What Is The Master Cleanse Diet?
I tried it and was shocked
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’ve been asked, what is the Master Cleanse diet, a.k.a. the Lemonade diet, the Maple Syrup diet, and the Cayenne Pepper diet?
You’re going to be shocked at how many calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates this 10 day diet recommends!
This is a Throwback Thursday post from our #TBT Q&A series.
These are questions from our #LLTV Q&A series, filmed for our Live Lean TV YouTube channel back in 2012.
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I share my answer from 2012, then answer the same question, 7 years later, to see if my answer remains the same.
But first:
- What is the Master Cleanse diet?
- Is it good for weight loss and detoxifying your body?
- What are the benefits?
What is the Master Cleanse diet?
If you’ve never heard of it, it’s also referred to as the Lemonade diet, the Cayenne Pepper diet, and the Maple Syrup diet.
It’s essentially a 10 day juice fast that only uses 3 foods.
This diet is often marketed as a quick fix to lose weight fast, while also detoxifying your body, and giving your digestive system time to rest and recover.
At the end of this post, I’ll share:
- the ingredients used in the Master Cleanse diet recipe
- how to make the Master Cleanse diet recipe
- the calories and macronutrients from one serving of the drink
Trust me, it’s crazy, so keep reading.
But first, let me share my thoughts from 2012.
My thoughts on the Master Cleanse diet from 2012
Brad, can you tell us about the Master Cleanse diet?
Where should I start with this one?
What is the Master Cleanse diet?
The Master Cleanse diet is a 10 day diet where you don’t eat any food, you just drink liquids.
This protocol is supposed to detox your body.
Although it may do that, my issue is it’s not a dietary lifestyle.
You know, I am all about providing healthy and sustainable strategies, that are designed to help you Live Lean, 365 days a year.
So in this case, it’s just not healthy to try and maintain the Master Cleanse diet past 10 days.
The results are not sustainable
I know it’s not intended to be a long term diet, however the results may also not be sustainable.
I was reading a few case studies on people that did the Master Cleanse diet, and some of them lost weight, including a famous celebrity, Beyonce.
From what I heard, Beyonce did the 10 day diet and lost a bunch of weight for her role in the movie Dream Girls.
However, a lot of these same people put the weight back on after the Master Cleanse diet, because they obviously couldn’t maintain such a low calorie diet.
People who completed the 10 day diet also reported to lose muscle mass and lacked energy.
Based on all of this, I would not recommend the 10 day Master Cleanse diet.
Stick with real whole foods and move your body.
That’s the simple message.
There are no quick fixes for sustainable health.
Move your body, eat real food.
Now here’s my answer 7 years later
I still agree with my answer from 2012, however, I notice I primarily answered it from a dietary lifestyle perspective.
In other words, I answered it, as if the question was, is the Master Cleanse diet a sustainable diet?
The answer is, of course it’s not.
But I understand it’s not intended to be, as it’s a short-term, 10 day detox.
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So with that said, lets actually take a deeper look at how the Master Cleanse diet works.
3 ingredients used in the Master Cleanse diet:
- lemon juice
- cayenne pepper
- maple syrup
Master Cleanse diet recipe:
In a glass, mix the following ingredients:
- 8 oz of water
- 2 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp of maple syrup
- 1/16 tsp of cayenne pepper
Nutrition information (per serving):
- Calories: 112
- Protein: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fat: 0g
Recommended servings of the Master Cleanse diet drink:
- 6-18 glasses per day or whenever you’re hungry.
Total daily calories from the Master Cleanse diet:
Here is the total calorie breakdown if you drink the minimum 6 glasses daily:
- Calories: 672
- Protein: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 168g
- Fat: 0g
Lets put this into perspective:
For 10 straight days, you could be consuming less than 700 calories, with 100% of those calories coming from sugar.
So of course, if you follow an extremely low 700 calorie diet, you’re going to lose weight.
But some of that weight is going to be comprised of muscle, thus slowing down your metabolism in the process.
Plus, the 2 essential nutrients for your body to optimally function and thrive are protein and fat.
Yet, you are consuming 0 grams of protein and 0 grams of fat for 10 straight days!
Do I recommend the Master Cleanse diet?
The answer is probably pretty obvious.
I always have a hard time getting behind these extreme diets, because when you’re Living Lean, they’re unnecessary.
Besides the side effects of losing muscle and dealing with the highly likely cases of explosive diarrhea, you’ll also struggle with living a normal life during these 10 days.
Living Lean is all about lifestyle
This makes these short-term, quick fixes, unnecessary, especially if you go back to your old habits, after the 10 day Master Cleanse diet is over.
This puts you at a high risk to do what most people do after quick fix diets.
They gain all the weight back, and end up potentially worse off than you were before.
This is because your metabolism may slow down from losing your calorie burning muscle.
These extreme diets are similar to getting liposuction
You may get results in the short-term, but this short cut doesn’t teach you how to sustain the results.
We teach you how to incorporate sustainable nutrition and exercise habits into your daily lifestyle, so you don’t need these extreme, quick fixes.
Just like with a muscle, with repetition and consistency, these behaviors get stronger and eventually turn into habits.
This creates the Live Lean lifestyle
So if you’re ready to learn how to Live Lean with us, and thousands of other people just like you, go join our Team Live Lean community, and lets get started.
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Questions For You:
- Have you tried the Master Cleanse diet or know of anyone that did?
- Were the results sustainable?
Be sure to share your answers in the comment section below.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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