Master Cleanse Forum - Master Cleanser Lemonade Diet

Hey, just a quick note from me -- I really haven't been feeling well yesterday and today so I'm going to keep it short to just check in, and Abbey Lee, I'll respond to your awesome last post tomorrow, hopefully?

So yeah, this flu has been kicking my ass with fun new symptoms every day. Yesterday was nausea and headaches along with the chest and sinus congestion, and I hate to say it but I had to take some medication and I needed some crackers to keep it down... On the plus side, while I really wanted to ravage my pantry or limp to the store for something more to eat, I stopped at crackers, so yay?

Today I'm on track -- so far so good, anyway -- but the strong desire to give in and get some comfort food is there as well.

No weigh-ins to report, I really wasn't up for it.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in to say I'm still at it -- and I hope you are too!

Aww Huge Hugs New Beginning! Seriously now …. no big deal to eat a few crackers instead of your whole pantry so yes yes yes YAY! Good job. Seriously. I hope that the medicine helps you very quickly. It probably will.

When I had my black-plague, faux-staph, alien-being lymph node thing I had to take a really mild antibiotic and it was no joke that I needed food to keep it down. It is very apparent if you ever have nuthin in that stomach that the antibiotic will paint strip your entire intestines. And then it runs, not walks, to the nearest Exit with a maniacal laugh at the end as it yells, "I pity the Foo' that didn't eat a few crackers!"

I am still over here on Day 7 or 6.5 and I am on Drink 5 <u>in the last hour<u/> cause I am starving and starving and I do not trust myself to move from this sofa or go anywhere near the kitchen. Holy Hell, I am hungrah! Stupid everyone that I have to cook for, too! hahaa idiots. I hope it is clear that I drank now … six drinks in one hour. It was that or make myself a cake. And eat the food I cooked for the dog. And eat everything else. I do envy those people who are just able to strip out their entire kitchens when they fast. Who are they?

Ugg.

So I over exerted myself and only had 3 drinks in me and walked off to go thrift today and then carried it all home (so so heavy) Did I mention I only had 3 drinks in me at the time. Things spun. Like the whole golf course I walked by was spinning. It's funny how looking at 500 clothing items crazy fast while other Vultures like yourself pick thru clothes and then a three mile walk … will take it outta ya. (I mean I got great stuff, no regrets, but … I did feel particularly stupid as it was raining and I exhausted myself before noon.)

So my plan is …. not to do that again.

Luckily it is about to rain again and I feel like I can just snuggle down here on the sofa and not move.

In other news, I forgot to say that yes I have read the book "Clean." It was one of the very first I read now 5-ish years ago before a juice fast turned me into a Raw Vegan. I remember liking the book.


Feeling slightly less frantic now that I consumed a Roman Empire Serving Size of Lemonade. Made with limes and grapefruit, but … yeah. Lemonade.

I am doing ok. Except I want to eat the paint off the walls.

Get well soon New Beginnings …. rest! Sleep if you can! So sorry you are poorly! Check in when you can. I'll be over here talking to myself, walking in a circle with only one shoe on. ANOTHER great motto sentence for describing what it is actually like to do that Master Cleanse.

A few positive remarks cause the negatives are pretty much a given.

It's only been 8 days. Eight days, in the grand scheme is a blink of an eye.

I can now stand up straight. I mentioned how hunched over I felt. My career as a Church Bell Ringer (Hunchback of Pasadena) is probably over. I actually felt like I had swallowed a basketball that was red hot and had spikes on it. So that is gone.

My weird lymph node red angry scar scab thing is going away, I feel like soon it will vanish.

I'm getting physically smaller every day. The jeans that I custom fit to me on the second day, now are loose boyfriend style. I mean. Remarkable size loss. The calves I had made a bit too tight (accidentally) that 2nd day and I remember thinking that one really weird part about my size loss weight loss is that the calves lose weight and size almost last. But today the jeans are not loose there, but not tight. That probably makes no sense. *swigs more lemonade here …*

Abbey Lee, I'm glad you're hanging in there and seeing positive results!

