Day by Day Journal of the Master Cleanse

Day 1:
1/13/2014
Did SWF (salt water flush) with 2 tsp of canning salt at 5:30am. Drank 3 cups of it. I couldn't drink one more drop. Pooped right away (within minutes), but not from the swf. Didn't poop the SWF until 7:00. Made up 9, 10 oz bottles of lemonade. Took 4 lemons. Drank two cups of peppermint tea. Drank 1 cup of another herbal tea. I used stevia in the tea....I love it that way, and I'm sure I'll still get cleaned out if I use stevia.
I did not weigh myself before starting the cleanse. Before Christmas, I weighed a low of 134. I felt quite a bit bloated from Christmas and think I was closer to 138.
Hurdle of the day: Panic. I was panicking when I would feel hungry or want food. I would almost sweat that I wanted food so bad. I had to remind myself (out loud) that, "I am doing this ON PURPOSE! The food will still be there when I am done with the fast. My body will be healed of various issues because of this. I AM CHOOSING THIS." Had to remind myself of this frequently because I was hungry.
Cooked turkey soup for the kids and husband. It was hard. I kept putting bites in my mouth on accident while I was chopping and had to spit them out. I felt hungry all day, but in retrospect I think it was because I had the soup cooking all day. I made two days worth of soup so that I wouldn't have to cook the next day for my family.
Daughter said something about an Italian sub. At that point, I started a "meal list of things that I want". Italian sub was at the top of the list.
Drank the senna tea (with stevia) at 9:00 while I was laying in bed. Turned off the light and went to sleep.

Day 2:
1/14/2014
Woke up at 4:50am with poop pains. Ouch. Sat on the toilet but hardly expelled anything. Drank the SWF at 5:20. I made it warm this time because I was hoping it would remind me of broth. It didn't. I also used 2 heaping teaspoons of salt because I thought if I had more salt it might work quicker (day 1 took 1 1/2 hrs). It didn't work quicker. I drank 3 cups. went a little from swf at 6:30, finished going around 7ish. Made 11 drinks with 4 lemons. Drank 9 drinks all day. Felt stomach rumbling throughout the day but wasn't overly hungry. I just wanted food. Drank A LOT of tea. Peppermint and other herbals.

Day 3:
1/15/2014
I feel thinner. I hadn't expected to lose weight so I didn't weigh or measure myself. Woke up at 4:30 with poop pains. Drank the swf at 5. Only could get 2 1/2 cups down. I have to figure out how to drink more. Went back to bed at 5:30. At 6:30 I pooped a little of swf. Small poop chunks moistly yellow water. Temperature was normal, but I'm still freezing. When I'm so cold that I can't bear it, I do push ups and sit-ups and I get warm. Made my drinks a bit spicier today, 1/8 tsp per glass. Made 10 drinks. Cup of peppermint tea at 8. Only hot foods sounds appealing because I am so cold I think. Hubs asked if I had caffeine withdraws yet, but I hadn't thought of it because I haven't had any headaches. I read that peppermint tea and other various teas bind with toxins as they leave the body. I'm drinking so much tea that the toxins probably don't stand a chance to bother me.
Made a HUGE pot pie for my family for dinner. They ate half of it. I used up various things in my fridge and cupboards that I don't typically care to eat anymore since I have been calorie conscious. It worked out great! They loved it and I didn't feel terrible about not eating it. That is until I smelled it when it was done. I had added thyme to my potpie, so I quickly made a tea with thyme in it. Took the craving away instantly.
I made a meal list for 22 days based on what I had in the house and what I would want to eat when I get off of the fast. The things that I planned for my family were things that I don't care for alot, or that I make often enough that I won't miss out. The things that I planned when I get off of the fast include a lot of meatless meals, or meals that I can easily pick meat out of and substitute for beans/lentils. I am not going to stay away from meat entirely when I get off the fast, but I plan to ease into it.
I fell asleep on the chair and husband put me to bed at 8pm. I didn't take the laxative tea.

