Monna- God willing you're right but ugh!!!!
Master Cleanse is a fast based on a concoction of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and grade B Maple syrup. It's a lemonaide diet, master cleanse diet, etc. It's been around forever. It's supposed to detox you and obviously you lose weight in the process. If you google it you'll find the master cleanse all over the internet. How did I get it down? Oh man..wasn't easy..and then to do it at 2x the amount..lol...grrrr..
Because I was doing the up/down diet I thought the master cleanse on down days would make sense. I'd just use less of the maple syrup to stay within range. I'll do the cleanse today and hopefully lose the 7 lbs water weight.

Good morning everyone!

Alyssa, you poor girl!!! I couldn't make it through three down days either...

Well, I got on the scale and (drum roll please) 6 lbs. are gone!!! HALLELUJAH!!!

So, I am having a very Happy Valentine's Day.

Noel, don't worry about the gain. I'm sure it was all that salt. UGH! I can't imagine drinking it - I don't know how you did it. Just get back on track, drink LOTS of water, and you'll be fine. Take care.

Thank you Angie Yes...water water water....

CONGRATULATIONS ANGIE..JUST READ 6 POUNDS LOST!! WOO HOO!

Congrats Angie! That is absolutely wonderful! Enjoy your day - you deserve it!

GOOD GOING GIRL!!
Angie, I must say you are doing fabulous.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

I'm very encouraged now. I really feel this is the "magic bullet" I've been looking for. I have so much more energy now. I hope all of you feel the same!!

I just can't say enough how freeing it is not to have to count cals., weigh food, measure portions, etc. Do y'all feel the same??

Happy Valentine's Day to all!!

Thanks for your help -- sorry it's been a while since I last posted. I began the diet this week. I've made it through 1 up day and 1 down day. So far so good. I even excercised an hour on my down day and didn't feel bad. I got hungry in the evening but I had tea and it filled my belly so I could sleep. I'm excited to see where this goes.

Thanks again!

Hi Everyone,
I am so new to this forum thing - I was going to jump in after I weighed today. I don't have a scale at home - I weigh at the YMCA where I work out. However, I just want to give some encouragement - I too, had sleep issues, but I thought I was getting sick so I took that nighttime Airborne and it did the trick - it seems very healthy and natural.
Also, as I talk to more people about this plan - it really is a "normal" way to control weight and not as farfetched. I think it is what "skinny" people do naturally - eat up then down to keep regulated. I don't go quite as low on my down days as recommended - but after 3 weeks I have lost 8 pounds!!!! For me, the issue was stopping the cycle of gaining - I was truely "out of control". Knowing diets don't work for me - I was in a cycle of despair and "what the heck" I'll be fat mode. Older fat people don't have wrinkles anyway!!!! However, I really was getting depressed with how I felt emotionally. So after reading about this diet in Woman's World I jumped on ( by the way did you all ever address that the article got it a bit wrong- they allowed 1100 calories on down days!!) I need to lose 20-25 pounds. But at this point not gaining is a huge blessing!! and feeling like food has it's correct place in my life. It is more than a diet plan for me!!!

Beth, especially to you, even if the scale isn't moving down - I really don't think it will move up on this plan - so we need to stay the same weight for awhile - remember it is "normal" to weigh the same. It is not normal to go up and down significantly all our lives. My mom really wrecked her body by being on so many diet plans all her life.

I have been sleeping well--better than usual, actually. I know how draining it can be not getting sleep, because sometimes I have trouble with insomnia. I bought a memory foam pillow a few weeks ago, and that helped me not wake up with a stiff neck.

No, nobody is going to shoot you! We are just going to stay here and be supportive!

(But I don't think I'll try what you did . . . . )

Beth

Angie, that is great!! What a great Valentine's Day surprise! Keep it up!!

Ok. I couldn't wait any longer so I braved the ever-worsening roads here to check my weight at the gym wearing pretty much the same get-up I always do. I literally dropped my jaw. I am down to 139.4 in ONE week. I started at 144.3 so that's practically 5 pounds! I am so excited. What a wonderful Valentine's Day present.

P.S. I do NOT lose weight this easily. EVER!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S.S. Until now

This seems to be a rather successful diet I suspect that what you are doing is by having down day you shrink your stomach size meaning you feel less hungry on your up days and less so on down days. This is also forcing you to spread out your calories. With a spread the diet is mimicking that of a prehistoric human who would grab food off foliage as they went along. Only hunting every few days so this does make sense even if it does seem to be hard to move off of.

two ideas for down days: get sugarfree gum as that can usually carry me over lunch just by having something in my mouth that tastes.
another if you like chocolate get some dark chocolate and when hungry take a very small piece and let it melt in your mouth.
this works for me as I find that taste particularly intense taste can make you feel as if you have eaten more

Way to go Angie!!
Thanks for the down day tips. I can use all I can get. It looks like this diet is going to be a way of life for me. I have more than 70lbs to loose so I will be with it for some time if it keeps working as I hope.
As far as the sleeping issue, I've always had a insomnia problem so I don't know if the diet is doing anything to my sleep.
Keep pressing on. I can't tell you enough how glad I am you are all here. This is the best support I have ever had. Just reading how others are doing helps me keep going.

