My Master Cleanse Diary + Tips To Survive 10 Days

When I first heard my friend was doing the master cleanse and losing weight at a rapid rate I had the typical responses: “She will gain it all back,” “It’s not healthy,” and of course the “That is SO stupid of her!” But then a month went by, she hadn’t gained it all back, in fact, she had lost more. She had completely changed her eating habits AND her relationship with food. And I couldn’t deny it, she looked GREAT! And I, well, I didn’t. Simply put: I was the one left feeling stupid.

So there I was, texting her about this master cleanse, her experience, what do I do, and pretty soon I was off to the grocery store to buy the ingredients at 12:30am. I didn’t do an ease in, something that is of course recommended. I just dove right in. And here is my day-by-day experience:

Disclaimer: This is MY experience on the cleanse. Everybody is different and will react differently. As with any diet, please check with your doctor prior to starting it to make sure it is safe for you.

Master Cleanse Recipe Used:

Made 1 Gallon fresh every morning!

– 6-7 organic fresh squeezed lemons

– 8.5oz (small bottle) organic grade A maple syrup (get grade B if you can find it, I couldn’t so grade A is fine as well)

– 1 dash organic cayenne pepper

– 1 gallon distilled water (poured out enough for syrup & lemon juice)

Salt Water Flush in mornings:

(Optional, I did this twice and then decided the SWF isn’t for me)

– 1 liter distilled water

– 1 teaspoon organic himalayan salt

Smooth Move Tea every single night:

– brew only 1 tea bag per night

– can mix in maple syrup to mask the herbal taste, just get it down!

 Day 1:

I came into this cleanse with a bang and that’s how I feel the majority of the day… until my caffeine headache hits. Around 3pm was the WORST headache I have ever had. I’ve had coffee everyday for 15 years (that’s what working at Starbucks for your first job will do to ya) but I knew this too shall pass so I came home, took some ibeauprofen to survive through the day. Damn that was a bad headache… but definitely wasn’t the worst thing in the world so I kept pushing. “If it were easy, everyone would do this,” I told myself. I did a SWF so I knew what it was like (dang they aren’t joking around, don’t do this without being next to a bathroom for at least 2hrs) and went to bed at 10pm after drinking SM tea. David was super supportive and didn’t eat around me and made me tea, which was nice.

Day 2: down 3 lbs in 1 day

Today I woke up craving coffee again, mainly because that’s my daily routine when I wake up! David’s been so good about not eating or drinking coffee around me! Yesterday he asked if I wanted him to do the cleanse with me and I said “That’s sweet, but no… somebody’s gotta eat all the groceries we just bought or I’ll be pissed” 😂

My tongue was white, which many people experience from the lemons. I knew today would be just as hard as day 1, if not harder…. but man it was a roller coaster! One minute I was feeling great and the next I felt like crap. I knew at this point I was hardcore detoxing… all the years of pizza, wine, late nights, and so much more unhealthy crap is biting me in the ass. I made my lemonade with WAY less cayenne today, the first day was way too spicy. I texted my friend throughout the day for motivation, every time I wanted to quit I would drink more lemonade and text her. She has been a rockstar constantly supporting me in this!

I also felt very low energy today… I slept in until 12pm which is unheard of from me since I didn’t work until 1:30-9:30pm. I kept to myself at work (which is hard since I manage people in the retail beauty industry)  but I had pre-warned everyone I was on a cleanse so everyone is highly aware why I’m not chatting & zipping a thousand miles a minute like my usual self haha! I found a necessary-long-term-keep-to-myself project and suck to that and managed to get through my workday. I did, however, start to feel sick towards 8pm. I kept it together until I got home, promptly threw up, and then went to bed. I drank a glass of lemonade before falling asleep, no detox tea or SWF for me tonight. I just keep looking at pictures of my previous self 20lbs lighter and imagining how I’ll feel on day 10! I also keep reading articles on master cleanse to stay present. Praying tomorrow will be easier.

Day 3: down 4.2 lbs, 7.2 lbs total

Felt low energy in the morning, but just like I hadn’t slept well? I made it through the day with way more energy than I have had in quite awhile though! Traveled for work was a little hard because I wanted to eat something for dinner when I got into the town I was traveling to, but I couldn’t. I stayed strong and made it through. 3pm-7pm is the absolutely worst time for cravings though!

Day 4: down 1 lb, 8 lbs total

Feeling on fire! Sooo much energy! I worked 10 hours straight and had moments of cravings and moments of hunger! It was especially hard because everyone kept asking me if I wanted to take a break to eat or rest, but I knew that a) I couldn’t eat obviously and b) the moment I stopped I would want to stop for the day! This was extremely true… I came back to my hotel room, took off my makeup, and watched true crime shows the rest of the day until I passed out.

Day 5: down 1.6 lbs, 9.6 lbs total

I woke up feeling good today, a little low energy until I could drink my lemonade! Time flew so it was good. When it was time to hit the road home I was feeling good but low energy in afternoon. 3-7pm still hardest. Tried to do the SWF and threw up this evening… got another bad headache and hardcore Mexican food cravings. At this point I decided I would make a healthy tortilla soup on Thursday night for my ease off phase Friday-Sunday!