Day 4:
1/16/2014
Get up with alarm at 6:15. Obviously didn't have to go to the bathroom because I didn't drink the laxative tea last night. I brushed my teeth right before I drank SWF at 6:20. I used 2 rounded tsp in 4 cups of luke warm water. Went down easier than any other temp. I brushed my teeth before drinking too, and I didn't taste the salt until I was half way done with it. I got it all down in two minutes. yay!. Today I am not putting
lemonade in the fridge. hopefully I won't be as cold. Record time to poop! 40 minutes and had to go from swf. I was standing the whole time after the swf while I got the kids ready for school - I wonder if that had something to do with it. I also drank lemonade right away (10 minutes after the SWF).
Poop had chunks and 'sand' like floating particles.
Dressed in my husband's long johns and I felt warmer. Drank ten lemonades all day. Drank senna at 11.
Family ate left over pot pie for dinner. I had no cravings for it at all. I just sat with them and drank my lemonade.

Day 5:
1/17/2014
Got up at 6:20 without poop cramps. Drank swf at 6:35. Basil temp 97.9 which is higher than normal for me! I wonder if this might be healing my hypothyroid issue. Nothing has ever been confirmed with a doctor with hypothyroid, but everything points to it, so I have been eating foods and taking supplements to help it.
Had crazy stomach pains and pooped at 7:20-7:45. Very stinky. It was like chocolate pancake batter in consistency. Lots of chunks and sludge.
Stomach hasn't rumbled much today. I made Potato soup for dinner with homemade biscuits. I started cooking it at 12 until about 3. It smelled wonderful. I had to make sure that I drank my tea and reminded myself that I can have that AFTER the cleanse. (*adding to the list). I think the prolonged cooking makes it harder to not taste test and want it. Drank multiple cups of tea throughout the day. Drank Smooth Move tea at 11. I had previously been drinking all SENNA tea for the laxative tea, but I had an extra tea bag of smooth move, so I thought I would try it. I've heard that it is gentler on the 'poop cramps'.

Day 6:
1/18/2014
Woke up at 4:30 with a headache. Went back to sleep. Had mild poop cramps at 8. Drank 3 cups of swf at 8:30. Headache was still there. I would have skipped the swf if the headache wasn't there. 8:35 had to poop from tea. lots of chunky hard poop sunk to the bottom of the toilet. Stones? Then loose, pancake consistency. Floated and sunk. Persistent headache all day. I tried many types of herbal tea, peppermint on the temples, a nap, extra water, extra water with salt...nothing helped. It got so bad that it was almost nauseating. Pooped swf in waves from 9:30-1. Nothing was a big amount. I think the Smooth Move wasn't strong enough to get rid of whatever toxins I have. Today was hard not to eat because of my headache. I kept wanting food - any kind of food. I didn't give in.
Drank Senna at 10pm.

Day 7:
1/19/2014
Woke up at 5:40 with cramps. Pooped A LOT. Very foul smelling, mashed potato texture. Drank 3 1/2 cups of swf at 6. Upon waking, no headache....after moving around, headache was creeping. Hoping it will be gone after the swf works. Started my period right on schedule.
Swf worked at 8-1. Throughout the day pooping. Nothing exciting or painful about it. Drank 9 lemonades. Felt very clear headed with the kids and husband. Pretty bored without eating.
Drank senna at bed time. Couldn't hardly fall asleep because I had so much energy! Very strange and new feeling. Husband decided to do a 3 day fast with me during my last few days.

Day 8:
1/20/2014
Did not have any cramping from senna which was strange. SWF worked within 1 1/2 hours of taking it, but also had swf poop throughout the day until 2pm. I wonder if I have blockage. Fasting felt easy today. I felt very alive and fresh. Focused. Cooked a delicious smelling and looking breakfast casserole for my kids for supper. Did not have pangs of desire to eat it, but thoroughly enjoyed the smell and the act of cooking it. While the kids were eating, they played along with my cleanse and told me how it felt in their mouths, what they liked about it and they were thankful that I cooked it for them. Can a cleanse make my kids thankful?!
Felt very clear of mind and energetic all day. Bordom not too terrible.  Did not take the senna tea at night.

Day 9:
1/21/2014
Drank SWF at 6:30. Had to go between 7-8. Very brown and stinky.
Felt pretty good all day as far as clear headedness. I noticed a large BOIL from detoxing. By the end of the day I was starting to get a headache. I felt hungry all day and bored from not eating. Drank 8 lemonades. I have a few canker sores on my tongue. Tongue is still very white. Drank senna tea at 8:30 and went to bed.

