please share your master cleanse experience

[joyce09]

How did you like it?

What were the health benefits you reaped?

Compared to other cleanses/juice fasting, do you think MC is more effective in cleansing?

Do you think your weight loss was partially muscle loss?

What do you think of the maple cyrup ingredient? Is it necessary for MC to succeed?

Was it difficult to do? Were you hungry?

Is SWF or the lexative tea necessary? How does the tea taste like? I tried SWF a couple of times and only ended up bloated.

Thanks in advance for replies.

[modernmonkey]

Hiya

I did the master cleanse about 3 weeks ago.

I read the book about it from Tom Woloshyn.

I decided to do it for 10 days and nothing less. I told myself to stop any sooner would make the whole thing worthless. Imagine doing 3, 4 or 7 days and stopping. 7 days lost and no benefit! This was a really good idea because I stuck to it and I have a reputation for not sticking with things. I was open for going longer.

How did you like it? I didn't mind it. It was easy, interesting and I never felt hungry. I did get cravings, I did feel envious of others with solid food. I used a forum for support. I did it for 10 days because looking forward to the end got me through the last 3 days.

What were the health benefits you reaped? I lost about 10lbs. I eliminated a lot of waste. I got stronger and fitter (without exercise). I thought a lot about my relationship with food and what certain foods do to me.

Compared to other cleanses/juice fasting, do you think MC is more effective in cleansing? I have never stuck to any other fast. MC seemed so detached from food and so strict that it was something I could obey.

Do you think your weight loss was partially muscle loss? I measured my body fat before and after the MC. My body fat % remained the same. This means I lost body fat and the other elements in equal amounts. It made me realise the importance of exercise. I know I lost a good amount of fat My jelly belly and muffin top reduced hugely. I don't think I lost serious muscle mass because towards the end of the cleanse I could cycle up hills I normally walk up and not get out of breathe. If anything the cleanse has made me fitter and more attracted to exercise. I can also run continually for a lot longer than before.

What do you think of the maple cyrup ingredient? Is it necessary for MC to succeed? The maple syrup is absolutely necessary. The cayenne and lemon flush out the colon and the syrup gives you calories and eliminates hunger. It also contains lots of vitamins and minerals which nourish you. I do a physically 40 hour job. Without the syrup I would have got ill.

Was it difficult to do? Were you hungry? It was easy to do. Day 1 & 2 were a novelty. 3 & 4 were an unpleasant detox experience but the eliminations were fascinating. (I heard day 3 was hard, so I timed 3 & 4 for the weekend). I was not hungry once but I missed solid food. I got cravings but they passed after a lemonade. Day 4 & 5 were okay and then I hit the hump on day 6. From day 7 the end was in sight and I was already enjoying my slender body. Admiring it in the mirror etc... 7, 8 & 9 were so long and drawn out that I had to use day 10 as my destination to get through it.

Is SWF or the lexative tea necessary? How does the tea taste like? I tried SWF a couple of times and only ended up bloated. I didn't try the SWF. I used laxatives all from start to finish. The only real benefit of the flush appears to be that you eliminate everything in the morning and then you can have a relaxed day. With laxatives the urge can occur at any time so a near toilet is necessary. There were no accidents though. Nothing uncontrollable. The SWF can often get stuck or not work and I hear a lot of people complain about how that left them feeling so I opted out from the start. You do need some sort of laxative though otherwise you won't eliminate. You often experience detox just before an elimination. You need the comfort of knowing that the laxative will kick it out soon and you will not suffer any longer than is necessary. Some say you can only have one mint tea. I had herbal teas throughout and they didn't seem to compromise the cleanses effect.

I hope that helps.

I am really glad I did it. I lost some stuck weight and reenforced my vegan/raw leanings. I made contact with my body and learned I can do anything if I want it badly enough. I would certainly do it again.

My best advice is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 days are not worth it. 10 days, no less. Don't waste all that effort if you are not going to do it for 10 days. You'll regret it.

[joyce09]

Modernmonkey, Thank you so much for your detailed helpful reply!

What is the reason that you don't think doing a few days of MC is worth it? Why no less than 10 days?

[modernmonkey]

It takes at least 7 days for the body to adapt to the cleanse. From 8 days your body is maximising the effects of the cleanse. It will start to address buried issues like old injuries or toxins. This information about the detox stages really helped me to focus and understand what my body was doing and why.


Stage 1 (Day 1 To Day 2)
On the first day of fasting, the blood sugar level drops below 70 mg/dl. To restore the blood to the normal glucose level, liver glycogen is converted to glucose and released into the blood. This reserve is enough for half a day. The body then reduces the basal metabolic rate (BMR). The rate of internal chemical activity in resting tissue is lowered to conserve energy. The heart slows and blood pressure is reduced. Glycogen is pulled from the muscle causing some weakness. The first wave of cleansing is usually the worst.

Headaches, dizziness, nausea, bad breath, glazed eyes and a heavily coated tongue are signs of the first stage of cleansing. Hunger can be the most intense in this period unless the enema is used which quickly assists the body into the fasting state by ending digestion in the colon.

Stage 2 (Day 3 To Day 7)
Fats, composed of transformed fatty acids, are broken down to release glycerol from the gliceride molecules and are converted to glucose. The skin may become oily as rancid oils are purged from the body. People with problem-free skin may have a few days of pimples or even a boil. A pallid complexion is also a sign of waste in the blood. Ketones are formed by the incomplete oxidation of fats. It is suspected that the ketones in the blood suppress the appetite by affecting the food-satiety center in the hypothalamus. You may feel hungry for the first few days of the fast. This effect is temporary. The desire to eat will disappear. Lack of hunger may last 40 to 60 days, depending on whether you are on water or juice.

The body embraces the fast and the digestive system is able to take a much-needed rest, focusing all of its energies on cleansing and healing. White blood cell and immune system activity increases. You may feel pain in your lungs. The cleansing organs and the lungs are in the process of being repaired. Periodically, the lymphatic system expels mucoid matter through the nose or throat. The volume excreted of this yellow-colored mucus can be shocking. The sinuses go through periods of being clogged, then will totally clear. The breath is still foul and the tongue coated. Within the intestine, the colon is being repaired and impacted feces on the intestinal wall start to loosen.

Stage 3 (Day 8 to Day 15)
On the latter part of an extended fast, you can experience enhanced energy, clear-mindedness and feel better than you have felt since childhood. On the downside, old injuries may become irritated and painful. This is a result of the body's increased ability to heal during fasting. If you had broken your arm 10 years before, there is scar tissue around the break. At the time of the break, the body's ability to heal was directly related to lifestyle. If you lived on a junk-food diet, the body's natural healing ability was compromised.

During fasting, the body's healing process is at optimum efficiency. As the body scours for dead or damaged tissue, the lymphocytes enter the older, damaged tissue secreting substances to dissolve the damaged cells. These substances irritate the nerves in the surrounding region and cause a reoccurrence of aches from previously injured areas that may have disappeared years earlier. The pain is good as the body is completing the healing process. The muscles may become tight and sore due to toxin irritation. The legs can be the worst affected, as toxins accumulate in the legs. Cankers are common in this stage due to the excessive bacteria in the mouth. Daily gargling with salt and water will prevent or heal cankers.

Stage 4 (Day 16 to Day 30)
The body is completely adapted to the fasting process. There is more energy and clarity of mind. Cleansing periods can be short with many days of feeling good in between. There are days when the tongue is pink and the breath is fresh. The healing work of the organs is being completed. After the detoxification mechanisms have removed the causative agent or render it harmless, the body works at maximum capacity in tissue proliferation to replace damaged tissue. While a short fast will reduce the symptoms, a longer fast can completely heal. Homeostatic balance is at optimum levels. The lymphatic system is clean except for a rare discharge of mucus through the nose or throat. After day 20, the mind is affected. Heightened clarity and emotional balance are felt at this time. Memory and concentration improve.

Stage 5 (Breaking the Fast)
The sticky, toxic, mucoid coating on the intestinal wall is loose, and the first meal frees it from the intestinal wall. Toxins enter the blood through the colon. The gallbladder dumps its waste in a heavy discharge of bile. This can cause an instant bowel movement upon eating followed by intense diarrhea. If the symptoms are too uncomfortable, an enema will help.

If you break the fast early you are more likely to break it with the wrong foods instead of easing out. This could make you very ill because your body is in the process of eliminating toxins and may over react to a sudden intake of demanding foods.

The tongue turns white within a day which indicates the release of toxins. Some say to continue the cleanse until the tongue turns pink again.

Also, no practitioner recommends less than 10 days. Maybe that's a number they have come up with which assures results. Any less, and someone may complain it doesn't work. I guess 10 days will guarentee something good will happen.

[joyce09]

Thank you very much, modernmonkey. I hope you are enjoying your new healthy body and raw food.

[BeingK8]

bumping this thread in hopes that some more people post. I'm starting one tomorrow and would love to see more on here!

[joyce09]

bumping this thread in hopes that some more people post. I'm starting one tomorrow and would love to see more on here!

Today is my Day 1. So far I am doing fine. I am mildly hungry all day long but the lemonade is quite palatable.

[modernmonkey]

If I can offer any support just holla. Remember, every ache, pain and complaint is detox. Embrace it and know it means the cleanse is doing what it should. It is not something to fear or a reason to eat something. It rarely lasts and usually alleviates after an elimination.

Common early detox, is muscle aches and backache (toxins in colon).

[BeingK8]

If I can offer any support just holla. Remember, every ache, pain and complaint is detox. Embrace it and know it means the cleanse is doing what it should. It is not something to fear or a reason to eat something. It rarely lasts and usually alleviates after an elimination.

Common early detox, is muscle aches and backache (toxins in colon).

Thanks a million! I'm excited to see what amazing things my body will do during this cleanse! I will definitely be on with any questions, fo' sho!

[joyce09]

modernmonkey, thank you for your warm support.

You said you lost about 10 pounds. Now I see you weighed 127 before the MC and 121 after the MC. How did you do your math? :confused

On the other hand, now you weigh 119. So none of the weight lost has come back! Indeed the weight lost was not just water. That is very good.

[modernmonkey]

My weight had actually climbed a little before the cleanse which was partly why I felt the need for it. :woot:

[BeingK8]

joyce09, from what I've read and seen in vlogs of other people's MC experience, the weight lost does seem to mostly stay off! I'm happy about that. This is a transition to 100% raw for me. I'm hoping to see it become kind of a "reset" button on my metabolism, tastes/preferences, habits, etc. And it's also a deeply spiritual thing for me, too. Almost one day down and I'm very excited!

What do you think of the lemonade? I sure HOPE I either acquire a taste for it very soon or else I manage to kind of blank out on the taste because it was so syrupy-yucky sweet on this day 1.

ModernMonkey, I can't thank you enough for what you posted. I'd been interested in doing this and read stuff on the net, but for some reason, your posting in here was majorly comforting and inspiring that I could do this. And this is a big deal undertaking for me!!! It's all new, this no eating solids thing!

[joyce09]

My weight had actually climbed a little before the cleanse which was partly why I felt the need for it. :woot:

modernmonkey, You have good reason for being so excited! I hope I will reap the same kind of weight loss. I have been raw (sometimes high raw and sometimes 100% raw) for a couple of years now and my weight stays roughly the same. Admitted, I am only 10-15 pounds weightier than my perfect cosmetic weight.

BeingK8, I like the lemonade well. You may adjust the amount of the lemon juice and maple cyrup to your taste I believe. I did a good research about MC and found differenct websites suggest variant amounts of lemon juice and maple cyrup. I don't measure the amounts. I just make a lemonade pleasing to my taste.

My Day 2 is easy. Almost no hunger. It is only ten days. We can make it.:cheer:

[Mothergoose]

I did the master cleanse successfully but I had to do it 2 times to succeed for 10 days. The first time I did it I detoxed so badly I got very ill. The second time I focused and went through detox but it was not as bad.

The salt water flush was the hardest thing for me to do because I detest the taste of salt and really do not like salt in my body that much. However, it was a good addition to flushing out everything fast.

The maple syrup and lemons were really good and I enjoyed the taste. I also liked the cayenne pepper. It was easy for me to follow the cleanse because it was a simple cleanse and not that time sensitive. I did need to remember to drink enough of it though and not try to "skip" meals....or drinks.

My energy level was really good and I got a lot of extra things done. I did not have to worry about eating either which adds more time for things to do during the day. My sleep patterns were really good because I had a really deep sleep which is not usual for me. I also did not need to sleep for many hours...I slept an average of five hours a night...but a deep sleep that made you feel like you slept for days.


I lost about 7-8 pounds, but most of it was probably water weight. I also lost a little pooch too. I was disappointed I did not lose more, but it is not healthy to lose weight by simply fasting or lose it too fast anyway. I was really doing this for my health and to clean out toxins.

I felt like I really accomplished and completed something when I did this. I was very proud of myself. I also utilized the master cleanse forum too, and that group really helped me stay focused. I am not trying other cleanses as well...i.e. liver, colon and kidney cleansing. Each of them are an interesting experience.

[BeingK8]

BeingK8, I like the lemonade well. You may adjust the amount of the lemon juice and maple cyrup to your taste I believe. I did a good research about MC and found differenct websites suggest variant amounts of lemon juice and maple cyrup. I don't measure the amounts. I just make a lemonade pleasing to my taste.

