Master Cleanse - feedback?

Please only post here with your personal experince of the cleanse or simular detox, do not post your opinions of detox if you have not tried it.

A post started last week from someone who wanted to know about the master cleanse. It seemed to raise a lot of strong opinion against it, mostly from people who have never done it and are anti detox. I posted my opinions and was strongly knocked down by people who are very against detox.

I however love the cleanse, i did 10 days last month and lost 10lbs, and only gained 2lbs back in the month which included a holiday. Im back on it now on day 2, and hope to drop a few more lbs with a 10day stint, then aim to reach my goal of -8lbs by christmas.

I did the detox as i was suffering from exzema, migraines and had found out in October that i had an allergy to wheat and dairy which i stopped eating immeditaley. For me the cleanse was very positive, i felt great through out, no hunger pains, no head aches, my exzema cleared up, i had enough energy to go to the gym/ballet/weight lifting daily.

I did like to hear from people that have done the cleanse. Was your experince good or bad? Was your intention to detox or lose weight? What were the results? What happened after, did the weight come back on were you healthier?

If you have not done the cleanse or simular detox please dont comments on this post, there is another post called 'Master Cleanse the Debate' that is on the site at the moment and open to everyone. I would like this to be about peoples experiences, as we can not talk openly about it on the other post.

Already answered in the other thread, but I did it, got sick to my stomach, experienced frequent dizzy spells, continued (in desperation), lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks.  I gained it back 4 pounds within a week and the other 4 during the next month.  At the time I was doing something else stupid - I was on Weight Watcher but was following a 1000 calorie diet given to me by my doctor.  I had decided on the cleanse when that diet wasn't working (didn't know about starvation mode then).  I was on that diet when I gained back the weight and it was so totally demoralizing that I gave up on trying to lose weight.

I was not healthier or thinner, nor did I notice any beneficial effects at all afterwards, and I consider it a total waste of time.  Whoever designed this torture is either a sadist or a quack.  It can't possibly be good for you.

Also, it tasted disgusting and I couldn't look at or even smell maple syrup for months.

Thank you, but I'll stick to my slow steady method learned here on CC - the correct intake of calories and a balanced diet of fresh foods.  It may be slow and a lot of trouble, but the weight stays off and I feel much better.  Knowing that I'm changing my life and will never, ever have to diet again is uplifting.

You did ask.

Claire -  i appericate your feedback, sorry it was so bad for you. I just thought it may be helpful to others considering the cleanse to get peoples real experinces both good and bad and to find out what the results were a few months later, as most blogs stop at the end of the detox.

This will help people make up their own minds, and hopefully deter people who think its just a crash diet. I agree it isnt the way to weight loss or a healthy lifestyle, but i already eat very healthy (veggie for 10 years) and i exercise 5 times a week and therefore have never been overweight, so for me this was about a detox and shifting an extra 15lbs.

I done this clense also. I had heard so many people having success with it, so I gave it a try. Actually, a friend on mine and myself done it at the same time. She was successful in making it for the 10 days. She lost 12 pounds, but within 2 months it was gained back while eating a healthy diet. I on the other hand became so sick, I almost thought I should go to the ER. My ankles swelled, my head ached so badly I was convinced I had the flu. I only made it 3 days, but I think it was beneficial to cleaning out some of the toxins in my body. I was told by someone on a blog that the headache was because of kill off, because I was so toxic. My friend also had a major headache, but only for one day...I could have dealt with that. Oh, and I gained 9 pounds in those 3 days, which was water retention, and quickly left within a week of stopping the clense.

I have done the master cleanse. It was recommended to me by my father to help with my acid reflux. My father had done it and so had my grand father. It had helped them both out with their stomach problems. I did not go into it to loose weight but did loose 10 lbs and gained back 2 after a week. I started CC right after the cleanse and have lost considerable weight since.

My wife and I started together she made it 5 days but was having headaches and complained about being weak. I went 10 days and felt strong through the whole process.

