Living in a culture obsessed with thin, it can only be expected that hundreds - nay, thousands of weight loss products will be showcased by the media in a single calendar year. South Beach, Hydroxycut, Atkins, TRIMSPA, The Zone - we've heard them all, and while some of these programs stick around with some semblance of longevity, most are just a flash in the pan.

I think most of us know now that weight loss doesn't come in pill form. Exercise gurus and nutritionists have drilled the mantra "eat right, exercise at least 3 times per week, and you'll be fine" into our heads enough to know that we are going to have to work a little for the weight to drop off and stay off.

However, an old diet tactic is making new rounds. It cleverly combines work ethic with immediate gratification, appealing to just about any American consumer interested in dropping a couple of pounds. The diet is called the "Master Cleanse", and involves surviving for 10 days on a mixture of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup, and water. And that's all.

Sound tough? It is. But it works, and the diet has many devotees, including celebrities such as Beyoncé Knowles and Denzel Washington. Joy Bauer, a New York City based nutritionist, estimates that if performed correctly, the cleanse will provide about 650 calories per day, 950 calories less than the minimum recommended for a woman trying to maintain her weight. "Of course you're going to lose weight," Bauer said. "You're starving yourself." Cleanse supporters quell their critics by citing the program's many benefits, including supposed help for ulcers and other internal ailments and the purging of impurities and toxins like pesticides and food additives.

So what do you think? Is the "Cleanse" just organized starvation, or is it the anecdote to our immediate gratification-style weight loss obsession?