Yeah...I figured it wouldn't matter how I took the syrup as long as I took it for the nutrients it provides...almost reminds me of taking cough medicine. Boy, is that stuff sweet, sweet, sweet!! But it fills me up, and I don't crave anything after taking it, so I'm okay there...

I drank my Smooth Move Herbal Laxative Tea last night to begin the MC. I know it says it takes 8 - 12 hours for results, but I had results in 6 hours. I don't know if that was from the tea, though or the fiber rich foods I ate yesterday...but afterwards, I had ravenous hunger pangs but just dealt with them the best I could and went back to bed...

So now I've officially started today...and I'm actually planning on going 21 days plus 6 days to come off of the MC...for a total of 27 days...

I'll keep you posted on how it's going...

Sheyla

What is the master cleanse?

I am new here and jsut beginning on low carb and thought maybe if this is like a fast to detox your body that it might help me.
What is your opinion on this for me?
Mary

It's definitely a detoxification...you can read about it here:

http://www.andeveron.com/2003/The_Master_Cleanse.html

And here as well:

www.therawfoodsite.com

I would recommend almost thorougly reading the first link there so you'll get an overview of it...it also tells you what to do and the ingredients you'll need.
I've been told that some people find meat impure once they are on this and come off of it...and they don't want to go back to eating meat...I eliminated meat, eggs and dairy from my diet two weeks before starting this, so the detox hasn't been too intense...but I'm only on day two...they say day 2 is one of the most difficult, but I feel great! But then there's day 3 and day 7. I'll see how I feel on those days as well.

Let me know if you have any questions about it or need more information. I'll find what I can for you or tell you what I know...

Sheyla

I'm on Day 3 now and feel fine - just a little on the tired side, so I skipped my workout this morning but will start again tomorrow. However, I've put on a pound since yesterday, but I'm not too worried about it. I still feel good and like I'm really getting cleansed. I tried the SWF yesterday and YUCK!! I got it down again today and was able to really chug it this time...but I seem to get better results with the Smooth Move tea for some reason...I was a little hungry when I got up this morning, but the SWF took care of that problem. Now I'm just really thirsty from that sea salt (blah! I'm not a salt person!) No white tongue yet but it's starting to already feel fuzzy...hmmm...perhaps, I am getting close to that stage...if I can make it through today and I can get through day 7, then I'm on my way home!

Sheyla

Good for you Sheyla, sounds like you are getting it together, I might do it this weekend, but I am doing well on my 100 day challenge, so maybe I will wait till I am off the challenge to do a cleanse...
but I am proud of you sticking with it.
c

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http://www.youravon.com/cnorulak
carolyn in texas
started 8/11/03 327/268/177
5/20/08/ - 348
onward thru the fog

Hi Sheyla,

I cringed when I read you did the SWF. YUCK!!!!! I didn't have a pleasant experience when I did it. I couldn't chug mine when I did it because it came back up. I had to drink SLOWLY through a straw.

I remember my worst day was day 3. I was so tired, but still kept teaching my aerobic classes. I know you can do it. Keep up the good work.

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Kelli (LCing since 01/01/03)
Restarted 02/09/04 @ 155.5

I cringe just thinking about doing it! YUCK!!!!! YUCK!!!! YUCK!!! But it did get me results within a hour at least...that's the only good thing I can say about it...I was a little tired this morning (I'm on day 3 and have gone officially now 61 hours without food - with the exception of the lemon pulp and Grade B)...but I feel great now

I made my mixture of 60 oz of water with my measures of cayenne last night before going to bed. I also put in a tsp of Grade B so it might have a slight sweetness to it...and I juice the 2 Tbsp of lemon before having a glass...that seemed to work better for me. And I know I'm done with my lemonade once the 60 oz of water is gone. That tsp of Grade B gave the lemonade a tart taste, so it taste like real lemonade to me...it's not even 10 yet, and I'm already on my 3rd drink...

I've been experiencing pain in my lower right abdominal region but don't know why. I'm just dealing with it. Maybe some toxins are getting ready to be eliminated from that area...it's almost like having a muscle spasm. Takes you by surprise and then a few seconds later, the pain is gone...that's basically what has been happening to me...

I've been told I'll probably have the white tongue later on this evening now that it's starting to feel fuzzy...

Sheyla

I made it almost through day 3 all right...and then right as I was going into day 4 of no food, it started: the headache, the dizziness, the pain in the abs increasing, the breaking out in hot and cold sweats. Oh, how horrible it was! I even went to bed early fully clothed and curled up underneath 3 blankets...I was sure those were some of the detoxing symptoms. I was going to go 21 days but the dh said 7 days...and that's it...I still felt this way at 2 this morning...but am feeling better today. Of course, I got on the scale this morning (cringe and shame on me for doing it!) and was up 2 lbs! What the hay??? My dh told me that maybe my body is now in starvation mode and is holding on to the maple syrup...do you think he's right? I know it's supposed to provide all the nutrients during this but decided to do without it for today...see what happens...the dh asked if something was coming on me, so I told him it's just some of the signs of detoxification...but still, no eliminations...nothing...And I'm doing everything...and still nothing. I'm questioning if most of my detox came from those 2 weeks I gave up almost everything except the veggies and a limited amount of fruit, nuts and seeds. and then, right before doing this, I was at the 90% raw stage and really started having massive eliminations...makes me wonder if I started detoxing way before the MC with me giving up so much stuff...at least I'm not experiencing any hunger pangs today...