My Day 2 is easy. Almost no hunger. It is only ten days. We can make it.:cheer:

Well, I'm on my day 2 now. I woke up feeling really good and positive about this whole experience, very excited about the big shifts I seem to be experiencing in mood and perception and intuition already after only 24 hours and then, by the time I had my first lemonade, I felt so elated and free. I put on some music and danced and sang at the top of my lungs because I thought, "Hey the spirit is moving me NOW and I don't have any idea what could be around the next corner. Who knows if I'll go into a bad headache phase or low energy or anything, so I'm living it up and enjoying now!"

On the downside, I did notice that my breath and armpits were RANK this morning. Made me really glad I'm single right now. LOL!

[modernmonkey]

Well done guys! You can do it. Yes, skin is your largest organ and the main one for getting rid of toxins. On two separate days I swear I had jaundice. My face was orangey yellow and I kept my cleanse a secret at work so they must've thought I looked and smelled odd.

[joyce09]

I did the master cleanse successfully but I had to do it 2 times to succeed for 10 days. The first time I did it I detoxed so badly I got very ill. The second time I focused and went through detox but it was not as bad.

It was easy for me to follow the cleanse because it was a simple cleanse and not that time sensitive. I did need to remember to drink enough of it though and not try to "skip" meals....or drinks.

I lost about 7-8 pounds, but most of it was probably water weight. I also lost a little pooch too.

I felt like I really accomplished and completed something when I did this. I was very proud of myself.

Mothergoose, Thank you for your input.

What was the interval between your two MCs? Just a few days? And did the two MCs add up to 10 days or did you do the 2rd MC for 10 days?
What made you think most of your weight loss was water loss?

I actually think that if one does not feel drinking the drinks, it is OK. For then one is water fasting, which is even more powerful than MC.

I will also feel a sense of accomplishment when I reach the conclusion of my master cleanse. :D

BeingK8, You have a good attitude! Continue that attitude and this MC will be a treat for you. As for me, I am more like: I will do it to see if it will prove as beneficial to me as to others. 100% raw has done nothing for me in terms of weight loss so I am kind of skeptical. But I will keep going. Today I switched to lime juice and I don't like it. I look forward to finishing up the lime juice in my fridge so I may go back to lemon juice.

modernmonkey, thank you for cheering us on. You like helping people succeed, don't you? BTW, I think you are very pretty in your photo.

[BeingK8]

BeingK8, You have a good attitude! Continue that attitude and this MC will be a treat for you. As for me, I am more like: I will do it to see if it will prove as beneficial to me as to others. 100% raw has done nothing for me in terms of weight loss so I am kind of skeptical. But I will keep going. Today I switched to lime juice and I don't like it. I look forward to finishing up the lime juice in my fridge so I may go back to lemon juice.

modernmonkey, thank you for cheering us on. You like helping people succeed, don't you? BTW, I think you are very pretty in your photo.

Thanks, I try! I learned some time ago that life is 90% attitude so I do work very hard to keep a positive one, especially when facing challenging things.

And I'm closing out day 2 and I'm so proud of myself. I have NEVER not eaten any solid food for 2 whole days unless I was ill (and that's one incentive for all of these changes, the MC and 100% raw after - to never do the deathbed-sick-in-winter thing again!) AND, there is a TON of food in my house because my motherm who is totally S.A.D. and unconconscious, lives here and I have two little boys who eat healthy by comparison to kids at their school but LOUSY compared to our standards around RFT.

I was extremely hungry today, but I had made some voice memos on my ipod as encouragement. I spoke in the positive, as if I was telling a friend about how proud I was to finish this and how much better and cleaner I feel and blahblah. AND I prayed and meditated!! The prayers to the Divine are helping noticeably.

And is that pic you, ModernMonkey? I just assumed that was probably your daughter or just a cute pic you liked because it looks like a young girl. LOL!

[Mothergoose]

I did the master cleanse again after a couple of weeks. I should have waited longer, but I wanted to do it while I was motivated. The first time I did it I could last about 3 days because I was very ill with sinus pain, and my stomach was so upset from the acid I was vomiting and felt really bad. My sinuses were the thing that made me quit though....I just couldn't take the pain.

The second time I did it for the full ten days, and did the orange juice for three days afterward with a salad for lunch on the 3rd day of the orange juice. This broke the fast gently and I was not in pain. I felt a lot better the second time and even though my sinuses acted up again, I focused and got through it. They eventually cleared on the 5th day....

I felt my weight was mostly water weight due to my bloating. The bloating subsided when I lost the weight and when I broke the fast the weight did not come all the way back (I can tell by how my clothes fit), and the belly fat did leave a little. It was not nearly as bad as the beginning. I still was very careful not to get it back though....

I am still interested in losing more belly fat so I am trying the liver cleanses. I did not like the first one, but that should be another topic.

The secret to the master cleanse is to use real organic lemons only, and grade be maple syrup and real cayenne pepper. No subsitutes or lemon juice in the bottle, etc.

[modernmonkey]

@Joyce09 They recommend 6-12 glasses a day. I made sure I got at least 6. Yes, I love to see others accomplish their goals and if I can be instrumental in that, then all the better. I want people to avoid making the mistakes I have made by sharing them. Thank you, that is me in the photo. I suppose it is time I put up some before and after photos as I do look strikingly different now. The master cleanse was the biggest factor in that.

@BeingK8 So you have ended day 2? That is already some accomplishment. It would be so easy to jack it all in on day 1 or 2. To begin day 3? Well, you are really setting yourself up for 10 days now.

@Mothergoose You have reminded me of some good advice. If I could finish up the cleanse again I would so definitely reintroduce foods slower and more considerately. I should have stretched it out a bit more. I wish I had stuck with just fruits and veg for a lot longer. They were really sweeping out my intestines and I was learning how great certain foods were for me, like raw spinach, beetroot and carrot. But within 4 days I concocted a very nutty lettuce wrap. My body hated all those nuts and it kinda mucked up the good digestion I had been establishing.

[k8sl8]

My son has done the MC 3 times in about 2 years. He gets very irritable periodically; has relatively low energy for much of the cleanse and I can't say his family is happy with it. He has done 8, 21 and 10 days and all were similar symptoms and results.

On the other hand he has dropped as much as 25 lbs. (6'5" and 230 the time he lost the most). The weight stays off until he starts 'eating too much' and having a few beers...
imagine that!

The last time he did the MC he did not do the salt business... as he'd just 'had it with that' and it was not a problem. He did do the tea and results were similar.

Sorry this is all second hand, but we've talked about it at length.

[Mrs. Papaya]

I did the Master Cleanse and, while parts of the experience were quite positive, I wouldn't do it again. Things were okay during the fast, but I had a rough time coming off it. I did the one day of OJ and then started very slowly eating some foods -- fresh, organic fruits and veggies, nothing rich or weird and I kept the portions small. Even so, I got sick. As in, I had to take two days off work, and I NEVER take two days off work. I was weak and shaky and felt awful. Then, when I started feeling well enough to eat more, I started binging and couldn't stop eating.

It was such a negative experience coming off the MC that I won't do it again. I will only do juice fasts from here on out. I would much rather flood my body with healthy green juices that the lemon juice/maple syrup concoction anyway.

[BeingK8]

@BeingK8 So you have ended day 2? That is already some accomplishment. It would be so easy to jack it all in on day 1 or 2. To begin day 3? Well, you are really setting yourself up for 10 days now.



That's what I had been thinking - I was so surprised that I was making it. And guess what?
END OF DAY 3, baby!!!! :woohoo:
Now I'm totally feeling like I have no reason to not make it. If I can go 3 whole days like this, I can do the full 10 for sure.

I had the urge to even do a workout today. I did a modest one for me - walked on the treadmill at a brisk pace, wasn't doing anything crazy. Still felt good to add that to the detoxification process and I LOVE to stretch when I'm warmed up after a workout so I hope my body wants to do that tomorrow. ;-)

And today was pretty easy. Mild headache for a very brief time, hunger WAY more manageable than yesterday. Last evening was ROUGH. Today was definitely better.

[joyce09]

Wow, suddenly we have a roomful of people here. Carry on the good conversation, girls.

Mothergoose, I can never tell whether I am putting on weight or am bloating with water. In both cases my eyes become smaller.:(
What is the reason you emphasized organic lemons? Just the common sense reason concerning the difference between organic and chemically grown? This is a good season to do MC. Big organic lemons are only 50 cents each at my local grocers.

BeingK8, Good that your hunger pangs are subsiding. I have little hunger now. I feel I can do this for a long time, as if I have settled into a routine which is not difficult. I like the simplicity of this cleanse. I have so much more time to focus on other interesting things.

modernmonkey, I would love to see how different you are now after the MC. The present picture is lovely, though.

k8sl8, Thank you for sharing your son's experience. His good results are very motivating for me. I am glad to know that SWF was dispensible in his case. I did SWF several times and nothing ever happened...except that the salt obvsiously invaded my body and stayed for a while.

Mrs. Papapa, Your experience is warning me to come off MC very slowly! On the other hand, I think green juice might even be healthier than lemonade...except pure green juice is yucky while lemonade is pleasing in taste.

[modernmonkey]

I think Mrs Papaya also makes an important point which again emphasises the importance of easing off the cleanse. Many strong old cravings can rear their ugly heads both on and AFTER the cleanse. The body has been intentionally deprived during the cleanse and that may mean for some people cravings are harder to resist or restrain. Putting some limits on what is consumed after the cleanse may help continue the cleanse and weight loss further and prevent overeating.

Fruit mono meals and salads and juices would probably prevent binge eating. It is worth being extremely cautious when reintroducing foods you know have been problematic for you in the past.

[joyce09]

Will somebody tell me why OJ juice is recommended after MC?

[BeingK8]

Will somebody tell me why OJ juice is recommended after MC?

Yea, I was wondering that, also. I'm not sure that I feel like doing OJ the day I come off. But I need to start researching so I can prepare. We will be traveling out of state for the day (just a day trip) to have Easter with family and I need to have my consumables prepped and ready ahead of time. I can take foods to blend if I need to, but I have to plan what I'm taking.

I'm really looking forward to this. It's a little wrong that PART of the reason is because I've always been the one in the family to be radical and "stir the pot," so to speak. LOL! My family will be eating glazed ham, sweet potato casserole, pillsbury rolls, Ritz-cracker-pineapple casserole, (you read that right!LOL It was disgusting when I was S.A.D.), green bean casserole, and FEW over-cooked veggies like asparagus. No salad. Nothing raw.

And then there's me. And only mom knows that I'm doing the MC. My family is gonna flip out when they hear that I haven't eaten anything solid food for 10 days! They're very conventional. They all had a collective coronary when they found out I was birthing at home. And then when I started incorporating more raw foods, well you would have thought I had lost my mind and said I was shooting heroin for health!

Oh man, I love them all so much, but we are SO different. And truthfully, it also makes me happy to have them as reinforcement for all the changes I have been making over the years. Needless to say, they are all either fat, have health problems, or both. Well, all except my one cousin who's only 20 and my two boys who are elementary school age.

But anyway, I'm gonna need something like a soup that I can consume at the family meal. Although I'd rather be taking a walk while they eat dead pig than listen to the kvetching and attacking of my way of life! LOL! Oh well. I can tough it out. Thank God they live out of state so I only do this a few times a year! ;-)

[modernmonkey]

I think the idea behind orange juice is because it is the most subtle transition from the lemonade to solid food. Your body has not had to digest anything solid for 10 days so orange juice is ideal for saying goodbye to the lemonade and hello to the world of living foods without putting any sudden stress on the body.

There is an emphasis on taking your time with the orange juice, seeing how it feels and accustomising your body to it. I'm actually quite jealous you will have this opportunity. I really regret not easing out more slowly. I did orange juice on day one. Orange juice and salad on Day 2. And that blooming nutty wrap on day 3. Bad idea. Grrr!

@BeingK8 Please take the easing out seriously and don't allow your family to compromise it. If you can't do the orange juice then do the soup. The book actually suggests straining the soup so you only consume the broth to begin with.

[joyce09]

Does the "soup" mean vegetable broth?

I also have another question. Many people said that the pounds they lost on MC never came back. Now I remember Aleesha said that when she stopped juice fasting around 6 pound came back because of the food weight in intestines. That makes perfect sense to me. When I did water fasting, that was also the case. So, with people who did MC and never gained back the lost pounds, what about the weight of the food that they started putting into their bodies?

[BeingK8]

@BeingK8 Please take the easing out seriously and don't allow your family to compromise it. If you can't do the orange juice then do the soup. The book actually suggests straining the soup so you only consume the broth to begin with.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm actually wondering if I should be doing the OJ or the soup. Should I make the OJ myself in my juicer or is it to have pulp? I'm guessing pulp if it's about transition, right? And I actually had left the pulp in my lemonade the first 3 days. Today is when I thought, "Oh wait, maybe I shouldn't do that!"

The broth sounds like it would be good, but it's cooked. I mean, doesn't that seem silly???