Day 10: (and breaking of fast at night)
1/22/2014
Woke up at 4:30 with cramps and had to go to the bathroom. There was a lot of solid chunks and pancake consistency poop. I don't think I should be done today. My tongue is still white and I still have so much solid matter. I am so ready to have food though, so we'll see. I'm heading to the fruit market today to stock up on some fresh vegetables. Also going to the kitchen store to get myself a tortilla press. Going to try to stay away from store bought bread, and I prefer flat bread anyways.
Drank SWF at 5:20.
----Went to the store and bought WAYYY too many vegetables. (and a scale. I weighed myself at 128 lbs) Made salad for next day and cut up the makings of a soup. I do not plan on using the orange juice for a day as the lemonade that I prepared used a lot of pulp in it anyhow. I am starting with vegetables. At 8:00, I had a half of a grapefruit. My stomach feels strange at about 8:40 as my insides are starting to wake up. At 9, I had strange pains in my lower back (around my kidneys) for about 40 minutes. At first I thought it was tight muscles, but since it went away so quickly, I wonder if it WAS my kidneys. Felt hunger pangs coming and going as my digestive system woke up. Had a cup of chamomile tea and went to bed at 11.
Did not do laxative tea.

Day 11: (breaking of the master cleanse)
1/23/2014
Woke up at 6:15 hungry. NO MORE SALT WATER FLUSH! YEAH! Ate an entire apple. Chewed very slowly and efficiently. No tummy upset. Weighed 125 lbs. That puts me at about 13 lbs lost! So funny because I didn't think I had anything to lose. I bet I'll gain most of it back....although my diet is so good, I might not! I feel great. Very clear headed, increase in libido, and happy attitude. Cooked a HUGE crockpot of veggie chili. It has Garbanzo beans, barley, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, spinach, salt, pepper, kelp flakes, cumin, oregano, tumeric. Hardly any broth...I don't like brothy soups. I did not count the calories for the soup because I think I will be WAY under my 1500 calories for the day anyways.

Eating Schedule for the first day off of the master cleanse.
6:30 Ate Apple *72 calories
8:30 Ate 3/4 Grapefruit (baby had the rest) *75 calories
9:00 Ate a couple pieces of cabbage as I put it into the soup *2 calories
10:30 Ate a 4.5 ounce roma tomato (IT WAS SOOOO GOOOOOOD) *27 calories
12:30 Ate a kiwi and a small salad (1 1/2 cups total. spinach, carrots, cauliflower, 4 almonds, 1 tsp sunflower seeds, 4 cherry tomatoes) *150 calories
2:10 Ate 1.25 ounce raw peanuts (chewed WELL), 5 grape tomatoes *205 calories
3:30-? Munched on 5.5 oz cut veggies (carrots, cauliflower, celery, broccoli, cucumber) *40 calories
4:30 two strawberries. I just can't stop. I am so excited to eat! My tummy feels good! *10 calories
6:30 A half bowl of soup (veggie chili). Probably  Oh my it was so good and hot. I was very full when I was done. I chewed each bit thoroughly. *200 calories
8-10 A bite here and there of the soup *50 calories

Total of 830 calories. I feel VERY full. The soup was amazing and very filling.

After the heavy soup, my stomach made all kind of weird feelings, but it never hurt. I have sensations of the food moving through my intestines. Almost like I could go to the bathroom, but not quite. I did not go today at all. If I don't go tomorrow, I will do a salt water flush.

Day 12:
Woke up at 6:30 not hungry. When I was fixing everyone else breakfast, I started to feel hungry at 7, so I ate an apple. Feel like I need to use the bathroom, had a very small amount of gas during the night (not from food itself, but as my intestines are starting to work I think). Sipped on a kombucha all day with tea and water to drink.

Eating Schedule for the second day of the master cleanse.
7:00 Apple *72 calories
9:00 Half Grapefruit *50 calories
12:00 Spinach and veggie salad with nutritional yeast and lemon for dressing. Had one bite of rice & a bite of greek yogurt. *100 calories
Kombucha throughout the day *60 calories
Veggie Tray *120 calories
Dinner (soup and bread roll with butter) *400 calories

EPIC FAIL
Made a nut/seed/honey candy (pasteli) and ate and ate and ate it. LOADS of calories and sugar. felt TERRIBLE and shaky. Wanted to throw up. What was I thinking?! I even felt dizzy, light headed and couldn't see properly. Drank a cup of tea made with 1/2 TABLESPOON cinnamon, stevia and a smidge of vanilla extract so that I could get it down. Cinnamon is supposed to help with sugar absorption/crap. It was pretty much awful.