Sheyla

Sheyla, I don't know why you are gaining. I know I was averaging 1.5 to 2 lbs a day, but then again, I didn't prep myself before the cleanse. I also experienced the lower abdominal pains and pains in my shoulders, and legs. It was weird. It almost felt like my body was getting real sensitive.

I wouldn't eliminate too much of the syrup. As you already know, it provides the vitamins and nutrients you need.

I know when I started feeling bad, I drank the organic mint tea. It seemed to help soothe the aches and pains. Sheyla hang in there.

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Kelli (LCing since 01/01/03)
Restarted 02/09/04 @ 155.5

Well, I was going to go the full 21 days...but of course, the dh said 'no' to that after seeing the way I was that one night...not only that, but I had the white tongue one day and by the next afternoon, it was back to pink...seems like a short detoxification...so I started slowly coming off of the MC Thursday evening...just sipping on some juice...I opted for the Carb Countdown because I didn't want a lot of sugar in my body...and then on Friday, just one cup of veggie soup...and on Saturday, just a couple more cups of veggie soup...and then I didn't eat on Sunday (for spiritual reasons) and finally resumed my normal eating habits on Monday...but I still do continue to drink at least 2 glasses of the lemon juice, pure water and cayenne during the day. (no, thank you to the Grade B. I'm letting my dh have that on his bread!) I like the way it taste, and I know it's helping to flush out my fat! So I'll continue doing that...and I'm thinking about doing the MC once a month for 3 days straight...but no more than that...you know, just to stay cleansed and detoxified...

Sheyla

I actually find this thread very interesting. I had heard of the fat flush, but never this before. I am actually going to hit the grocery store tomorrow and pick up the ingredients. The site you listed talks about using less syrup if you are trying to lose weight.... so does it mean like 1 tbs instead of two... or is it just whatever keeps you feeling good. The only thing I question is... doesn't the syrup have a high carb content... so does that mean it will mess up my LC lifestyle?

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Megan Rose
Back and really to lose some weight!
250(sw)/196(cw)/175(gw1)/150(fgw)

Hi Megan Rose,

When I did the MC I didn't think about the LCing because the only nutrient you're going to get is from this lemonade which you'll drink 6 to 10 times a day. I had originally planned to do 10 days, but only did 5. I was averaging about 1.5 to 2 lbs loss daily. After the fast I went right back to LC. I know you're suppose to ease back into regular eating, but my DH and I were just so hungry we caved
It was difficult for me and I'm not too sure if I'll do it again. My DH has already told me he wouldn't do it again unless it was for a shorter period of time. I have since gained 5 lbs which is not bad. I had lost a total of 11 lbs.

Let us know how you do.

Sheyla seemed to have coped with the cleanse much better than I did.

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Kelli (LCing since 01/01/03)
Restarted 02/09/04 @ 155.5

According to the USDA nutrition website, two tablespoons of maple syrup has approximately 25 grams of carbohydrate, nearly all of it sucrose. The 6-12 daily servings suggested by this plan would provide 150-300 grams of sucrose and no protein or fat. From a nutritional standpoint, this appears to be a low calorie (600-1200) pure sugar regime.

I can't speak to the efficacy of its cleansing properties...maybe it's great for "detoxing", and there could be beneficial properties in the maple syrup, the lemon, and the cayenne. But it sure doesn't fit in with any low-carb plan I'm aware of.

Best wishes whatever you decide ~

Sky
Atkins since 8/02
196/144/under 150

Sky, you're correct about the MC. It is not a low carb plan. It is a cleansing and detoxing regime. My reasons for doing the cleanse was for the cleansing effect as well as spiritual reasons; however, weight loss did occur. It is not a plan to be done for a long term. It kinda reminds me of "cleaning house."

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Kelli (LCing since 01/01/03)
Restarted 02/09/04 @ 155.5

Sky, was that for the Grade A sugar-flavored kind or for the Grade B/C Pure Maple All-Natural Syrup (which I used for the Master Cleanser)? The kind I got actually listed more carbs per 2 Tbsp (53 g) than what the USDA listed. I dropped it down to 1 Tbsp for every drink I had 'cuz it was just waaaaaay too sweet! And now I'm back to lc'ing...vegetarian style...but I am considering doing the MC for another 3 days straight sometime this month. I think our bodies need a detoxification once a month...my own opinion. The way I look at it...Jesus fasted for 40 days...so He knew it was good...

Sheyla