For the next 10 days I am conducting a juice fast to detoxify my body and lose fat using methods defined in the book called the Master Cleanser written by Stanley Burroughs. Consumption of food is not allowed and the only calories ingested will come in the form of tea and lemonade made with maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
This post is a companion to and supports “Hurry up and Fast.“
I prepared for the 10-day fast by reading the Master Cleanser and a second book by Peter Glickman titled Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in 10 Days: Take Charge of Your Health with the Master Cleanse.
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Next, I went shopping and bought everything I needed.
Shopping List:
- Limes & Lemons
- Cayenne Pepper Powder
- Grade B Pure Maple Syrup
- Laxative Herbal Tea containing 50% Senna
- Eight Gallons of Spring Water
- Non-iodized Sea Salt
After each day on the fast I will append this post to document my experiences. This will include daily measurements of weight, waist, and a neck measurement.
Wish me Luck! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Fair warning to stop reading now. What follows may not interest you, but if you want, skip to the end to see my results.
Monday, January 28, 2019
Like most mornings my German Shepherd Duchess woke me up. She’s a sweetheart and makes sure that when the sun gets up, so do I. First thing’s first. Time to weigh and measure.
Metrics:
- Weight:. 223.8 lb.
- Waist: 42-¼”
- Neck: 16-⅝”
No sucking in the gut this morning. These are the honest numbers which have been increasing th last couple of years. Most of that weight was gained during the first six months and ever since I’ve been in an argument with my body about it. I have continued to lift weights and exercise, but other than a small fluctuation in weight things have sort of stalled.
Out of the gates with a saltwater flush and I’m already confused. The directions say 1-quart. Okay, how much is a quart? I look and my trusty refrigerator magnet and it tells me one quart = 32 oz. Awesome. Wait, how much is 32 oz? Back to the fridge to discover that 1-quart = 32 oz = 1 liter. What is up with all the convoluted measuring systems? The metric system makes things much simpler.
Then it clicks, one liter? Drinking a liter of water first thing in the morning (all at once) is going to be a challenge, with of without adding salt. I managed it by splitting it into two 50mL drinks.
Drinking salty water was odd. The first glass went down quickly but the second was more of a challenge. After 20 minutes or so my desire to burp is gone but my head feels like a big cotton ball.
Everyday I am supposed to drink 6 – 10 8 oz glasses of “lemonade” made with fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. Today I drank six glasses over the course of the day including several glasses of water.
Instead of “lemonade” I warmed the water and made lemon tea. Since I’m not having coffee during this cleanse, warming the drink probably had a positive psychological effect. The tea tasted sweet from the maple syrup and at the same had a spicy kick from the cayenne pepper powder.
Around lunchtime today I was feeling wrestless from working at my desk all morning and decided to exercise a bit. Kettlebells have been my choice lately because of how cold it is outside so after a warm up I did some snatches, and single arm cleans and presses. We’ll see how my energy levels will be in a few days. I’m very curious to find out if I’ll be able to continue to exercise.
I finished the day with a peppermint flavored smooth-move tea and went to bed feeling pretty good. Honestly, I thought I would be hungrier than I am. Breakfast was hard to miss, but after that I was too busy with my day to think about it.
One day down! 10 days to go!
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Not much change in the numbers. As it’s only day two, I not surprised. Hopefully, my neck doesn’t continue to shrink while my waist stays the same or else I may start looking like a chicken.
Metrics:
- Weight:. 220.4 lb.
- Waist: 42-¼”
- Neck: 16-½”
Today went by quickly. Perhaps it’s lucky that I have so much to do at the moment. Other than a quick trip to the gas station and the store, I spent most of the day working at my desk.
The advantage to not eating, is all the time you gain to do other things. I’m transmuting three hours of preparation and eating into three hours of productive time.
I continued to workout today. Whenever I felt hungry, I drank water and worked out. Today it was more kettlebell type exercises. Nothing extreme, just enough movement to get my heartrate up and breathe a little harder.
During the evening I started to get a small headache. I generally don’t get headaches. Perhaps this is part of the detox, who knows? I drank some water and had a cup of tea and it went away.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Okay, I’m a little surprised at my measurements this morning. So surprised that I measured my neck four times and my waist three. What causes your neck to shrink? I really don’t know.
Morning Metrics:
- Weight:. 217.8
- Waist: 41-¼”
- Neck: 15-½”
The salt water flush was a lot easier to drink today and it’s doing its job. I recall reading something in one of the books about the flush. It stated that the salt and water consistency was such that the fluid would basically travel straight through cleaning as it went and to not plan anything for a couple of hours after you drank it. Good advice.
This morning and throughout the day I felt really thirsty. I’ve never been shy about drinking water and I’ve gotten into the habit of listening to my body drinking when it tells me to. Today it shouted at me to drink more water. So, I have been drinking whenever I feel thirsty and continuing with the prescribed lemon drinks and I feel good.
