Master Cleanse Diet
A 50-year old approach to liquid dieting.
Also known as the Maple Syrup Diet or the Lemonade Cleanse, The Master Cleanse is one of the most severe and popular cleansing fasts that has been used for decades to lose weight, detoxify the body or improve overall wellness. Rigorously followed by Beyonce Knowles to shed 20 pounds for her role in Dream Girls, the cleanse has been followed by thousands of individuals from yoga practitioners to those desperate to lose some quick weight.
The Master Cleanse is a tonic of four simple ingredients - water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup - that is consumed throughout the day with no other food or beverages permitted. The intense fast can be followed for a minimum of 10 days or for a maximum of 45 days.
You can make your own Master Cleanse tonic or you can purchase a Master Cleanse kit at a health food store.
Health and medical experts are quick to criticize the Master Cleanse for its lack of scientific evidence, it's starvation-like guidelines and its potential for side effects.
- Will lose weight
- Cleanse followers claim an increase in energy, improvement of skin tone and clearer vision
- No medical evidence that extreme diets like The Master Cleanse actually rid the body of toxins
- Provides only a short-term solution for weight loss
- May have adverse effects on your organ function, digestion and metabolism
- Side effects include irritability, headaches, insomnia and possible stomach irritation
The Master Cleanse Diet has you drink anywhere from 6 to 12 glasses a day of a special concoction comprised of water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Each of the ingredients have a specific purpose: Lemon juice is supposed to help your body detoxify, maple syrup provides an energy source and added flavor and cayenne pepper is supposed to boost your metabolism.
Exercise is not addressed on The Master Cleanse Diet. But since your energy intake is so low, vigorous exercise is not encouraged.
Fasting, or "cleansing" diets, are alluring to people who are looking for a quick fix to their weight woes. Celebrities are drawn to it because they need to drop weight fast for roles, or TV appearances. Maybe any possible health risks are okay for them, since they say the danger is a part of the risk they take for their career. But for the rest of us who should be thinking about a lifetime solution, look for something you can live with forever.
Master Cleaner Diet, Master Clenser Diet, Mister Cleanser Diet, Master Cleanser, Master Cleanse
Featured Diets
Related Diets: Juice Diet, Liquid Diet, Maple Syrup Diet, Oprah 21 Day Cleanse, Sacred Heart Diet, CleanseRX, Hollywood Miracle Diet, Lemonade Diet




User Feedback
(Page 1 of 1, 20 total comments)rose
hi im on my 7th day of master cleansing i loose weight and all my pimples are gone,this is my 3rd time cycle well,you can feel dizziness,weakness in the 1 to 3 days but on my 7th day i feel head ache,i called my doctor to have my BP but its normal i guess my 7th day is the day where toxins are releasing in my body.3 more days and im done with this
posted Jan 15th, 2012 10:26 pmDANIELLE
i LOVE THE MASTER CLEANSE. i HAVE DONE IT 3 TIMES SO FAR, AND THE FIRST 2 DAYS, I HAVE A HEADACHE BY NIGHT TIME.. SO I TAKE AN ADVIL.. IT'S THE WITHDRAWALS FROM CAFEINE AND SUGAR. BY THE 3RD DAY, I FEEL FULL OF ENERGY AND I DON'T GET TIRED LIKE I USUALLY DO WORKING SHIFT WORK. I LOSE 10-12LBS EVERYTIME... IT REALLY PROMPTS ME TO EAT HEALTHY, BUT AFTER A FEW WEEKS.. I GO BACK TO MY BAD EATING HABITS.... THANK GOD FOR THIS CLEANSE... I KNOW I CAN DO IT EVERY 3-4 MONTHS AND FEEL GREAT ALL OVER AGAIN.
posted Nov 16th, 2011 5:58 pmAbana
I did this master cleanse for 40 days.and no i did not die.lol.Anyway.before i started i had fibromyalgia and bipolar.i was also allergic to antibiotics of everykind.i was on 22 prescriptions before i started.now i am on 0.i did this diet exactely as stated in the book.laxative teas at night.warm sea salt water in the mornings and the water ,lemon juice and maple syrup mixture.and they is what i lived on for 40 days.I am here to tell you.I am no longer on any of those prescriptions and i no longer have fibromyalgia and i am no longer allergic to antibiotics.and something else as well.the doctor said my mitral valve prolapse he can barely hear .which means there is an improvement there as well.I have to say when i got done with the master cleanse.I did a colon clean a couple months later .i got in shape for the first time in my life.i should have stayed in shape haha.but all is well .So i hope this helps somebody out there.and not everyone is the same but for me this worked well.