How long of a transition do we need? I'm taking your experience to heart and will not have any nuts (and maybe no seeds, either) for a few days at least. What do you think about fats - coconut oil and avocado, olive oil, hemp oil etc? I definitely won't do those the first day, but I wonder how long after I could add them in safely. I'm all for making this as smooth, gentle and painless as possible. So far the cleanse has not been too painful AT ALL. I don't want the transition to be like Mrs. Papaya had!!!

I guess in meditation I can pose the questions and see what answers come to me. Probably the best thing to do, really - just go with what my higher self and my body indicate.

[modernmonkey]

@Joyce09 I believe the 'soup' means soup but preferably only the broth to begin with.

The master cleanse does not assume you are already raw but more likely a SAD eater hence the soup suggestion. But it does encourage going raw in the time after the cleanse assuming the person may need to do that via cooked veganism. I did not do the soup because I wanted my cleanse to re enforce my rawness. I think maybe vegetable juices are a good alternative to the broth.

As for weight loss. If you have not hit your natural weight by the end of the cleanse but continue to eat sensibly I believe you will not regain the weight, in fact you will probably continue to lose it. I have. If the cleanse has taken you below your natural weight and you return to sensible eating then yes, you will probably regain a few pounds to level you back at your natural weight. The only way you will negatively gain weight is if you make bad food choices or overeat.

@BeingK8 I found the pulp in my fresh squeezed orange juice to be a real pleasurable way to start enjoying the feeling of chewing and getting my body to re learn digesting solid food. Only you will know how long you need but the simpler the better IMO. I would have the rule of trying every single ingredient in isolation before mixing it in with complicated recipes. After the cleanse is a perfect opportunity to see how your body responds to every single food. I ruined the chance by having a 6/7 part recipe on the third day. I will never know for sure which ingredient upset my digestion so much. And it seems much harder now to do the test again without the cleanse, though it is possible I guess.

[joyce09]

modernmonkey, thank you for replying and sharing about your coming off the MC. Yes I think vegetable juice should be a better choice than cooked broth.

BeingK8, Hope you are still going strong.

I feel very restful. No doubt this liquid diet is giving my body a good rest. I have sufficient energy to do my daily chores. I don't really think about other foods. I like the simplicity of this fast, which gives my mind a rest too.

[BeingK8]

Yep, still moving along nicely, I think. Kinda nice that you're doing it at the same time. Sort of fun to have a "buddy" to check in on on here.

This is day 5 for me. Gotta admit, was bummed that the scale was the same today as yesterday. LOL! But it didn't go up, which was a fear I had to do some psychoenergectic work on. I actually did have that fear - that my weight would go UP while doing this. Weight is, of course, about so much more than food. It's deeply psychological, spiritual, emotional for me and that was some of my intention with this fast - to take the time to go inside on those issues, to pray, meditate, reflect, do energetic work, etc.

And wow, emotional stuff.

Years ago I saw that I had major issues on sugar and refined carbs and I noticed DRAMATIC changes in my levels of peace, emotional stability, etc, when I cut those out. And that was even when I was still eating animal foods, just no refined carbs. I expected to experience that same even keel, but to a greater degree on this cleanse and that hasn't happened. In fact, in many ways, the saying, "wherever you go, you take yourself with you," has really shown up for me. I've noticed that I still got twisted up about stupid things that I later regretted, like the kids getting their school sneakers all muddy. It all worked out JUST fine. But I "had a cow." There have been a few other experiences, too, where I just saw that I'm not really much different, I'm just not eating.

Now, that said, overall, my mood IS much more positive overall than it is when I eat cooked or processed or refined carbs, for sure.

And the lemonade makes me feel kinda giddy or "high" or sort of like I have a buzz or something for a little while right after I drink it. It's an interesting experience.

I'm definitely looking forward to the transition and doing it "right" for my body. I'm very optimistic but trying not to be so overly optimistic as to set myself up for disappointment when I hit bumps in the road because I know that the raw journey has already had MANY and there are certainly more to come!

Dropping the oars and the perfectionism are soul lessons for me in this lifetime!

[modernmonkey]

I don't know if either of you cleansers read a book or just got the details off the net but these tricky moments on the cleanse are called 'a healing crisis'. It can be physical or emotional. BeingK8? Sounds like you could be having one of those.:hug

My weight loss on the cleanse looked like steps. Every 2-3 days there was a decrease. If you are exercising whilst on the cleanse there is also a chance you are transforming fat to muscle which will be heavier. My most significant changes was in the last couple of days and the easing off week. That was when my weight loss became the most noticeable. It may be worth taking some measurements, waist and thighs maybe. On the days there is no weight loss maybe there is inch loss? Remember to keep the cleanse more about other things than just losing weight. Think of any weight loss as a bonus!

You are both keeping very quiet about your poop! Hope your eliminations are going well!:cheer:

[Amii]

How did you like it?
I was 16 the first time I tried the master cleanse. Although I struggled, it was a novelty compared to the other times I tried it. The first 2 days were awful and I was irritable and shouty with everyone. But by day 3 I was feeling ok, albeit a bit mood swingy. I started to get this kind of weird sense of superiority to my classmates at school (who I kept my cleansing a secret from) because they needed solid food and I didn't. It was a bad mindset to be in although it didn't last longer than a couple days. However, I made the mistake of dropping down to only 4 lemonades by the 5th day so I got weak and shaky... and my parents talked me into ending the cleanse on day 7.

What were the health benefits you reaped?
My skin cleared up nicely. Before the cleanse my tongue was all cracked from long-term anaemia and it healed around 75% just during those 7 days. I dropped about 6lbs and had a totally flat stomach. Also became a size 8 (US size 6) in jeans around day 6 for the first time ever, which I maintained for a few weeks before the binge-eing set in. I also had been on 2 drugs, prednisone and doxycycline, for a long-term eye condition that caused my eyes to be swollen and bloodshot. Well, after 5 years of being dependent on these drugs, I stopped using them.. and after the cleanse, never needed them again.

Compared to other cleanses/juice fasting, do you think MC is more effective in cleansing?
I think it's more convenient and pleasant. You have energy and resilience and because although you're drinking nutrients, you're so detached from food you start to see food for what it really is.. just a lifeforce. You also are going to get better weight loss than juice fasting, and more sustainable loss than water fasting because your metabolism is still running.

Do you think your weight loss was partially muscle loss?
Possibly. I remember noticing that once I'd gained the weight back (because I binge-ed when I ended) that I was bigger even though I was back to my original weight, and we know that muscle is more compact than fat/water.

What do you think of the maple cyrup ingredient? Is it necessary for MC to succeed?
I hated it at first so I started to add limes in with my lemons to help mask the taste. But I like it now :D and yes, it's absolutely vital. If you don't use the syrup you're basically water fasting. The syrup is where your energy and metabolism-boosting comes from.

Was it difficult to do? Were you hungry?
I wasn't hungry, per se, but I developed a strange obsession with recipes - common when you're on the master cleanse. Around day 3 I started reading recipes avidly and bookmarking them, almost planning all these things I would eat when off the cleanse (bad idea). I started to get cravings for things I would never normally even eat, let alone crave - like cereal and peanuts.
On day 2 I fainted when I got out of bed but that was the worst point for me in the 7 days, low blood sugar on day 2. By day 4 I was feeling completely normal but just a bit uncertain of whether I was getting results or not.

Is SWF or the lexative tea necessary? How does the tea taste like? I tried SWF a couple of times and only ended up bloated.
Yeah it's very important to do at least one. Otherwise you won't properly benefit because you're not cleansing fully unless you're pooping ;)

Thanks in advance for replies.

Extra notes for you:
- I didn't ease-in OR ease-out, yet in those 7 days I still gained nice benefits. So just use this as motivation to reach ten days and get even better results :)
- On day 4 I started to get tired of the lemonade drink, so I recommend switching from lemons to limes if you get bored of the taste.
- Keep your hands busy with drawing or writing or knitting - I find I tend to eat mindlessly when my hands are free.
- Don't do anything heavier than light exercise at first.

In case you were in any doubt, despite my uneducated struggles at the time, I fully recommend the cleanse :D (I'm on day 1 right now)

[joyce09]

Being K8, Regarding emotional stuff, I think (1) fasting makes the body cleaner and also simplifies life and that should have a positive effect on the emotions; (2) on the other hand, the process of eating food often masks many negative emotions inside of us and fasting forces us to deal with these emotions face-to-face. On eating days, we could focus on the pleasures of planning and eating food as a way to escape many negative emotions. During fasting, one major way of escape (eating) is taken away.
I hope you find an effective way of dealing with negative emotions. Every one of us needs to find her own ways.

Modernmonkey, thanks for your continuing warm support. I have very smooth BM on Day 2 and Day 6 (today) like on my ordinary eating days. On other days I had very tiny eliminations. I did 2 SWFs and had absolutely no results except bloating. I am giving up on SWF. I use laxative stuff minimally and only at night times, for I have the fear of over-taxing my bowels. I have just a little occasional bowel cramps because of the laxatives and that is enough. (I actually don’t believe in laxative stuff. I more adhere to the idea of “letting nature takes it course.” But I want to observe the rules of MC as much as I could.) I have only lost 2 pounds as of today. If they don’t come back, that is good enough for me. I am not hungry and I feel calm and free. So it is not like I am struggling to lose weight.

Amii, your experience is so encouraging! Such wonderful benefits in just 7 days! I am motivated to go on with MC.
How are you doing on your Day 1 of MC? So are you in college now?

[BeingK8]

Yep I think you're both right, Modernmonkey and joyce. Healing crisis.

Poop? Well, there was no way in hell I was going to drink salt water and I didn't like the sound of the tea business so I modified, and quite nicely, I must say! ;-) I've had a colema board and done at-home colonic irrigation for a few years, so I'm just doing it that way. Once a day, flushing til nothing comes out anymore. So far so good! I can't believe how much stuff stays behind.

I was REALLY surprised though, that last night I was awakened by urgency to go RIGHT THEN, like when you had diarrhea or, apparently, the way it is with the tea - that it just hits you and you don't know when it will. I had to go twice in the night and there was the cramping and the "OMG" kind of feelings of discomfort. It seemed surprising, since that was overnight Day 4 into 5.

Today I'm back to lot of cravings. That's kind just ticking me off, really! LOL! I'm ready to not be craving everything I see on a commercial or see someone eat or hear about or whatever. Although, I have to say, the nice thing is, the cravings are far diminished from what they were before I ever did this. They go away as soon as I turn my attention to something else, unlike before where I'd get one locked in and it became OBSESSIVE. So, that seems like progress. :-)

[Amii]

Amii, your experience is so encouraging! Such wonderful benefits in just 7 days! I am motivated to go on with MC.
How are you doing on your Day 1 of MC? So are you in college now?

I am in college, yep, and it does make cleansing MUCH easier. However, something I didn't bank on was being right next to a supermarket all day long. Literally, next door to my room is a food place :(

I'm doing okay thanks. It's 2am where I am so I am now technically on day 2 but I haven't been to sleep yet. Just trying to make the time fly as I wait to get tired. I'm getting really bad cramping from the tea (which I've not used since my first ever cleanse 3 years ago) and I forgot what this feels like lol.

I'm also letting ice cubes melt in my lemonade before I drink it cos that just makes it taste nicer :D

Although I'm not feeling bad in any way yet I am approaching that stage of running boredom, and normally when I'm bored I eat... so... eeeek.

Also, there is a 24 hour supermarket just 5 minutes away so there is still that temptation. Aaaaaaaaargh.

[BeingK8]

You can do it, Amii. I live in a house with three non-raw fooders, so my house is STOCKED with food. We have it all, from the basic snacky things to cooked dishes that I know taste great to me because I grew up on them. (My mom lives with us and does the cooking!) If I can make it here, you can keep yourself out of the 24 hour market!! You made it two days!!

[Vaclare79]

[QUOTE=BeingK8;658582]Yep I think you're both right, Modernmonkey and joyce. Healing crisis.

Poop? Well, there was no way in hell I was going to drink salt water and I didn't like the sound of the tea business so I modified, and quite nicely, I must say! ;-) I've had a colema board and done at-home colonic irrigation for a few years, so I'm just doing it that way. Once a day, flushing til nothing comes out anymore. So far so good! I can't believe how much stuff stays behind.

Hi,

How is this colonic done? Just curious because I wanted to find another alternative to the tea or SWF too....

[Vaclare79]

Hello ladies,

I am thinking I will start my MC experience tomorrow morning. I have been thinking about doing it soon and I have a week off from work so I might as well. I am in college right now too and it's the right time to do it I figured.
I need to clean out for various reasons. I have an infection I want to see if I can get rid of by doing it and then again for weight loss and cleanse as well.. I know it works because my mother did it a few years ago without gaining weight back. I am just really worried about any detox especially emotional detox symptoms.
One question I have is I am wondering if I can skip the orange juice and use green foods instead like GS or something to start back on foods with because I think I might be intolerant or allergic to oranges.
Good luck to everyone else on their MC.

:)
:heart

[Amii]

It's 6:17am on day 2, I fell asleep last night for around 2 hours and I can't feel sleepy yet. The maintenance guys are coming at some point today to fix my shower so I'm not sure about knocking off or not.

