I'm on Atkins right now, but I've reached a barrier. My goal is to play soccer and I need to drop 10lbs. I was thinking of staying on Atkins till I lose those 10lbs (I've already lost 12lbs in almost 2 months), and once I can start playing soccer regularly, I will start bringing carbs back into my diet slowly and cutting out fatty foods slowly. Now I'm reading about this Master Cleanser diet, and it doesn't seem so bad. I had heard about it, but thought that you would mainly lose muscle mass and water, which isn't what I want. I thought that it's basically starving myself. But after reading more into it, it seems pretty safe and maybe beneficial if I only do it for 10-12 days. I've never done a detox diet, and have eaten a lot of bad food in my life. Has anyone tried it? Can I continue working out while on it? Any commentary would be be very helpful. Here's a link with some details: Recipe Wiki page for details.
Yes, I know, and the guy who created Atkins died of cancer. I'm not looking at these for lifestyle changes. I just need a boost. I'm working out 4 times a week (weights and cardio) and eating lots of vegetables with the proteins. I am not as concered with the detox part of the master cleanse as I am with losing muscle mass. If it doesn't detox me then fine, whatever. If it does, absolutely great. I just can't have any loss of muscle because I'm trying to strengthen my legs right now.
have done it twice in the past year. everybody says that doing it to lose weight shouldn't be your reason. you will definitely lose weight if you follow it strictly thought. about 1 lb/day. i lost 25 from the 2 times combined. essentially 13 days each time. 10, then a 3 day coming off period, which i stuck to strictly the first time, but not many other people who i read about seemed to do, and i regret not doing it the 2nd time, because i've since experienced some weird GI stuff that i'm worried is attributed to that, but people also recommend not doing it more than once within like 3 months, which i also didn't obey. anyway, the first time i did it, i had a ton of energy, the 2nd time, didn't really feel it. you can still work out and whatever during it, and will likely lose more weight. you don't lose muscle weight really, you lose a combo of fat, water, and impacted feces that's been stuck to your colon for years. after the 2nd day, it's really really (shockingly) easy. you never really want to eat, and when your stomach starts rumbling, you mix up a glass of lemonade and pound it down. my other recommendation is to drink your glasses through a straw because the citric acid is awful for your teeth. my favorite non-publicized benefit is the walkaway craps (no charmin necessary) you'll be taking for 2-4 weeks following your completion. those really blew my mind. any other questions, let me know.
Oh, thanks, that's great info... Has anyone done the diet after reading that thread and have comments on their results? One positive thing is that I've been off carbs for almost 2 months, and that seems to be the general recommendation in order for your metabolism not to go into a tailspin. I'm a bit shocked to hear that you get lots of energy from this diet.
Diets are unhealthy. Period. I don't understand why people want to stop eating carbs. Carbs don't make you fat, sitting around and being a lazy ****head makes you fat. Everyone is looking for an easy way out, which is too bad. Carbs give you 4 calories of energy per gram, which is equal to proteins. If you want to work out and lose fat and GAIN MUSCLE, then eat carbs AND proteins and some fats. Look, as strange as it sounds, if you work out correctly, you can still gain muscle and lose fat even if you eat 4000+ calories per day with plenty of whole grains, vegetables, meats, eggs, and dairy products. That's what I'm doing and it's going great. (I'm 5' 10" and 150lbs.) Don't listen to what those dieting advocates say. The human body is complex machine that can't be controlled by such petty methods as "Atkins" or "Master Cleanse". Treat your body well, and it will respond positively. BTW, maybe you're not losing fat because you're working out improperly, you should check that out.
That's the problem with the Atkins Diet. Once you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you'll gain it all back. It's good you're eating vegetables though. A lot of people I know who have done Atkins cut out all fruits and vegetables along with bread and only eat meat, cheese, and eggs. Every diet is about deprivation. It's a great way to lose weight quick, but it's not sustainable. IMO it's all about eating whole foods, cutting down on animal products, drinking lots of water, and incorporating cardio. That's as good of a "cleanse" as any.
Haha... I was the one that started the other thread. Never ended up trying... instead, I'm gonna aim for the P90X now. Let's see how far I can get with that, lol.
Well, I have to agree - but most people do the Atkins Diet injustice by how they implement it. You should eat veggies and nuts, not processed food like Atkins bars and fake sugars. They never get rid of their sweet tooth, and it wreaks its revenge in the end. I switched to the Paleo way of eating. It's low-carb, but it's more about eating natural food. I can eat as much meat, good fat, nuts, and veggies as I want. I just stay away from grains and processed food and sugars. It comes down to this - the standard american diet sucks. It is way too high in carbs, sugar, and man-made food. The food pyramid is propaganda from our government driven by our food industry. Any reasonable deviation from this will help you - even vegetarianism (if you supplement sufficiently).
you mean Dr Atkins? his death is the source of urban legends, he died after he slipped and fell on the icy street. there were rumors that a heart attack led to his fall, but unproven and untrue. later, his medical records were leaked and it turned out he did have some form of heart disease, but it was unrealted to his death or his diet for that matter...
I agree with you, but life is not always so simple. I have to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time before getting healthy. I'm not looking at dieting as my way of getting healthy. I'm looking at it as taking a step back (dieting) in order to take 3 steps forward (exercise regularly, eat better, feel better). I don't agree that anyone can follow your diet though. There are people who have naturally slow metabolisms and all their effort to maximize the number of meals they eat (even with portion control) won't give them a high calorie-burning metabolism. All the whole grains won't help them. I'm living proof of that in fact. I can easily gain 2lbs a day, sometimes more. That means I can gain 14lbs a week. This is if I get lazy ofcourse, but I will not just gain a bit of fat around my stomach - I will be a completely different person within 10 days. I know a "diet" is not the healthiest thing. But in my case it's a bit of a necessity because it's hindering my ability to exercise due to the pressure it causes on my knee. Needless to say, I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to.
You made a totally valid point there, and I understand your plight. I guess if your genetics make you predisposed to having a slow metabolism, a diet is a more acceptable way to dealing with body fat and weight, but I still urge you to reconsider. By the way, how old are you (you don't have to reply if you don't want to)? Age is a huge factor in determining metabolism and other fitness factors.
Wasn't he also very obese at death? I wonder if it was unrelated to his diet. I remember how embarrassed his wife was when word leaked out.
I tried it, it works, however I wouldnt recommend it. Imo Crash diets and even fasts are a bad idea. When your body is hungry it is telling you it needs to eat, and it prefers something healthy, although you may not. there is a reason that fasts done like this overseas are usually done in high supervision. Living a healthy lifestyle is better than any crash diet. If I were you I would mix in a 'living foods' day with only fruit and salad every once in a while, rather than drink only lemonade for days on end.