posted Oct 29th, 2010 5:55 amJodie
I've done this diet before..I agree with alot of the people, it really does work..however it was also the hardest diet Ive EVER been on..if you can clean out your cupboards do so..I have small children so I couldnt banish everything from the house..which was hard..I tried to avoid the kitchen like the plague..by about the 3rd day I swear I could hear the cookies calling out my name when I lay in bed at night!..I got a little cranky at times to say the least..and gawd forbid if my fiance was cooking something tasty..haha..and that salt water flush..ugh..awful..the first couple days I drank it warm cause thats what it said..thought there was a reason for it..I threw it up both times..3rd day I tried it cold and held it down..I contacted Peter through the website and he advised it doesnt matter what temp the water is, as long as you can hold it down thats what counts..so seriously..drink it cold..much easier to hold down!..I found it a really tough diet but...it works..no pain no gain right? I really want to try it again but find myself putting it off..and off.. :op..
posted Sep 29th, 2010 11:46 amBrian
Nice post. I’ve been thinking about trying the master cleanse myself. It's a good idea to clear out all the junk once in a while.
posted Aug 24th, 2010 11:24 amShaleena
I am glad that I read the review, because I have been looking into this detox (I have done the Smart Cleanse only a couple of times and you are allowed to eat, but mostly organic veggies/whole grains, lean chicken and fatty fish). I was wondering about my excercise regimen, because I do work out and was wondering if I should adjust my regimen or suspend it altogether if I am not eating anything. I was also wondering about the functionality. Smart Cleanse was very gentle and I was able to function normally at work without too many "disruptions" to my day and I was wondering if this one would be more disruptive.
posted Jun 21st, 2010 10:14 amManda
I did the master cleanse for 10 days. My experience was just as Tom Wolshyn described in his book. I followed the directions closely using the salt water flush not the laxative. My psoriasis actually went away and stayed away for a month. I felt great the whole time and lost 8 pounds. I plan to try it again in a few months to see if my psoriasis will go dormant again. I wonder if how we experience the cleanse depends on our individual physiology is when we start!
posted Jan 17th, 2010 4:56 pmsteah
I mentioned the idea of a Master Cleanse iphone app a while ago. Well, we made it and it's awesome. Check it out at http://bit.ly/7IlOu8 We'd love to hear feedback about it. Cheers!
posted Nov 20th, 2009 7:10 pmsteah
After doing the Master Cleanse for 15 days, not to loose weight or because celebs do it, I felt and still feel incredible. I hear a lot of comments our there saying how it's a quick weight loss fix and that weight is put back on soon after. It wasn't true in my case. I just became more mindful of what I put into my body after being on the cleanse and I've kept the weight off. Not so sure I agree with the conclusion of the entry, but hey, we are all entitled to our own opinions! Also, what do you guys think of a master cleanse iphone application? I saw one on the appstore but it was pretty awful. My friends and I are developers and thinking of making one - one that stays true to the Burrough's method, designed to really work. Think it would be worth making? Thanks!
posted Nov 17th, 2009 8:18 pmwhitneymak
Love this cleanse. I always feel amazing afterwards. Planning on starting another one tomorrow to prepare my body for a massive lifestyle overhaul.
posted Oct 15th, 2009 4:15 amKathleen Cullers
I like to do the cleanse twice a year, just to clean out all the toxins. I don't consider it a diet, but you do loose weight.