This will be another quick post from me to say I'm still at it, just not up for posting much with the flu-related brain fog. I intended to weigh myself this morning, but when I woke up I had some hot herbal tea for my throat without remembering that I wanted to get on the scale first. So, maybe tomorrow?

Cheers, all -- keep up the good work!

I’m resurfacing from the flu—I’m still not 100% but I’m getting better. I’ve managed to stay on the cleanse and I’m so glad for that. My chest and sinus congestion are bad enough that I’m still annoyingly sedentary but maybe by this weekend I’ll be up for going to the gym.

Because I’ve been ill, I haven’t been terribly mindful of what day I’m on, but I did the math and today is Day 9, and as of this morning, I’m down 13 lbs. I should be super excited about that but I guess because I’m feeling impatient about getting over the flu, I’m impatient about the weight loss and I wish I was further along. I realize what a ridiculous statement that is but I just want to be transparent about how I’m feeling. I think it’s because I’m repeating ground I covered recently: Not that long ago I was excited about having broken into “onederland”—and now having to do it again so soon afterward is frustrating. I wish I was tacking this 13 lb. loss onto my low weight in November. But in trying to turn this into a positive, I’ll use it as reinforcement that I’ll never be at this weight again. My frustration is giving me resolve to keep going—and hopefully I can ride this wave for a while.

One thing I find helpful on this journey is to continue to learn more about healthy living. Last night I watched a documentary about a man who did a 55-day water fast, “Facing the Fat.” It was an interesting look at how he handled the fast emotionally and socially—and less so about the science of fasting. I related to a lot of what he went through but my takeaway was that I do not want to be like him anymore. I don’t want to be overweight, I don’t want to be fighting this fight anymore, and I want to be the healthy, fit, athletic person that I know is inside me, currently buried under too much fat.

The other thing that struck me is that this man, who had well over 100 lbs. to lose, seemed to recognize that he needed to exercise, and he seemed to uncover some of the traumatic life experiences that caused him to put on weight but in the film it didn’t seem like he had a plan to work through those issues in a therapeutic way to get to the other side. I want to put myself on a path where I’m not only understanding why I gained the weight but to also heal those emotional wounds so that I don’t do it again. The exercise piece is a little easier for me: I have sleep issues, so when I exercise I sleep better and that alone is a great motivator for me. My improved mood, or being fit enough for hiking trips I want to take are other strong motivators. The thing that got me off track with eating and exercising over the past few years was my misplaced dedication to my job that caused me to work too many hours, not leaving time for the gym or planning and preparing healthy meals. And I can’t let that happen again—no job is more important than my health and quality of life.

Abbey Lee, how are you doing? It sounds like your MC energy helped you complete an amazing roof repair project—did it hold back the rain? And congratulations for all the physical benefits you’ve had! It’s so great when clothes get loose and when you’re feeling physically stronger and healthier. I’m so happy for you! Let us know how you’re doing when you can!

I can understand how you feel of course New Beginnings.

This is the problem with living in these fleshy Human ships. Always changing and not always for the better. (and not always for the worst, to be sure) The whole concept that Fat Can Be Fixed is extremely profitable. The idea that people can easily change their habits and life styles is epically tragically overplayed. People can change but it takes time and huge amounts of energy. And usually an epiphany. A spiritual awakening even.

You can water fast for 40 days and still not be Jesus.

The only thing that lasts is Love. The thing that can sustain us is Love. Love of others, Love of self. Easier said than done.

Fasting brings out the good the bad and the ugly in my experience.

The person who invents the cure for Obesity will be the richest person in History.

People lie about food. Taking away their wallet on a 40 day water fast isn't necessarily a guarantee that they won't eat. Like the Breatharians who film with 60 minutes and then are caught with Cherry Slurpees at the 7-11. We are all, in a way, one of these giant decaying castles, filed with treasures and dust and too expensive to maintain for the person holding the deed.

