Lemonade Diet/Fast

[caroln]

Has anyone done the Lemonade diet/fast. I beleive it's called the master cleanse. It's basically lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and water mixed together and that's all you consume while you're on the program. It doesn't seem like something you could do long term, but it sounds like it could be a good jump start. So has anyone done it? How did you find it? Were you able to function normally at work etc while you were on it?

[RoadRacer1978]

doesn't sound like my kind of diet

[TRACI]

I have done it, it is not a long term diet, I did it for only 4 days, some people I know have done it longer, actually I had alot of energy while I was on it and I never felt hungry. Your drink the lemonade anytime you want, you can google lemonade diet, and get the receipe. I lost 7 lbs in 3 days.

[PepeDiver]

I couldn't imagine having only lemondade for more than a couple hours! I gotta have my carbs and calories!

[sudnit5]

I agreewith PepeDiver...gotta have food

[CC1020]

I've done it, and it works quite well. The first couple of days were rather challenging, but by the third day, I started feeling good and having energy again. Stuck with it for about a week, and lost about 11 pounds.

[PepeDiver]

i guess if I needed to lose any weight I MIGHT give it a try...but I love to eat too much. Yesterday for example: Breakfast omlet, bacon and toast. Lunch, a couple of frozen burritos. Dinner BBQ Pork Chop, Stuffin, Some veggies. BIG bowl of ice cream and a couple of pretzles with cheese later in the night! I don't think I can go from that to no food.

[datamunk]

hmm, interesting. does it give u the runs or somethin to help u lose weight? :P

[PepeDiver]

haha naw i've eaten like that most of my life so my body is used to processed junk

[Tableleg]

Originally Posted by http://www.thelemonadediet.com

The Master Cleanser Diet, or as popularly known; The Lemonade Diet was created by the late Naturopath Stanley Burroughs. The Diet consists of fasting to rid the body of toxins, created by improper diet, lack of exercise and negative mental attitudes. The purpose of the Lemonade Diet is to dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion; to cleanse the kidneys and digestive system; to purify glands; to eliminate waste and hardened materials in the joints and muscles; to build a healthy bloodstream; to maintain optimal blood pressure; and to what you all are waiting to hear... to lose weight. As a reducing diet it is superior in every way, reducing fat at a rate of about two (2) pounds a day for most persons, without harmful side effects.

Ok. Let's start out with some definitions according to our good friends over at Merriam-Webster:

Diet (noun): 1 a: food and drink regularly provided or consumed

Fasting (Verb):1 : to abstain from food; 2 : to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods

A diet is simply what a person eats. A low calorie diet aids in weight loss. A high calorie diet (which is what most Americans eat) aids in weight gain. When one 'fasts,' they don't eat. So this Lemonade 'Diet' is simply a way to reduce the food intake that one does. It's not meant as a weight loss 'diet', but simply a fast to promote a 'detox'.

With that being said, all the effects (the detox, lower blood pressure, etc) that the website mention, I can do by eating lean meats, dark leafy stuff, etc, (or in other words having a proper 'diet') and getting plenty of exercise and sleep. This 'diet' and lifestyle has caused me to lose about 40lbs in the past year.

I was initially concerned at the lack of vitamins and other essential stuff your body needs on a daily basis when I first read that description and the absurdity of lemon juice and cayenne having magical health properties, so I did some research and am happy to announce that I'm not crazy...

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Some critics point to "an alarming lack" of essential nutrients in this fast, citing a deficiency of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
As a result of these deficiencies, individuals on the diet may experience dizziness, delirium, and fainting in the short term, with possible damage to the body occurring in longer-term applications.

So yea, 'no harmful side effects'?

And as far as FAT loss goes, I don't see that happening with this diet. A humans primary source of energy comes from the carbohydrates we eat because they're the easiest for the body to break down into fuel. Protein and fat can also be used, but it's more difficult for the body to process those. So with this diet being very carbohydrate rich, I don't see why the body would use up it's stored energy (aka fat) when there's such an abundance being consumed.

So using this as a 'weight loss' diet is absurd. I can't imagine what the body would be losing to be 2lbs lighter every day. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not good.