For the past few weeks I have felt tired, overweight, and generally unhealthy. My heart and lungs were working too hard so much so that I noticed. This shouldn’t have been a surprise as I haven’t been living a healthy lifestyle. This cleanse was meant to simultaneously break that cycle and at the same time repair some of the damage.
Today I am starting to feel pretty darn good. My mind feels sharp, something that I have taken for granted most of my life. Things have always come so easy to me. It amazes me that diet and exercise can affect one’s mind, but it can.
I’m thinking about the future now. Need to come up with a plan to follow after this is through. Leaning towards something with whole and raw foods. Perimeter Foods, i.e. the healthy foods around the perimeter of the grocery store.
Exercise. The last two days were kettlebells, today was walking stairs. It’s a great alternative to walking and helps get the blood flowing. This marks the end of day three. Almost halfway!
Thursday January 31, 2019
And the neck gets smaller. Great.
Morning Metrics:
- Weight: 219.6 lb
- Waist: 41-¼”
- Neck: 15-⅜”
I guess I was dehydrated yesterday. Though weight went up a couple of pounds, my waist measurement stayed the same. Is it possible to not eat for 10 days and not lose weight? Probably not.
Everything about my fasting routine these last few days was that much easier today. Except for a small sore throat this morning, I wasn’t hungry and my energy levels seemed normal. In fact, I worked this morning doing more stairs and weighted farmer carries and took a long walk after lunch. I really thought this would be more difficult to not eat.
Tomorrow is day five and with everyday that goes by I anticipate some sort of change for the next. Will I lose weight? Will I start showing signs of detoxification like the book suggests?
I’ll just have to wait and see. So far this has been anticlimactic in that regard, though I do feel good and my mind is sharp.
Day five tomorrow! Hump Day!
Friday, February 1, 2019
Maybe the shrinking of my neck has finally slowed down. Come on stomach, get smaller!
Morning Metrics:
- Weight: 217.4 lb
- Waist: 41-3/16”
- Neck: 15-⅜”
Overall today has been okay. This morning I felt energetic and light on my feet. Even going to Walmart didn’t tire me out in the least as just thinking about shopping usually does. About mid day I started feeling hungry which is odd. I’ve been fasting more or less for five days and today I feel hungry?
The rest of today I spent in my shop finishing the Solid Oak Workbench Build. It has taken me awhile to figure out how to plane the oak boards that make up the top. The wood is really hard and heavy. Unfortunately, my little hobbie planer wasn’t up to the task and I burned up one set of blades, so I’m taking a different approach. Blog post and YouTube video coming shortly.
This evening the hunger pangs have dissipated and small headache has taken their place. It has been five days and there are five more days to go. I’m halfway there. I’m looking forward to eating again. But, there’s no quit in me. I’m more interested to see what happens.
Tonight before going to bed I weighed myself out of curiosity. I weighed a surprising 215.4 lb. Obviously weight has a tendency to fluctuate, but usually in reverse. Morning weigh-ins are traditionally less than night weigh-ins. The next five days shall be interesting indeed.
Saturday February 2, 2019
Sigh, I think I’m undead or something. Shouldn’t my body composition change more rapidly?
Morning Metrics:
- Weight: 215.2 lb
- Waist: 41-3/16”
- Neck: 15-⅜”
Upon waking this morning I felt really good. I climbed into bed last night around 9:30 with a book. Around 10:30 I turned the light off and lay there. For the past day or two my back and hips have started hurting. Cleanse related? Probably not. So, I lay there last night in bed and couldn’t get to sleep regardless of position.
As is the case with these things sleep found me and sleep I did. I even dreamed, which is rare for me, rarer that I after I woke up I remembered that I had dreamt. My usual sleeping experience is highlighted by waking up two or three times an hour and getting up in the morning because I’m sick of the routine. Even one of my dogs getting up to change positions can wake me up.
So, last night I slept pretty well. At 5 am I opened my eyes refreshed and got up to face the day. And throughout today I haven’t felt the least bit tired. In fact, today was a good day.
After I made breakfast for my better half and we had some time to relax, we went to the local flea market and shopped for nothing, which is a past time of ours. I swear the more that place smells like old, the better the finds.
The guys who run the place buy estates, usually after someone passes away. For a single price they buy the rights to walk in and clean the place out and the sellable items go to the flea market to find a place on a table or a shelf in an old smallish (and smelly) warehouse. It’s heaven. The cast iron pans I’ve purchased there are cause enough to continue returning.
Anyway, enough of the throat clearing.
The cleanse today was easy. A joke really. I maintained my routine, drank the salt water and the periodic maple-lemonade drafts and tada, it’s now and I’m writing in my journal. Not much to say.
Okay, that’s not exactly true.
I feel good. I don’t feel sick anymore. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time away from alcohol and bad food. Before I started this cleanse I remember how I felt. It wasn’t good. That feeling compared with now is like night versus day.
Even though I feel good, I also clearly see that I can’t stop here. That once this cleanse is over I need to continue in some fashion towards being healthy. The cleanse won’t be enough. But, maybe it can be a springboard to give me the necessary momentum to latch onto a different lifestyle and to truly be healthy.
