This month, the papers have been full of reports about a new diet made famous by pop star Beyonce Knowles.
The ex-Destiny’s Child singer spilled the beans on how she slimmed down and lost 1½ stone in just two weeks for her new movie, Dreamgirls, due for release next January. Beyonce’s diet apparently consisted of eating nothing for a fortnight, instead surviving on detox drinks consisting of a syrup mixed with lemon juice, water and cayenne pepper!
The syrup – Madal Bal Natural Tree Syrup – is made from the sap of maple and palm trees. Also known as The Lemon Detox, the diet was introduced more than 30 years ago by naturopath Stanley Burroughs. Many of the claimed benefits include weight loss, cleansing the body of toxins, greater resistance to illness, improved concentration, increased energy, clearer skin and eyes, shinier hair and stronger nails.
The detox drink itself is made by mixing 2 tablespoons of the Natural Tree Syrup (which they say is 20ml) with 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, a pinch of cayenne pepper or ginger and half a pint of hot or cold water. It’s recommended you drink as much as you like, but ideally six to nine glasses daily.
There are also four detox plans to choose from:
The Full Detox – this involves surviving solely on the detox drink for 10 days, although it’s recommended that beginners follow it for just 5–7 days. It can also be extended for up to 14 days, but should only be done so with the consent of a health professional.
Relaxed Version – this involves substituting breakfast, dinner or both these meals with 2–3 glasses of the detox drink. But you should still avoid sweets, processed foods, red meat, fried food, white bread, dairy products, coffee and booze for the remaining meals.
The Once a Week version – as the name suggests, you skip food and have the detox drinks on one day each week.
The Master Plan – a hardcore plan that involves a twice-yearly multi-day detox combined with detoxing once a week!
It will work, i.e you will lose weight rapidly, but you’ll just put it all back on at twice the speed, and you’ll probably put on more than you lost. Crash dieting in such exteme ways is also obviously not good for your body in the long run, with serious health implications a possibility.
You can have your cake, and eat it, so long as you work out! Why deprive yourself?
Whatever happened to good old balanced diet and exercise…
Or try the Straving AFricans Diet. You Eat nothing for breakfast. Fo lunch you run 4 miles to your locl well (and back, no getting a taxi or cheating guys)
and for dinner you chomp on the remains of your last baichari dead-of-dehydration cow.
Remember kids, this diet is high in protein and low on sugary carbs.
repeat daily
Or try the Straving AFricans Diet. You Eat nothing for breakfast. Fo lunch you run 4 miles to your locl well (and back, no getting a taxi or cheating guys)
and for dinner you chomp on the remains of your last baichari dead-of-dehydration cow.
Remember kids, this diet is high in protein and low on sugary carbs.
repeat daily
Or until you are hospitalised.
Hitchki, have I ever told you how fabulous I think you are?
Because if I haven't, I'm so sorry. This was a horrible oversight on my part.
I have to go recover from my laughing fit now. Excuse me.
It's my 2nd day of diet.....and yes I have already started to think about the starving people of Africa. Isn't that great?
I don't think hitchki's post was funny....she made a very valid point and it made me rather sad.
And I have also realized that the month of ramadan is here to remind us and to prepare us. A good practice for ramadan I guess....but let's see how far can I go.
Or try the Straving AFricans Diet. You Eat nothing for breakfast. Fo lunch you run 4 miles to your locl well (and back, no getting a taxi or cheating guys)
and for dinner you chomp on the remains of your last baichari dead-of-dehydration cow.
Remember kids, this diet is high in protein and low on sugary carbs.
repeat daily
every time i get desperate n go for fad diets, starvation diets i always end up weak n sort of aggitated n give up in 3-4 days n eat like a horse .......... i guess i serously run outta nutrition to get my body going , also i think more abt food .
i d suggest not to go for such extremes n just be persistant.
I'm doing the medium one....I only eat one meal a day. It's not too difficult, you feel like you're falling down in depth and then you drink a glass of maple syrup water and within 5 minutes you become all active for another 2 hours.
