Master Cleanse Diet Reviews

by Dr. Dan

What is the Master Cleanse?

The Master Cleanse Diet, also known as the Lemonade Diet, is a type of liquid "fast."

On this program you are to drink only a lemonade mixture for ten days. The mixture contains fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice, real maple syrup, cayenne pepper and spring, purified or distilled water.

You should not use tap (fluoridated) water on this program.

You're also supposed to drink a laxative tea or salt water at night and first thing in the morning. This is to flush toxins from your colon.

You do the program for a minimum of ten days.

Does the program work?

Proponents say it is not just for weight loss. It is supposed to detoxify your system and improve your health.

Detractors say it can harm your health and possibly cause lethargy, weakness and fainting.

Well, what's the truth? Read the reviews below to find how the Master Cleanse Diet worked for some people who actually did the program in real life.

Master Cleanse? Master Fail

by Jerri Tarantino

Lost and gained it back

I did the Master Cleanse diet for the recommended ten day period. While I lost seven pounds, I gained all seven back within a few weeks.

Not only that, but it was a miserable ten days. I felt hungry and listless immediately, and I experienced intermittent headaches.

Mood changes

Not only did these feelings continue throughout, but they worsened into a kind of depression. I only finished the ten days because of my stubbornness and unwillingness to quit anything.

The Master Cleanse is officially not a diet for weight loss, it’s supposed to be about detoxification. I didn’t really feel any less toxic when I was done, just grateful to get back to my normal routine.

The Master Cleanse involves eating no food, there’s a special “lemonade” mixture that provides all your calories for the day.

The taste?

The lemonade is disgusting. It’s made with water, lemon juice, maple syrup, sea salt, and cayenne pepper.

It tastes terrible. And that’s all you get to have, other than saltwater flushes and caffeine-free laxative tea (which was optional, thankfully).

Nutritional value

After doing this, I read up on the diet. The calories for the lemonade mixture come in around 900 to 1000 a day.

This is lower than most diets would recommend, and probably why I had problems with my energy level.

There’s also a real problem with the vitamins and minerals you don’t receive on this diet. It’s a “quick fix” diet that is potentially more harmful than helpful.

And I gained it all back, of course, and rather quickly. I would recommend a more traditional “lower calorie, high exercise” plan.

Amazing results with the master cleanse

by Michelle
(Las Vegas, NV)

Amazing kick start

While the Master Cleanse is NOT a long term diet, it is an absolutely AMAZING plan to kick start your weight loss, or to shed away those last 5 or 10 lbs quickly.

I have done the master cleanse twice, for 10 days each time. The cleanse consists of drinking 2 liters of “lemonade” a day, plus drinking water.

The lemonade is made from freshly squeezed lemons, REAL maple syrup and cayenne pepper.

Will power required

The cleanse does take strong will power, especially the first 3 days, which are the hardest. In my experience the the 3rd and 7th days are the toughest to get through, while days 4-5 and 8-10 seem to fly by.

I was a bit hungry the first 3 days, but by drinking the lemonade when I was hungry, and drinking water regularly throughout the day, it wasn’t too difficult to stay on track. It’s important to note that the cleanse DOES allow you to eat some vegetables if you feel you really need them.

Results motivating

I found that the results from this cleans were incredibly motivating. The morning of the 2nd day I was down 2 lbs, by day 5 I was down 7 lbs and by the time I finished the cleanse on day 10, I was down 12.5 lbs.

I went from a size 13 to a size 9 in 10 days! It was absolutely amazing.

Coming off of the cleanse, I believe, is the most challenging part. When you begin to reintroduce foods it’s tempting to eat everything in sight, because you have been deprived for 10 days.

What to do after the cleanse

You must must MUST watch what you eat after the cleanse ends, so as not to put the weight back on. I’ve heard many people talk about doing this cleanse and how the weight is just water weight and comes right back when the cleanse is over This is false.

I went directly from the cleanse into an Atkins diet and lost an additional 25lbs. It’s been 2 years and I have yet to gain that weight back. I would definitely do this plan again!

I do shortened (3-5 day) cleanses after the holidays every year, which never fails to take the 5lbs I inevitably gained (from all those delicious holiday treats) right off.

I highly recommend this diet, but ONLY if it is followed as planned, and ONLY if you feel you can maintain the weight afterwards.

Master Cleanse -- Hard To Stay On The Horse

by Loren
(Atlanta, GA USA)

Difficult cleanse

The diet I tried was the Master Cleanse diet. I choose this one after great recommendations from a few friends and family.

