Master Cleanse Forum - Master Cleanser Lemonade Diet

It's been a little over a week since i've come off my 14 day master cleanse. The ease out period was going pretty good with the OJ for two days straight and raw food beginning the third day. However, later during the third day I ate a plate of chinese food for no apparent reason and it felt weird because I didn't crave it nor did I want to eat it but it was sort of put into a situation where I HAD to. Not saying that I was forced to do anything that I didn't want to do but it's a long story and I did eat it. It was weird though because I could feel all the food completely skipping my stomach area and going straight into my gut. It was a weird feeling. I felt bloated and constipated for a good day after that. Til the next morning I believe. For the next few days after that I would get constantly constipated off of eating any kinds of food. Mainly fruits and vegetables but it would all go straight to my gut upon which the next morning it would get expelled. I read up on drinking prune juice to help get your digestive system back on track so I drank a bottle of that and everything came back to normal. Now though, I spend most of my time binge eating. It's pretty bad. Some nights i've even eaten to the point where I felt like I would literally explode. Literally. It almost scared me. It's funny though because it feels like my body is telling me to eat all this food. It will let me know when it's had enough but even though it's full it will still tell me to keep consuming. Either that or it's just my mind playing tricks on me. It's weird how you can go from complete and total control of resisting the temptation of food and instant remission. It kinda sucks. I know that this too shall pass and as long as i'm paitient and slowly change my eating habits, things will return back to normal. I've pretty much only gained 5lbs total and counting since this whole binging episode. I've also read that when you go without food for so long, your body goes into a "starvation mode" which will cause you to binge after you start eating again because your body doesn't know when it will be needing the energy again so it's subconsciously preparing itself just in case. I don't say any of this in a negative way or to disprove the master cleanse because it does work and my tounge really turned pink after being fully cleansed and I have no intention or even the slightest bit of temptation to eat meat or any processed toxic foods but it really is something that you should be prepared for and know that it's more than just being healthy and losing weight. It can really mess you up in you're not careful. This is just my experience. I do have a question though... now that my digestive system is back on track, i've been eating lots and lots of fruits/vegetables/granola and taking fiber pills in hopes off losing this "gut"... except it's not a gut. It's like my whole abdominal area is just sticking straight out as if the whole area below the rib is a gut itself if you understand what I mean. I was just wondering if this could be a cause of fiber buildup or is it possibly muscle mass gain? My intestines being stretched out from all the food i've been stuffing into it? It just worries me because it's really uncomfortable and it makes me feel heavy. I hope to get back to the lightness and confident self image I had of myself during the cleanse and the few days after. The only way I can get back to that is by eliminating this binging and proper eating habits. I feel like my metabolism has slowed down a bit as well which I am trying to get boosted up again. Anyway, this is just my two sense and I hope to hear from anyone who can relate or has anything to say about this. Thanks!

livinglife, no offense, but it's so hard to read without paragraphs....

Paragraphs indeed. If you find yourself binge eating, what I always tell people is to eat regular portions of meals and then when you are still hungry, have a serving or two of lemonade. That way you're off the cleanse, but you can still maintain your weight and appetite cravings by using the lemonade.

Just use this method once you've eaten what should be a 'good' amount of food, and this will keep you from over eating.

If this bad relationship with food continues, I would encourage you to speak with a doctor about it. Bingeing can be dangerous, and your doctor could refer you to someone who could help you sort out the underlying issues.

What you describe about "starvation mode" is true, but you shouldn't experience that with the MC, unless you were taking less lemonades than you were supposed to.

Yes, your metabolism will be slower as you come off the MC. You should be having smaller meals than you did before the cleanse. Also, if you are eating lots of fruits and vegetables, that is a lot of natural fiber. If you are taking fiber pills, you need to drink a ton of water with them. Too much fiber without enough water will constipate you.

The way you describe your stomach sounds like you are bloated. This could be from your stomach not being ready to digest things. It is also possible that you have some food sensitivities that your body is reacting to more strongly than before, since it is cleaner.

Perhaps you could go on green smoothies or raw food for a week or two, then gradually re-introduce new foods, and limit your meal sizes.

Wishing you the best of luck. It isn't nice to feel out of control like that.

Probiotics could really be of help if you didn't begin that already.

Have to say i found part of your experience similar to mine. I did the 40-day cleanse a few years ago. Absolutely fantastic. However, intense life issues, including disability and caring for young children led me right back to my old bad habits and cravings.

Now that my legal case has settled, I am preparing for another 40-dayer. To me, the cleanse itself is easy...it's after the cleanse that really matters. I'm looking forward to a very different outcome this time around...for many reasons. Most importantly...being able to really center and be intentional about food.

Best of luck to you.

I agree completely with taking probiotics. It's very important. Plus, you might incorporate more fermented foods into your diet anyway, just to give it a break and keep the "gut flora" alive and happy. I also saw it mentioned that after eating something yucky you could do the lax tea and SWF the next morning...just to get it moving on out. I don't think I'd make a practice of it, but It would work in an emergency situation I think.

Acidophilus is also an incredible supplement that will greatly improve your daily bowel movements making you very regular. It's similar to probiotics in that it introduces good bacteria into the intestinal tract, and is probably a lot cheaper too!

Also, I forgot to mention earlier that psyllium husk works exceptionally well for having MC bowel movements, and you don't have to choke it down like the swf. Though the swf should still be done at least once daily, just alternate with psyllium in the evening or morning. However you prefer

Just thought I would share for those of you thinking of or currently using probiotics --- found a great product at Whole Foods Market last year after my first 2010 cleanse. Coconut Milk Kefir--- has 10 probiotics and it is non-dairy. Tastes Great too! Now, if only Trader Joe's would carry it! I find the regular dairy kefir to be kind of heavy and filling.