version of the diet by Jay Robb where he pushes a protein powder drink along with the fruit, but I don’t get the point of or need for that, other than his financial gain).
Anyway - it seems doable and potentially cleansing to me, but is 3 days enough to cleanse anything really? I don’t eat meat or drink soda (diet or other) and I’m pretty junk food free all around, but I do drink quite a bit of alcohol and at least one cup of coffee per day. But if it really takes my liver 2 weeks without food to even BEGIN detoxifying, should I even bother? I don’t really have any desire to go two weeks without eating anything because I think I’ll lose too much weight and feel weak and grumpy. I had an eating disorder in college and it’s not fun.
Which begs the question, aren’t all of these totally foodless fasts just glorified anorexia really? How many women have gone or will go on this lemon water diet for 2 weeks, only to lose 10-15 pounds and then gradually become anorexic or bulimic for fear of gaining the weight back? A lot I’d bet.
Cynic // April 6, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Completely agree with you Eileen. You just gain all the weight back that much faster. I mean, it doesn’t hurt if you’re going to do the MC while you eat normally….even eating smaller portions than you normally would. Best equation I’ve heard for losing weight, calories in should not exceed calories out. So exercising seems like an advantageous alternative…..but solely for the purpose of detoxification, fruits don’t sound like a bad idea……..yummy, I’m going to go buy some apples *smiles*…..
gryegle // April 10, 2007 at 1:21 pm
You guys are very scary. You should go back to school.
Cynic // April 11, 2007 at 12:39 am
I just got out of with a bachelors! There ain’t no way I’m going back!
Jackie // April 12, 2007 at 4:39 pm
I’m doing the lemon fast right now, and I believe the body’s cleaning system should be treated just like any other filter, you have to clean it every once in a while, or it gets clogged up and can’t do it’s job as well as it should. With all the crap and additives in most foods today, how can it not need a good cleaning.
just my 2 cents
Cleanguy // April 13, 2007 at 10:09 am
The article holds two presumption that are false then draws all of its conclusions from them. 1. That it is a diet to lose weight. 2. That it is a fad diet.
If you read the master cleanse book it rarely mentions the fact that you will lose weight and when it does it states that it is only a side effect. Also, many, many people in incredible shape with little body fat go on this cleanse at least once a year because of its primary benefit: detoxification.
2. This is not a fad diet. The lemonade master cleanse book has been around for over 50 years and fasting itself, in many forms, has been around for thousands of years.
Go on the cleanse to do just that: cleanse. If you go on it to lose weight then immediately go back to an unhealthy lifestyle afterward then you’re probably doing more harm than good. But don’t listen to hacks like this guy who can’t even put together a logical, coherent argument.
Average Joe // April 20, 2007 at 12:58 pm
I am on my fourth day of the cleanse, after joining my girlfriend at her urging. My weight is normal, so weight lose isnt the big reason I went on the cleanse (some people here call it a “fast”, but I dont see it that way) but it made good sense to jettison some of the toxins stored in my liver and kidneys, not to mention bloodstream. We eat pretty good… no fast food or processed crap, and organic when possible. I wont say Im a saint though, as I indulge in tons of coffee and red wine, not to mention the occasional spliff. I can see the benifits of this cleanse, especially for those who need it, but I’ve decided its not for me. I constantly feel spaced-out and lack energy. I have an important job interview tomorrow and Im unconfident that I’ll be alert enough and ontop of my game while in the state I feel now. So its back on to solids for me.
Coma girl // May 7, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I have done it before for 10 days and lost 20 lbs. I felt so good…Especially because you know you are doing it to cleanse your body…..
I Am Blog // May 8, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Forgive them their crankiness and craziness for defending such a fast - for their brains are starved of nutrients.
The Diet Pulpit Wisdom or Wit? Master Cleanse or Master Foolishness? « // May 9, 2007 at 4:25 am
[...] May 9th, 2007 — thedietpulpit You decide - but here at The Diet Pulpit we agree with Graceful Flavor’s honest, straightforward review that this fasting diet regimen is definitely not a healthy way to [...]
thedietpulpit // May 9, 2007 at 8:28 am
Great post! It’s nice to see common sense being promoted, and fasting myths dispelled!
the phritzery » Blog Archive » a reasonable person’s take on the master cleanse // May 18, 2007 at 5:38 pm
[...] http://gracefulflavor.net/2006/12/10/master-cleanse-diet-back-in-vogue-with-in-vogue-defined-as-popu... [...]
Anonymous // May 26, 2007 at 1:14 am
thank you so much for this blog. i am contemplating the fast as a part of my desire to release toxins from my mind/body/spirt. your article helped me to realize i AM doing the fast for the right reasons. my prayer is that i can (1) detox my physical body and (2) realize a level of discipline that i can carry with me into all levels of my life.