I myself was on the program for about thirteen days. It was one of the most difficult cleanses or diets I have ever done.

No food allowed

The "diet" consisted of a drink made of maple syrup and lemons. Although it did help curb the hunger, like it said it would, I was still left wanting to eat food.

It was really hard to remember that I couldn't eat solid food whatsoever, and after a few days I grew sickened by the smell of fresh lemons.

I had to buy about ten lemons per day, which meant I had to go to the store often, even though I wasn't eating, and at times was very hungry. That was extremely tempting.

Lasted 2 weeks

For the most part I avoided restaurants, because I'm pretty sure no one was serving the only drink I could ingest.

I was going to try to stay on this 'diet' for 30 days, but came off of it in less than two weeks.

There is also a tea that some people take with it. I instead used a salt water flush. I think the tea may have helped me stay on the diet a little longer.

The salt flush in the morning made me feel sick and made the program even harder to stick to.

Need to be prepared

I would do this diet again, but only after perhaps going on a juice fast for a week or so, and being more prepared. I wasn't exactly knowledgeable about what it entailed.

I would recommend it to anyone who wants a cleanse, who needs to remove toxins from their body, and is able to drink one thing consistently.

The Master Cleanse Isn't That Bad

by Michael
(Champaign, Il, USA)

Lose weight and detoxify

I decided to try the master cleanse diet for two reasons. One reason was to lose a little bit of weight. The other was to cleanse my body of toxins.

I decided to go the all organic route with my diet and the master cleanse was recommended to me by the health food store guy as a way to jump start it.

Didn't notice lack of food

I have to say I was worried about not eating anything. I didn't think that I would ever be able to do it, but after day two, I didn't even realize I wasn't eating.

The "saltwater flush" was just too much for me to handle. I did do it the first two nights but then just couldn't take it anymore. Instead, I just drank herbal tea.

Better sleep -- better digestion

I did end up losing about 8 lbs in the 13 days I did it. I had a lot more energy than I usually did and I slept a lot better at night.

I gained about 7 lbs back after a week of eating again but I still think it was well worth it.

I could definitely tell a difference in how I felt and how my body digested food. Even after the cleanse I felt really good.

I now do the master cleanse every six months. I would recommend it but I would be cautious about the saltwater flush...It can be rough.

One thing to keep in mind is that the master cleanse isn’t really a diet or a lose weight fast plan, it’s just what the name says-a master cleanse.

Master Cleanse very hard to stick with

by Susie Mae
(Orlando, FL, US)

Starving by dinner time

I have tried the Master Cleanse diet. I was on it for 14 days.

The ingredients are easy to find and it's a simple recipe to make. It was just very hard mentally to just drink the "lemonade" and nothing else.

I was very hungry on this diet. During the day I would feel OK but by dinner time I was starving.

Social situations difficult

I think if I didn't live with people that were eating it would have worked better. On a Master Cleanse you can only drink and you need to drink a lot to satisfy your hunger.

Its really a mental connection you must make to decide to not eat. On Master Cleanse going out to eat or having any social occasions is too difficult. People eating make you very hungry.

Temptations

It's not like you are eating a salad and everyone else is eating a steak. This is a fast and being separated from temptation is the key.

I would do this again but in private. I would do it when everyone was away and I could focus on myself and complete a longer fast.

I have recommended it to friends who do feel a little irritable completing it. It really is about self control. You learn you don't need solid food to survive.

Pleased With Master Cleanse

by Hillary
(Kansas City)

Jump starting weight loss

I decided that I wanted to do the Master Cleanse as a way to jump start my dieting program and get me on the right track to lose weight.

I did the Master Cleanse for about a week. It was definitely a good jump start to losing weight and getting in shape.

Not difficult -- not expensive

It is not hard or expensive to do. I did a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water. I thought I would get hungry and never complete it, but surprisingly I did.

I did eat fruits and vegetables while doing the cleanse, because I am very active and figured I needed some food to keep me going.

Salt water difficult to stomach

Every night you are supposed to drink salt water to aid in the cleanse. The salt water portion of the cleanse was probably the hardest. It tasted so bad.

I recommend getting a laxative tea. It will essentially do the same thing, but will taste much better.

Lost 10 pounds toward my goal

Again, I did the cleanse for a week and lost about 10 pounds. Along with the cleanse I regularly exercised.

I felt like it was a good start to reaching my goals, and was overall pretty pleased with the results.