The Master Cleanse aka the Lemonade Diet aka the Maple Syrup diet hit the scene in 1941 and is still being used to this day.  The Master Cleanser by Stanley Burroughs was published in 1976 as a detoxification process.

I realize that so many people do the cleanse solely to lose weight.  When Beyonce needed to lose weight for her role in Dreamgirls, she did the Master Cleanse and lost about 20 pounds.  What people need to know is that the weight loss is temporary once you begin eating and drinking regularly unless healthy changes are made.  When I did my first cleanse, I lost 20 pounds, but I’ve been able to keep most of it off through lifestyle changes.

• To allow my body time to detox – With the Standard American Diet (SAD), most of us tend to eat a lot of processed food, fast food, overcooked nutrient deficient food, and meat.  It is a lot of work for our bodies to break down the food properly and as a result, many of us experience gastrointestinal issues such as excess gas, indigestion, heartburn, constipation, and other problems surrounding digestion.  Giving your body a break from excessive digestion allows for it to flush out toxins and detox.

• To jumpstart a healthy eating program – It had been said that when you do this fast, your tastes change.  Sugars and starches that you once craved turn into cravings for vegetables and fruit.  For me and many others, this was true.  It is definitely a great way to get started eating healthier.  After my first fast, I realized just how sweet things are.  Even now, almost 8 months afterwards, I still have to dilute fruit juices with water.

It is recommended that you do the cleanse for at least 10 days, but according to Burroughs, you can actually do it for up to 40 days.  I started out doing the cleanse for 10 days, but the results were so astounding that I extended it to 15 days.  When I tell people, they think I was starving and going out of my mind.  I felt hungry in the beginning, but by the 3rd or 4th day, I felt fine.  I went to a lunch meeting on the 14th day of the cleanse.  We went to a Mediterranian restaurant.  I drank water and felt just fine.  I didn’t feel hungry at all.

When you do the cleanse, one of the benefits is that you learn how strong you really are and how amazing the body is.  When you set yourself up to do the cleanse you think, “Damn!  Ten days is a long time.  There is just NO way that I can last 10 days without eating.”  Then you make it through the 1st day, the 3rd day, the 8th day, and finally the 10th.  By that time, you realize that the body can do a lot more than you thought it could.  It’s definitely a shot of confidence.

Currently, I am on the 6th day of my third cleanse.  Since the first one, I decided to do it once every quarter.  I’ve already lost ten pounds.  Most importantly, I feel great.  I am looking forward to what is yet to come.  Coming up: the benefits of doing the cleanse.  Be on the lookout!