David Levine // May 26, 2007 at 8:22 am
The anti-soapbox: was a vegetarian and food-worry-ist for much of my 20s. Gave that up.
It SO figures that this post draws the most commentary doesn’t it? We are terribly overwrought about what we put into our mouths. If only we cared as much about what comes out of our mouths. Insulting others’ foods and dietary practices is rude. We are a very adaptable species and can subsist on almost anything foodwise.
What a waste of energy! Eat whole, unprocessed foods in their seasons and stop worrying about the flavors and feelings. Drink and be merry. You will die some day.
To eat or not to eat, fast or not to fast. Being hungry won’t kill you, nor will sneezing, itching, or yawning. A scarily high percentage of the stuff sold in the supermarkets is barely of any nutritive value at all. It’s sold for our mouths and minds, not for nourishment. No wonder that diabetes is so much more common now.
Ben // May 29, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Here re some facts: The lemons act as an alkalizing agent..it allows your acid/alkaline levels to normalize.
The cayenne acts as an irritant to help loosen compacted feces in the intestine and eliminate them.
Think of your organs as a filter…they got clogged over time and need to be cleaned, much like a fuel filter in a car or an oil filter. The cleanse; not “fast”, does this.
To much emphasis is put on caloric intake; you forget the body also runs on chemical and neurological compounds…one example is the body’s ability to convert nitrogen to protein simply in the process of breathing air.
The cravings are not your body starving but the yeast in the body (usaually in the intestinal tract)which lives on sugar and will increase your cravings for sugar laden “food” while it tries to survive. It will die off usually in three to four days.
In the end , the cleanse allows you to reset your digestive system and you body in general( mind also) so that you can take charge of what you put into your body instead of the other way around.
Ben // May 29, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Here re some facts: The lemons act as an alkalizing agent..it allows your acid/alkaline levels to normalize.
The cayenne acts as an irritant to help loosen compacted feces in the intestine and eliminate them.
Think of your organs as a filter…they get clogged over time and need to be cleaned, much like a fuel filter in a car or an oil filter. The cleanse; not “fast”, does this.
To much emphasis is put on caloric intake; you forget the body also runs on chemical and neurological compounds…one example is the body’s ability to convert nitrogen to protein simply in the process of breathing air.
The cravings are not your body starving but the yeast in the body (usually in the intestinal tract)which lives on sugar and will increase your cravings for sugar laden “food” while it tries to survive. It will die off usually in three to four days.
In the end , the cleanse allows you to reset your digestive system and your body in general( mind also) so that you can take charge of what you put into your body instead of the other way around.
David // May 30, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Don’t get me wrong, I think that not eating is as great as eating. No pain, no gain. It’s polarizing cause we love to eat and are trained to perceive hunger as painful.
But where are these “compacted feces” supposed to be? Please see pictures from my colonoscopy. While this post was intended to be funny, I am seriously asking- where is this compacted fecal matter supposed to be, really? I think that some of these ideas about clogged organ-filters and poison laden tissues may actually be somewhat mythological. Even though a fasting cleanse or a cleansing fast would do anyone good.
hina // June 5, 2007 at 3:57 pm
i hate these fad diets, i hate how people believe that there is in fact 10 pounds of bile sitting in your colon when under a sonogram you mmay some mucus discharge but there IS NOT ten pounds of anything stuck in your body and i see so many girls doing diets like this…the first attempt left me with oral and optic ulcsers…NASTY! and the second attempt made all the doctors in my house (my entire family) frown in disgust at my stupididty…my only reasoning is that i am skinnier than them…all these diets bring the weight back!!! unless like many i know you STARVE AFTER!!! for weeks and months…and lord knows what other drugs they abuse to keep the weight off! its dangerous….take a colon cleansing cyle if you want! drink a ton of water…but this shit…its bad fo you
V // June 8, 2007 at 4:17 pm
personally i think Dr. Burroughs is right…With all the processed food and herbal substitutes. God made us and he supplied all of our needs so we should dig into reality and know that if its not grown from the earth then its not for us. I totally agree with Dr. Burroughs God made no mistakes! and if we want to live longer we have to eat right not foods with added supplements but foods that naturally has those supplements
V // June 8, 2007 at 4:20 pm
oh yea excuse me for any typos I’m am in a rush! God Bless you all and have a great weekend!