The answer is partially obvious. Eliminate sugar, refined foods and bad fat like vegetable oil. My diet needs to be founded on whole foods made up of good fats, proteins, vegetables, and fruit. Easy right? Ha! Knowing and doing, right? It takes strength.
Well, I am strong enough to see this fast through. Tomorrow is day seven. Not long now.
Sunday February 3, 2019
No change from yesterday. I’m actually amazed at how resilient my body is.
Morning Metrics:
- Weight: 215.0 lb
- Waist: 41-3/16”
- Neck: 15-⅜”
Today was another great day. I feel 100%. No hunger pangs and I used my extra time not eating working on projects. There isn’t much to say really. I’m running out of things to write about because every days is pretty much the same.
Throughout this cleanse I had two hopes. I hoped that the cleanse would be effective and that I would feel more healthy. Secondly, I hoped that I would lose weight. As for the first hope, I do feel better. As for the second, I honestly don’t think I have as of yet gone through any major body transformation. If I had it would show in the tape. Other than my neck shrinking quickly after the first day, nothing significant has happened.
Despite exercising, staying active, and following the Master Cleanse to the T, I haven’t seen weight loss results. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. There are three more days afterall. I genuinely hope I am wrong. How can I not be? As of tomorrow I won’t have eaten for a week. Seven days without food!
Monday February 4, 2019
Well, I finally saw a drop in weight although the other measurements remain the same.
Morning Metrics:
- Weight: 213.6 lb
- Waist: 41-3/16”
- Neck: 15-⅜”
There are a couple of possibilities that come as to why my waist measurement isn’t getting smaller.
- The majority of my weight loss is due to the cleansing of my digestive tract.
- Muscle AND fat are being burn and the latter is being burned from stores located at my body’s extremities.
Perhaps both of these theories are partially true. I’m not a scientist, nutritionist, or a doctor. I don’t know.
Today was probably the easiest day I have had on the fast. It boggles the mind that I haven’t eaten in over a week and I feel this good. I wasn’t hungry at all today.
This reminds me of a few documentaries that I have watched in the past that have hypothesized that the human body is meant to go through periods of fasting.
One example I remember is of hunter gatherers that would hunt large game, like wooly mammoths, gorge themselves and then fast until the next kill.
Another example I recall is that of pacific islanders who could take ultra long distance canoe trips to other distant islands in the pacific ocean. They would burn their fat stores during the trip.
Whatever the case, I just want to highlight how oddly natural this feels for me. I feel fine. But, I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I am looking forward to eating again.
I’m looking forward to having a cup of coffee.
Tuesday February 5, 2019
Holding steady with the end in sight.
Morning Metrics:
- Weight: 213.2 lb
- Waist: 41-3/16”
- Neck: 15-⅜”
It just gets easier and easier. I find myself wondering if after the cleanse I could continue on a water only fast. The feeling I have is that of general well being, health, and comfort. I don’t hurt anymore. My sleep is amazing. Other than not releasing as much weight as I want, this cleanse has been a success.
Wednesday February 6, 2019
Lost a little weight. Measurements remain fixed in stone!
Morning Metrics:
- Weight: 211.6 lb
- Waist: 41-3/16”
- Neck: 15-⅜”
There seems to be a pattern emerging. I drop a little weight, the weight holds for a couple of days, and then i drop a little more. Interesting.
Interesting, but today is day 10 and the fast, cleanse, detox (whatever you want to call it) is over!
Starting tomorrow, I start my ‘gut’ recovery process. Evidently, I’m not allowed to go out and have all-I-can-eat Korean BBQ. Which sounds delicious BTW!
It’s a ramping process, starting with organic orange juice for the first 36 hours, then vegetable broth for dinner on the second day, building up to actual vegetable soup for lunch on the third day. Dinner on the third day is vegetarian salad, vegetables, and fruit.
A course of probiotics recommended, but I’m opting for homemade sauerkraut which has been found to have much more probiotics than that found in pills. Nourishing Plot online had an interesting article about it.
Thursday February 7, 2019
Today is day 11! It is done!
Morning Metrics:
- Weight: 210.8 lb
- Waist: 41-3/16”
- Neck: 15-⅜”
After waking I found myself singing Hallelujah from Handel’s Messiah!
That quickly morphed in listening to Food, Glorious Food!
Today, I’ll subside on orange juice and over the next few days slowly coach my body back into eating food. I am more than thrilled to get started. And, I’m really excited to have a cup of coffee.
My journey doesn’t end here though. The end of this post marks the beginning of another journey. I have decided to transition to the Whole 30 program. Many think this is a diet, like the Master Cleanse, but I see it as a 30 day assessment period to find what your body can and cannot tolerate. I’ll forgo blogging daily journal entries though. 😉
If you have made it this far with me, I hope something I have written in here helps, either to satisfy your curiosity or perhaps aide you in some small way on your own quest for a healthier lifestyle.
For those curious about all the metrics I recorded, here is my data set and plots for the past 11 days.
