QuestionI am thinking about going on the Lemonade Diet or Master Cleanse (where you drink a lemonade concoction), but only for 10 days. Would this still be detrimental to my health? If it is, is there no quick diet that is bad (other than exercise and eating right)?
Thank You
AnswerDear Alison,
I have tried the Master Cleanse and didn't feel well on it at all. However, others have experienced success with it. Fasting for any length of time forces our bodies to adapt in drastic ways. Because our bodies think that we're in starvation mode, it actually makes it much more difficult to lose weight because each calorie becomes important for survival. I don't recommend it as a weight loss strategy.
Before starting any kind of weight loss plan, please consult your physician because you may have health issues that could become worse as a result of such a fast.
The key to losing weight is cutting calories (200 to 500 per day, depending on your starting weight and diet) and increased exercise (an hour to 90 minutes a day of increased heart rate cardio, as well as weight training to sustain muscle tone). Exercise doesn't have to be done all at once. You could spend 15 minutes walking up and down a flight of stairs to fit in some of that time (raises heart rates very quickly and effectively). I recommend getting a heart rate monitor. I use one that has a watch with a receiver and a strap that I wear on my body that has a transceiver. It helps me see if I've raised my heart rate high enough to achieve a significant calorie burn.
My favorite book with the most successful results is the Lean Plate Club. The writer, Sally Squires, is the nutrition and health columnist at the Washington Post. She teaches readers how to count calories while maintaining a healthy, filling diet. She also tells how to work in exercise in a very reasonable way. She also explains everything in a very easy to understand text.
Sustained weight loss and increased health require work. It's not my favorite fact of life by a long shot, but it's true. There are quick fixes -- like cutting almost all sodium out of your diet (a quick 5lb loss). But the daily work of exercise, portion and calorie control, and nutrition monitoring will lead to the weight loss you desire.
Try it for 30 days and let me know how it works out.
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