What I know is that the Bravest thing we do is to try, try and try again. To see all this, to even accept our own mortality and carry on trying after we fail. Master Cleanse is brave. Failing is brave cause at least you get up and try again.

There's so many ways we have to get energy as humans. Spirit, sunshine, love, prayer, music, art, helping others, helping ourselves. Not just food.

So. Yeah. I've been fat. And I have been thin. The thing that is better is to feel incredibly healthy. Which is my goal and one I seem to grasp firmly and then lose. It's frustrating. But I just try again.

As to the reality of day 9 and 10. I got my period. I am ready to eat. I felt pain and then passed out a 2 foot long black … thing. Mucoid plaque, rope worm, bio-film whatever you want to call it. I felt much better after that. I finally am getting some sleep. I have to remind myself constantly that it is worth it. My mind is torturing me. Today I thought …"I need a better word than "SUCKS" …" Cause it does. But I am doing it.

I have to force myself to maintain the appearance that I am functioning normally. Like … lay down and then force myself to get up and clean the floor. Or clean something. This morning I was so grateful to be warm and to be clean. It was hard to get myself to do that! SO yeah see, this is par for the Master Cleanse experience in my experience. This is how it goes. It sucks, it is very very very hard and nearly impossible but nothing else delivers these results. Certainly not water fasting.

In short … Hang in there Kitten! And I shall do the same.


PS. No, the roof leaked. Hhaa oh man … yeah it leaked. Nothing like before … but it was not repaired. Try try again!

I’m hanging in there—Day 11, and I’m down to 201.6—forward progress!

Continuing on my health education quest, yesterday I was feeling optimistic about my weight loss on the cleanse and I got to thinking about how I might prevent loose skin. Many years ago, when I lost a lot of weight on a 40-day Master Cleanse, I didn’t have loose skin at the end, but my starting point wasn’t nearly as heavy as it was now—I think I was around 170. As I Googled away yesterday, I came across the concept of “autophagy” and how it’s activated by intermittent fasting. One of the benefits of autophagy is that it gets rid of cells that we don’t need in our body, but that happens when you abstain from eating for a certain number of hours, and then the body uses those cells—like excess skin—for energy instead of food.

Several medical professionals (and YouTubers acting like they’re medical professionals) said autophagy worked to prevent loose or sagging skin, but I decided to reach out to someone I found on one of the medical site’s success stories pages who also has an Instagram account to document her weight-loss journey. She does Keto plus intermittent fasting, and has lost about 100 lbs. She messaged me back and she said she does have a little bit of loose skin, but not much. (She sent me a few photos to show how loose it is—which was barely noticeable.)

So I bring this up to ask a question: Has anyone (Abbey Lee—or anyone else that might be reading!) done intermittent fasting while on the Master Cleanse? I’m thinking of experimenting with drinking the MC during a 4 or 6-hour window and fast the rest of the time with water and maybe herbal tea, in the hopes that I would activate autophagy and lessen my chances of having loose skin when I reach my goal weight.

And I’ve started doing other things that are supposed to help with this as well, like dry brushing before showering and using sesame or other oils afterward to moisturize. Apparently weight lifting-type exercise also helps (once I’m feeling better I’m just going to do plyometrics and yoga), as well as drinking lots of water.

If anyone has looked into this, I’d love to hear from you.

Abbey Lee, congratulations on all your progress! I’m glad you’re feeling and sleeping better, even if the rollercoaster of the MC continues. We are hanging in there, and we are brave! And I loved what you said about love—and also about all the ways in which we get energy: spirit, sunshine, music, art, volunteering, and more. It’s so true! We can feed ourselves with good energy and good experiences, rather than gorging ourselves with food for comfort. I’m going to carry that thought with me—I love it! And I’m sorry to hear about your roof, but I have confidence that you can fix it! I hope you’re doing as well as possible otherwise. And I’m really glad you’re out there—your generosity of spirit makes a huge difference—thank you!