Day 13:
Ate small amounts of veggies and raw nuts all day. Did not eat ANY of the pasteli. Small dinner. Had a glass of wine that night. Drank SWF in the morning. Did not go from it at all. Must have got stuck with all of that sugar. Yuck.
Made a gallon of homemade yogurt (got it started). Slowly added more food.

Day 16: Ate meat (chicken) for the first time without any issues. Will resume regular meat eating schedule.

Day 17: Not eating anything today. I am drinking lemonades without maple syrup or cayenne. Simply lemon with stevia for sweetness. I feel great. Hunger pangs have come and gone, but as of 1:30, still feeling good. I want to do a 1 day fast every monday and once a month, do 3 days on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday. I think it will help to keep things running efficiently.
I weighed 128 first thing in the morning. That's a 3 lb increase. My guess is that I will stay here. Woot woot!

Tips and tricks of the master cleanse

Some tips and tricks that might help you with the master cleanse are from my own experience! They may or may not work for you. Check them out and hopefully it will answer some questions.

General Tips that you'll want to know about the Master Cleanse

• Do the cleanse with someone. Whether it's a friend, a co-worker, a sibling or a spouse, it is wonderful to have someone to talk to about what you are going through.
•  Have more than enough supplies. It sucks to run short or run out. What if you wanted to do the cleanse past the 10 days, and you didn't have enough lemons? You'd be forced to quit. Always have extra. I personally bought a whole case of lemons and a gallon of maple syrup. The maple syrup was just enough with a little left over (maybe for 3 more days?), but I had half of the lemons left over. I bought the case because I was able to get the lemons at $.40 a piece, rather than $1 each. After the cleanse, I learned different ways to use lemons (so I didn't waste any) and I will always keep a steady supply of them because I love them so much!
• Get plenty of rest while you are on the master cleanse. The more you sleep, the less you are thinking about food.
• Drink herbal tea such as Mint, peppermint, chamomile, red raspberry leaf, and many others as long as it is strictly herbal tea without caffeine.

Tips on how to drink the salt water flush during the Master Cleanse

The salt water flush is terrible. It makes me feel like I am going to gag every time. However, it is VERY necessary to remove build up of toxins which make you feel sick, tired, hungry, bloated etc.

• Take the salt water flush in the morning as soon as you wake up.
• Brush your teeth DIRECTLY before drinking the salt water flush. It helps to mask the taste for at least two cups if you drink it fast.
• Drink the salt water flush fast through a straw that is positioned close to the back of the throat. 
• Don't worry if it doesn't work right away. Many (and most) people claim that it works within an hour, but the salt water flush takes at least 90 minutes to work for me, then for a couple hours after I end up having small bowel movements from the salt water flush (you'll KNOW the difference).
• Sit up straight and hold the cup (I used a measuring cup that holds 4 cups) so that you don't have to stoop or bend your neck to drink through the straw. This tip works WONDERS - don't suffer!
• Realize that after you do the salt water flush for 4 days, it starts to get easier. By the 10th day, it's not bad at all.

Master cleanse tips from my own experience

These are just tips that I learned along the way during the master cleanse. My husband did it with me for a short/3 day cleanse and I have his thoughts on here too.