Day 6: down 1.2 lbs, 10.8 lbs total

Today is Sunday, so I’m just lazing around. David cleaned the whole apartment so I didn’t have to worry about that and I took a nap as well. I am a genius and made my lemonade drink frozen today! Eventually I’ll have to venture out to get fresh lemons & maple syrup today for the rest of the cleanse… actually excited about it though because after today if I finish tomorrow I’ll only have 3 days left on my whole cleanse AND I can say I made it to day 10. Having minor headaches throughout the day but nothing drinking lemonade, ALOT of water, and a few ibeauprofen can’t handle. I know I know, it’s a cleanse, why are you taking medicine? Girl, I got to survive trough the day. If that’s the only way I “cheat” then I’ll be ok with myself so I’m not a complete crazy person for the full 10 days… I absolutely HATE headaches.

Day 7: down 1 lb, 11.8 lbs total

I honestly felt great today! Again had moments (and I mean very brief 60second periods) of craving tacos and pho, but they passed with a chug of lemonade. It was the craziest of days at work so I was non-stop on my feet again with no lunch… and I felt on top of the world thanks to the master cleanse! I had SO much energy! I took the SM this morning and will take it again at night, I probably should have done it nightly looking back on everything but I wanted to ease into it. Regardless of minor stomach cramps around 5hrs after drinking the tea, I felt amazing all day long! I got home around 6pm and even had energy to burn! I was going to go to the gym, something I actually am craving at this point since I was in a routine before the cleanse, but instead chose to do laundry & clean our apartment because it’s been so messy with me traveling… I had allll the energy in the world to do it too. I went to bed around 11pm, still energized. My back & neck pain that I have on a daily basis due to injuries has completely subsided by the way… absolutely amazing.

Day 8: down 0.2 lbs, 12 lbs total

Whew! I woke up at about 5am naturally and the SM did it’s job! Whew, I am ENERGIZED this morning! I haven’t felt this much energy without caffeine in years, and quite honestly thought it wasn’t possible anymore!

I continued to have really amazing energy throughout the day without any issues of hunger! I tried to drink extra water today, I was bummed that I hadn’t lost more weight this morning but I have to trust the process. I was right… by the end of the day I had lost another 0.8lbs which I’m sure will reflect in the morning. I’m more excited about my energy levels though today… we even went on a 3mile walk in the evening which previously during this cleanse is the time where I’m so tired already I would be in bed!

Day 9: down 2.0 lbs, 14 lbs total

Felt great today, nothing in particular special minus the fact that I am dreaming of food and can’t wait to eat on Friday! Researching the ease off phase and planning my meals! I didn’t work out today, I ended up hanging out

Day 10: down 1.4 lbs, 15.4 lbs total

I literally cleared everything out of my kitchen… all bad food left the building from my pantry, fridge, and freezer. Then I went and had a long grocery list for homemade soups I’ve been salivating over on Pinterest and got to work! I forgot how much I enjoyed just simply being at one with food… shopping for it, prepping it, cooking it… it was just genuinely enjoyable! I semi-cheated today by taking 3 small bites – one of each soup I made and – of the spring roll I made to see if it was worth continuing to make and to make tweaks to the recipes. I feel semi-guilty, but I’m definitely counting this as 10 days still because I continued the rest of the day after. However, during those 3 bites I realized this is going to be a journey within itself transitioning back into real food… holy crap I was bloated and full from just 3 BITES! 😳 Something I wasn’t expecting but good to know. Tomorrow I think broth & fresh squeezed juice it is.

Final Weight Loss: 16lbs lost in 10 days

Overall I feel like I’m on top of the world! I know the battle has just begun though, because now the journey is going to be about easing back into food SLOWLY and continuing with my weight loss. Second post on ease out phase to come!

Tips to survive the full 10 days on the master cleanse:

• Preparation is key. Don’t get lazy and not prepare… it will make or break your cleanse.

• Weigh yourself in the morning, every morning. It’ll give you the little motivational push you need to get through the next day!

• Never give up at night, just make it through the day. You got this.

• You’ll be low energy with this master cleanse, so plan accordingly.

• If you plan on doing the 10 days, start on a Tuesday so you don’t have to miss 2 weekends without eating 😂 (For the foodies like me)

• Tired of your normal lemonade? Make it into a tea and drink it hot OR make it into a smoothie with ice and it’ll make you feel like you’re having something different.

• If you are feeling super low energy on the master cleanse, have a couple tablespoons of maple syrup… it will give your body a quick boost of glucose so you’re back to higher energy and it’ll also make you feel like you’re eating something.

• If you’re having HARDCORE cravings, sniff the food around you. I’m serious. It helps and makes your brain think you’re eating it.

• If the salt water flush makes you throw up, don’t do it. Just do the smooth move tea. I did it twice and did it work? Yes, but I’m not doing it again.

• Can’t stand the taste of the smooth move tea? Mix in maple syrup and get it down. It’s vital to getting all the toxins you’re releasing daily out of your body permanently.

• Do the master cleanse with a friend or family member if you can! Having someone going through the same thing as you and reaching out when you’re feeling week helps alot! I couldn’t have done it without texting my friend Karina throughout the days.

• Easing off of the cleanse is just as important as the cleanse itself! I will have a separate blog post for this soon!

• Remember: This too shall pass! It’s only temporary and you’ll survive. The human body is a beautiful thing.