I have not had heart burn since I did the cleanse. I must also admit that with CC I have started eating healthier and I believe this has helped with my heartburn also.

I would do it again and from the results I got my wife has even suggested I do it again just before Christmas.

I just spent some time fishing for posts of mine that I have written about the cleanse. My patience ran out after finding all the posts I think I wrote but I found this one.

Hey, I've actually done the Cleanser twice in the past years. I did it for 14 days both times. It can be hard at first, but humans are creatures of habit, and after the first three days, you're good to go. It even releases you of the stress of meal planning and preparation =P

My favorite part is actually the salt water flush (which most people do not like). I like seeing results, and that's what makes you feel like you're truly cleansing your body.

About muscle mass loss, I actually dropped 2% body fat during the cleanse. (I know that doesn't mean I didn't lose any muscle, I'm just saying I lost more fat - when weight loss and bf% loss is compared)

My mother actually did the cleanser this past January, and she told her doctor. The doctor was very skeptical about it obviously, but also very curious in seeing if there would be any changes in her blood work. She actually dropped >20 pts in cholesterol.

Like people say, including the author, the MC is not a weight loss fasting. It is a detox/cleanser, and the weight loss is a side effect. It does help getting you motivated to embark on your change to a healthier lifestyle. After all, if you can bear the lemonade and say no to food entirely for about two weeks, you feel you can certainly start making healthy choices.


By the way... I did the MC at the same time as my bf, and not only was he a "caffeine addict" he was also a smoker. I was worried he wouldn't last long on it because of the cravings. He told me he barely had any cravings. Probably because in the first days you're more focused on the fact you're not eating, and you're adjusting to that. Then past the first 3 days, you're pretty much good to go in terms of caffeine and nicotine cravings. He went back to drinking coffee regularly afterwards but he's not a smoker anymore =)

Since that time I actually did it twice more. I did it for 20 days the last time. That last time I didn't have any total days in mind and simply wanted to do it for as long as it took for my tongue to clear (if you have read the book, this is one of the signs the cleanse is complete).

The first times I did it I felt great and as I mentioned above, I only had good experiences from it. I lost bf%, I had less stress revolving around food (buying, preparing...), which was great because at that time I was so busy with school and my internship.

My only bad experience was the last time I did it. However, I think it had to do with some of the circumstances of the time I did it and not with the cleanse or the length of time I did it for. First off, I did it alone this time while the other times I either did it with my guy, than later at the same time as my mother and brother did it (even though they were in a different continent, they were still a good support), and then I did it at the same time as someone in my internship. But what I think really mattered is that the day before I planned on doing it, I got my period (I'm irregular and usually don't spend time thinking about that particular facet of my life so I didn't take it n consideration in planning). While on other times I got it some time during the cleansing, this time I started the cleanse with it already, which I think made a huge difference. From the start it felt different. While the other times it just became easier and easier (even the lemonade that I hated the first time, I started to really enjoy it in the later times), this time it was totally different. I felt tired and basically not well. I went through with the plan and kept going but I wasn't really in it like the other times. I did make it to 20 days but at that point I quit before the tongue cleared because I was tired of it. It just wasn't as easy as the other times.

Anyway... I really believe that bad experience had to do with what I said. The other times it was fine and I always felt really well during and afterwards. The first time I ever did it, I was very skeptical because I need to eat frequently (I actually need to carry sugar and salt with me) so I was afraid I would become weak. Instead, I felt no sugar or bp drops and actually felt better than when I was eating and would skip a snack.

I just realized I wrote a huge post, and as someone who always skips long posts, I will stop right now. =P 

I did the Master Cleanse twice last year.  The first time was after I broke up with my boyfriend and was in a bad place emotionally.  I did it more to "re-group" than to lose weight, although I did want to drop a few pounds.  It worked great for me.  I was never hungry and my eczema cleared up.  Plus I felt more centered, emotionally.  I only lasted 8 days cause the lemon citric acid was killing my gums.  I could've easily lasted longer and wish I had.

