Master Cleanse

Master Cleanse

So I'm very close to turning "twentyten" (if you know what I mean) and have become obsessed with changing to an ultra healthy lifestyle. I won't promise anything but I'll try to stick to it. I've been going nonstop to the gym and I feel the need to get a  six-pack before I turn....you know...haha... After long hours of cardio, combat and steps classes I felt I hit a plateau. Looking for ways to change my belly to actual abs I came across the Master Cleanse. I had heard from it a long time ago but have never had the courage to do it. So after a lot of online research not only did I got convinced to follow the detox but I became aware of the benefits of living as natural and organic as possible. That doesn't mean I won't ever have a burger or a pizza but I'll commit to eating as healthy as I can. Believe me, after 10 days of spicy lemonade I can do anything I set my mind to. I did not have any doctors consultation but I strongly recommend it if you want to be sure.

First of I want to clarify that the Master Cleanse is not a diet. If you want to permanently lose weight you need to make changes to your current diet and exercise more. It's a matter of calories burned versus calories consumed. The reason why I stress this out is because if your plan is to lose weight and you do the detox but go back to your regular lifestyle you will not lose weight. So be sure what your intentions are with this detox. For me I wanted to detox my body to start eating better and healthier and just get all those chemicals from the processed foods out of my body. So now to the cleanse.

For the 10 day cleanse you'll need 2 liters of grade B maple syrup (I used C because it was the only one I had available and it says it's even better), 30 lemons, cayenne pepper and at least 20 liters of water. Everyday you'll prepare a lemonade with 60 ounces of water (10 ounces for individual servings), 3/4 cup lemon juice (2 tbsp for individual servings), 3/4 cup maple syrup (2 tbsp for individual servings) and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (1/10 tsp for individual servings). Some people put less maple syrup for weight loss but since I just wanted to detox and reprogram my stomach I did it as suggested. I prepared the full amount in the morning so I got that out of the way. My one mistake on my first day was that I put the cayenne pepper in the whole batch and it got so spicy I could barely have any lemonade that day. Heat was coming thru my ears!! Next day I read some more and found that the best way to do it was to serve the lemonade in a cup and put a bit of cayenne pepper to the serving and drink it as fast as I could so I didn't have to taste that strong spicy flavor. Worked perfect for me for the next 9 days!

So besides the Lemonade every morning you have to drink a salt water flush (SWF), 16 ounces of water with 1 tsp of uniodized sea salt and 16 more ounces before you go to sleep. The first day I tried it I was so disgusted I  couldn't swallow it and completely lost my appetite. I read some more and found that I could substitute it for a laxative tea or psyllium husk. I found this info from an e-book that I'll be happy to send you. So I substituted it for the tea. By the fourth day I thought I could give the sea salt a try again so this time I put the salt water flush (SWF) in the microwave as was recommended and drank it really hot. It was like drinking soup less the good taste but it was swallowable. So I stuck to SWF in the morning and tea during the night. So pretty much besides that I only drank water during the day and could handle it.

As you may see I read many blogs, posts and websites regarding people's experiences with the Master Cleanse but here I'll post my own. The first day is the hardest because you are completely changing your diet in one day to only liquids. There is an easy three day in that I'll be happy to send you if its your interest but I decided to not do it and just do the cleanse. After the first day it was reasonably easy for me. Every time I felt hungry I would drink my lemonade followed by water to fill up. Sometimes I would take some psyllium husk pills (which are permitted) to fill up. Yes, for those wondering about the bowel movements, I had at least three of them a day every day. Amazing I would still get them eventhough I wasn't eating any solids. That confirmed me of the amount of old solids you retain in your stomach. 

During these ten 10 days I went out to dinner with my hubby and friends at least 5 times that week and felt empowered by the fact that I could see my favorite foods and I didn't feel like I had to eat it. It gives you an amazing sense of ownership and empowerment.  I felt I conquered and I had achieved some sort of mind over body control. I also did some type of exercise every day. I alternated between  gym classes and running or power walking and felt completely full of energy.

One thing that actually helped me was not to tell a lot of people because I didn't want any lectures. At the end it was a matter of trying to be healthier and achieving and completing a goal and I didn't want anyone to interfere. I did have some amazing support from two amazing friends (Tia and LaShon) and my husband, who didn't like the idea but was completely supportive of  me. Something else that might help you is to start on a Monday. I started on a Thursday and had two weekends in between which made it extra hard. Make it easier on yourself so you will only have to go thru this on one weekend. Sooooo, would I do it again? Most definitely at least once a year and I'm even thinking of doing it two days a week. If you decide to do it just let me know how it goes for you and feel free to contact me for questions or support. ;)