... // June 11, 2007 at 7:20 pm
I’m going to try the cleanser. At first it was just to lose weight, but let me add that im nothing close to an angel, but I have a lot of faith in God. This is why im going to do it to prove to God that i have strenght and to clean my body, after that I will begin my life fresh.
angela // June 26, 2007 at 6:07 pm
I am on day two must say I could eat all around me now, but I do agree we do need to cleans the body. Just going to do five days
lisa // June 27, 2007 at 11:51 pm
master cleanse is not a FAST, it is a system cleanse, to rid your body of parasites and putrefied waste. it is a detoxification program, its ingredients meant to loosen and break up stored waste
steve // July 5, 2007 at 2:39 pm
think i’m gonna try it. i hope this works for me.
andrew // July 20, 2007 at 3:06 am
The master cleanse actually came about as a cure to ulcers. He is very clear on the point that it is not a reducing diet. It is to detoxify from the top down. You guys should read his stuff before you go off half cocked.
kris // July 26, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Facts:
1) the body cleanses itself…no need to go on a special diet to do that
2) depriving yourself of food is stupid and unhealthy.
3) losing weight is easy….just eat right and exercise.
4) anyone who participates in a diet like this is just plain ignorant.
ME // August 1, 2007 at 1:53 am
Kris,
I’m not so sure youknow what your talking about. The FACTS you have come up with aren’t FACTS at all.
The body does cleanse itself to a point. But, when people put too much crap in their bodies their system cannot rid the toxins as fast as they go in.
Todays world is choosing crap to put in their bodies like cigarettes, drugs, fast food, perservatives. This is not natural!
Depriving yourself of food isn’t unhealthy if you are doing it for the right reasons! Maybe you should try it not mock it!
As a mother of two children, losing weight isn’t as easy as eat right and excersise. Again though, the master cleanse isn’t meant for weight loss, just an added bonus. Read the book. The original one.
Thousands of people try this Master cleanse and never has there been reports that have said it to be dangerous.
Dan // August 6, 2007 at 2:56 am
I did it and I feel like I have learned a valuable life skill. It was of great benefit to me.
Ryan // August 9, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Is there any actual medical evidence that this cleanse does what it claims? I don’t ask this rhetorically; I genuinely want to know — cleanse proponents, please cite peer-reviewed studies that state:
-what, specifically, are these “toxins” and “parasites” that you refer to, and how much of them have been found to have been removed from people who have done the cleanse?
-how much “compacted feces” is stuck inside the average person, and how much of it has been found to have been removed from people who have done the cleanse?
-on what scientific medical basis do you make the claim that the average person’s organs need to be periodically cleaned “like a fuel filter”?
-in what specific ways have people who have done the cleanse been found to, in fact, be “cleaner”? Again, please cite actual test results and studies … not anecdotal evidence like, “I felt cleaner.”
Thanks
Hollie // September 15, 2007 at 11:55 pm
The only people who nay-say the master cleanse are people whom have not tried it. If they had tried it they could not deny the old fecal matter and mucous that they would see comming out of them after 10 days of no food.
Having rotting fecal matter and hardened mucous stuck inside of the intestines is detrimental to the health and the mind. Of course these people aren’t going to be thinking clearly, that is probably why they speak with so much ignorance.
The master cleanse also provides more nutrition than the average american meal. Also, it isn’t like the body can take in nutrition with hardened mucous coating the intestinal walls.
To everyone who is against the master cleanse: What do you guys think that beer and pot bellies consist of?
Lisa // September 16, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Gandhi fasted for non-violence and oppression of his fellow people. People are doing this master cleanse for what purpose? Narcissism? Ahh the depth of American culture.
Lisa // September 16, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Oh and Holly have you ever looked up someones rectum? I have, its called a sigmoidoscopy. It’s done after a clear liquid diet and 2 fleet ememas. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there aint no shit stuck to those walls. Ghead and stave yourself honey. Look where it got Terry Shivo.
peris // September 17, 2007 at 12:02 am
Depending on weight, at any given time, human beings are carrying 5lb - 20lb of waste in their colon. Not much is required to verify this, patients take about a gallon of laxative (golytely?) and need to have been on a non solid diet for some time. Ryan, any medical doctor can verify this information for you, the question is are you comfortable with your 20lb waste?
peris // September 17, 2007 at 12:03 am
ps. I meant to say patients take this laxative before a procedure or surgery
Humble Bee // September 19, 2007 at 2:43 pm
In all the articles and blogs I have read I have found way more in favor than against doing this fast. The body is made to fast and the testomials are undeniable. On every blog page and article like this one that allows comments you will find cleansers that have done the program and swear by it from there results. To help understand some of the misinformation I have posted this blog entry of the Master Cleanser in the Media…
http://www.humblebeehealth.com/humble-bee-health/master-cleanser-in-the-media
The Diet Pulpit » Blog Archive » Master Cleanse or Master Foolishness? // October 3, 2007 at 6:05 am
[...] decide - but here at The Diet Pulpit we agree with Graceful Flavor’s honest, straightforward review that this fasting diet regimen is definitely not a healthy way to [...]
