If it were possible to use a program to lose weight overnight, most people would not think twice about taking on such a program. Many people struggle with their body weight, and this has pushed them into jumping on any program they hear that promises results. Unfortunately, most of those programs, specifically those pertaining to diets, are fad diets. They promise quick weight loss within a short period of time, albeit at the expense of your health. This means you may experience various health problems and, in most cases, even regain weight as quickly as you lost it. That said, is the new diet craze of the lemon maple syrup diet the savior every dieter has been waiting for? Let us find out!
This article will discuss the lemon maple syrup diet and its association with weight loss. We will evaluate how it promotes weight loss and its potential benefits and risks. Ultimately, we will use findings from the discussion to answer the question of if this diet plan is healthy and effective for weight loss. Let us get started.
What Is The Lemon Maple Syrup Diet?
Judging from the name, you may have an idea that this diet will significantly make use of lemons and maple syrup. Well, that is the truth, but the recipe may change depending on what is being used. According to Medical News Today, a lemon maple syrup diet is more of a liquid diet. It limits an individual to consuming a lemon juice-based mixture for the one or two weeks they are following this diet plan (5).
According to WebMD, the lemon drink diet may also consist of three components; a lemonade-like drink, salt-water beverage, and herbal laxative tea (3). The amount of each all comes down to the recipe you use or your preference.
Like with the full liquid diet, this eating plan does not advocate for consuming solid food (5). The lemon maple syrup diet is classified as a detox diet.
It aims at helping your body flush out toxins, cleanse the body, and perhaps trigger weight loss. Followers of this diet also believe that it can improve the skin and digestion and promote energy (5).
When following this master Cleanse diet, you are only allowed to drink the lemon drink, as mentioned earlier. However, this is not to mean that alcohol is accepted. This diet plan does not recommend alcohol consumption (3).
After you are done following this diet, you must gradually ease your way back to solid foods. Make sure you do this in moderation and start with things like fruits and vegetables. After a few days, you can begin consuming very little meat and no dairy products (3).
According to WebMD, the diet claims that it can help you shed pounds in just ten days. In addition, it continues to state that you will be feeling energetic, healthy, happy, and detoxified (3). But is this the case? Let us find out.
Read More: The Lemon Diet: Can You Lose Weight On This Citrus Juice Plan?
What Is A Detox Diet?
The lemon maple syrup diet is considered a detox diet. But what is a detox diet? Detox is the short name for detoxification. Detoxification diets are merely diets that are believed to help the body flush out toxic chemicals. The belief is that flushing out these chemicals will help or promote weight loss.
You will find so many types of drinks to help with detoxification. They range from smoothies to juices. Our advice is for you to seek professional help before incorporating any food product into your dietary plan for a health benefit.
Do Detox Diets Work?
Detox diets have been touted as ways of removing harmful toxins in our bodies and promoting weight loss. As a result, there has been an increase in the demand for these diets. However, despite their growing popularity, nutrition experts have been questioning their effectiveness. According to Medicine Net, there is no scientific evidence to back up the claims that detox diets remove toxins and contribute to weight loss (4). Furthermore, these experts argue that our bodies do not indicate or signal the need for these diets or detoxification.
The rationale behind this is that we have internal organs for these roles. But, again, we also have our immune system that helps in the process of toxin excretion (4). So, according to those experts, detox diets are not essential, meaning we should not give in to the hype of having them.
Why Is The Lemon And Maple Syrup Diet Popular?
It so happens that most people tend to praise a diet plan because their favorite personality or fitness guru follows it. This is the case with the lemon maple syrup diet. Most people follow it because iconic singer Beyoncé Knowles once followed it (4).
Her goal was to shed pounds for her character in Dreamgirls. After seeing this, most people will not stop to look at their body types or even assess their health status. Instead, they will blindly follow such a diet because it was mentioned, praised, or used by so and so.
Remember that different diets and medications react differently in some people. While in others, it may result in severe health problems. So always consult a healthcare provider before following any diet plan or using any medication.
What Is The Effect Of Using The Lemon Maple Syrup Diet For Weight Loss?
Before we look at its impact, let us go back to when Beyoncé Knowles followed this diet plan. She made the maple syrup, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper Master Cleanse formula. Yes, she acknowledged that the diet helped her drop some pounds. Despite this, she was very hesitant in recommending other people to follow the diet if they wanted to lose weight (4).
Instead of praising it, she warned people against following this diet plan. In addition, she acknowledges that the diet was very restrictive and that she regained the weight in no time. So how does this eating plan initiate weight loss? Take a look.
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Lemon Juice Maple Syrup Diet Leads To Weight Loss – Here’s How
Experts have not obtained any scientific evidence detailing how this diet initiates weight loss. However, judging by the concept of this diet plan, they have come up with some reasons why you might notice some weight changes. These include:
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The Oncentration Of The Diet Is On Very Low-Calorie Foods
Medical News Today acknowledges that low-calorie foods can help reduce your daily calorie intake, which can help you maintain an ideal weight or shed pounds (1). The thing with this diet is that it is very restrictive and is an example of a very low-calorie diet.
Over the next one or two weeks, you could be consuming very few calories, perhaps 25% of your recommended daily calorie intake. For example, it means that if your daily calorie needs are 2500 calories, you may now be consuming 625 calories daily (25% of 2500 calories).
Note that the difference between the two is very high, which is why you lose weight tremendously with this diet. WebMD states that such very-low-calorie diets (VCLDs) may make you lose 15% to 25% of your body weight (2).