Guess who's Back? Slim Shady Arms is back.

My arms are thin again. It's great. God bless this process. All my blazers and jackets can fit again. I am still resisting trying on the Mosschino jeans I bought as a reward cause when I tried them on on day 4? They laughed at me. I heard them laughing and then they called me a fat ass. In Italian. (rude!) Honestly they were so so so off that … I would and will CRY if they fit me without me altering them. (As in adding extra denim)

I'm starving. Every craving you can imagine, I have. (except of course I do not care about anyth8ng sweet … not even chocolate) …. Hungry starving Marvin' ….. But I will not relent. I will not give up. My foot pain isn't as bad, but it hits me at night and won't give up even now 15 days in. I read in a journal that the 15th day was particularly crave-y. I am going with that.

It is also raining and dark and I am not the biggest fan of that … genre of weather. Some people really dig that whole Heathcliff takes you on a merry chase vibe, but I hates hates that whole cold thing. I have been trying to stay very busy, but I get over taken by toxin symptoms. Tired and Hungry. I know. Not a big surprise.

At least the entire fridge has been (mainly) cleared of all the food I eat.

I have a little less than a gallon and a half of syrup left. I hope it is enough. I hope I can actually make it to that end point, where ever that is.

I should get another drink in to me. I have been really concentrating on getting at least 12 drinks. Sometimes I succeed. The worst is the dizzy spinning nausea I think.
And if I am honest I think … "OMG I can't live a normal life while I am on the Master Cleanse …." But HELLO I was not living a normal life when I was eating right before I started. I was much more exhausted, unfocussed, depressed and in horrific pain. Like being crushed against a wall level of pain pre-cleanse.

So that fact, that it has become better, already is not escaping me.

I look great. I look like I was dipped in a really really excellent highlighter. Becca, probably. And I love that. Looking great is awesome.

My tongue is getting cleaner. Less … terrifying. NOT a fan of the pee-ing 45 thousand times a day. Not a fan of the Salt Water Flush and mot a fan of lax tea. But that is what it takes to get me back to health. This works. If you work it.


And as to you little Miss New Beginnings (surely in the 100's by now!!!) I hope you are doing well. I think the idea of only drinking MAC lemonade during a window, like Intermittent fasting, is …. a bit … well for me it would be risky as if I drop below a certain level of lemonade the detox gets too intense. And I feel like between enemas, coffee or otherwise, skin brushing, castor oil packs, cold showers like I have many tools to deal with Level 2000 detox symptoms. But I have to drink enough juice on demand. But it is a curious idea for sure. And I am all for experimentation!

Much Love, thanks for your kindness.

I think it is the Sea Cucumber who throws up their own guts, like turns itself inside out to protect itself from predators. So. For certain I feel like a Sea Cucumber. A Sea cumber with thin arms. But I refuse to relent. My next reward is to buy a bolt of this … glorious linen fabric I saw at the thrift. It was stupidly overpriced. Seriously. But if I can make it to Thursday evening, they have a half off sale which makes it merely overpriced. Not stupidly so. I doubt anyone will buy it before then. But if they do, it was not meant to be. So … either way I win. This fabric is linen, printed in England, has the prettiest floral. Right up my alley. WAY too much of it … And priced at $60. Aggressive overpricing. Seriously saw the tag and laughed. But it could make a nice Day 18 gift for me. I am obsessed.

I also found out that my Brother and his Family is coming to visit in Summer, so that is helping motivate me a great deal.

And so as usual. This succcckkkksssss so so bad. SO bad. SO BAD. But it also works incredibly well. Eff me man, it is the Truth.

Sending Love. And lemons. With extra cayenne. Salty!