NILE BREWER // October 13, 2007 at 2:23 pm
I AM ON MY FOURTH DAY ON THE MASTER CLEANSE. I ALREADY EAT VERY HEALTH BUT I WANTED TO TRY IT. FUNNY ENOUGH IM NOT TIRED OR HUNGRY AND I FEEL GREAT. THE THIRD DAY WAS A BIT TOUGH BUT WITH ENOUGH WILL POWER YOU CAN DO IT. WHATS SO BAD ABOUT AMERICANS DIETS IS ALL THE GM FOODS. I CANT UNDERSTAND WHY AMERICA IS THE ONLY WESTERN COUNTRY THAT ISN’T REQUIRED TO LABLE THE FOODS. THE COMPANYS DON’T WANT IT LABLED BECAUSE THEY KNOW WE WONT BUY IT. AND IT WONT BE MORE EXPENSIVE BECAUSE WE ARE THE CONSUMERS AND OVER TIME THEY WILL HAVE TO PRODUCE WHAT WE BUY. THE PEOPLE HAVE MORE POWER THAN YOU THINK. YOU JUST HAVE TO STOP LISTENING TO WHAT IS BEING SAID AND LOOK AT WHO IS SAYING IT. DONT LISTEN TO THE MEDIA WITHOUT A BACKUP SOURCE AND DONT TRUST SCIENTIFIC STUDIES IF THERE PAID FOR OR SPONSERED BY ANY COMPANY WITH A $$$$$INTEREST. WISE UP AND IF YOU WANT TO DO A CLEANSE TRY IT, TRUST ME IT CANT BE WORSE THAN WHAT A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS EAT EVERYDAY.
Robb // October 16, 2007 at 3:24 pm
I just finished my 10th day and I will say I have not felt this good in forever! I don’t know how much weight I lost, I don’t even own a scale. I do know this, I am well over weight and have very little will power against the pangs of hunger. In the last 10 days I have not felt hungery. Every time I felt hungery I would take a drink of the cleanse and the hunger went away. I was skeptical about this, but after over 20 people I know did this and told me it was great, I decided to try it. If you have not done a 10 day fast before, you shouldn’t comment on what you don’t know! I think most people that are negative about it are making an excuse for why they can’t do it.
Master Cleanse a.k.a. lemonade diet - some more information « Constant State of Flux // October 16, 2007 at 4:07 pm
[...] is looking at - the Master Cleanse. There is a hotbed of controversy surrounding it too, if gracefulflavor.net’s post is anything to go [...]
jay // November 8, 2007 at 10:17 pm
I m doing the master cleanser, i take 6 cups for the day but then i eat once a day at night before taking the smooth move laxative tea.
I don’t know if it will work for me but i m pretty sure i m losing some pounds. I can t do it with my two kids exhusting me.
I need your opinions, Advices.
crack // November 10, 2007 at 2:02 pm
I am currently doing the fast and its great…maybe before you judge it you should try it…all the negativity you have would probably be eliminated if you did!
teryn // November 10, 2007 at 2:15 pm
WoW! It’s so funny to see people mock what they don’t understand. To all the people saying that fasting is stupid maybe that adjective would describe you more than fasting. I feel like the people bashing this diet are obviously people who don’t have the wil power, or determination to stick with anything that takes work so they in turn bash the diet. As some one who is currently doing the fast I agree with the comment above, you cannot judge something until you try it. Maybe what doesnt work for you works for others who have strive and determination. Also you might want to review the facts that uneducated people like kris have put up. Sweety a fact is something proven by science or testing, not the opinion of an asshole like yourself.
Dru // November 18, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Just a comment:
1) The haters are probably the one’s that have 4 big macs and DIET soda thinking that will offset the 200g of fat.
2) Who here has the credentials and where are the clinical studies dis-proving the benefits of fasting.
3)
Dave // December 2, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Seriously, this is starving yourself. You are only ingesting 600-1000 calories a day. The question is whether this short term starvation is really that negative for you body in the long term. I have done the MC several times, for myself, its a system reset. . no processed sugars, no caffeine!!!, no alcohols, no dairy hormones, etc. etc. Take a break from all of those addictions and additives we are flooding our body with, give the liver and kidneys a chance to repair themselves. For me, I feel better during and for several months after doing a MC, and I do loose some weight. . 10lbs in 10 days (but 5 are gained back within 2 days, i.e. water), but it is not the point! Its a physical and mental break from our routines of eating/drinking junk. For long term weight loss/control you must eat a proper diet, PERIOD. If you need to have a firm/structured detox and diet reset period the MC works wonders!
Darlene // January 3, 2008 at 1:40 pm
How much of the ingredients do you take? how much lemon juice, etc.