I had a hilarious moment yesterday when I went to the supermarket just to get my lemons - it was day 1, about 5am (hadn't been to sleep yet) and I walked straight into the Easter gift display. You can imagine what that did to my mindset. I know that I'll be going home on day 7, which is Easter Sunday, and am nervous about that. But at this supermarket I was already thinking "yeah sod it, the master cleanse is toooooo hard".. so I started to wander around the aisles looking at all the food, arguing with myself. I was going "I want to eat, I don't want to cleanse" but then I was thinking "No, you started this for a reason - don't back out now, don't be weak" and then I was all "Whatever, I'm going to buy some junk food" and then I was all "Noooo YOU'LL REGRET IT"..

Basically I gritted my teeth and stormed right out of the shop and not until I was striding away with my back turned I felt in control again. And that was only the morning of day 1. I shudder to think what today and tomorrow will bring :p

[BeingK8]

How is this colonic done? Just curious because I wanted to find another alternative to the tea or SWF too....

If you're in college, does that mean you're living in a dorm or with roommates? Colon hydrotherapy is no simple process, really, because you have to spend about $280 to get the supplies (the Colema board and the tubing) and you need a place to do it that's feasible. I do it during the day when my kids are in school and I'm all alone. You're laying on this board with your exposed butt and putting a tube in your bum to flush water up into your colon and lower intestines. I would never consider it if I had roommates because I am too squeamish about such a thing. And there's no way to do it in a dorm with a communal bathroom!!
If, by chance, it's not cost-prohibitive for you and you have living circumstances that would likely allow you to do it this way, by all means I can share more, (there's a recently updated thread on here where I talk about it, too), but my guess is that it won't be viable option for you at this time. Let me know, though!

[BeingK8]

I just saw now that '79 is your birth year, so as a non-traditional student, you probably aren't in the situation that I thought. I didn't look more closely at your username or pic or profile page until after I replied.

Look at this stuff and decide if you think it would work based on your living circumstances:
http://www.amenhealth.com/enemacolonics.html
That board sits on the toilet and a chair. The hole part goes over the toilet and so you have to have enough room in your bathroom for the rest of the board and a folding chair to stick out straight from the toilet. I bought mine at a local HFS and got very lucky that it fits in my downstairs bathroom and since then, I often think about it other people's houses, "Oh that wouldn't fit here!" or "Looks like it might fit here." LOL!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-neEd0arEg
This video is long and boring, but it shows the whole setup with a board sold in the UK.

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=33443&highlight=colonics
That's the thread I was referring to.

[Vaclare79]

Wow, amazing lol. How interesting though really. I really wish I had the extra money now. I definitely wouldn't mind getting that instead of doing the SWF. I just don't wanna feel sick if I did the SWF. I guess I could do smaller flushes though.. Not sure how that would go. Well, I am going to try to do the lemonade diet today. Going now to get a bunch of lemons.

[RawHealthyBeauty]

I would like to do the Master Cleanse too.

I tried to do this a awhile back and last for about a day and a half.

I've got the book and read it. It's recomended to this 4x a year for a healthy body.

Wanna clean everything out!!!

Looking forward to how I feel at the end of the cleanse!!! Don't know when I'll start, but do know that I'll start within a few days!!

Posting here when I do.

[modernmonkey]

Whoa-raw. I told myself anything less than 10 days would be a waste of my time. It seemed to work! I stuck to it.

[BeingK8]

Whoa-raw. I told myself anything less than 10 days would be a waste of my time. It seemed to work! I stuck to it.

And she told me that and it seems to be working for me. LOL! Day 6 now.

[Amii]

Modernmonkey, how did you eat after the cleanse?

[modernmonkey]

Raw and sometimes cooked vegan.

Lots of fruit, smoothies, salads and sometimes dehydrated foods. I do allow cooked vegan for nights out and visiting friends or if I just feel like it. Sometimes my raw or cooked concoctions do not sit well with me. If I mess up I tend to fruit mono meal for a couple of days to prevent any cravings setting in and taking hold. It's a continuous journey of self discovery.

[modernmonkey]

And she told me that and it seems to be working for me. LOL! Day 6 now.


Day 6 wow! You have taken it so much in your stride. I had hit the hump by then and it was becoming an uphill struggle until Day 7 was over. Well done!

[joyce09]

We are getting a happy company here. The more, the better. :dance:

I slipped last night. While I was preparing a new raw dish for my hubby, I thought of testing just one bite. I thought I could handle it because I sensed no temptation. Well, one bite ended up a light raw meal. So, lessen learned: don't even try one bite.

I will strike out yestereday and not count it as an MC day. So today is my Day 6 again. I am so comfortable with MC that I might do longer than 10 days.

modernmonkey, thank you for staying around as our mentor and cheer leader.

"Although I'm not feeling bad in any way yet I am approaching that stage of running boredom, and normally when I'm bored I eat... so... eeeek." Amii, so the real problem is how you handle boredom in general?

[Amii]

"Although I'm not feeling bad in any way yet I am approaching that stage of running boredom, and normally when I'm bored I eat... so... eeeek." Amii, so the real problem is how you handle boredom in general?

Yeah I guess so. The thing is I've pretty much been reclusive since coming to college because I gained so much weight I can't fit into my old clothes. I basically live in trackies and laze around my room and end up just sitting around.. and when you sit around you get bored.. and mainsteam media tells us that eating will relieve boredom. Obvious rubbish but I fall for it a lot of the time :( I think when this is over though things could be different :)

8pm day 2 here.

Something really weird is happening to me. I don't know if it's because I did 2 days on juices right before starting this but, I have absolutely no desire to eat right now. Normally I'd be like yeah food, and I'd talk myself into eating but right now... nothing. It's not just that I don't want food, it's that food is the furthest thing from my mind, and it's not like I've got anything else to think about. There is even fruit on my table to ensure that if I do decide to break early, I still break properly. But no, nothing. I don't even notice it's there. There's a min-supermarket next door to my room and I just have no urge. It's only day 2. This is really fast for me and a bit troubling. Is it just a blip and day 3, tomorrow, is going to be the really bad day??

Maybe it's because I'm actually drinking the tea this time. Normally I wouldn't use either the SWF or the tea, just drink the lemonade, and apparently doing these helps get rid of cravings. Maybe that's it.

Also, I'm dying of cramps and I can't tell if it's from the tea or that time of the month, which I just started early :( booooooo

Sorry you slipped up. I'm glad you're still calling today "day 6" because whenever I slip up no matter what day it is, I always call the next day "day 1" all over again. I realise now there's no need to do that :D Besides, it's really hard having to cook for others whilst cleansing. Go you =D

[RawHealthyBeauty]

Modern Monkey ~ I'm taking your advice. I'm so in for ten days and will probably start this weekend or the following week.

Just wondering what laxative tea you all have been using on this cleanse?

Did any of you feel weak or woozy on this fast?

[BeingK8]

Day 6 wow! You have taken it so much in your stride. I had hit the hump by then and it was becoming an uphill struggle until Day 7 was over. Well done!
Thanks, Modernmonkey! I'm not gonna lie - it was HELL a few times with cravings. Tonight was one of them. I wanted to eat the salad and baked potato (with friggin gravy!) that the family had for dinner tonight. And they had cheese on the salad. Cheese and gravy are two things that I'm really hooked into. I did a whole bunch of meridian tapping on the issues and managed to stay away from the stuff, but the urges are not gone. And right now I want to go and PIG OUT. I want to raid the tortilla chips, pretzels, have some cheese, you name it. And my mother brought friggin oreos into the house. If that's not a big old case of secret or subconscious sabotage, I don't know what is. Seriously. Because she knows that all the things they eat that had been part of my repertoire all these years were huge stumbling blocks to my eating raw.
And I think subconsciously she's also trying to assert some power. She's been supportive in her words and stuff. But she is NOT supportive of any of the changes I try to make with me or the boys if it makes her take a look at herself or in any way feels like it's encroaching on her "S.A.D. and happy" lifestyle.

We are getting a happy company here. The more, the better. :dance:

So today is my Day 6 again. I am so comfortable with MC that I might do longer than 10 days.

modernmonkey, thank you for staying around as our mentor and cheer leader.


Ditto to thanks for MM for sticking around here. LOVE having a cheering section on here. It's making it way better to get to check in here and see what everyone's been saying and to see the kudos from MM!

And ditto to YAY for company! Come on in and join the cleansing party, folks! LOL!

Joyce, we're on the same day now. ;-)





Did any of you feel weak or woozy on this fast?
Not in the least. I have to admit, I was very surprised. I feel totally normal in most ways. Slightly more energetic. Hungry, of course, (or what I used to think was hungry and now see is psychological hunger or appetite for certain things or cravings and not actual hunger), but that's about it. Well, maybe a little sleepier than I normally am, I guess because my body wants rest and maybe detox is a lot of work - ???
But actually, I even went to the gym again today. Now, I had been in a total slack-off phase for a few months, prior to the MC. NO workouts for months. I've had the URGE to go three times since I started. I took it easy every time because I didn't want to burn so many calories that I was actually hungry and it would be hard to stay on the fast, but the workouts felt SUPER easy and my body WANTED to do more, I just wasn't following it's pleas.

[joyce09]

Amii, I think sometimes being alone is good too. The crowd/party distracts its participants from boredom--temporarily. The aloneness could afford space for one to think about the meaning and purpose of life.
I think it is normal for you to not feel hungry now. Normally after 3 days of juice fasting hunger ceases because the digestive system has rested and shut down. So, counting your 2 days of juice diet before MC, now it is indeed time for you to cease from hunger.

BeingK8, It is kind of sad to suspect your own mother is unhappy with your change. When self-interests are involved, even the best mother could look after herself first. Well, she does take over the cooking job for your kids. That removes a big temptation for you.

Whao, from Day 3 on I have felt good, not different from my normal raw-eating days, except I have a lot more time to do interesting things other than planning and preparing meals.

[BeingK8]

BeingK8, It is kind of sad to suspect your own mother is unhappy with your change. When self-interests are involved, even the best mother could look after herself first. Well, she does take over the cooking job for your kids. That removes a big temptation for you.



Oh my goodness, I'll actually take her sabotage for all she does for me! She's doing the best she can, especially on 62 years cooked, S.A.D. and unconscious. She's not on a spiritual path, not awakened or anything. So, I can't expect more from her. She doesn't know she's doing it, I really don't believe. I mean even the unhappiness is unconscious - she's unhappy and does not even know why. When we're not conscious, our lives run on autopilot. She doesn't really KNOW that it's making her uncomfortable because on the unconscious level it means she could change, too. She's always been fat, and I'm sorry, I do not believe my mom is one of those rare individuals who really is at peace with her weight. She lives with it; she puts on a happy face; she tells herself she's fine with it, but she lives in the west. It's bullshit to think that we can be okay with fat. We can love ourselves. We can learn to appreciate the fat as protection until we are ready to let go of that defense. We can appreciate who we are on the inside. But no western woman who has been overweight most of her adult life is NOT secretly, at SOME time, wishing she could be thinner and feel better about herself. So me doing this causes her pain that she can't even consciously understand.

And actually, this is egg on my face: she got the oreos for the dessert she's taking to Easter dinner, which was MY SUGGESTION - Chocolate cheesecake. It was kind of a joke because they were all talking about what to have for dessert and I threw that in to make them laugh since I wouldn't be eating it anyway, why would I have an opinion, you know? The other stuff, yea, some of it is sabotage, but like I said, I'll take it. I've got spirit on my side. I can do this.

It's all good. Everything in life is always a lesson in love. :heart:

[Amii]

I think subconsciously, I'm trying to sabotage MYSELF. It's going very well for me but my mind is saying "well it's day 3, time for you to break it because it's all easy from now on. You might as well ruin it all now". It's like a fear of how happy I'll be when I've finished.

Anyway, it's 5:45pm on day 3 for me. Can anyone tell me if my period might last longer than usual while cleansing (I got it on day 1)? I haven't cleansed while on in over 2 years so I don't remember.

I'm really throwing the lemonade down because of all that acid haha.

[modernmonkey]

Did any of you feel weak or woozy on this fast?

Feeling weak and woozy was one of my fears especially since I do a labour intensive job.

I timed day 1 & 2 on a Thursday and Friday so I could get through the first few days looking forward to the weekend. And then I could lounge at the weekend if I was very tired from the cleanse. I found the opposite to be true. I just didn't feel weak or woozy at all. The maple syrup in the drink definitely prevents it. Any weakness is quickly eradicated after a lemonade.

[joyce09]

BeingK8, may I ask how you know that your mom is totally unaware of her unhappiness as well as her sabotage?

Amii, I don’t understand this: “my mind is saying ‘well it's day 3, time for you to break it because it's all easy from now on. You might as well ruin it all now.’ It's like a fear of how happy I'll be when I've finished.” I think I understand BeingK8’s mom’ behavior, but I don’t quite get your reasoning. Will you explain it further?

[modernmonkey]

I can't speak for Amii but I recognise this mentality. I can often have an internal conflict between my perfectionist and rebellious voice. Their battling can unfortunately keep me trapped in repetitive behaviour that thwarts progress. The rebellious voice is scared of finding out happiness does not lie in perfectionism yet the perfectionist believes their is hope in it for happiness. It's just funny how the rebel always wins. This is why I surprised myself when I succeeded at the master cleanse. All because of this little mantra about less then 10 days would have been a waste of time. Now I can apply this to other things in my life. Like don't start the washing up unless you will complete it all. I often do half jobs. They are nowhere as rewarding as doing a job properly. When the rebel voice says, 'you've done enough; this is boring now; look, you've proved you can do it', my determined voice warns me that if I don't complete the job it may have been worthless to have done any of it because in a couple of hours it will all look exactly the same mess as before. I'm more angry about wasting my time than continuing to do something which no longer interests me.

