6 Lemons a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: My Master Cleanse

If you’re reading this, you probably know me.  As someone who knows me, you’re well aware of the fact that I’m always buying, trying, and doing peculiar things — it’s just a part of my nature.

As my unambiguous title would suggest, my latest idea was to try The Master Cleanser.  Some of you may be familiar with the program as it did reach the celebrity circles a few years ago, although the book it’s based on was published back in 1976.  It’s also know as the Master Cleanse or the Lemonade Diet and I will let Google help you out with all the details if you’re interested.

The Basic Idea:

  • 10 Days
  • Consume only special Lemonade, Water, & Mint Tea
  • Thoroughly cleanse GI every day

But WHY?!

The one short answer: “Who knows?”

The other short answer: “Why not?”

I have an insatiable curiosity and a skeptical mind.  I like to experience new things that might prove either enjoyable or beneficial.  We hear the words “detox” or “cleanse” and we instantly think it’s hogwash, but a lot of people believe and will testify that you can improve your body and your health with these multitude of programs.  What harm is there in trying one for 10 days of your life?  This one in particular seemed to have the general support and backing of the people who actually completed it successfully.

Here goes nothing…

Last Supper - Cheesy, I know...

Day 0:  I start tomorrow.  My last bit of normal food is cooking in the oven: a broccoli & cheese stuffed chicken breast.  Honestly, I don’t have a lot of anxiety since I have fasted before where I did not eat or drink anything during the day and I consider myself to have very strong willpower.  I normally fast at the end of Lent, but I thought that this would be a nice way to kick it off this year as I can use the extra time for personal meditation and contemplation of the 40 days preceding the Resurrection.

Day 1:  Well this was a day of adjustment.  I don’t think I drank enough of the lemonade, but cravings for food weren’t really strong at all for some reason.  I did find myself taking a long nap from lack of energy, but I think it may have had to do with calorie deficiency.  I’m going to focus on drinking more of the lemonade, with servings spaced out more evenly tomorrow to try and smooth out my energy levels.  Bought 20 lemons and some peppermint tea to last me a few more days.

Although my “real life” food cravings weren’t bad, I did play some Skyrim on PS3 and found myself running around looting various food and beverage items from different houses.  This is not normal behavior for Athena, my wood elf character.  Things like “boiled creme treats”, apple pies, and “honey nut treats” that never looked particularly appealing seemed vivid and edible today.

Day 2: Today was kind of rough.  I had no energy whatsoever and my body temperature was fluctuating wildly.  I couldn’t focus on anything.

Day 3:  OK, I’m not sure I want to keep going.  I’ll give it until dinner time.  I’m supposed to have more energy and focus but I’m losing sight of why I’m doing this and what the benefits are in the best case scenario.

17:51 – I’ve decided to break the cleanse with chicken noodle soup.  After nearly 36 hours without food, I feel like my digestive system has been definitely been reset.  The other benefits for my organs and what not, I’m not sure about.  I might try a different sort of cleanse in the future.

I didn’t have a lot of support in this effort and I’ve been going through a lot of personal stress, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t include these as possible reasons for my detraction.

Day 4:

Day 5:

Day 6:

Day 7:

Day 8:

Day 9:

Day 10:

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