I feel the same way. It's wonderful to be able to share this experience and know that if I have a "bad" day, somebody else knows how I feel. The accountability is great, too because in a sense I feel like I'll not only let myself down if I "drop the ball" and give up, I'd be letting down my newfound friends. Here's to support, accoutability, and slimming down!

Sluuuuurrrppp! (that was water...like you couldn't guess that one!)

Hi there
I did the weigh in - another 3 pounds off . Total 11 pounds for 3 weeks!!! Even my trainer at the Y said it does make sense - it is better to eat "real" food. It is all about calories in and calories out.
Hang in there everyone.

Way to go, sue! That's an impressive loss for the 3 weeks!

waaaaaaaaaaah 3 weeks and still only 3 pounds down. thats AFTER 2.5 days in a row of down days. grrr.
And the week before i had done it to the T!! So I don't know.. i'll do it another week and if there's not at least another 2 pounds down i'm done. I was so dissapointed today.
So i came home and made my 3rd day of not eating (in a row) an up day! yeeehawww.. i had pizza and ice cream..and i've been full ever since
WAY TO GO SUE!!

You know, Alyssa, you don't have too much to lose. That may be why it's not moving as quickly for you...LUCKY YOU!!! (on the not having much to lose part.)

Have you been doing the three days down/four days up the whole time? If so, that may be the problem. That sounds like torture!!

Three pounds isn't bad - it's still a pound a week.

Let us know what happens in a couple of days after this break in your down days! We're rooting for you!!

Thank you so much Angie, you are soooo encouraging!!!
You must feel amaaaazing today!! 6 pound loss is awesome!
No i haven't been doing that the whole time, just this week (duh) lol.
I thought that may be the reason.. who knows. maybe I'll email the doctor...if i don't loose weight within the next week. I also have been eating 500 cals of food on my down days..maybe the extra veggies i have when i am starving isn't all that good. who knows.
Is everyone having a good valentines day?? I'm just in the midst of cleaning and making din din for hubby. Nothing much, just a nice table setting with candies and chocolates to decorate as a surprise when he gets home..I bought my girls some mylar balloons. they are soo happy! (takes very little to please them!)

Hi Alyssa,
Are you doing one up/one down or several down days in a row - then up days? I think too many "down" days in a row would really trigger the diet/starvation button. As I talk to more thin people - I am realizing how normal this pattern is for maintaining ideal weight - the problem with us is we need to get there first!!!! Remember NOT gaining weight while eating all these yummy foods on up days is a move in the right direction!! Hang in there.

Alyssa. Don't give up. It may just take awhile for your body to respond to the right way to do this diet. It's MUCH more bearable every other day. You can do this!!!!! Hang in there and let us know how your weigh in goes next time. Until then, we're here for support!

Hello everyone!

Just into day two of this diet myself; today being my first down day. It's great to find so many people on it and experiencing success! I hope I do, too!

I have been overweight for years (although pretty stable); so I'm sure you can all imagine my disappointment when after a week of strict calorie control (1500 per day), I GAIN three pounds I used to lose up to five pounds in the first week of a diet without trouble. But; I'm much older now and that's obviously changed!

I was about ready to throw in the towel and just be FAT. Then I stumbled across Dr. Johnson's research.

Great group you have here - room for another (not so) little one??

Always room for another Jem, no matter the size. (Although hopefully soon you'll be smaller )

Thanks Jenn - I'm almost too impatient to see results. I want to fast forward a week

I've used up my 500 cals for today, and my daughter is in the kitchen making herself a grilled cheese sandwich - it smells soooo good

First couple of down days are the hardest. It does get better.

Hi All- Thought I would chime in. Like many of you, I read about this diet in Woman's World. I have asthma and TERRIBLE allergies and the prospect of possibly eliminating those problems was enough to make me want to try it immediately. I started on January 29, so I've been at it for 16 days. As of yesterday, I had lost a total of 10 pounds and I would like to lose 30-40 more. Every down day has gotten progressively easier and more importantly, this week I am starting to notice a definite improvement in my breathing and general allergy symptoms. As someone who has been effected nearly every day for nearly twenty years by allergies, I am ecstatic! Of course, I hope that the weight loss continues but it has almost become secondary to being able to breathe through both nostrils! So far, so good...

Welcome, Jem!! Always room for more UpDayDownDay-ers.

Hi Julie! I'm glad to hear that you are seeing not only weight loss results, but I'm thrilled to hear how your breathing has improved. You are proof that this diet works like the Dr. says it does! Keep us posted with your progress, and welcome to the group!

Well, I'm back from my business trip. Believe it or not, I actually stuck to the plan, and exercised every day with the exception of today.

Today was brutal. I was basically in airports or on planes the entire day, my flights were cancelled/delayed/rescheduled due to bad weather. Today was a DD for me...I was SO hungry all day, but I didn't cave. Had my caesar salad when I got home at 11 pm, but it was too late to work out (wahhh). I was supposed to have been home by 5 pm. Actually when all is said and done I did go 100 calories over for today. Oh well. I hate travelling.

Dave

PS I actually did plan ahead and brought my PGX granules with me, but as I quickly discovered, they are mostly ineffective unless blended with a hand blender or a blender ~ they don't really thicken up, just float there like so many slimy wet granules in yor drink. Weird.

Welcome Jem and Julie and best of luck. Julie - I am happy to see that you have had great results, both in weight loss and overall health.