Hello and apologies! I’m sorry I disappeared for 10 days…it’s been a rough month for me. On top of having the flu (which is still lingering, by the way) I started getting awful migraine headaches accompanied by nausea. I’m not sure if the headaches were flu related, cleanse related, or atmosphere related as the barometric pressure has been low here due to winter storms and that sometimes gets me. Either way, the headaches and the nausea broke me—I hung onto the cleanse as long as I could but the pain was just not tolerable and I needed it to end—even my migraine prescription wasn’t helping. So I broke the cleanse and started eating, mostly vegetables, but I won’t go into detail here because I know that can be hard on anyone reading and cleansing. It helped, the headaches and nausea have mostly left me. And I dearly hope that I’m at the true tail end of this flu—it has seemed to go away and then come back twice now—but I’m hoping it’s heading out for real this time. And to give it a kick in the ass, I’m gearing up to start another round of the MC tomorrow. Wish me luck—I will need it!

Abbey Lee, I’m so happy to hear how well you’re doing on the cleanse! It’s great to read that you feel you’re looking great and that your energy and mental focus is on point. Hurray! And I love your thrifting adventures. Did you get the linen fabric you were eyeing? Your transformation is inspiring me, so I’m going to think about that as I prep to begin the MC tomorrow. Good health is worth the effort we put in on the MC!

And I take your point about the intermittent fasting while doing the MC. Probably not the best idea. I wasn’t able to try it before I broke the cleanse but when I get in the throes of research, I get excited about new discoveries (or new-to-me discoveries) and I tend to want to try things that I’m drawn to. In the intervening time, that enthusiasm has passed, and looking at it now I think all I’d try to do is stop drinking the MC around dinnertime rather than taking servings throughout the night, sometimes up until an hour or two before I’d go to bed. Cutting it off early might be beneficial for multiple reasons. And on many days even if my stomach is growling most of the day while I’m drinking servings of the MC mix, by 7pm, I often feel those hunger pains go away as they would when I’d had a typical dinner.

Alrighty, well I hope things are going well for anyone reading and fingers crossed I’ll be back with an update tomorrow or the next day!

OK, Day 1 down! As it sometimes happens, I'm excited about starting the cleanse again -- I'm looking forward to the good stuff, and I'm going to try to ride the wave of the more challenging days that I know will come. I didn't weigh myself today so apologies for anyone looking for that kind of update. I will soon, just not sure when. I'm also going take a wellness class that starts next week (yoga, meditation), so I'm hopeful that doing the cleanse will benefit the lessons learned there and that the class will reinforce my resolve to do the cleanse. Fingers crossed. The MC is a hard path -- with amazing benefits -- so I'm really hopeful that I can break through with more days under my belt this time and in the process, find my way to a healthier body.

Is anybody out there??? ;) Well, I'm here. And I'm still at it. My enthusiasm is still good -- though I wanted to write about my experience last night. I started to feel really hungry around 8pm, which is a little unusual for me (or not?) but this was different in that a more manic feeling of "I must eat!" came over me. I was very close to ordering some takeout food -- I picked out what I wanted, added it to my cart for an online order -- but I was so conflicted. I was hungry, obviously, but I was having this internal fight between the hunger and the reasons why I'm doing the cleanse. I was looking at my online order, ready to press send, and I just told myself to wait 5 minutes and see how I feel. I told myself to close the laptop so I didn't have to see what I was thinking about ordering, and to instead think about almost anything else. When the 5 minutes was up, I still wanted to order the food, but maybe just a little tiny bit less. So I gave myself another 5 minutes. And then I started thinking about how it was getting late and that it would take me forever to digest the food and fall asleep if I indulged and I needed to get up early, so that wouldn't be ideal. But I still wasn't convinced. So I gave myself another 5, and a few more, until I was like, no, I'm not doing this -- I'm not going to order food. It was a battle, and the battle was real. But I have to say, as much as I tortured myself last night, this morning I was so glad that I didn't wake up feeling bloated, or that I didn't sleep well because my body was in shock and not digesting, and of course that I stayed on the cleanse. Whew! It was a close one. But I'm glad that I prevailed last night. I'm sure there will be more battles ahead (maybe even later today) but I'm going to ride the wave of this victory for as long as possible!