• Make a meal list. I know this sounds silly since you aren't eating and everything sounds good, but if you make a meal list (and edit it throughout your cleanse) for meals for an entire month, you will find that your cravings will be less because you'll be making a plan on what you will be eating. It also helps with the grocery budget for after the cleanse (because lets face it, maple syrup is expensive so this cleanse isn't cheap!).
• This sounds silly too, but it worked for me! I made a dinner that smelled divine while I was fasting. I desperately wanted to take a bite, but I didn't. In the dinner, I had used thyme and garlic as herbs. I made a tea with thyme and garlic in it and sipped on it throughout the meal. The tea tasted terrible, but it completely took away the craving for the food. I highly recommend this master cleanse tip!
• Time your bedtime/laxative tea drinking with what time you want to get up. My body takes exactly 8 hours to work for the laxative tea, so if I wanted to get into the bathroom early, before anyone else, I would need to take the laxative tea at 8:30 to be in the bathroom at 4:30.
• YOU ARE GOING TO GET BORED. Who knew that eating took up so much time! You will be bored during meal times, or meal preparation times because you normally are dealing with food! On top of that, lemonade gets boring. Be prepared for this with a variety of herbal teas.
• I was nursing through the cleanse and it didn't hurt my baby at all. She is 14 months and nurses twice a day, so I wasn't worried about nutrition deficiencies (as she is eating all solid food) or breast milk reduction (she could technically be done). She never complained about the taste difference either.
• When making food for your family, make enough to cover two days so that you don't have to cook every day. Cook foods that you don't particularly care for.
• Try to stay away from the crock-pot or anything that will be cooking all day as the smell makes someone MUCH more hungry. 
• Explain to your family (and children) exactly what you are doing and why you are doing it. They understand and help you stick to your goals. 
• Write down the reason that you are fasting and attach it to the fridge. I didn't personally write my reason down on the fridge....I made this blog which I worked on all week! Either way, write down the reason so that when you feel tempted (and you will!) to quit, you can remind yourself, "THIS is why I am doing this. I am choosing this. I will not panic, I will finish this to fix this issue!" It helped me tremendously to remind myself for the first couple days. After those days of sheer miserableness, I had to remind myself every time that I felt bored and wanted food. 
• If you are looking to cleanse a certain area of your body, look for herbs that cleanse that system. For example, the next time that I do this cleanse, I will be focusing on my liver, so I will be sure to use alfalfa and dandelion teas to cleanse my liver.

Final thoughts on the master cleanse and the future of fasting...

• Don't EVER say, "I'll never do this again". Remember that this is helping your body. Mark on the calendar when you will fast again. The more that you fast, the less that it will "hurt". Fasting is excellent for the body and you want to do yourself the favor of doing it!
• Since I absolutely love how I feel after the master cleanse fast, I want to continue to keep the benefits of fasting. To do this, I am continually fasting throughout the year. I might try a variety of fasts, including juice fasts of various recipes. I also like plain lemon water with stevia. An excellent fasting juice, is the juice of one lemon in a quart jar. Fill the jar with water and add stevia to taste.
  Below is my fasting schedule.
• Each week I fast for one day on Monday.
• Each MONTH, I fast for 3 days, starting on the first Monday of the month.
• Each YEAR, I fast for 10 days, two times. I start on the first Monday of the month in February and August.

How to break the master cleanse in a nutshell

What do you eat when you break a fast? How to break the master cleanse? Everyone has a different opinion, so I made up my own system by combining multiple resources.

When I started the master cleanse, I was already on a very good diet. 1500 calories from whole foods was my goal. Very little fat, meat or chicken 3-4 days a week, beans & eggs for high protien, and few sugars and carbs. I eat a good amount of raw fruits and vegetables throughout the day and try to have at least one raw thing per meal.

This was my first success at fasting for 10 days, so I wanted to share my experience of what I ate when I broke the master cleanse.

Please note that all of my lemonades had quite a bit of pulp in them from hand juicing them, so I was not worried about not following Stanley Burrows book on drinking orange juice first. The point of the orange juice is to introduce pulp into your system.

On day 10, I did the Salt water flush in the morning and regular amount of lemonades during the day. At 8pm, I ate 1/2 grapefruit. I felt a little strange in my tummy afterward for about an hour. After an hour, my lower back started to hurt around the kidney area for another hour. After that, I felt fine. 

Day 11: (breaking of the master cleanse)

1/23/2014
Woke up at 6:15 hungry. NO MORE SALT WATER FLUSH! YEAH! Ate an entire apple. Chewed very slowly and efficiently. No tummy upset. Weighed 125 lbs. That puts me at about 13 lbs lost! So funny because I didn't think I had anything to lose. I bet I'll gain most of it back....although my diet is so good, I might not! I feel great. Very clear headed, increase in libido, and happy attitude. Cooked a HUGE crockpot of veggie chili. It has Garbanzo beans, barley, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, spinach, salt, pepper, kelp flakes, cumin, oregano, tumeric. Hardly any broth...I don't like brothy soups. I did not count the calories for the soup because I think I will be WAY under my 1500 calories for the day anyways.

