I just realized that (after reading a few emails) that my site doesn’t have actually have the simple recipe for the infamous master cleanse. I know most of you read have this committed to memory but there are so many out there who are curious or have no idea about what the lemonade diet actually does!

So here the The Master Cleanse Recipe from Stanley Burroughs

• 2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice (it turns out you can get about 4 Tbsp from a single lemon or lime)
• 2 Tbsp Pure Grade B Dark Amber Maple Syrup (do not substitute!)
• 1/10 Tsp cayenne pepper (red pepper) or to taste
• 10 oz water, medium hot (spring or purified water)

This for a single serving spicy lemonade concoction. However, being that you can drink as much of this as you want and should drink it every time you get the hunger, I would definitely recommend y0u DO NOT actually make this one glass at time. The recipe scales and I would try to make a whole days worth of the master cleanser drink every morning. Almost everything can be picked up a your local market or at Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s if you are lucky enough to live near either one of those.

I should have a recipe scaler for you pretty soon, so you can enter the size of your container and it will let you know what you need to purchase to make the spicy lemonade and also tell you the correct proportions for the size of you container.

I think I am going to do the cleanse again sometime soon, when I do I plan on keeping a daily journal for you to track my progress!

Can you really lose weight on the master cleanse?
There is a lot of skepticism surrounding the lemonade diet and if it really even works. Everyone’s body responds differently and having the diet ‘work’ for you depends on what you want from the diet.

If your primary reason to go on the master cleanse is for weight loss, I would almost recommend against you doing the detox. You will lose weight on this diet, it is one of the ‘side effects’ so to speak, an moderately overweight person could expect to lose up to two pounds a day as your body rids itself of toxins and other waste. However, when you go and grab and in-and-out burger (which sadly, I love) to celebrate you completing the master cleanse, you WILL gain all the weight back and be right back to square one.

There are a few ways to keep the weight off, one of them being just doing that master cleanse forever.  Seriously, the only way to keep off any of the weight you will lose during the master cleanse is to commit to healthy eating and daily exercise.  This doesn’t mean you have stick with only eating celery and hitting the gym every day for two hours a day.

Healthy Eating
I can not stress enough the master cleanse should not be used strictly for weight loss. The lemon detox diet should be part of a life style change that continues well after the cleanse is over. The most important being what you are going to put back into your body after the cleanse. While some would recommend a life style change and go vegan or at least vegetarian, that is a little extreme for most.

I would at the very least eliminate the following things from your diet

• Artificial flavors and artificial colors – these are unnatural and our bodies were no intended to digest these
• Preservatives – the name says it all, we don’t need anything preserved in our intestines. Chances our if you can pronounce it, you shouldn’t put in your body
• High Fructose Corn Syrup – anything that contains trace amounts of mercury and is created with hydrochloric acid should stay far away from your stomach

This I would say should be the minimum you  eliminate from your diet, reading labels can go a long way to keep you body health. Don’t be discouraged if you favorite foods are now ‘tainted’ you can find great alternatives to almost everything at Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe’s.

If you are really serious about changing your life style I really recommend reading the Engine 2 Diet.

Daily Exercise

This is so much easier than most people think. I find that most people create an elaborate exercise plan that takes more effort and time than is require. If you are not going to compete for a gold medal, don’t try to exercise like a gymnast!

The minimum you need to help maintain a healthy body is 20 – 30 minutes of light exercise every day.  You’re not going to get six pack abs and gluts of steel with 30 minutes of light exercise. You will lower your risk for heart disease and you will feel great.

I highly recommend you exercise in the morning first thing, it really changes the tone of your entire day. I heard Tony Robbins talking about it a while ago and recently started doing it, it’s amazing. I do 15 sit ups, 15 push ups and 20 jumping jacks first thing when I wake up (almost) every morning right when I wake up. My girlfriend things I am freak, but it really does make a difference in my day. Give it a try, I dare you!

However, if waking up like you’re a crazed army instructor doesn’t suite you, just walk. That’s right walk, we can all do that with minimum effort. Walk for 20 – 30 minutes every day. Those of us that have stressful jobs, walking after you get off work can really help you decompress and not bring work home with you to your family.

So the answer is yes, the master cleanse diet can help you lose weight, but it’s not a miracle diet. Well maybe it is, but a miracle that requires dedication and some follow up effort.