I did it again a few months later to lose weight.  A friend did it for nearly 20 days and looked great, which motivated me to do it again.  She also recommended using a straw to stop the gum pain, which worked.  This time was extremely difficult and I cheated with apples a few times.  The problem was, I rushed into it, didn't mentally prepare myself, and did it only to lose weight. 

I also went to a colonic/fasting spa in Thailand a few months ago.  I do not recommend going to one of those.  It was too much, too invasive, and I honestly don't believe colon plaque exists.  Although, my skin has never looked as good as it did when I left there! 

I will definitely do the Master Cleanse again, probably late winter/early spring of next year.  I would never go back to the colonic spa again.  Well, the restaurant was amazing.  I'd go back to eat there again.

I did the Master Cleanse for 14 days.  I cried every day because I wanted to eat.  I lost 7 LBS and gained them all back.  It didn't cure me of anything, but I had terrible insomnia on it.  The saltwater flush didn't ever make me crap.  It just stayed in me, though I experimented with the amount of salt.  The blood type diet tells me to avoid cayenne.  Maybe it'd work for somebody who should eat cayenne.  I believe in that stuff.  But let me warn you about this: (tangentially related) COLONICS!

Oh god.  Ever since I got a colonic, I've been sick.  I haven't been the same since.  Listen up - your colon is full of colonies of various microorganisms.  It's a DELICATE AND MYSTERIOUS BALANCE THAT CAN NEVER BE ADEQUATELY REPLENISHED WITH SUPPLEMENTS!!!!!!!!!  I've been living in hell ever since about a month after that fateful day I got that colonic.  DONT GET COLONICS, everyone.  (not that you would be crazy enough to do it.)

I did the Master Cleanse a year ago. I didn't do it for weight loss and I didn't weigh myself before or after. I have no idea if I lost any weight, but I certainly didn't change enough so that I needed new clothes so I am guessing I didn't lose too much if any.

I found it was actually really easy for me. I had been reading the forums on Peter Something's site (he wrote the most popular book about the cleanse, but I forget his name) and the people were so positive about it that I became curious. I had originally thought about doing a fresh veggies only week, but ended up doing the Cleanse. I think I was attracted by the fact it made no sense to me but there were legions addicted to it.

Well, I did the whole thing and felt no different. I didn't get a gross tongue, or headaches or anything. I was slightly irritable but it is hard to say if it was the Cleanse since I was still functioning. I think that doing it isn't a great idea but I felt no harm from it (no benefits either). I did the salt flush only a few of the days (I wake up and leave the place and didn't want to have to wear adult diapers to work) and mainly did the senna tea.

If you have any underlying medical problems I would NOT recommend it though. It is lemons, maple syrup and cayenne. It isn't balanced and if you aren't healthy to start it it is only going to make you weaker. I was physically active, in good health, young. I actually enjoyed the taste, especially when I added a lot of pepper. I went light on the maple syrup/molasses.

I'm on day 9 of the Master Cleanse right now. I started it initially because I have really bad food cravings and annoying problems with binging. I'd like to just wipe the slate clean, have a clean happy body and start practicing temperance and creating new food habits when I come off of the fast.

Stanley Burroughs is the guy who invented the cleanse and I highly, highly recommend you read HIS book before beginning, and then follow it word for word through out (you can download it in pdf version for free). If you have weight to lose and you don't lose it during the fast, you probably have too much maple syrup. I use a 2:1 ratio of lemon juice to maple syrup and I've lost at a rate of 2 lbs per day since the beginning. I'm also chugging water every time I remember. My tongue is coated very thickly and I have to scrape it every day. If I breathe too hard I'll peel the paint off the walls... but other than that my experience of the MC so far has been pretty positive. I would recommend it to others so long as they were willing to take the time and effort to do it right.

Do you know the website where you can download his book for free? I have seen the pdf on amazon for $6 or so, which isn't much but free would be better!