[Amii]

Amii, I don’t understand this: “my mind is saying ‘well it's day 3, time for you to break it because it's all easy from now on. You might as well ruin it all now.’ It's like a fear of how happy I'll be when I've finished.” I think I understand BeingK8’s mom’ behavior, but I don’t quite get your reasoning. Will you explain it further?

Well I don't really understand it myself but I think I'm subconsciously afraid of getting the results from a complete master cleanse. So I always end in the first few days.. and it's not even like I'm around food and just snap and stuff some into my mouth.. it's always that I'll reach a point in the first 2-3 days where I end up making a conscious decision to end there and then, even though I know I don't actually want to. I am completely aware that by the time I have chosen to end, it's all downhill from then on and the real benefits will start coming but my mind says "well, stop".

I've been slightly masochistic in the last couple years. Maybe the cleanse will fix it lol :)

Edit: It's 9:30am and I've already had 4 lemonades :O My stomach is really moaning today for something inside it haha. Granted I did wake up at 4am after only 3 hours sleep, but I still hope it settles down later on. My tongue is not really white... ever, on the cleanse. When I wake up my tongue is slightly whiter before I brush my teeth but not to the extent other people report. I wonder what this means. I always have a bad taste in my mouth though, like right now, even though I've just brushed my teeth with minty toothpaste.

I've been listening to BBC Radio 1 all morning (to all UK cleansers: shove on The Chris Moyles Show to mooch around to in the early mornings). Already finished a 4 hour show. Moved onto yesterday's Greg James show. Gonna shower while I listen to that then go to the uni library to print off my room contract, sign, and then return to accomodation offices. Hopefully it'll be 12pm by the time I've done all that crud.

Later on I'll go to WH Smiths and just look at books...

Oh LOL sorry for telling you all my future life story haha :D

[BeingK8]

Busy day today, but going strong! Joyce, I will be back to try and explain the unconscious of unhappiness thing, hopefully when kids get to bed tonight!

Okay, I'm back.

There are two "parts" to our minds. The "unconscious" part, the subconcious, and the conscious part, the part that thinks and "chatters" in our heads.
The subconscious has all kinds of beliefs. It remembers everything, including all the things we experienced and learned even as little children. It predominantly runs our show, unless or until we consciously decide to take steps to un-program and the reprogram it. I believe her subconscious mind has a cache of beliefs that tell her it threatens her "norm" for me to do this raw stuff and she's not even aware of it consciously that it causes her distress.

Did that make sense at all?

And changing topic back to Master Cleanse:
This evening is HELL!! I just want to eat. I mean, I WANT TO EAT!! I'm about to quit and I can't believe it. (I'm not going to, but it's been in my mind several times tonight). I think it's MY self-sabotage coming on strong, so I'm fighting the urge. Luckily, I know that the sorts of things I WANT to eat would make me horribly sick and in pain from cramping and stuff, so I'm not giving in. I don't know. I'm not sure if it's JUST the self-sabotage stuff or what. I was so damned desperate for a taste other than that nasty, syrupy lemonade crap that I actually squirted a squirt of Bragg's on my tongue! That may have been unwise, because I guess it could set off some craving/obsession, but I did it. Too late now.

And I am having such a case of the awwf@%#its that I hear that chatter-y, self-sabotage-y little ego/pain body voice saying, "Who cares? Just eat cooked food. Have some green smoothies. It's not that big deal. You don't need to be raw. What's the point anyway? I mean, really?"

Man that voice is a brat! A HUGE BRAT.
Because there are MANY reasons. For one, it's only 8 days and I've already forgotten how much crappier I felt before doing this. And that was after incorporating quite a bit of raw every day for quite some time. I definitely don't remember well what I felt like before any raw anymore.
And my knees hurt like mad. I want the pain to heal. Among a trillion other things, that just sticks out in my mind and I think I'm just typing stream-of-consciousness to remind myself what I'm doing with all of this. I have goals. I just want an easy way out. I want to be lazy and still get everything I want and I'm being a pouty, whiny, brat tonight. AAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

[Amii]

BeingK8, what you're feeling is totally normal when you're on the master cleanse. You might be going through some emotional detox. But you're very nearly there, only 2 more days to go :D you can do it.

Day 5 for me. WOOHOO :D Just woke up, it's 11:30. I usually have trouble sleeping on the cleanse but last night and the 2nd night, where I slept very well, I had 2 lemonades very close to bedtime and I think that's what kept me asleep. So I think it's being hungry that wakes me up on the cleanse. Yaaay.

Last night I went to the supermarket at around 11pm for lemons and oh my god did I hate that. The town is full of drunks who shout and whistle things. Criiiinge. Horrible.

Well my plans today are to start my darn coursework (urgh) and to do some reading, listen to a bit of radio, and watch a bit of Buffy. See ya all later.

Modernmonkey, where've you gone? :(

[modernmonkey]

I'm right here. Keeping an eye on you all!:cheer:

[Amii]

Cheers Tess :D you're a starrrrr. Btw, I noticed you lost more weight following your cleanse.. are you avoiding avocado and oils and fatty stuff or are you able to eat them without gaining?

Endless hunger for me both yesterday and today. Whats going on?? It's not "true" hunger because that shouldn't be coming back til around day 20 at the very least. The effects of a lemonade last about 30 minutes now and then I'm hungry again :(

Otherwise I can't believe I've gone 5 days now. It really doesn't feel like that. I guess I'm just surprised at myself.

[modernmonkey]

I have mostly fruity days with a small amount of fat (usually avocado) and salad and/or veg for dinner. Some days I will have a cooked vegan meal if I fancy it. I have just found that after the master cleanse some sort of balance returned. I seem to be tuned into keeping the day in balance. A thick smoothie for breakfast? Then it's mono fruit for lunch and salad for dinner. Restaurant for dinner? Then it's melon for breakfast and small salad for lunch. Etc.... However the day goes, fruit plays the biggest part and fat (in whatever form) is kept to a minimum.

You shouldn't be getting bad hunger pains. I think it is true hunger you are experiencing. Hunger and SAD cravings should feel quite different on the cleanse. The former from the stomach, the latter from the brain. Do you know you can have up to 12 lemonades? It may ease you to have a few more. What do you think? Well done on five days BTW.:woohoo:

[Amii]

You shouldn't be getting bad hunger pains. I think it is true hunger you are experiencing. Hunger and SAD cravings should feel quite different on the cleanse. The former from the stomach, the latter from the brain. Do you know you can have up to 12 lemonades? It may ease you to have a few more. What do you think? Well done on five days BTW.:woohoo:

I don't think it is, seriously, true hunger should never return anywhere near this soon. It's not a bad hunger pain or even very noticeable, I just notice that it's there and appears not long after a lemonade. I would have more LA's but I hate the taste so I chug them ahha.

Thanks :D I'm very nervous about gaining the weight back. Last time I cleansed which was a year ago, I only went for 3 days but I did keep off the 4lbs and lost an additional 3 more after. I think because I started eating more fruit after. Howeverrrr... When I got to college I rebounded on junk food and gained more.

Do you have any tips on keeping the weight off? I've got about 3 stone I could lose before I could be called skinny.

Also, are you finding food more tasty now? I need to know I will like fruit and veg more after haha

[modernmonkey]

Busy day today, but going strong! Joyce, I will be back to try and explain the unconscious of unhappiness thing, hopefully when kids get to bed tonight!

Okay, I'm back.

There are two "parts" to our minds. The "unconscious" part, the subconcious, and the conscious part, the part that thinks and "chatters" in our heads.
The subconscious has all kinds of beliefs. It remembers everything, including all the things we experienced and learned even as little children. It predominantly runs our show, unless or until we consciously decide to take steps to un-program and the reprogram it. I believe her subconscious mind has a cache of beliefs that tell her it threatens her "norm" for me to do this raw stuff and she's not even aware of it consciously that it causes her distress.

Did that make sense at all?

And changing topic back to Master Cleanse:
This evening is HELL!! I just want to eat. I mean, I WANT TO EAT!! I'm about to quit and I can't believe it. (I'm not going to, but it's been in my mind several times tonight). I think it's MY self-sabotage coming on strong, so I'm fighting the urge. Luckily, I know that the sorts of things I WANT to eat would make me horribly sick and in pain from cramping and stuff, so I'm not giving in. I don't know. I'm not sure if it's JUST the self-sabotage stuff or what. I was so damned desperate for a taste other than that nasty, syrupy lemonade crap that I actually squirted a squirt of Bragg's on my tongue! That may have been unwise, because I guess it could set off some craving/obsession, but I did it. Too late now.

And I am having such a case of the awwf@%#its that I hear that chatter-y, self-sabotage-y little ego/pain body voice saying, "Who cares? Just eat cooked food. Have some green smoothies. It's not that big deal. You don't need to be raw. What's the point anyway? I mean, really?"

Man that voice is a brat! A HUGE BRAT.
Because there are MANY reasons. For one, it's only 8 days and I've already forgotten how much crappier I felt before doing this. And that was after incorporating quite a bit of raw every day for quite some time. I definitely don't remember well what I felt like before any raw anymore.
And my knees hurt like mad. I want the pain to heal. Among a trillion other things, that just sticks out in my mind and I think I'm just typing stream-of-consciousness to remind myself what I'm doing with all of this. I have goals. I just want an easy way out. I want to be lazy and still get everything I want and I'm being a pouty, whiny, brat tonight. AAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

I somewhat understand this. By day 8 I was really missing solid food. I wasn't really hungry, I just missed to texture and the joy of eating. I was getting jealous of others with food. It's that rebellious voice eh, BeingK8? Watch out for it. The rebelliousness is real. You are probably entering a deep level of the cleanse now. And you body is noticing the deprivation. But you know it's only 2 more days. You will eat again. Anything that is good for the body.

[modernmonkey]

My tips for keeping the weight off and continuing to lose after the cleanse (if the body has not reached it's natural weight yet). This is what I have been doing.

1) Exercise.

2) Put more energy into everything.

3) Exert yourself whenever there is the possibility to. Tell yourself, 'I'm an active person'.

4) Keep fat/protein to less than 10% a day.

5) Consume sugar only from fruit as much as possible.

6) Keep recipes simple.

7) Keep fruit intake high (to combat cravings and/or making bad food choices.)

In the week leading up to my first period since the MC, I gained 5 lbs and got horrific cravings. Thankfully I binged on only raw foods but I was a little alarmed at the chaotic, fast eating I indulged in. Soon as I got my period I lost 4 lbs and the cravings eased off. I very nearly freaked out thinking I had ruined everything. Just a warning to you. Weight gain and bloating during a period is real folks. Don't let it disarm you.

[Amii]

My tips for keeping the weight off and continuing to lose after the cleanse (if the body has not reached it's natural weight yet).

Thanks :D

When you say 'natural', what does that mean for you? 119lbs is very light.. about 8 stone I think but then again you might be very small lol. So is our natural weight thin, or is it what is considered normal in today's standards, which usually means with about 15 extra lbs?

[BeingK8]

I somewhat understand this. By day 8 I was really missing solid food. I wasn't really hungry, I just missed to texture and the joy of eating. I was getting jealous of others with food. It's that rebellious voice eh, BeingK8? Watch out for it. The rebelliousness is real. You are probably entering a deep level of the cleanse now. And you body is noticing the deprivation. But you know it's only 2 more days. You will eat again. Anything that is good for the body.

I hope you're right that I'm in a deep level of cleanse right now because I want to cave so badly. I've had it! If I make it through the next 2 days AND the transition without wrecking it on poor choices, it will be a miracle. I want to throw in the towel on the whole cleanse AND raw food and just eat all the junk that everybody else is eating.

And I was such a wreck this morning. Some family came here today because every year, some of them get together to go to the Good Friday brunch at my grandmother's church. Immediately, they start in on the cleanse (mom told them within the first 10 minutes they were, if that). And that's okay, because most of them are cool. They don't agree; they wouldn't do it, but they won't be nasty. Well, one family member was particularly nasty about how it's "BS" and "she's an idiot" and on and on and I was RAW. I was so appreciative for having read, "Raw Emotions" a while back, because I went through it big time this morning.

But, I decided when I went in to dry my hair, that I would just let myself be in the emotion, no trying to suppress or deny. And now I do feel much better as far as that goes. Still want to give it all up, though. Gotta say, this feeling of wanting to just quit on all of it is pretty annoying. It's ticking me off.

Apparently, I need some time to connect with Divine Spirit! I have a lot of raging negativity going on.

