The Lemonade Diet Plan or How to Lose 20 Pounds in 10 Days

When she needed to lose 20 pounds for a new role, Beyonce turned to a liquid diet also known as The Lemonade diet.

The lemonade weight-loss plan is basically a detoxification process developed by the late Stanley Burroughs. Also referred to as “The Master Cleanser”, it was developed in the 1940s but is widely used to this very day. The currently used version was written in 1976 and describes the diet plan in a booklet of 50 pages.

This diet plan is more of a cleansing regimen. The weight loss attained through this program cannot be treated as fat loss. This diet plan produces weight loss by reducing the fluid content and water retained in your body. In fact, after you stop this diet plan, at least half the weight lost would be regained. Although many people use this diet plan as a fast track weight loss program, it was not developed with this intention.

Following detoxification diets requires a lot of commitment. It is not an easy diet plan to follow, especially for food-lovers. The success rate for people will depend on each person, based on the amount of toxins their body flushes out. Staying on The Lemonade Diet is difficult in the initial few days. Some people succeed in following the diet only for the first 4-5 days, but some others manage to hold on for 2 weeks.

The diet plan, in addition to weight loss, is believed to have several health benefits such as, relief from arthritic symptoms, reduction of infection, pain, gout, etc.

A traditional herbal detoxification process is believed to perform the following functions:

- Dissolve toxins formed in various parts of your body and eliminate them
- Clean your digestive system and kidneys
- Purify body cells and glands
- Eliminate hardened matter from joints and muscular areas, and waste matter from your body
- Provide relief from pressure and pain in arteries, nerves, blood vessels, etc

A sample diet as per this diet plan includes:

- Spring water – 60 oz per day, distributed as 6-10 oz per glass
- Organic Maple Syrup (Grade B) – 12 tablespoons or 2 tablespoon per glass
- Organic Lemon Extract (freshly squeezed) – 12 tablespoons or 2 tablespoon per glass
- Cayenne pepper – 1/10 tsp for each glass or according to taste
- Laxative tea – twice in a day (“Smooth Move”)
- Wash of saline or sea salt

The laxative is intended to prevent constipation as the diet plan lacks fiber.

Finishing the Diet

You must return to a normal diet regimen in as gentle a manner as possible. You must start with a liquid diet such as vegetable soups. Wait for a day after the fast to start solid fruits and vegetables.

It is extremely important to follow up this diet with a helthy lifestyle if you want to have long-lasting results.

One of the most reputable diet programs that is easy to follow and has all the elements needed to be safe and effective is the Glycemic Impact Diet offered by eDiets.