Master Cleanse Forum - Master Cleanser Lemonade Diet

Hey All!

Tomorrow I embark on my very first MC and I am super excited but more than a little nervous! Aiming for 10 days, which I doubt will come easy, but I really feel it's what my body/mind needs! I'm 25, 120ish lbs and pretty active with yoga, hiking and running, but I've struggled with my weight and overeating in the past. I prefer balance over extremes, on the whole, but I really embrace the whole "reset" aspect of the MC and am all in for the ride. I recently read "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg and that really clicked with me and caused me to make some serious positive moves.

A little bummed to not be a part of one of the group start-dates, but I think the timing is as good as it could get for me, since I'm working from home, my guy is out of town for 12 days for business, and I currently live nestled in some stunning and very hike-able mountains in Norway. Since moving her from the states and several big cities, I've grown to enjoy my own company and the solitude of nature so much, perhaps most because it has forced me to sit with myself, listen, and confront parts of myself that I've long struggled with. It's been a beautiful, albeit challenging process, but I've never felt so present, open and vulnerable to whatever the Universe has to reveal to me.
Building up to this challenge, I've committed much more to my yoga practice, daily journaling, and vibing with nature through long solo hikes. I'm a pretty healthy eater, but I definitely overeat--even if it is just on hummus. I'm really hoping to use the MC to retrain myself to eat just as much as my body needs...not "live to eat". That being said, I find a great deal of pleasure in cooking and bringing people together through a fantastic meal and drink, so I think I'm going to notice a void there. I anticipate this will be my greatest challenge...no more cooking, meal planning, grocery shopping, and my favorite part; getting really creative and nurturing my loved ones with food for the soul. BUT...trying to keep in mind how much I will be doing for my body as it detoxes and resets, and inviting a full body-and-mind cleanse to wash over.

Okay, off to clean out the fridge! Freezing as many perishables as possible and saying bye-bye to the rest...it's all lemons and maple syrup from here on out! Going to drink detox tea tonight and SWF in the AM...wish me luck! Side-note: my partner is full-blooded Canadian so we are loaded up on maple syrup...SO lucky since it's like triple the price here...The little things!

Any and all advice/pearls of wisdom are SO welcome...As I said I'm a total newbie and I'm serious about making it!

DAY 0...

You're doing amazing so far! An empty house always makes it easier to do the mc. My guy is also out on business for the next week. If he were here, I wouldn't hear the last of how mc is so unhealthy and blah blah.

I think the best advice I could give you is kind of obvious: avoid pictures of food, avoid any food channels, any websites that have food etc. It seems like once I catch a glimpse of any type of food I start to drool, even if it's something I don't particularly like to eat lol

Also, make sure to drink the lemonade before you get hungry.

Good luck!

Thanks so much dreamchasing! Great to have an experienced "buddy" for the journey. Advice spot on too...I've already realized I need to stay off of my instagram haha

DAY 1:
Check! But the SWF didn't work and I spent the day feeling pretty um, "backed up" I'm pretty sure I know why, though...read the 1-2 tsp as tbsp and I used a whole tablespoon ugh. Not only did it taste horrible and dry out my lips, but was totally ineffective. GRrr. The other thing is I don't have the Smooth Move tea. I looked high and low but I can't find it anywhere over here so I settled for the Yogi Detox tea. Not sure how helpful that is. Gonna give the flush one more try but if it doesn't work I'm gonna cave and get laxative pills...don't love the idea but gotta get movin'!

Other than that, the lemonade is actually really yummy, I've been drinking lemon water with cayenne for a long time but the maple syrup makes it a million times better! Didn't feel hungry, but random foods crossed my mind and I expect that will *increase*

Day 2:
Just starting, did the flush a minute ago with 1 tsp salt and I absolutely choked it down...made me sweat and feel awful. Only been a couple of minutes but fingers crossed it works!!
Oh, and to add insult to salt ;P I actually weigh 1/5 kg more today, sigh. Makes sense with all the water/salt retention and lack of "excavation" but lame.


Have a good day, dreamchasing!

Day 3
Really great day! Woke up with a lot of energy and headache from yesterday gone. Went hiking with a friend...felt good to be more active. Getting a little frustrated by how it's effecting my social life (said no-can-do to a bunch of plans, including dinner party ) Other than that, doing okay!

Kep up the good work! It gets easier as the days fly by.

Day 4:
A little bit of a roller coaster...physically feeling great, have a lot of energy and feel very clear-headed, which has been a n awesome surprise. But feeling a little cranky. I was out for the afternoon with a friend and getting some serious cravings/envy. Basically, got grumpy that I'm so limited in what I can do etc. But as soon as I went to yoga and felt great it all felt worth it again. 4.5 lb loss doesn't hurt either

Day 5:
Felt awesome! Had so much energy throughout the day that I felt almost hyper! Hard to get over that I haven't had any caffeine at all. Starting to see and feel really positive changes in my body (-6.5lbs!) and that is seriously exciting! Day 5 I went to another very active yoga class and then went out for an art expo/dance party. I won't lie, I was still home before 11 when the crowd starting hitting the bar hard, but I still had a great time. Feeling like this is totally worth it

Congratulations...you are halfway done. I found that yoga helps me a lot during the cleanse.

Thank you!!

Day 6:
Woke up super early and couldn't fall back to sleep, so I spent most of the day kind of cranky and overtired. That brig said, still feeling pretty good and sticking to the MC to a "t".

Day 7:
I was a little wary of today because I read so many accounts that day 7 was a rough one for many people. Luckily, nothing crazy for me, although I do have to say I absolutely loathe the salt flush (although it works!). I think the key for me has been yoga. Went to a class and felt great. I've been trying to mentally prepare for wind in down (after the 10 days) and really make lasting changes/avoid a free-for-all after the cleanse. Cravings have been totally mental for me, and not unmanageable, but I really feel compelled to stay conscious of what I put in my body in a positive way- not turn it into an obsession or fear. I also want to keep the weight I've lost off for good and am a bit unsure of how my metabolism will react. If anyone has pointers I would welcome them!

Day 8:
Today has been the hardest for me emotionally. The cleanse so far physically has been pretty great, but now I'm starting to observe how vulnerable and emotionally raw I feel without the comforts I got from cooking, eating etc. My bf, who has been travelling for business, had a death in the family and will be gone an extra week. I desperately want to be there with him and his family and feel useless from thousands of miles away. I also feel guilty about how upset I am at the thought of being home alone for another week. I'm feeling lonely and stuck and low energy today. Trying to dig deep and figure out the core of how I'm feeling, but mostly I just feel sad/tired. Need some comfort so I'm going to hear up my next cleanse drink, see if that helps.

Day 9:
Bounced back on day 9! Felt much better, though a bit tired from a late night and some good conversation/TLC from my guy. Definitely helped. Day 9 spent going to yoga and having tea with friends, just what the doctor ordered. My body has totally adjusted to the cleanse and I feel normal, which says a lot because I normally drink a lot of coffee and I feel like I have the same energy now without it. I am, however, super excited to get back to a healthy diet. Though I don't feel junky cravings, I find myself totally salivating over the produce section and I've been daydreaming about the veggie broth soup I'm going to make in the next couple daysss . My weight seems to be leveling off (same the past 2 days) but that's okay with me since I started at 120 and I'm 5'3" and down about 8 lbs.

One more day til orange juice! Whoo hoo!