[joyce09]

modernmonkey, “ Now I can apply this to other things in my life. Like don't start the washing up unless you will complete it all. I often do half jobs. They are nowhere as rewarding as doing a job properly. When the rebel voice says, 'you've done enough; this is boring now; look, you've proved you can do it', my determined voice warns me that if I don't complete the job it may have been worthless to have done any of it because in a couple of hours it will all look exactly the same mess as before. I'm more angry about wasting my time than continuing to do something which no longer interests me.” Thank you for sharing what you have learned through your MC experience. It appears MC did you good not just physically.
Amii, Glad for you that you are still going. No doubt you will finish well this time. And you have modernmonkey to help you transition to sensible eating afterwards.
BeingK8, I understand the conscious and unconscious parts. I just suspect that your mom is not totally unaware of her unhappiness and her sabotage, although she may prefer not to face them. One of my friends and her sister were both very overweight. One time my friend started a serious weight-reduction program. One weekend her sister made this huge pan of chocolate cookies (which were my friend’s favorite cookies) and laid it all out on the kitchen table to cool down. My friend was very angry and talked to her sister about her sabotage. Her sister reformed at once. I think her sister dimly knew all along what she was doing. My friend just needed to confront her sister to make her sister feel ashamed of her own behavior.
You have been going on for 8 days!! You will finish 10 days well and go on to healthy eating most probably.


Now for me, since Day 6 when I slipped, I could not stop making small cheats. I really have no excuses for that. I like lemonades and I feel peaceful doing MC and I have hardly any detox symptoms. The only excuse is that I have to make raw dishes for my husband and I want to test the dishes to make sure my hubby likes them, for I am still coaxing him into eating raw dishes.
Well, my hubby is away this weekend. So I will make a new start today. I will not count the days any more. I will just do MC till the end of April.

I read this statement somewhere, "When you cheat, you really aren't getting away with anything, though at the time it may seem that way." I am keeping this on my desk to remind myself to behave.

[Amii]

Okay.. I've never dealt with death before whilst fasting. This is something new. I'm not using food to block my emotions or numb myself. I'm on day 5 and I'm not throwing in the towel for this.

I got the call and was kind of stunned. I went to my flatmate and asked to talk to him. Started to cry. It was about 9:30pm, whilst I was still browsing on here.

But I thought, this is proof that I need to be as healthy as I can be. And I need to make my grandma proud. I'm not caving in to some BS food anymore.

I had to work through the initial pain though so I went out and just ran. Because I'm on the cleanse my whole body felt effort as I ran so I stopped after only a minute and walked back. But to me, it's the thought that counts for now.

I came back to my room, played my music and cried. Now I'm settling into the sad part without any food. It feels ok.

I'm going home tomorrow. I'll see you guys in a couple days.

[modernmonkey]

Amii, do whatever you feel you must. Take care and best wishes until we hear from you again. :hug

[modernmonkey]

I hope you're right that I'm in a deep level of cleanse right now because I want to cave so badly. I've had it! If I make it through the next 2 days AND the transition without wrecking it on poor choices, it will be a miracle. I want to throw in the towel on the whole cleanse AND raw food and just eat all the junk that everybody else is eating.

And I was such a wreck this morning. Some family came here today because every year, some of them get together to go to the Good Friday brunch at my grandmother's church. Immediately, they start in on the cleanse (mom told them within the first 10 minutes they were, if that). And that's okay, because most of them are cool. They don't agree; they wouldn't do it, but they won't be nasty. Well, one family member was particularly nasty about how it's "BS" and "she's an idiot" and on and on and I was RAW. I was so appreciative for having read, "Raw Emotions" a while back, because I went through it big time this morning.

But, I decided when I went in to dry my hair, that I would just let myself be in the emotion, no trying to suppress or deny. And now I do feel much better as far as that goes. Still want to give it all up, though. Gotta say, this feeling of wanting to just quit on all of it is pretty annoying. It's ticking me off.

Apparently, I need some time to connect with Divine Spirit! I have a lot of raging negativity going on.

@BeingK8

Your rebellious nature is really making itself heard. Yet you continue to succeed with what you truly want. Maybe you are allowing this because on a subconscious level you already know you are gonna finish the 10 days. It means you can comfortably protest. Please, please watch out for the easing out. The 11th day is the start of something new, an opportunity, another week to really reap the benefits of the MC. Continued weight loss, health kicks and self admiration. If you are wise and level headed you will really begin to feel the benefits of the MC and eat great living, life giving foods. Pigging out is not an option. Then why did you put yourself through 10 days of deprivation?

[modernmonkey]

Thanks :D

When you say 'natural', what does that mean for you? 119lbs is very light.. about 8 stone I think but then again you might be very small lol. So is our natural weight thin, or is it what is considered normal in today's standards, which usually means with about 15 extra lbs?

Look, I really don't know. It's just a feeling. I know when I look too thin. I know how I feel if I am under eating. And I know that love handles are surplus fat not something good to grab hold of. I believe my natural weight is when I'm not starving, bingeing, hungry, craving, feeling full or sick but just alive and healthy and satisfied. I carried that extra 15 lbs on SAD but I was not happy. If I can go through a day feeling proud, content, healthy and satisfied then whatever weight I arrive at is my natural weight. I'm 5 foot, 3.5 inches, which is fairly short I think. I now weigh 119 lbs which is still well within the healthy range so if I lost more it would not concern me but I am not making any concerted efforts to lose more. I am happy with my body size now but I need to tone. I believe I'm fairly close to my natural weight. I may even already be there.

[BeingK8]

@BeingK8

Your rebellious nature is really making itself heard. Yet you continue to succeed with what you truly want. Maybe you are allowing this because on a subconscious level you already know you are gonna finish the 10 days. It means you can comfortably protest. Please, please watch out for the easing out. The 11th day is the start of something new, an opportunity, another week to really reap the benefits of the MC. Continued weight loss, health kicks and self admiration. If you are wise and level headed you will really begin to feel the benefits of the MC and eat great living, life giving foods. Pigging out is not an option. Then why did you put yourself through 10 days of deprivation?
Gotta, say, I don't think I can hear you harp on the transition enough because I'm kinda nervous that I'll mess it up. So keep telling me!! It's getting close. I'm feeling like I have to really turn this one over the Universe and hope it all goes smoothly and that I do it in a way that I will be proud of when I'm through it.
But no matter, even if you turn it over, there are still conscious action steps you have to take, right?
So keep in my head with your advice!! It's been a big help in getting me through 10 days, so I'm hoping it will help me do transition well! ;-)


BeingK8, I understand the conscious and unconscious parts. I just suspect that your mom is not totally unaware of her unhappiness and her sabotage, although she may prefer not to face them.



I went back and forth a bunch about how to answer you without sounding like I was talking down or something and I do so hope it didn't come across like I was! I certainly did NOT mean for it to sound that way. And really, I tend to think most people who come to raw foods do have a more expanded understanding of things like that, like, you know...the more esoteric stuff.
So then I was thinking, "I wonder if she just wants me to clarify and see if we think the same sort of things but maybe we just use different words."

And then I thought, "Well, just answer it as simply as possible because maybe someone new to all of this kind of stuff who does a google search will wonder what I meant, even if Joyce is on the same page."
Anyway,

[Maria75]

How much lemon juice ,water and maple syrup have to put to make the lemonade????

[BeingK8]

So, it's day 10 and my tongue is still white. Isn't that how you're supposed to know when it's okay to transition - it turns pink again? Should I keep going of just know that I'm still gonna detox on all simple, raw vegan? Modernmonkey, what would you do if this was your experience? I didn't read the book. Maybe I'll have to get clear and ask for Divine guidance. Very perplexed.

[michigan roman]

ive not read entire thread but k8 5 years ago i went raw after going vegan 1993 . at that point i started fasting and have done around 30 from 3 to 20 some days , my record was 10 days water . others ide juice when got weak .

and my tongue didnt start getting less white coated and nasty til after ten fasts or so

think about all the junk weve ate and youll realize itll take us a decade or more if possible at all this body span to wash out all the pollution

point being weve messed up on diet our entire body spans and only way to make serious improvement is liquid diet / juice fasting as a life habit

i can pout all i want but ive got to pay for my stupidity now :D

[modernmonkey]

So, it's day 10 and my tongue is still white. Isn't that how you're supposed to know when it's okay to transition - it turns pink again? Should I keep going of just know that I'm still gonna detox on all simple, raw vegan? Modernmonkey, what would you do if this was your experience? I didn't read the book. Maybe I'll have to get clear and ask for Divine guidance. Very perplexed.

My tongue was also still white on day 10. Although the front and sides were healing nicely. Apparently the tongue is a map of the body and can indicate which parts of the body are most toxic. I chose to stop on day 10, even with the white tongue (I suspected it would still be white on day 10, I had a lot of SAD in my life). I didn't want to chose to go fasting any longer... this time around at least. I can't believe you are on day 10. Your fast went quicker than mine. LOL!!!

Congratulations. For many it is not easy to do ten days. So you should be pretty pleased with yourself. If you are stopping tomorrow just orange juice the entire day okay? Easy hey, after 60 lemonade drinks?

[Amii]

I'm at home with endless hunger that isn't being quashed by the lemonade. Yesterday I had 10 lemonades, 3 right before I went to bed and I still couldn't sleep because I was too hungry.

The way I see it, this can't be true hunger because this started back on day 4. Far too early for true hunger to return.

I think there's three possibilities:
a) I'm not probably filtering the pulp out of the lemonade and it's keeping me hungry.
b) I'm detoxing from 5 years on prednisone, which stimulates appetite.
c) I'm detoxing from years worth of marijuana exposure and have the munchies.

But either way, I'm at home and I've decided I want to eat tonight and tomorrow. I intend to get back on the fast on Monday but I think I need some food to kill the hunger for now. It's also Easter so I'll be eating tonight and Sunday. Back on the master cleanse on Monday, I suppose I'll be starting from scratch.

See you guys then.

[BeingK8]

c) I'm detoxing from years worth of marijuana exposure and have the munchies.



Bwhahaha! That was a good chuckle. I don't even think you intended to be making it a joke, but it did make me laugh.

Have a nice Easter. Thoughts are with you and your family.

Michigan Roman and ModernMonkey,
as the day wears on, that's where my thinking is - years of SAD, it's not all gonna come out at once and I think I'm done. I did 10. And the last two days I would have chewed through leather straps to get at even some sprouts, so I'm gonna transition out now. I can always do juice fasts later on and purge more.

And MM, of course mine went fast to YOU! LOL!
Actually, tho, it seems fast to me. Feels like I just started. It was day 3 last Saturday and I can't believe it's actually been a whole week since then. I am BLOWN AWAY that I did this. It's cool. Definitely. For a first time around, anyway. Can't wait til I get to 10 days on water. That's gonna rock! It's actually a little bittersweet that it's over. I enjoyed the freedom of not having to think about food at all and never going to bed thinking, "Awww man, I wish I didn't give in and eat X today."

And nice benefit, 13 pounds down as of this morning. We shall see the final tally when I wake up tomorrow.

[michigan roman]

its amazing when you fast and all of a sudden you realize that with no dishes to clean / food prep / food shopping / time spent eating / etc that youve much more time in a day to do other things with . plus the money saved not eating

[michigan roman]

my fave fasting expert herbert shelton . all his opinions came from the experiences of over seeing thousands of peoples fasts


http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020127shelton.III/020127.toc.htm

[Maria75]

How many lemons,maple syrup and water have to be to make a lemonade????? Thank you !!!!

[BeingK8]

How many lemons,maple syrup and water have to be to make a lemonade????? Thank you !!!!

Maria, you can google this sort of thing in a flash, rather than waiting for people on here to reply. It's already been typed out all over the internet.

[Maria75]

Sorry for disturb you BeingK8 . I never done MC and i was looking for info . Was just a simple question,because i read about it and everybody mixed them different so i want to know from people on this forum how they do it.

[k8sl8]

My son has done the MC 3 times in about 2 years. He gets very irritable periodically; has relatively low energy for much of the cleanse and I can't say his family is happy with it. He has done 8, 21 and 10 days and all were similar symptoms and results.

On the other hand he has dropped as much as 25 lbs. (6'5" and 230 the time he lost the most). The weight stays off until he starts 'eating too much' and having a few beers...
imagine that!

The last time he did the MC he did not do the salt business... as he'd just 'had it with that' and it was not a problem. He did do the tea and results were similar.

Sorry this is all second hand, but we've talked about it at length.

His last MC wa basically most of March. Since and while transitioning off he has lost an additional 15 lbs for a total of 40 lbs. He looks better than he has since he was in his 20's (he's 32 now) and feels great.

[BeingK8]

Sorry for disturb you BeingK8 . I never done MC and i was looking for info . Was just a simple question,because i read about it and everybody mixed them different so i want to know from people on this forum how they do it.

No apologies necessary; it's not disturbing me, but, that said, what you are asking now - "how much did YOU use," is much different than simply "how much." That can be found everywhere, as you appear to have discovered. And I notice that people on here seem to ignore the questions that can be readily found everywhere and I do understand why - because they can be found everywhere. So, my 2 cents is that you'll get better results being more specific about people's experiences by asking that, if that's actually what you want to find.

I did not notice that there was any discrepancy in any of the places I found the recipe - it was always the same. 2 T fresh lemon juice, 2 T Grade B maple syrup 1/10 tsp cayenne pepper, 10 oz water. I made it in batches 2 -3 mason jars, 20 oz each, depending on how fast I was going to be drinking.