Eating Schedule for the first day off of the master cleanse.
6:30 Ate Apple *72 calories
8:30 Ate 3/4 Grapefruit (baby had the rest) *75 calories
9:00 Ate a couple pieces of cabbage as I put it into the soup *2 calories
10:30 Ate a 4.5 ounce roma tomato (IT WAS SOOOO GOOOOOOD) *27 calories
12:30 Ate a kiwi and a small salad (1 1/2 cups total. spinach, carrots, cauliflower, 4 almonds, 1 tsp sunflower seeds, 4 cherry tomatoes) *150 calories
2:10 Ate 1.25 ounce raw peanuts (chewed WELL), 5 grape tomatoes *205 calories
3:30-? Munched on 5.5 oz cut veggies (carrots, cauliflower, celery, broccoli, cucumber) *40 calories
4:30 two strawberries. I just can't stop. I am so excited to eat! My tummy feels good! *10 calories
6:30 A half bowl of soup (veggie chili). Probably  Oh my it was so good and hot. I was very full when I was done. I chewed each bit thoroughly. *200 calories
8-10 A bite here and there of the soup *50 calories

Total of 830 calories. I feel VERY full. The soup was amazing and very filling.

After the heavy soup, my stomach made all kind of weird feelings, but it never hurt. I have sensations of the food moving through my intestines. Almost like I could go to the bathroom, but not quite. I did not go today at all. If I don't go tomorrow, I will do a salt water flush.

Day 12:
Woke up at 6:30 not hungry. When I was fixing everyone else breakfast, I started to feel hungry at 7, so I ate an apple. Feel like I need to use the bathroom, had a very small amount of gas during the night (not from food itself, but as my intestines are starting to work I think). Sipped on a kombucha all day with tea and water to drink.

Eating Schedule for the second day of the master cleanse.
7:00 Apple *72 calories
9:00 Half Grapefruit *50 calories
12:00 Spinach and veggie salad with nutritional yeast and lemon for dressing. Had one bite of rice & a bite of greek yogurt. *100 calories
Kombucha throughout the day *60 calories
Veggie Tray *120 calories
Dinner (soup and bread roll with butter) *400 calories

EPIC FAIL
Made a nut/seed/honey candy (pasteli) and ate and ate and ate it. LOADS of calories and sugar. felt TERRIBLE and shaky. Wanted to throw up. What was I thinking?! I even felt dizzy, light headed and couldn't see properly. Drank a cup of tea made with 1/2 TABLESPOON cinnamon, stevia and a smidge of vanilla extract so that I could get it down. Cinnamon is supposed to help with sugar absorption/crap. It was pretty much awful and didn't do anything.

Day 13:
Ate small amounts of veggies and raw nuts all day. Did not eat ANY of the pasteli. Small dinner. Had a glass of wine that night. Drank SWF in the morning. Did not go from it at all. Must have got stuck with all of that sugar. Yuck.
Made a gallon of homemade yogurt (got it started). Slowly added more food.

Day 16: Ate meat (chicken) for the first time without any issues. Will resume regular meat eating schedule.

Day 17: Not eating anything today. I am drinking lemonades without maple syrup or cayenne. Simply lemon with stevia for sweetness. I feel great. Hunger pangs have come and gone, but as of 1:30, still feeling good. I want to do a 1 day fast every monday and once a month, do 3 days on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday. I think it will help to keep things running efficiently.

My experience breaking the master cleanse - in a nutshell.

I will probably break all of my fasts this way: 

• Eating raw fruits and veggies. Raw nuts are also good too, however, I have since learned that you should soak nuts for 12 hours before eating them. They are easier to digest and give you the most nutritional benefits. 
• Add in one type of "food" per day. Dairy, Breads, Oils and meats should be added into the diet one day at a time, starting on the second or third day off the cleanse. 
• DO EAT YOGURT! I made a gallon of yogurt because milk was on sale....it was a very wise choice and will do that after each master cleanse or fast that I do.
• Chew your food slowly if you can.
• Make a meal list and stick with it. Work whole foods into your diet. Learn how to sprout grains and nuts. Learn to soak your flour before using it. Make your own breads and take your time in the kitchen. It's fun and your body will thank you for it.

Master Cleanse Detox Stages

The Detox Stages of the Master cleanse or detox stages of fasting in general. Please note, that this record is written by someone who is referring to fasting in general, with water or juice. The stages sometimes refer to using an enema, but that is not the best way to cleanse out the entire digestive tract as the salt water flush is.

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 (*see NOTE below) 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 (*see NOTE) will help.