Spiritual option // January 5, 2008 at 4:35 pm
As an educated Christian woman I have found these posts very entertaining…and interesting as all of you have very strong opinions. The thing that has most sparked my interest is all of the scientific debate. Although educated, I cannot make any statements based on science as I have not the background nor desire to acquire such information, however common knowledge would tell anybody that the body cannot “filter” out everything that one puts into it, that the human body does harbor toxins which would seem to be less healthy. We all know that there are things that are not good for our bodies and when one takes too much in the result is poisoning…that is what intoxication is. Although I can already feel the debates of some of you who would state that our bodies are able to bounce back, at times they are not hence such diseases as emphysema and liver cirrhosis which lead to an untimely death. Um, and overdoses would also fit in here.
I would like to argue that our bodies can be, and in most circumstances are filled with toxins of some sort, external pollutants, stimulants, etc. Because of this it must be important to cleanse the system once in awhile. My problem with this is who knows the right way to do this??? Who or what institution has the ability to say what is exactly needed or right for each of us?
My thought would be that only one’s self in accordance with their education and spiritual affiliation could determine the appropriate bodily cleanse for themselves. Here is an excerpt from Martin A Shue on fasting:
Fasting to many is simply going without food. However, fasting is much more than that to the Christian. The Holman Bible Dictionary defines fasting as “the laying aside of food for a period of time when the believer is seeking to know God in a deeper experience.” You see in these times of fasting we are to be seeking God, if not then we are doing little more than dieting. It is recorded throughout the Bible of how men and women and, in some instances, animals fasted. Fasting has played an important role throughout history. Most often you will find fasting linked with prayer. Because it is through our time spent praying while we are fasting that we draw closer to God.
For me the MC is what it is…With prayer a spiritual cleansing of the body. Without prayer a diet.
Depending on your needs, cleansing or weight loss, the MC is or is not for you…but that is for you to decide, not anybody else.
“It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”(Luke 4:4)
~*~ // January 5, 2008 at 4:47 pm
WATER: 1 quart of water. Should be spring water, filtered water or distilled water.
LEMONS: Juice of two freshly squeezed lemons or three limes. Lemon helps food move through the stomach, it’s a natural antacid because it helps the stomach’s natural bicarbonate work; people who wake in the morning feeling bloated and nauseous and can’t face breakfast should drink lemon in water. It cleanses the liver and increases expectoration and thins mucus.
MAPLE SYRUP: 4 teaspoons of maple syrup. Maple syrup contains an abundance of minerals. This is used for calories and sweetness.
CAYENNE PEPPER: ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper warms and improves blood flow to the hands, feet and the internal organs. It also relieves gas and colic. Cayenne pepper stimulates the secretion of digestive juices, treats infections and stomach ulcers that are caused by a bacteria.
juandeet // January 13, 2008 at 1:37 am
someone is grossly misinformed: the master cleanse (lemonaide diet) doesnt use regular maple syrup, it uses organic grade b syrup which is chock full of vitamins and minerals..also lemons and limes are the greatest source of vitamins and minerals known to man…its a wonderful cleanse and cures many things..also eliminates parasites…WHICH WE ALL HAVE SORRY TO TELL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
Time to fast, detoxify, and lose some weight! « Qban066’s Weblog // January 21, 2008 at 4:01 pm
[...] The Master Cleanse Diet - Popular Among the Ignorant! [...]
Earl // January 21, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I don’t get why people are so angry about it. It’s not a fad diet, it’s a fast for a short period of time. It’s not dangerous and it has many benefits.
Bob // February 15, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Had stage four inoperable squamous cell carcinoma.was given months to live (at Best!)
That was in Feb of 2006.Fasted for forty days on water only. Not any more dangerous than dying of cancer. Still alive two years later and in great health. living, loving, laughing. As a Mensa, I find it amusing when someone who offers no academic credentials and no published studies to back his “opinions” calls others names. I would encourage all close minded persons to continue not fasting thus allowing natural selection to make more room for fasters like me!!!
Twiggy // March 29, 2008 at 3:07 am
Well frist off the master cleanse isn’t some ‘fad diet’ it’s been around since the 70’s and is just recently receiving alot of publicity. The master cleanse also isn’t supposed to be used for weight loss and people who use it for that purpose are fucking idiots. No it doesn’t clean every toxin out of your body, however afterwords your body does feel healthier and cleaner. As a person who has gone on it and had fantastic results [I also have friends who've experienced good results] I must say it works. I felt healthier, my joints didn’t crack nearly as much [unlike normal joints mine crack over and over again without a 15 minute waiting period], my digestive system worked better, my skin improved, and my desire to eat ‘junk’ food was gone. After doing the master cleanse I found it 10x easier to stick with my vegan diet and it really improved my health.
still goin strong // March 29, 2008 at 5:47 am
well im only on my third day of this cleanse and so far so good. i mean it is tough with all the cravings and stuff but i know it will be worth it later on. For those people who call this “starving yourself”, its not really. i think i know when im starving myself, and to tell the truth, i havent been hungry at all. the lemonade is just like food in liquid form, and it has all the nutrients you need.
and to be honest, all i’ve been experiencing is positive effects from the cleanse and im feeling better than ever. so if when im in my 80s and suddenly this cleanse comes back and bites me because i “starved myself” , so be it. i guess its all part of the experiences of life.