I never mixed the cayenne into the glass after the first day - I just took it on a spoon and washed it down. I probably took much more than a tsp over the course of the day because I took pretty large amounts 3-5 times a day.

[BeingK8]

He looks better than he has since he was in his 20's (he's 32 now) and feels great.

That's gonna be me, baby! Replace each "he/his" with "she/her." ;-):dance:

[joyce09]

Maria75, In the following website you can find plenty of information on MC.

http://www.therawfoodsite.com/forum/forum.php

BeingK8, You have finished your MC! Now let's see you can successfully do the transition days.



k8sl8, Thank you for your encouraging update of your son's case.

Amii, Enjoy your family and Easter dinner. Just don't overeat. Come back on Monday and we will still be here.

You don't have to limit yourself to 10 glasses of lemonade. I read that some drink far more than 10 glasses and still get good results.

[joyce09]

LEMONS KILL CANCER. Insitute of Health Sciences, Baltimore, MD.
Written by Editor
Lemon (Citrus ) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy.
Why do we not know about that? Because there are laboratories (big Pharma) interested in making a synthetic version that they can patent, which will bring them huge profits. You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy. How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires' large corporations?

Cancer is a multi-billion dollar business, world-wide. Big Pharma is scalping the people all over the world, with sales of prescription drugs, chemotherapy, and their secret motto is, "You must not get well. You must keep going back to your doctor, who must keep writing prescriptions. A patient cured is a customer lost."

The lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes. You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc. It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors. This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, ffective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders.

The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that: It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas. The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells. And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.

Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Cause Street , Baltimore, MD.

[modernmonkey]

Well done BeingK8. :throwhearts: Did you get the results you wanted?

[modernmonkey]

If you want to bring the lemonade with you somewhere. You should only mix the lemon and maple syrup. The syrup preserves the lemon, and then keep it in a brown paper bag or in the dark to prevent nutrition loss. I made up my potions in little tubs that dressings come in from the deli etc.. Always add the cayenne last to stop it from steeping. This is how I made the fast at work succeed.

[Maria75]

LEMONS KILL CANCER. Insitute of Health Sciences, Baltimore, MD.
Written by Editor
Lemon (Citrus ) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy.
Why do we not know about that? Because there are laboratories (big Pharma) interested in making a synthetic version that they can patent, which will bring them huge profits. You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy. How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires' large corporations?

Cancer is a multi-billion dollar business, world-wide. Big Pharma is scalping the people all over the world, with sales of prescription drugs, chemotherapy, and their secret motto is, "You must not get well. You must keep going back to your doctor, who must keep writing prescriptions. A patient cured is a customer lost."

The lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes. You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc. It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors. This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, ffective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders.

The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that: It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas. The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells. And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.

Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Cause Street , Baltimore, MD.

Thank you very much for the info . Appreciate so much !!!!

[Maria75]

Maria75, In the following website you can find plenty of information on MC.

http://www.therawfoodsite.com/forum/forum.php

BeingK8, You have finished your MC! Now let's see you can successfully do the transition days.



k8sl8, Thank you for your encouraging update of your son's case.

Amii, Enjoy your family and Easter dinner. Just don't overeat. Come back on Monday and we will still be here.

You don't have to limit yourself to 10 glasses of lemonade. I read that some drink far more than 10 glasses and still get good results.
Thank you for the info !!!!!Appreciate !!!!!:dance:

[BeingK8]

Well done BeingK8. :throwhearts: Did you get the results you wanted?

Yes and no. I'm clearer; I got some inside info into my eating habits and gained some good insights; I'm really looking forward to healthy raw foods; I feel empowered and I'm down 13 pounds.

The no part comes in where cravings and urges to eat crap are concerned. That's all still there. And I don't even notice whether it's diminished from 10 days ago. Doesn't seem to be.

I'll tell you, this orange juice even sucks because I am so sick of sweet stuff right now, though! (So maybe there is SOME improvement!) ;-)

[Amii]

Hi guys. I'm back like I said I would be, redoing day 6 (For now it's called day 6, when I reach day "10" in 4 days, then I'll rename it day 4 just for the psychological comfort of progress).

I had a knock-back on the Saturday morning by seeing that my weight had stalled.. That has never happened to me on the cleanse ever. And I've spent probably 50 total days on the master cleanse in my life and not once has my weight stayed identical on 2 days. So this was a massive kick in the stomach. I wondered if the stress of the night before had caused it... if my attempted stress-relieving far too fast run had done it, or the ten lemonades that weren't killing hunger had done it. So then I considered the fact that my metabolism had slowed down to a fat-conserving stage and I freaked out and started to think, right, I should think about this carefully. Maybe I should eat for a couple days.

So this is the tricky part: admitting that I don't think I was literally needing food and was actually physically hungry. When I got home on Saturday about 3pm I had had 3 lemonades and my stomach was aching with that burning sensation just below my ribs that I'm used to calling hunger.

But when I was at home I just sipped on tap water for the next 4 hours and weirdly enough, my hunger started to go away. This makes me thing I wasn't straining the lemonade properly and the pulp was keeping my digestive system open. Unfortunately, over the 4 hours I had built up in my head the idea of taking a day's break and being able to eat over Easter. So I did break my fast at about 8pm on Saturday night. My last meal was at 9pm on Sunday night. So I can say I took approximately one day off from fasting.

Now for the good news: I only gained back 1.6 lbs from these 2 days :)

So because some of us in here are fasting and I don't want to trigger any cravings for you, I'll post in highlight how my 1.5 day break from the cleanse went:

I didn't go crazy needing to eat everything I saw, surprisingly. I broke my fast with rice and beans and found that after 2 bowls of this I was still hungry. That just screamed psychological hunger to me, or that I was detoxing meds that were making me hungry. After 8 days on juice my stomach was obviously too small for even one bowl of rice and beans in one go yet after 2 I didn't feel any more full. At about midnight I ate half a chocolate pudding (couldn't manage a whole one, new feat for me).. then at 6am, still awake, I had the other half.

Sunday midday I woke up, not that hungry but with 2 easter eggs and a chocolate orange with my name on them. I didn't go crazy with them, either. Mum and me ate roast potatoes, carrots and asparagus for lunch. A few hours later I ate the chocolate orange.

Finally at 8:30pm, before I headed back to university, I ate more beans and rice. That was my last meal. Feeling alright about it.

At one point I was craving eggs but I chose the beans and rice instead. I just went to the shops to buy my lemons (and a strainer for the pulp grr) and I didn't even consider buying anything to eat. Strange for me because I thought that after a day off the cleanse, getting back on would be impossible. But it seems to be fine :)

[joyce09]

Hi guys. I'm back like I said I would be, redoing day 6 (For now it's called day 6, when I reach day "10" in 4 days, then I'll rename it day 4 just for the psychological comfort of progress).

I had a knock-back on the Saturday morning by seeing that my weight had stalled.. That has never happened to me on the cleanse ever. And I've spent probably 50 total days on the master cleanse in my life and not once has my weight stayed identical on 2 days. So this was a massive kick in the stomach.

So you are expert in MC. You have done 50 total days of MC! Did you gain back all the pounds you had lost while on MC? I hope some of the benefits of MC have stayed with you.

Hope you are doing fine today.

[Amii]

So you are expert in MC. You have done 50 total days of MC! Did you gain back all the pounds you had lost while on MC? I hope some of the benefits of MC have stayed with you.

Hope you are doing fine today.

It depended on how I ate afterwards. If I went and ate all the junk I could find then the pounds came back rapidly but if I tried to transition out and eat more raw then I even lost a few more.

Incidentally, my weight was stuck again this morning which really upset me. It's what I use to guage progress by since everything else is so subtle to the eye. I weighed myself a further 4 times and each time it gave me a different number. I'm so used to telling others on the master cleanse not to worry because scales aren't always accurate and they're still losing body fat, but I'm finding it harder to believe when I'm telling that to myself.. *grumpy

Eventually I put my scales away and decided not going to weigh for another 3 days...

Also sorry to be crude, but I'm tired of periods :( I've been on for 8 days now. Something about the master cleanse just makes it go on forever ffs.

[joyce09]

I'm so used to telling others on the master cleanse not to worry because scales aren't always accurate and they're still losing body fat, but I'm finding it harder to believe when I'm telling that to myself.. *grumpy

Eventually I put my scales away and decided not going to weigh for another 3 days.

Time to take your own wise advice.;)

Keep going strong.

[Amii]

Time to take your own wise advice.;)

Keep going strong.

Thanks for your support Joyce :D

It's 5:20pm on day "8" (*cough* DAY 3 *cough*) and I just got back from the shops. It's lovely and sunny here so I'm going to sit outside again and do some reading. I just bought enough organic lemons to go for another 3 days. I just realised how much money I'm saving on food whilst cleansing. I'm in effect spending £1 a day... with twice-weekly £4 on maple syrup. That's still pretty impressive for me, £15 a week on food. Normally I'm in the £40 zone at uni. This is a good incentive to cleanse more often. Seasonally, perhaps. Although to be honest, this is my first time cleansing in the summer and I think it's much easier than doing it in winter.

Last night I was having a bad time and drank 3 tablespoons of maple syrup by themselves to boost my calories and metabolism. First time I've done that in the last 8 days of cleansing. Won't be doing it again because I wouldn't want it to be a habit. I also washed down a mouthful of cayenne, which I think Kate suggested at one point. It buuuurned haha.

The idea that I'm not losing any fat is really bumming me out, although I did manage to get my size 8 jeans further up than usual today but that could have just been because I really tried lmao. The goal is to keep cleansing until they fit perfectly (I'm estimating another 12 days). Also my skin has broken out massively whereas on day 6 it was almost completely clear :(

Alrighty, update soon :)

[joyce09]

I also washed down a mouthful of cayenne, which I think Kate suggested at one point. It buuuurned haha.


I read this from another MC website:
I WANT TO SHARE A CONCERNING STORY WITH EVERYONE from my friend. She did not do the MC properly. I wish I had known she was looking to do this but i had lost contact with her due to job, being busy etc... She recently posted about her accidental mistake on Facebook. she found a youtube video about a guy explaining how to do MC. Per his advice, she took her MC drink STRAIGHT LEMON + CAYENNE >>> AND BURNED HER ESOPHAGUS. I wish she had read the book first. OUCH. She is now under the care and recovering with several Medical Specialists like...an MD, ENT, Internist

[Amii]

I read this from another MC website:
I WANT TO SHARE A CONCERNING STORY WITH EVERYONE from my friend. She did not do the MC properly. I wish I had known she was looking to do this but i had lost contact with her due to job, being busy etc... She recently posted about her accidental mistake on Facebook. she found a youtube video about a guy explaining how to do MC. Per his advice, she took her MC drink STRAIGHT LEMON + CAYENNE >>> AND BURNED HER ESOPHAGUS. I wish she had read the book first. OUCH. She is now under the care and recovering with several Medical Specialists like...an MD, ENT, Internist

Hooooly crud. I won't be doing that again, for sure :| thanks for the warning Joyce.

New growth for me: I've realised I don't need to eat my way through a 3000 word assignment :)

I've been working steadily for the past 6 hours and now (1:30am) I've finally finished the coursework that is due in today. Normally I use coursework as an excuse to eat junk or even to not start cleansing, stupidly enough. Not today though :D

Off to bed, see you later on DAY 9 (cough 4 cough) :excited:

[Amii]

IT'S DAY 9 IT'S DAY 9 IT'S.... really day 4. But still :throwhearts:

I'm pretty sure fat is dissolving off me, those size 8s are probably about 7 days away from being fasten-able. Those are my progress markers since I don't trust the lying scale.. Also, been on for TEN DAYS NOW so I don't know if that would make me retain water or what not but anyway. I'm not going to weigh until my period is over Incidentally, is that EVER going to happen? Cos right now I can see it lasting for another 10 days fffffff.

Other than that though, good day :) I was going to go into uni to submit coursework then found out I've been given a 5 day extension WOOHOO... except this time, for the first time ever, I don't need the extension :D

EDIT: 6:21pm OMFG, my neck and chest have broken out horrendously. I swear to god I've never seen anything like this and just yesterday my neck and chest were completely clear, wtf??? I really hope this is just detoxing and will go away tomorrow...

EDIT: 9:43pm ONLY 3 HOURS TIL DAY TEN OMG OMG OMG.
I just realised I can definitely feel my hipbones more than normally :D

Joyce, are you still cleansing?

[cordeliasmama2]

Hi! I am ending day 4 of the MC...
So far, so good...i read the Peter Glickman book
I have had zero interest in anything having to do w/the lemonade today...I only drank about 5 glasses of it 2day.....is that ok?
I was wondering if anyone out there couldn't drink the lemonade, too?
@ night I feel like I'm going to throw up, but never do...
I have been feeling a lot of acid reflux...maybe it should use less cayenne?
Thanks!!!!!:heart

[Amii]

^ it's very important to get at least 6 down. Just chug it if you have to :D

It's day 10 :excited: Okay, I feel alright about renaming today day 5 from now.

It's day 5. And I think I've definitely hit the hump. I'm constantly hungry. Not painfully so, not unbearably so, but annoyingly so. No amount of water or lemonade will get rid of the hunger. When I'm not distracted, it's always there. It always seems to be stronger right after drinking a lemonade, which is weird?? This has been happening since about day 3. Maybe I'm confusing the burning sensation of the CAYENNE in my stomach, with the burning sensation of hunger?

