What They Say: “The Master Cleanse, also known as the Lemon Cleanse and the Maple Syrup Diet, is a dieting program created by Stanley Burroughs in 1941 and made popular by Peter Glickman through his book Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in 10 Days, which promotes Burroughs’ regimen to a modern audience. Burroughs states that it is a detoxification program that aids in the removal of harmful toxins from within the body, as well as a reducing diet for loss of weight, and a cure for ulcers and “every kind of disease,” resulting in “the correction of all disorders.” For promoting a regimen which included the master cleanse, the creator of the diet was convicted of second-degree murder or unlawfully selling devices he claimed could cure cancer, and practicing medicine without a license. – from wikipedia.org
My Experience: Everyone and their brother has an opinion on the Master Cleanse, from celebrities to the every man. And like most controversial diets, this one is likely misunderstood. It really came under public scrutiny back in 2006 when Beyonce Knowles cited it as how she lost 20+ lbs to play her role in Dream Girls. Suddenly, every woman wanted to try it, and everyone was talking. The versions that I’ve seen (and tried) involved taking water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper in specific measurements, mixing them together and drinking this for 10 days without eating anything.
Supposedly the water kept you hydrated, the lemon detoxified your colon, the syrup gave you energy and nutrition and the cayenne pepper helped clean your pipes, so to speak. But according to Peter Glickman, there is more to it than what most people think. He says it’s NOT about losing weight, though that is one of the most common side effects. What it REALLY is is a way to detox your body, which would make future weight loss easier.
Whatever the case may be, most of us fatsters will try anything once, and so I set about mixing the ingredients into a usable concoction, spending a lot of my hard earned money to find the “proper” maple syrup. The first sip was disgusting, and more than that it burned my throat going down. The second sip was worse, and on through that first day, I dreaded the drink more than anything. Within several hours, I was feeling like I would vomit bile at any second. Before the day was out, I’d dumped the entire bottle down the sink and vowed to stay away from it in the future.
ISMe Rating: 1/10 – treat your body nicely and don’t try this at home