posted Jul 12th, 2009 2:12 pmRichard
TEST YOUR WILL POWER!!! -- I agree with Bridget... Although, I did The Complete Master Cleanse (2007) by Author: Tom Woloshyn once before, about 6 months ago and I ONLY did it for 7 days. I felt I could've gone longer... I ended early do to a last minute goin away party 3 days later. Though, I didn't consume anything except for fruit and salads. My experience on the Cleanse was AMAZING!!! The first 3 days, I was rather sluggish & fatigued. 4th day hunger passed me by. Did the sea salt bath which worked great! I drank the laxative tea before bed too. I even watched the Food Tv network to "test my will"... And, I succeeded! -- I'm 37 yrs old, 5'10" and before I started the cleanse I weighed 227lbs. The day after I ended my 7 day trial, I weighed 208lbs. Once I started to consume regular food again with the exception of red meat & pork, I've only gained 6 lbs. and I fluctuate in weight between 209-214lbs. till now! -- I'm currently on the 5th day of my 2nd Trial as I write this! My plan is to go for 2-3 more weeks. So far, I'm feeling GREAT! No hunger, no fatigue, have LOTS of energy, my tongue is normal color not pasty-white like during days 2-4, no body odor (didn't exprience that the 1st time either) a little acne breakout on my shoulders but that happened before too and cleared up by the 4th day. I've recommended this cleanse to a lot of good friends & all results have been successful with no ill side effects or complaints from anyone! My female friends tell me about their new clothes, especially jeans, dropping down two to four pants sizes in 10 days!
posted Mar 9th, 2009 7:44 amDON'T cheat yourself... You'll be amazed how strong your will is!!!
dayna
Iam going on day 2..when do I start pooping all the toxins out? and will it still work if I dont use the saline wash? Iam drinking the Laxative tea at nite and in the morning. I cant drik or gargle anything with salt, i will puke!.
posted Mar 2nd, 2009 10:24 pmCathy
I have a friend who uses the la shakes to keep her weight down. I like them for the protein content. My friend was a member until her place shutdown. We'd like to know if it would be possible to buy them online.
posted Feb 23rd, 2009 9:03 pmBridget
I've done the master cleanser about 4 or 5 times over the past 5 years. I think it's great, and it really does clean you out. All the weird stuff you "eliminate" (poop out) is not supposed to be in your body!! At first it's bile (bright yellow) and mucus. What you're doing it breaking up mucoid plaque in your colon and then with the laxative tea and salt water flush, you're washing it out. The side effects are DETOX SYMPTOMS. It can be difficult to stay on it, but once you get past 3 days, it gets a little easier. I've lost at least 10 pounds in the 10 days on the diet, sometimes more. You can make it easier by squeezing a whole bunch of lemons and limes at once at freezing them in ice cube trays, they're usually about 2 tablespoons each so you can easily measure it when you make it each morning. If you've thought about doing it, TRY it!! Just make sure you read the book (Peter Glickman's book is helpful and explains a lot more), and break the fast properly or you might have digestion problems. I agree, it's not for permanent weight loss, but it will make you feel cleaner and lighter and by the end, I had way more energy!
posted Feb 22nd, 2009 11:44 amsaliyurn
this is not some cleansing it is a cover up its just laxative with flavor in liquid form. when you take it some wierd and gross stuff will com out of you. i found out everything that happens in the book it does not clear your skin it may cause your skin to get psoriasis a horrible skin disies(i spelled that wrong i know).
posted Feb 16th, 2009 6:14 pmJS
I liked Simply Slender diet better because it is premixed. I just had to add water. Same ingredients with more vitamins. See what you think
posted Nov 26th, 2008 1:23 pmmark
I saw a review on it here which is interesting, they say there are better cleanses.
posted Aug 6th, 2008 9:55 amruth
yes the diet is great and my bp went from 145/90 to 116/74 p 76 but after 25 days i do feel a little weak and i will go off and do orange juice tommorrow. by the way how much calories a day are we talking for doing this cleanse i never really paid attention.
posted May 24th, 2008 9:20 pmerin
lemonade is acutally tasty and it does keep you full- but is too hard to stick with for the full 10days- and has alot of bad side effects if you think you can eat normally after those 10 days- so the "10 day diet" is more like 2 weeks and even then you must be careful what you eat... if u eat to much too quick u can do serious harm and need to have a g-tube for life... keep this in mind- if you are going to do this diet- follow it closely!!! sure the weight loss is nice! but if u wont be able to digest real food ever again.. it may make you think twice
posted Mar 4th, 2008 8:24 pm