Master Cleanse Forum - Master Cleanser Lemonade Diet

Hi,

I am starting (more like restarting) the cleanse. I have had moe than a few mis-starts. I've done the cleanse successfully once for 10 days. I'm aware of the mental stamina you need for it, so I think I am prepared.

This time around, I'm attempting 20 days. I want to primarily lose weight. I haven't taken a picture of myself or allowed people to have me in a photo for 5 years because I don't like what I see. I have promised myself that after i lose the weight I will get a few pictures taken with my mom.

I am on day 3. So far I have not cheated. The last few attempts, I would sneak a cracker or some small nuts and just tell myself "it's okay" , just keep going. It wasn't okay because it was a slippery slope.

I am determined to get through it this time and try to drop the flub around my stomach and the back fat. I would also love to lose it in the face area. I hate the look of my double chin.

I just keep reading the success stories and blogs. There is not too many current blogs, so if you are reading this and want to join me, feel free to post a reply. I can use all the support I can get.

I don't know my start weight.

My current weight is 142.5
Goal weight is 120

Great job so far! This also day 3 for me. I have also had my fair share of mis-starts but I'm feeling strong. I aim to go for 27 days this time. Feel free to reach out to me for support.

Happy Sunday,
Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth,

Thanks for the response. That's great that your doing 27 days...if your ever get a moment when your tempted just write me, I will help you get over the hurdle.

So far day 3 is going well for me. I'm not feeling hungry. It's just that when I go out, I have odd cravings for just one chip or one nut. I keep telling myself it won't hurt in the long run, but in the past it has been my downfall. I am determined not to cheat. I once heard a saying ....if you truly want something you won't cheat.

It's a true statement.

I've been sitting at home today because I didn't want to go out and get tempted, but I need to face the outside world. I will just keep repeating the above statement to myself.

What are your goals for thus cleanse?

Have a good Sunday:)

My main goal for the cleanse is to lose weight and to get my eating habits back on track. Last year I was doing very well and lost about 45 lbs. However, I gained it all back and am now right back where I started again. Along the way I have developed some really negative relationships with food - especially sugar - and have fallen into spouts of binge eating. I am hoping to use this cleanse to reset my eating habits in a way. I am about 170 right now, and I would be very happy to get below 150 during this cleanse.

I definitely understand the temptation to cheat. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to start a cleanse in the morning only to sabotage it by the evening. For me it is never just a couple of bites, but turns into entire meals. Personally, I like to keep in mind what I really desire for myself vs. what my primal instincts are telling me. The book 'Brain over Binge' describes this concept in more detail, but the more animalistic part of our brains can send signals to the 'higher brain' in order to fulfill our innate desires to eat large amounts of palatable foods. However, it is the 'higher brain' that actually makes the conscious decisions to walk to the kitchen and consume food. Sometimes it can feel like the urge to eat is so strong, but is not all-controlling.

I have been continuing with the normal routine even though I'm cleansing. Last night I event went to a restaurant with my friends, but I just ordered coffee (I'm continuing to drink coffee on the cleanse). I find that it can be harder to just stay home because I get bored and my mind instantly turns to food.

I don't think I've successfully gone past 3 full days, so right now I feel good but I am trying to maintain motivation. Do you have any advice for getting past the 3-4 day mark?

Hi Elizabeth,

Thank you so much for sharing. Everything you said reasonates with me. Especially the part about being able to get through the day and then wanting to nibble at the very end of the day. Like you my nibble turns into full on meals and i take it further by throwing in dessert!

This time, I am more determined not to give into temptation and practice some much needed willpower.

Here are some tricks that I have been using to keep myself going, maybe one of them will work for you.

(1) I drink the LA warm. As in I boil water and wait for it to get partially warm and then make myself one cup at a time. I will stand there and close my eyes and chug it down, because I don't want to sip it. I usually follow the glass with a couple of chugs of water. The water always tastes refreshing. I keep a 1.5L water bottle full of regular water to drink with the lemonade. Every time I drink lemonade I drink from the water bottle too. Try to finish one bottle a day.

(2) whenever my mind goes into that place of "I just want to nibble" or "eat just one cracker/chip/nut/whatever", I tell myself to have a glass of lemonade and if I'm still hungry after it, then I can have whatever I was craving. I find that this works on me because as soon as I have a glass, I'm full. I also don't want to eat after a glass because I feel like if I just went through all that it's wasted for a nibble of something that will set me back to square one. Just the idea of having to start all over after one nibble is discouraging enough.

(3) I find that after I drink a glass, I usually have to go the bathroom within an hour or so. I try to hold out as long as possible. The longer there is pressure on my bladder, the less I think about eating. When I reach the point that I can't hold it anymore, I go to the bathroom. Once I go to the bathroom, I tell myself to go make another glass and drink it. Then I start that cycle all over.

(4) I haven't done the SWF yet. I will start it tomorrow. It's not too bad for me, I just haven't done it yet this time because chugging down a litre of water is something I just don't want to do right now. I've promised myself that I would do it tomorrow, because if I really want to lose weight and get through this cleanse, then I will do everything it takes. Including the SWF.