But be warned. According to WebMD, such rapid weight loss is unhealthy, and it may lead to health problems. For example, such rapid weight loss may lead to muscle loss, hair loss, constipation, fatigue, irritability, dizziness, and menstrual irregularities (2). Furthermore, much of the weight loss may be water and muscle mass, and not necessarily fat.
If you prolong the diet plan, you may have serious health problems like gallstones, dehydration, malnutrition, and electrolyte imbalances (2). In light of this, it is safe to classify this diet among the unhealthy methods to use for weight loss.
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Concentration Is On Short-Term Weight Loss
The other reason why the maple syrup and lemon juice diet is not effective is that it focuses on short-term weight loss. If you have noticed anything from this diet is that it does not guarantee long-term results. Even Beyonce acknowledged that she regained all the weight after a specific duration.
This is very common with diet plans that advocate for rapid instead of a steady and long-term weight loss. In addition, WebMD adds that you start regaining the weight immediately after finishing or stopping the program (2). Instead of going through such restrictive measures and then gaining all the weight back, experts urge you to choose more sustainable and healthy approaches to weight loss.
Read More: Craving Lemons: Is Your Body Trying To Tell You Something?
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It Prompts Lose Of Water Weight
If you step on the scale after following this diet for a week or two, you will notice that you have dropped some pounds. Unfortunately, quite a few dieters believe this is fat that they have lost. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is not fat but instead water weight.
According to Medicine Net, the initial weight you lose through such restrictive dietary programs is fluid or water weight (4). Therefore, it may make the scale budge, but the scale will budge after you are done with the program, but it will not be in your favor this time around.
Unfortunately, experts remind you that you cannot lose the pounds you desire, for example, 10 pounds using this fast rate approach. They argue that since you are consuming very few calories, your metabolism has also significantly declined. As a result, your body cannot torch as many calories but instead finds it easier to gain weight (4).
From the discussion above, we can tell that this diet leads to rapid weight loss. However, you are not losing fat but instead water weight, which you will regain after you stop following the diet plan.
Again, once you stop consuming these restrictive calories and go back to eating normally, you will add some pounds instead of losing. It means that the lemon maple syrup water diet is not a practical approach to weight loss.
The lack of understanding of how this diet operates pushes so many people to follow it blindly. Do not be among such people but instead consult not just for this but other diet plans you may think may contribute to long-term and effective weight loss results.
Why Is The Lemon Maple Syrup Diet Ineffective?
We have looked at some of the ways experts believe this diet can promote weight loss. Now, let us discuss some of the reasons why this meal plan is not practical. They include:
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Its Highly Restrictive Nature
As mentioned earlier, this diet limits your calorie consumption to very few calories, making it rank among the very-low-calorie diets. But, unfortunately, most of these diets tend not to contain all nutrients or food groups (5). In a nutshell, they are not balanced diets.
As a result, you will not gain enough nutrients and energy your body needs to perform various body functions. So on top of losing water weight, you might start reporting multiple health problems such as nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, any diet plan that puts you at whatsoever health risk is deemed ineffective and unhealthy.
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Its Concentration Is Not On High-Fiber Foods
Fiber is essential in the diet of any individual who is looking to shed pounds. It keeps a person feeling fuller for longer and may help limit overeating behaviors that may jeopardize maintaining a calorie deficit (6).
Similarly, eating high-fiber foods increases satiety and helps individuals stick to their calorie deficit (6). However, since this diet does not incorporate foods rich in dietary fiber, it is quite possible to overeat and even surpass the daily recommended calorie intake.
Are There Any Benefits Of Following The Maple Syrup Lemon Detox Diet?
Other diet plans promise more than just weight loss. For example, when taking a vegetarian diet, you may reduce your cholesterol levels, which reduces your risk of cardiovascular diseases. So, it is fair to ask if the lemon maple syrup diet also has additional health benefits.
According to experts, there are no benefits whatsoever that have been linked to following the Master Cleanse Diet. It means you cannot use this diet to manage diabetes, for example, or reduce your risk of several health conditions.
Although dieters claim it can help improve the skin, there is no evidence to support this claim. So again, theoretically, this diet cannot promote weight loss, meaning it has zero health benefits. That said, if you feel weight loss using this diet is a plus, make sure you talk to your doctor about it.
The Bottom Line
The lemon maple syrup diet, also known as the Master Cleanse diet, is not a recommendable diet for healthy weight loss. Several reasons lead up to this inference. First and foremost, the diet is very calorie-restrictive. It restricts your daily calorie intake somewhere between 15% and 25% of your daily calorie needs. Such restrictions may lead to nutritional deficiencies or malnutrition if you do not get all or enough nutrients.
Secondly, this diet promotes rapid weight loss, which is linked to health problems such as gallstones, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalances. The other reason why this diet is not adequate for weight loss is that it leads to loss of water weight instead of fat. Again, this diet is not practical because down the line, you end up gaining back all the weight after you stop following the program.
Based on all these, food experts recommend choosing a more suitable and long-term weight loss diet plan. The best way to determine such a program is by consulting with your healthcare provider and nutritionist. It is better to lose weight steadily and healthily with a nutritious and balanced diet instead of rapidly with a harmful diet plan. So, we would suggest crossing this diet plan off your list of weight loss diet plans to consider.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on for decision-making. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
SOURCES:
- 50 low calorie foods to incorporate into your diet (2021, medicanewstoday.com)
- Rapid Weight Loss (2019, webmd.com)
- The Lemonade Diet/Master Cleanse (2020, webmd.com)
- The Truth About Detox Diets (2012, medicinenet.com)
- What to know about the lemon detox diet (2019, medicalnewstoday.com)
- Why do we need dietary fiber? (2020, medicalnewstoday.com)