But I don't think I'm actually hungry because I'm not having any food dreams at all, no temptations to cheat and if you offered me an apple or a salad I would say no thanks so to me that says cravings more than hunger. But you don't actually feel hungry with cravings, do you? Aren't cravings where you just have a really strong desire for a certain food without your stomach literally feeling empty?

Maybe this is my stomach shrinking? Or is hunger a more common side effect than is accepted?

I'm just using tap water for this cleanse because I don't have access to spring or filtered water. I don't think that can be the cause.

I'm straining the lemonade.

And I'm not chewing anything.

What's going oooon :'( I've been so good this entire time, even doing like 30 minutes of light exercise (dancing ;)) every day, not deviated ONCE so why am I being tortured like thisss :(

[joyce09]

cordeliasmama2, I read that the amount of cayenne is flexible. Maybe you can try to take less of it.

Amii, Do you have any detox symptoms?

[Amii]

cordeliasmama2, I read that the amount of cayenne is flexible. Maybe you can try to take less of it.

Amii, Do you have any detox symptoms?

Nada. Occasional slight headache or very dismissable craving.

Not that this matters cos I stopped at the end of day 5 today. The hunger was just horrible. I'm posting a new thread about this very subject.

I'll be back here tomorrow restarting from day 1, scratch. I'm not going to be beaten by feeling frickin' hungry. :(

God, 10 days wasted so far FML.

[joyce09]

Amii, When you are not doing MC, are you eating sensibly? Do you think you have sufficient nutrional reserves within your body? I am just guessing that you may have insufficient reserves of certain important nutrients in your body.

I don' think you wasted those 10 days. Even a day of fasting (or even just sensible eating) does one some good.

[Amii]

Amii, When you are not doing MC, are you eating sensibly? Do you think you have sufficient nutrional reserves within your body? I am just guessing that you may have insufficient reserves of certain important nutrients in your body.

I don' think you wasted those 10 days. Even a day of fasting (or even just sensible eating) does one some good.

Not really. I drink a green juice or 2 every single day but I also eat junk. I'm still transitioning to raw which is why I'm doing the cleanse to help me out. It sounds weird but I really hope I have deficiencies because those are fixable.

I know for certain that I'm deficient in iron and folic acid (blood test confirmed) and I highly suspect I'm also deficient in magnesium, pottassium, zinc, inositol, and the B-family..

You think this has something to do with my hunger?? Hunger is not meant to happen to ANYONE and surely half the people who do the cleanse for the first time are coming from a deficient SAD diet :S

[joyce09]

Amii, I am just guessing.

But you can never do wrong by eating sensibly when you are not fasting. Fasting cleanses you but it also uses up/deplets your nutritional reserves. When you are deficient in some important nutrients, you body will cry out for foods that contain those nutrients--even just a trace of them.

Take good care of your body. It cannot be repleaced like a car.

[Amii]

Amii, I am just guessing.

But you can never do wrong by eating sensibly when you are not fasting. Fasting cleanses you but it also uses up/deplets your nutritional reserves. When you are deficient in some important nutrients, you body will cry out for foods that contain those nutrients--even just a trace of them.

Take good care of your body. It cannot be repleaced like a car.

I completely agree. I'm using the master cleanse to get rid of cravings for SAD food tbh.

[joyce09]

Are you going back to MC or are you resuming eating?

[Amii]

Are you going back to MC or are you resuming eating?

Back on the master cleanse tomorrow. I've definitely had some results from these ten days and to heck giving it up now. If I'm hungry then so be it. I'll just burn through it :D

[Maria75]

If you feel hungry you should go the the Whole food store and buy Hoodia Gordinii i read is safe for master cleanse and also for laxative you can use Psyllium Husks instead SWF. This book i read about MC is very good.

[ViolinCyndee]

OK I'm on Day 29 of my 30-day MC!!!! YAY!! Tomorrow is IT!!! So psyched!!!

:throwhearts:

[Maria75]

OK I'm on Day 29 of my 30-day MC!!!! YAY!! Tomorrow is IT!!! So psyched!!!

:throwhearts:

Good for you !!!! How many times you done it before? I am on my 2 day MC and i feel great,only my first day i was hungry but not today.This is first time for me and i want to go 10 days and maybe next time go for more. How you feeling after all this time ?

[ViolinCyndee]

Good for you !!!! How many times you done it before? I am on my 2 day MC and i feel great,only my first day i was hungry but not today.This is first time for me and i want to go 10 days and maybe next time go for more. How you feeling after all this time ?

I have done it 3-4 times a year since 2008.. This was my longest cleanse! Before this one, my longest was 18 days. I feel really good, and want to make sure not do UN-do all the good I did, by eating a mostly fruitarian diet. :)

[Lady Green Jeans]

I did the master cleanse several years ago. Intended to go 10 days but broke it after 7 because I simply missed the act of chewing something. I was surprised that I was not hungry during the entire time. The salt water flush was not uncomfortable, also a surprise. I did do the laxative tea but after a few days it really didn't do much in the way of elimination.

I don't remember how much weight loss I experienced, but I do know I felt better overall. I have not seriously considered doing it again, but have been considering a juice fast.

Interesting to read everyone's results and feedback. Thanks for the great thread.

[Carter]

I had been eating less and less, maybe one meal a day, smoothies, and juice. And believe me, I am not really used to this. I have been living a S.A.D. on and off. But since January, I have eliminated all fast-food, and have worked on eating less, and eating healthier. I used to eat taco bell all the time, in fact, I used to be known to eat pretty much anything. One time I ate two chipotle burritos, and I used to get almost everything they offered in a tortilla. I'm not really overweight by any means, I just feel really out of shape, and flabby, and could definitely get rid of the tire that envelopes my midsection as I sit leaning over my laptop now. Everyone says I'm skinny but it's not like I take my shirt off ever, haha. I was on lots of medications all my life and I independently worked on getting rid of all of them slowly since last fall, and it's been fine and turns out I was wrongly on a thyroid medication that caused other pills to be taken and so on and mistaken ADD for depression and personality disorder and bla bla. .. I used to take drugs intermittently (I'm speaking illegal now) and I've tried quite the spectrum. I smoked cigarettes for a long time and was weening off and such since January, but relapsed. I haven't had a cigarette since May 15 now and it's quite the accomplishment.
I could go on and on.

TL;DR: I need to get-in-shape, change my diet/lifestyle, and I am in the process.

Starting the Master cleanse as a kickstart, and because I always believe I can put my body through anything if I use my head.

On Tuesday I had a smoothie of banana, frozen acai, some peanut butter, blueberries, coconut milk, water, honey, and spirulina. The next two times I was hungry, I followed the directions for the master cleanse. For dinner I had one veggie sushi roll, later (for the next 9 hours) 2 more MC drinks.

Wednesday I began the master cleanse.

It's now 5:40am, I am still awake from yesterday at 10am. I can't seem to fall asleep. Today I felt the most energetic (I mean, technically day 2.5), I rode my bicycle about 16 miles today, I don't get as much exercise during the week as I should, or would like to, but when I start I enjoy it. This is only like twice a week on average.

I'm fine with the hunger, it comes on and off, I drink water, or a lemonade drink.

Right now all I want to do is go out on the patio and smoke a cigarette.

The best things that are helping is my mindset and positive attitude, and lurking these boards and other things, movies (just saw forks over knives at the theater), and keeping my thought to productive areas.

Also, I lost my phone 2 weeks ago and just decided not to get a new one for now, and my car is in the shop getting fixed. My lifestyle distractions are limited.

...But I want that cigarette.

...and I keep thinking about cheese, not that I would eat that now though.

It's going to be quite the transition for me.

[BlackKat]

Good luck Carter. Glad to see you taking the steps to better your health. I'm on day 6 of the MC. Its very cleansing indeed. If you stick to this for a minimum of 7-10 days you will begin to realize those cigarette cravings will have dissappearing. Actually, the mc is what got me to quit back when I was in college. It's life-changing for some. much more than just a simple cleanse. Also it's an amazing transitioner from SAD to Raw when you're done with the cleanse. Again, happy to see you tryin it, and good luck!

[joyce09]

I am on Day 2 of MC. I did my first MC for a few days in April and found it not difficult. But I did not continue after a few days. Now I simply decided to try it again--before my summer travel starts. I can only do it for five days because of my travel. But I think if I again have a positive experience with MC, I may come back later and do it for 10 days.

Carter, hope you will continue to do what is good for your health.

BlackKat, are you still going strong?

[LightrayMN]

So I wanted to share my story. I am on the eight day of my first Master Cleanse and I'm really enjoying it. I have renewed energy, no hunger, and I'm fitting into clothes I haven't been able to for three years.

I have a 27 month old daughter who I still nurse, however I did cut her down from demand feeding down to 3-1 nurses a day. I weighed my decision to do the MC while still nursing heavily and I decided since my toxicity was so low do to a fairly healthy lifestyle, as well as my daughters low toxicity, that it was worth it to do the MC to regain my health. There are also no studies as to what happens to a Mom's milk while on MC. And I sort of wonder if my enhanced PH level isn't helpful to her gut as well as mine.

I did have a couple spells of chills that lasted around 1-2 hours during the first 5 days, I'm not sure if it was detoxing or not enough calories, but my guess is it was the detox. Other than that and hunger the first three days, not much for uncomfortable symptoms.

:cheer:Oh and I am fresh squeezing each glass, as to retain the freshness of the enzymes.

I began the MC, because my immune system felt impaired after getting the stomach flu one more time. I had been getting a stomach virus almost monthly since I've had my daughter this year and got it seven times last year. I also had a c-section, so my stomach was out of whack with that too.

I've been challenged by allergies most of my life and have used several different vises to treat them, but hadn't ever done a MC.

I am on my eight day now and I'm amazed by what has come out of my body and the amount of phlegm is insane! I'm coughing tons up from my lungs in spite of my organic diet, never smoking, very few prescription drugs, (mostly Benedryl) and few chemical toxins. One cool thing is I've noticed my breath changing. When I lay down to sleep at night, I have continuous breathing and I'm not pausing in between. I've helped the MC along by getting an ionic foot detox, mayo-abdominal massage on day five (intense for sure!), as well as some percusser work on spleen/glands, and chiropractic.

I have one question, has anyone on here done a MC and had asthma? My husband is planning on starting a MC June 1st and he uses an inhaler Alberteral. When people take medications, is it recommended to stop them? I'm concerned about his lungs as he detox's. He also smokes herb, so I'm assuming that's out?

[joyce09]

Lightray, Thank you for sharing your encouraging experience.

As to your hubby's stopping medications while doing MC, I think his doctor's advice is needed.

The following website has some information on nursing mothers vs. MC.

http://www.therawfoodsite.com/forum/showthread.php?646-Pregnant-or-nursing-mothers-should-NOT-do-the-MC

[Amii]

Just wanted to report that my collective 10-13 days on master cleanse/juice seems to have re-regulated my cycle.

My periods have been either way too short (2-3 days) or too long (10-11 days) and coming either 2 weeks early or late for the last year (I put this down to using morning-after (emergency 72 hour) pills twice in the last year).

I've just finished my first period since fasting, I only had a few hours of mild stomach pain the whole time, and it came bang on time and only lasted 5 days - my normal length :)

[LightrayMN]

So yesterday I completed day 12 of the master cleanse and 14 days of fasting, I got the stomach flu in the beginning two days.

I just couldn't hold on any longer until my tongue cleared, I was really tired of lemonade, maybe next time I will be able to go longer?

Today I started breaking the fast with 1 tbsp of Vitamineral Green, fresh orange juice, and banana. For lunch I had a fruit salad. Here is my question, I currently have what appears to be thrush on the top of my mouth, little tiny bumps I feel with my tonge and of course my tongue is still coated white.

I'm wondering how I can continue a candida flush, or detoxing, while not on the Master Cleanse? If I switch to raw foods and juicing would that help? Do I need to stop eating/drinking fruit and maple syrup? Or do you think adding a Probiotic or grape seed extract would be good? Opinions?

Oh and one more thing, maybe i did the MC wrong in that I didn't drink lots of water. I mainly had the lemonade 6-12 glasses a day, three teas, smooth move in morning/chamomile 1 mid day/night, and 2-3 glasses of water. Could that partly be why my tongue didn't clear sooner or maybe it's because I didn't do tea in morning and evening? I was having six bowel movements a day though.

[joyce09]

I am reviving this master cleanse thread.
I did two 5-day MC this spring and found the result satisfying.

I am starting my modified MC today and intend to do it for 7 days. I will blend whole lemons (minus the peels), fresh hot peppers, and raw honey in my Vitamix. I will take laxative herbs only when I feel constipated. No salt water flush because it never worked for me.

MC buddies are welcome.:cheer:

[Mary Kay]

Just wanted to say hi Joyce 09. Good luck.

Mary Kay

[joyce09]

Hi, Mary Kay. Thank you for your goodwill.

I have been doing fine. Little hunger. Mild temptations to eat fruit. I am home alone these days so there is no extra temptations. Life is much simplified. I think I should be able to finish my 7 days.