Michael // March 30, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Lemonade does not provide all the nutrients your body requires so support a healthy metabolism. Who told you that?
You won’t experience severe hunger because, obviously, you are still filling your stomach. Jeff was referring to the clinical use of starvation, namely, a reduction in nutrient and energy intake. Just because you are feeding your mouth doesn’t mean you’re feeding your body. Where is your protein and calorie intake in lemonade?
Go on this diet for a year and I’m fairly certain it will end abruptly.
And what, precisely, are you cleansing? Can you please further qualify your “positive effects from the cleanse and im feeling better than ever” ? I’m not trying to be antagonistic, I’m just academically curious…
Lastly, the freedom (I assume you live in) allows you to do whatever you want
If it indeed makes you feel better, then shoot, go ahead and enjoy!
Michael // March 30, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Pardon my typo: “Lemonade does not provide all the nutrients your body requires to support a healthy metabolism.”
Hoblit // March 30, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Michael: The rules of this cleansing recommend it for 10 days and only up to 40 days maximum. It is not meant to go for a year. Therefore, nutrient intake is only meant to sustain you for as long as you are fasting… not a minute longer and certainly not for a year.
I’ve read all of these comments and I’m no closer to knowing exactly how this cleansing works on a scientific level. It just seems like the people who are against it just bash it AS A DIET (which it isn’t really) and the people for it are only providing testimonials.
I would like to see a doctor fully explain what your body is doing in detail and what benefits this provides along with analytical information about what is bad about it. I can’t seem to find THAT information anywhere on th net.
CURIOUS COLLEGE GIRL // April 1, 2008 at 11:36 pm
im a freshman in college, and of course the “freshman 15″ caught up with me being that i was very active in high school. now i sit in my room and study and eat whatever i can get to. im dieting and excersing now, but the results are taking forever to show. the MC sounds really interesting because its not a diet but a cleanse..and i think my body could use a cleaning. I dont really know much about this but im willing to give it a try.. CANT KNOCK IT UNTIL YOU TRY IT!!!
Michael // April 5, 2008 at 9:59 pm
I understand that the diet is meant to sustain you for the period of the fast, but that’s misleading, to me. It doesn’t sustain you, your body’s lipid reserves sustain you, and the stuff you drink makes you not keel over with abdominal cramping.
Also, many people have said that this diet isn’t a diet. I don’t get that either. A diet is not a “method to loose weight”; a diet is “the things you eat” and that’s the way I use it.
And I do somewhat agree with the “can’t knock it till you try it” attitude, but in a similar vein, I’m not going to try crack just so I can knock it
Yes, yes, I know it’s an extreme example, I’m not a conservative alarmist, I’m just saying…
I also want to make it clear that I don’t mean to attack you people who are trying this, I’m merely stating my opinionated objection to the diet (in the “things you eat” sense) itself. Like I said earlier, if you do it and enjoy it and find some benefit from it, enjoy!
fatgirlwantstoloseweight // April 12, 2008 at 11:27 pm
i wanna lose 15lbs…im starting tomorrow
camerron // April 15, 2008 at 5:30 am
please any one ,is it alright to take fruits during this period of the cleans?because i have been taking some paw paw and mangoes lately.am actaully on my fith day of the MC and the third day was hel for me .thank God i feel realy great
Astride // April 19, 2008 at 2:02 am
First to Michael - “Diet” are the things you eat, but it’s also the things you eat on the daily baisis. A diet is part of your long term lifestyle. That is why the master cleanse can not be a diet, it’s a program desinged for a specific purpose and it has an end period. Stanley Burroughs created the master cleanse with the intentions of ridding toxins out of your body. I agree with the writer of the article, this is not some great miracle, but very few things are. It’s as simple as a guy stumbling across something that works for him, and he writes a book to share it with others, it could of been you or me, but it wasn’t. Now, of course poeple are going to use it for other purposes like finding a quick way to lose weight. It’s classic, once something is created, it takes a life of it’s own.
I myself started this cleanse in order to lose weight before I see my family. I can tell you I was the least likely person to do well on this program. However, now that I’m ending my 8th day, my reasons have changed. Before I get to that though, let me make one thing clear.