*NOTE: The only thing not in line with the MC/Lemonade Diet is McGregor's recommended use of enemas; do the SWF instead, it's much gentler and washes the entire digestive tract from top to bottom, not just the large bowel.

These detox symptoms were part of an article by Mr. Tom McGregor and can be found in their entirety, including the brief intoduction by clicking on: The Different Juice Fasting Stages of Detoxification.

Peter Glickman (present day advocate of the MC) has grouped the detox symptoms that he and others have had into five groups: 

1. Cravings — Only 1 person in 4 experiences any hunger on this cleanse and drinking more lemonade or water usually handles that. I have, however, observed that people on the cleanse crave what they are detoxifying. Proof that this is true is that the cravings usually go away the next morning with bowel movements. You can crave anything when detoxifying, but most likely you will experience cravings for the most toxic foods, such as pizza, hamburgers, barbeque ribs, etc. The way to tell if it's a craving rather than true hunger is to imagine sitting down to a large, green salad. If that inspires you, you're hungary. If all you want is pizza; if that is all you can think about; then, you're experiencing a craving.
2. Tiredness — When your body fights toxins, whether from detoxifying or an infection, it diverts energy into healing and away from the energy you use to work and play. On my first 20 day cleanse, I was not tired except on the fifteenth day. The next morning, I experienced heat in my bowel movements, an indication that acidic toxins were being eliminated. I also lost all sense of tiredness after that morning's eliminations.
3. Irritability — This includes boredom and the desire to "just chew something solid".
4. Physical aches, pains, nausea, vomiting, etc. — These are the most severe reactions and only occur where a person is severely toxic, only a small percentage of people experience these. Fortunately, these have gone away after only a day or two in every case I have heard about.
5. Hot bowel movements — Your body wastes are acidic and when you eliminate the most toxic ones, they actually feel anywhere from warm to burning. This experience is very infrequent, but worth mentioning because hot bowel movements after a day of heavy detox symptoms will confirm that you just eliminated significant toxins.

Why do the master cleanse?

Here's a little bit about me and why I am doing the master cleanse. Being healthy is very important to me and to others, so I want to share my experience.
I am a hometown Mamma of 6 children. My husband and I are in love. I love God. I am always trying something new. 

When I became pregnant for my first child, I weighed 150 lbs. When I was done with the pregnancy I weighed 215. Months after giving birth I continued to weigh 180-190. I had multiple pregnancies throughout the years and never dropped below 180. I tried multiple fad diets (including the master cleanse for weight loss) and failed. 

In December of 2012 I had a baby and decided that I was going to lose weight this time. In February I weighed 180 lbs and I started to count my calories while making sure to have a very healthy and balanced diet. During my pregnancy I had already changed our eating habits and had started to cook everything homemade. I ate a lot more raw foods and became calorie conscious while helping my husband lose a few pounds.

I aimed at 1500 calories per day. I was nursing and anytime I dipped below 1500, my breast milk would suffer. With a nursing baby and counting consistency, I lost 45 lbs in 6 months. I was down to 135 lbs. I have never felt so beautiful in my entire adult life.
However, weight loss comes with it's own challenges. Loose skin, gallbladder and thyroid issues all started to take a toll on me. I felt tired, I had anxiety, aches and pains in places that I have never felt them before. I had done the Master cleanse to lose weight a couple times when I was heavy, but I never stuck with it OR tried to have a good diet when I was done.
This master cleanse in 2014 is to reset my body. I don't expect to lose weight and I won't weigh myself until I am done, if at all. Now that I am happy where I am with my weight, I have the freedom to NOT look at the scale. If I fit in my clothes and look good, I am happy with it!
The RESET from this master cleanse will hopefully clear up a gallbladder issue that I have had as well as a thyroid issue. I do not take any medications for these problems and hopefully will not have to. My hope is that they will clear out of my body in this process.

I think that someone could use this as a weight loss tool....but it would take work. I would recommend that someone starts to count their calories with a whole food diet for at least 3 months before starting this fast. Do the fast and go back to calorie counting. Do NOT give in to temptation to binge after the fast as this will ruin your figure and the benefits of the fast. 

I think that the reason people put weight on after a fast or cleanse is because they binge eat. They don't eat the proper foods in the proper portions for their body. Yes, you will gain weight if you eat more calories that you burn. You will lose weight if you eat less calories than you burn. There isn't anything strange or scientific about that. It's easy if you want to do it...you just have to work at being consistent.