(5) I am avoiding watching tv as much as possible because it seems like every commercial break has a food commercial. When I do watch tv , as soon as a commercial comes on, I distract myself. I will walk upstairs, then walk downstairs until my husband tells me the show is back on. I think to switch it up, I'm going to try to do some mini exercises during the commercial breaks. Do some push-ups and bicep and tricep curls. I'll tell you how that goes tomorrow.

(6) I am avoiding the mall like it's the plague. Every time I go to the mall, the food court just beckons me. I've decided that till I finish the cleanse , no mall for me. If I need to buy something it will be through eBay.

(7) I've stocked up on the ingredients. The next time I need some lemons or maple syrup I'll just ask my husband to go in and get it for me. I wait in the car. The grocery store is also not going to be my friend during this cleanse.

(8) I am constantly thinking about some of the foods that I miss, whenever I start going down that route I tell myself to have a glass of LA. It's usually enough to deter me, but if I keep thinking about it then I force myself to drink a glass. That usually squashed my desire for the food.

I know it's challenging, but together we CAN do this. YOU can definitely get through this. Your almost done day 3 and you've made it through some of the most challenging part. Don't give up. You are going to feel great once your done and you will love fitting back into some of the things you haven't worn in a while.


Hopefully one of my suggestions helps.

Thank you reading, it really helps to have someone doing this with me. I don't feel totally alone:)

These are great tips! Thanks so much. i have never thought of drinking the lemonade warm. This would be a nice way to change things up.

I have not been doing the SWF either. I tried it one day but it was intolerable. I was gagging while drinking it and didn't even make any bowel movements afterwards. I have been using the senna tea and laxative tablets.

I think the past couple of days have been more difficult since I have had time off from work. If I am busy my mind tends to stay off of food. Hoping this next week goes well for both of us Have you been exercising during your cleanse?

Hi,

Drinking it warm is nice, and I find it goes down a lot easier.

When I did the cleanse the last time, I felt like gaggging the first couple of time I did the SWF,
But I used the same trick. I drank it warm and told myself I was drinking soup broth.

I haven't exercised yet, I am gearing up towards it. I'm going to start slow.

Have a good week. Will write more tomorow

Today is day 4. A little disappointed because I haven't lost much weight. Two days ago I was at 142.5 and today I'm at 142. This just renews my determination. I AM going to lose the weight!

I did the SWF today. First time doing it on this cleanse. It wasn't horrible. I drank as much water as I possibly could right after. It really does make me full. No craving or desire to eat anything after it.

I'm doing the SFW at dinner time because I find that is when my resolve is at it's weakest. As soon as my husband comes home from work and starts eating something, I want to eat too. Drinking the SWF curbs that for me.

I found that today I didn't drink much LA, but I wasn't really hungry. I'm not having any serious cravings either. I am trying to force myself to drink more LA but I just don't want it.
I drank an additional litre of water on top of the 3 glasses of lemonade. I'll try harder tomorrow to drink more LA, just can't bring myself to do it today.

Today is day 5. I cheated today. I'm not going to make excuses. I'm disappointed in myself, but I refuse to give up.

I realize that I need to drink more LA . I wasn't hungry, I think I was just dehydrated and instead of forcing myself to drink lemonade, I gave in and started to eat bread. Which led to more food. Sigh...this is a little frustrating.

I also need to work on my patience. I think one of the things to realize is that the weight didn't just come on overnight or over 20 days. It came over a period of years. While the idea of getting rid of the unwanted weight over a short period of time is enticing, I need to be patient with myself. It's okay if it does take time. I just have to keep trying and not give up.

I get caught up in all the other posts where everyone is losing at least 1lb a day, but I realize I can't compare. Just stick with it and get healthier and lose as much as my body will lose.

Hi,

Today is day 7. I'm not quite sure if I should change it to day 2 because of my slip the other day.

For my sanity I'm going to day day 7.

Yesterday was good. I fell down some stairs and cut my lip, thought it was my karma for cheating. My husband pretty much quashed that idea.

I've been continuing with the SWF, and i have been able to do it. Today I switched it up a little bit. I decided to try drink 4 glasses (1 litre) of the lemonade in one shot. I was able to do it and i found it easier then drinking a cup every couple of hours. I don't mind the lemonade but it's something that I don't exactly look forward too. I think I'm just tired of drinking it all the time. It's easier to just do one litre at a time and get it over with. In between, I just drink water.

I also decided to stop weighing myself every day because I get discouraged when I don't see the numbers dropping. I think I will just weigh myself at the end...although I am tempted to just step on the scale every once in a while. As long as my jeans can button up, I feel I'm on the right road.

Hi house2016,

Keep up the good work! Day 7 is a huge accomplishment.

I had a mess up this weekend so today is my day 1 (again). I am extremely frustrated with myself but I'm trying to move on.

I also find it not very productive to weigh myself daily. I can begin to become obsessed with the number I see rather than how I look or feel.

Hope your weekend is going well!

Hi,

You and me both. I fell off the wagon this weekend too. I am restarting day 1 just like you;)