I do not think this cleanse is for every one. I wouldn’t tell anyone to do this because this is the sort of thing that is based on a person’s physical health and their emotional, and psychological state of mind. The master cleanse should be a person’s personal choice. Any person who is considering doing this cleanse, should do as much research as possible, read the book, talk to different people, and listen to the pros and cons. People with any medical problems should see a doctor. I understand perfectly well why this sort of program would not help many people, and in some cases it might make things worst for them.
However, here’s my experience. I was all about the weight lost, and I noticed I wasn’t losing it as fast as I wanted. At first it was a little dissapointing, but some how I kept going. Now I understand things about me I never understood before. First, I have great will power, me who can’t say no to anything that looks good, free food, or alcohol, I did all of that in the last 8 days. I can say no to bad food and alcohol. For those of you who never struggled with food, you might not understand this. People always say, ‘just eat less,’ yet if it was that simple no one would struggle with weight, or health issues. Just last night I was at a meeting, where my peers were eating a steak dinner in front of me that looked very good, and I was indifferent to it. I acknowledge the food was there, and that it smelled and look good, and then I realized I didn’t want it.
That’s the other thing I learned, to listen to my body. Often times you think you want something, or that you’re hungry because others are eating, or the time seems right to eat, but the body really doesn’t need anything. I’m learning to understand those moments.
I”m very proud of myself for how far I’ve gotten, because it took a lot of streangth. I believe in myself, because I’m flexible, adaptable, and I can survive any situation. You may think its crazy for me to feel all this just from not eating for a few days, but the feeling is priceless, and all worth the cleanse to me.
I respect those who would never do this, and think it’s dumb. But what you guys have to understand is that the cleanse is also about changing your attitude. Those who “fall for it,” are allowing themselves to think in a more positve way, whats so bad about that? It’s like that movie Corina, Corina, when the father tells the little girl that God and heaven is something people make up to make themselves feel better, and the little girl asks “What’s so bad about that?”
If the cleanse helps certain people gain control of their life and what they eat, then so be it. Those that have a bad experience, will continue searching for the thing that will help them focus thier life, weather it be a cleanse, another diet, religion, sports, politics, a hobby and so on.
Those who don’t agree with the cleanse, that’s cool too, just do your thing, and allow others to do theirs.
Astride // April 19, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I spelled weather, like the temperature outside, when I meant whether, oops…
Astride // April 19, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I wrote that entry in a moment of passion for the topic and sleepiness, excuse any errors, and I hope it still makes sense.
The person who wants to do it only for 3 days…here’s why it might not work. While on the cleanse, there are different stages. If I had stopped after 3 days, believe you, me, I would have eaten every bad thing on sight. The cravings were the highest on the first 4 days. Now that I’m on my 9th day, I am calmer, and when I think about eating food, I think about eating healthy.
Also, if you had an eating disorder, and you still struggle with that, you might not want to do this. Especially if your reason is to lose weight.
I hope that helps.
Devine // April 26, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I am going to be starting tommmrow. I am soo excited!
For all the people who knock it, unless you have something postive to say - which is why were reading this - just shut your trap nobody cares what you think about this diet.
Go eat a big mac.
And fantastic job to everyone whose working there toosh off to better there body!
woot!
Some One // April 27, 2008 at 10:07 pm
You know… you kind of come off as a dick. I know that you’re stating the obvious above, but you do it in such an arrogant way that it shows you think you’re better than others. Kind of an unfortunate situation because you’re not. Douche
Wisened // April 29, 2008 at 10:06 am
Hilariously enough, those of you on your “I’M A FASTER” soapboxes continue to do a slam bang up job of discrediting yourselves with comments like “Go eat a Big Mac”. If statistical analysis of the current American diet serves, you put YOUR Big Mac down just about, oh, yesterday—in favor of a diet that is basically an insult to the years of nutritional study the scientific and medical community has done.
All of you doing it for “spiritual reasons” and real detox, please raise your hand. No one will see you. My guess, 9 out of 10 of you kept your hands down because you’re doing it to LOSE WEIGHT. As usual, you’ve been goaded by the media and gossip to take the easy way out. It’s very convenient that this MC has all of the public attributions of pure angelic reasoning so people can pretend that they are the true reasons behind enduring 1/3 of the BOTTOM line of caloric intake…vanity rules, but calling it religious or medically helpful is a nice cover.
Listen. I’ve tried this. It’s fine. It’s honestly not even that difficult, or it wasn’t for me of small willpower. BUT: You’re playing at anorexia for a couple of weeks, your body starves REGARDLESS of the “minerals” in maple syrup and lemons, your metabolism all but shuts down (regardless of any exercise you can pull off while you’re starving), you crap out anything that CAN come out…you break the fast, you eat again, you gain it all back.
It’s fascinating to me that the same of you who would tsk tsk at a stick thin celeb while chiding her anorexia are the same people who would jump on this “cleanse” faster than you can say Hamburgler.
