I Am Telling You I'm Not Eating
Beyonce apparently lost 20 pounds for her role in Dreamgirls via the Master Cleanse diet. (My mind goes straight to Lost in Translation, with Anna Faris’s hilarious character insisting that everybody try the Power Cleanse.) Here’s what it is:
[A] starvation diet whose adherents swallow nothing but a concoction of lemon juice mixed with maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper, as well as salt water and a laxative tea for 10 days.
Earth-shatteringly, doctors are now informing us that this diet is not so healthy.
The idea behind these plans, which can last anywhere from three days to about a month, is to rid the body of toxins absorbed from the environment and the less-than-healthy foods we eat. This cleansing is supposed to leave you feeling energized…
The side effects from prolonged, severe calorie restriction can include headache, fatigue, irritability, aches and pains. Because many rely on aggressive laxatives, these diets can also get pretty messy. Frequent bathroom visits can lead to irritation and breakdown of skin on your bottom, as well as dehydration.
While believers claim they feel lighter and more energetic, studies on starvation show the longer you fast, the more lethargic and less focused you become. Because most of these diets contain very little protein, it can be difficult for the body to rebuild lost muscle tissue.
I guess I’ll have to make my peace with not looking like Beyonce.
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Weight Loss
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I do know someone who has done a simular fast, she SWEARS that it helped her allergies all but go away. Of course, I’m not sure if she realized that her “environmental” allergies, were in fact food based.
It was an onion water and lemon fast.
I know two people on this fast RIGHT NOW. And I am really torn between showing them this and just not saying anything because they are adults who can make their own choices. *headshake*
“it can be difficult for the body to rebuild lost muscle tissue”
Yeah, like the heart.
An ex of mine attempted that Master Cleanse thing… he was utterly miserable (aka couldn’t be away from a bathroom for more than 10 minutes) and ultimately gave up after 5 days. I mocked him, of course, but I couldn’t believe he even lasted that long.
It boggles my mind that people try such insane things – stuff that defies all common sense and logic. Nuts.
I have done a detox diet, but nothing that involves fasting. It’s a medically approved thing and you only do it for 2 weeks, once or twice a year. I have to tell you that when I’m on it, I don’t have any allergies (no sniffling). My skin is so much clearer. I have lots more energy. I lose weight (not b/c I am drasctically cutting back my calories, but b/c I am literally flushing out toxins!!!).
Where I get angry with myself is that within a few weeks of ending the detox, I slip back into my old, destructive eating habits.
Dieting has very little to do with your mouth or stomach…..and all to do with your head!
I know so many people that pimp the Master Cleanse and it is terrible. All I can say about the doctors (yet again)is well yeah DUH. Hello,
And I can admit I’ve done similar things a few times and the outcome was never great. Yes you get that weird hunger induced euphoria for a little while and might feel great but later your body will make you aware of just how much it doesn’t want you to do that again.
I hate even reading about it. It makes me shake my head and feel constipated.
A friend of mine tried to get me to do this, citing the allergy thing–I told her “I’m not sure that the master cleanse would be all that beneficial for my allergies, since I’m life-threateningly allergic to cayenne.”
Beyonce gained all that weight back after this crazy diet (which she admits to being unhealthy) and her thighs are back to their usual grand selves (which I find very grand indeed:). The Master Cleanse was originally designed for detox, not weight loss anyway. When people go on detox fasts, it is expected that most of the weight lost will come back on.
As I understand it, Beyonce went on the liquid diet to lose weight for her role in Dreamgirls, not because she actually had a problem with her own weight. Once filming was done, I read some quotes of her saying how happy she was to be able to eat normally again, and get back to her usual size.
Interesting to note that Beyonce ELECTED to lose weight. She thought it would illustrate the changes her character went through after becoming a superstar.
I wonder why people don’t think its as interesting that “the fat girl” Jennifer Hudson was REQUIRED to GAIN 20 lbs.