The Szish Dish: Red Carpet Boot Camp Diary

Feb. 16, 2007— -- Before I tell you about the next two rounds of Red Carpet Boot Camp, I want to make good on my promise to give you the scoop on the master cleanse fast.

I learned about the cleanse from an article in the Sunday Dec. 10, 2006, New York Times. Lola Ogunnaike, a frequent guest on ABC News Now, detailed this detox diet that was created in the late 1940s by nutritionist Stanley Burroughs.

(For the complete back story, track down Ogunnaike's article in the archives or snag a copy of Burroughs' book, published in the late 1970s, "The Master Cleanser." I recommend learning more about the cleanse before embarking on it, because it's the safe and responsible thing to do.)

But, of course, if you need instant gratification and are desperate for the answer to "Does it work?" just keep reading.

I road-tested the master cleanse pre-Golden Globes for about six days (Burroughs recommends keeping it up for 10 to 12), and the results were incredible. All those meddlesome bulges and hard-to-lose pounds seemed to melt away. I actually felt waiflike.

To prepare for the Oscars, I resolved to do the cleanse for the recommended duration. To be honest, it's not that bad. You're on a liquid diet for nearly two weeks, but it makes you look good and feel good. So if you like being svelte and having boundless energy, this fast is worth it. I highly recommend it, based on my personal results.

Here's the recipe:

Blend and drink 6 to 12 servings per day for 10 to 12 days. Burroughs suggests starting the day with sea salt dissolved in water and ending it with an herbal detoxifying tea.

If my personal experience doesn't inspire you, then perhaps Beyoncé's will. As noted in Ogunnaike's article, on "Oprah," Beyoncé admitted she shed a whopping 20 pounds on the fast for her role in "Dreamgirls."

So, drink up! This is boot camp, after all.

Armed with two water bottles filled with my "magic juice," I set out to visit Dr. Doris Day, one of the most respected and celebrity cosmetic dermatologists in the United States. She shares some of her wisdom in the March issue of Allure magazine, on newsstands now.