I did this cleanse to lose weight. No spiritual crap. No detox, although it was a nice bonus. After about 5 days, I realized what a jackass I was. Sure, I took weight off, like probably 95% of people do. Not that damn hard when you intake 600 calories a day, is it? But I realized that it was a fool’s game I was playing—how nice it would be to lose 20 pounds! How horrific for my newly purged spiritual self to GAIN IT ALL BACK. Having an already compromised metabolism was also enough to smack myself back into eating.
So instead, I ate nothing all week, for the most part, but greens (anytime I wanted–big salads, cooked broccoli, spinach, green beans, onions whatever), protein at one meal (fish or tofu), tons of water (I still had all those effing lemons to use too)…that’s it. Was it healthy? Feck no. I was still at about 800 calories, son. BUT these calories were, at the very least, varied in the nutrients they provided my body. I walked an hour a day. I drank my morning coffee. I still did the morning flush because well, why not. It worked nicely.
I lost more eating this way than the MC. It stayed off. I was able to transition from it into my usual vegetarian diet, minus the occasional junk food binges (then again, I DO still sometimes eat GASP fat!!!) and a lot less wine.
Whatever. Do what you do, people. But for your “God’s” sake, PLEASE stop touting this like the answer.
Ignorant and uneducated adults and teens run with this crap. Most of all, it’s largely ineffective for the reasons the majority of people use it.
Nope. The Master Cleanse is new fad. It’s an old book recently resurrected publicly (by whom? CELEBRITIES WHO WANTED TO LOSE WEIGHT FAST). It’s been around, quietly, for many decades. Then again, so have eating disorders.
shaniqua // May 5, 2008 at 7:07 pm
wow thank you so much, i was talking to my friends today about going on the master cleanse but now i realize what a bunch of rubbish it is. Im so happy theyre people like you in this world to help people like me realize weight loss is not rapid and correct but slow and correct
Jocko // June 12, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I have a problem with the fact that everyone keeps referring to a cleanse as a diet. A diet is a way of life, a cleanse is a temporary change of state.
I also dislike the fact that there is the broad ranging assumption than anyone who has cleansed is some sort of sheepish bafoon who can’t think for themselves.
There’s as much misconception the in the anti-cleanse statements being made on this page, as their claims make about pro-cleanse statements.
But thanks for the calorie math, that’s really what I came here for anyway.
Stop hating and let people live.
Anonymous // June 23, 2008 at 11:15 am
I’m on the master cleanse now (day 4) for the second time in five years. I have to say that all the “master” haters on this board make me laugh. I feel fantastic. I’m a slim, healthy, active, vegetarian who loves her coffee and and the odd pint. I do the master cleanse because after a few years of London life, full time work and fun my body enjoys shutting down for ten days, resting it’s digestive system and detoxifying. I feel energized, focused and rested. Yes there may be many other ways of detoxifying your system, but after forty years, two degrees and mucho life experience I’ve found that this is what works for me. If it seems ridiculous to you, than don’t do it. SIMPLE.
EmpiricalThoughts // June 24, 2008 at 5:05 am
Basically we have the “have done it” and the have “not done it” people. The one who have done it enough to actually have an effect( probably about 4 or 5 days) will praise it. The ones who have not done will put it down to the ground.
I was off open mind a few years ago when I tried it didn’t know what to expect, but tried and only did it for five days. It was still enough for me believe. I had this ugly cyst on my arm for like 15 years and would you believe the darn thing went away. I was in shock. My body absorbed it. I also did have my skin looking alot better in only about 5 days. What we don’t see here is whats going on inside your body. If your skin is clear that means your body is working better.
FASTING is an age old method of clean the mind and body.
This master cleans is an extension of that. I see nothing wrong with. My grandpa recommended Lemons for all ailments. he lived to be 96. His father 105 and did the same. Cayanne pepper has know for years to be a Native American herbal remedy. Anyway too much to talk about here. What I do love about the power of the internet. Is the power of consensus. Through much empirical data we will get to a general understanding of what works and what doesn’t. This definitely works. Don’t knock unless you do.
Haritini // July 9, 2008 at 12:20 am
Can anybody answer the goddamn question?
is there anything you can eat during the diet?
Some say you can eat some raw fruits and veggies…is that true?
Master Cleanse Weight Loss Is a Scam! // July 17, 2008 at 10:51 pm
You said it… It’s a scam! Total scam! You are just starving your body, because the only calories you’re getting are from the maple syrup (no, Haritini, you don’t eat anything else). Plus, you’re flushing out all the good bacteria from inside your intestines, which actually makes you more likely to get sick, instead of healthier, like they claim.
Dan // July 23, 2008 at 8:34 am
Funny you should trash the Master Cleanse, but endorse the equally idiotic myth about drinking lots of water. We all have our little religious beliefs.
Leave a Comment