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She went from this

to this

And that was when she according to herself was an “expert” dieter:

I’ve studied weight loss plans for a lifetime, noting what worked. What didn’t. And, most importantly, why. Not only from personal experience, but from the feedback of hundreds of unhappy, overweight folks. By combining basic thermogenic body principles the turbo fast Kimkins Diet was created!

We now know that not a word of it was true. The “feedback” was from faked success stories, illustrated with stolen pictures from a Russian bride website. Her “personal experience” included WLS, but not even that produced any lasting weight loss.

While Kimmer might not be typical, I still think very few people manage to maintain a weight loss following a starvation diet like Kimkins. Assuming that they manage to stick to it without any major health problems, the long term deprivation of nutrition often backfire in the form of binges and major weight regain.

Beware of quick fixes! A huge misconception is that something you do short term will have a long term effect. Only a life style change will work for lasting weight loss.

For the pinky swear challenge that started yesterday, February 1, Kimmer had promised to share some weight loss “secrets”. She announced the first “secret” yesterday; eat like a post-op WLS patient!

This is what she said:
“I’ll share a secret with you: the diet that gastric bypass and lapband patients follow after surgery is very Kimkins like. lsn’t it better to do the diet and skip the surgery?
We’ve got quite a few tummy surgery members. It’s not a fix-all and some people regain the weight because they find foods that are easy to eat after surgery (milkshakes, candy, mashed potatoes/gravy, Twinkies … )
[That would be Kimmer, talking from her own experience. We believe that she did have WLS surgery years ago, lost some weight but then regained it all.]

It’s always an option if you decide to go that way and there’s nothing wrong with having it done if you and your doctor agree it’s the way to go. How about surprising yourself and stick to Kimkins for a month and see for yourself? The Kimkins Shake Option is nearly identical to the post surgery liquid diet. And be sure to take a good quality multivitamin. I go with generic Centrum from Wal Mart (some ladies use prenatal).”

Kimmer is suggesting that Kimkins members do shakes only for a month! And where is the recommendation to see your doctor? VLCD’s (very low calorie diets) should never be attempted without medical supervision.

The most frequently recommended shake on Kimkins is EAS Advantedge, Carb Control. Each shake provides 100 cals, 4 carbs. The maximum allowable number of shakes for Kimkins Shake Option is 4, i.e. a total of 400 cals per day!

Note also that all the “over-the-counter” shakes on the market clearly state that they are not intended as meal replacements, just for protein supplementation.

For an informational post about a REAL WLS diet, please see BamaGal’s post at Diary of a Mad Housewife.

On a similar note, I received a report about the Admin sock puppet Gary. He listed his menu and made the comment that if he found that the calories were less than 800 when plugging them into Fitday, he would add a handful of nuts as a snack. This is a 200+ lbs, 6′3″ man that is on maintenance since several months back! 800 cals? Is that what a Kimkins dieter has to look forward to in maintenance? Obviously.

“There is no calorie limit on any Kimkins option whether you choose original Kimkins, K/E (Kimmer Experiment), Boot Camp, Cycling or quick Protein Shakes. Some members prefer specific portions and find Kimkins Boot Camp fits their needs perfectly.”

To me, “calorie limit” goes both ways. Maximum calories. Minimum calories.

And it is obvious that there is no minimum calorie limit on Kimkins. “Lower is better” has always been Kimmer’s mantra.

Some quotes from Kimmer herself, copied from Becky’s blog:

“I don’t believe in starvation mode. I cannot and will not say anything about minimum calories. A grilled chicken breast and a 1 cup USDA serving of mixed greens is 200 calories. It just is. Adding fats or starches isn’t “healthier” to up the calories.”

“I’m begging you, please don’t eat if you’re not hungry! We’ve all got to work on the ‘I should’ tapes in our head.”

“Don’t panic about low calories. . . . Bottom line, as long as you have sufficient body fat you don’t need to eat calories — you’re carrying them with you.”

“I disagree about not taking in enough calories. Water fasters take in 0 calories and their hearts are fine. So long as you have sufficient body fat, there’s no problem. You’re thin, but not overly so. By all means I’d snack on lean protein and be sure you’re getting in the RDA of 60 grams, but it takes very little chicken/beef/eggs to do that.”

“Someone can “eat clean” and still be too high in calories, even if they’re low by other diet standards. Certainly no one would think 900 calories a day is “high”, but it’s 3 times as much as someone doing the Egg White Challenge at 300 calories a day. Weight loss will be different.”

“Want more proof low calories are OK? What about people who have gastric bypass surgery and the very goal of surgery is for them to limit their daily calories to 500! They lose just fine. Any complications are a result of the surgery or pre-existing health conditions brought on by obesity.”

Anybody thinks that the Plan Behind The Plan will not continue at Kimkins?

HELP us remove this pro-ana diet site from the internet!

It’s also obvious that Kimmer, aka Heidi Diaz, never followed her own advice.

• I’m angry at Kimmer and her sock puppets blaming the victims in order to divert the blame from the one that deserves it, Heidi Diaz.

• I’m angry at Kimmer and her sock puppets lies, saying that they never suggested calories below 500 and never recommended daily laxative use.

• I’m angry at the sock puppet progress stories and journals written by Kimmer that showed “people” that lost 1 – 2 pounds per day without effort that convinced others that they were just weak if they didn’t have the same success.

• I’m angry at Kimmer creating a “cult” environment with people encouraging each other to eat less and applauding Fitdays showing 300-400 cals per day.

• I’m angry at Kimmer and her sock puppets now claiming that people abused the diet and knowingly ignored the health risks when they were just doing as instructed by Kimmer.

• I’m angry at Kimmer and her minions banning paid members on a whim. Sometimes for asking legitimate questions Kimmer did not want to answer. Sometimes for no reason at all.

Kimmer and her sock puppets say that the former Kimkins dieters “should have known better” than to drop calories below 500. No. Kimmer should have known better than to promote a diet that provides less than 500 calories and to suggest laxative abuse. Kimmer claims to be an expert in dieting and the members paid to get access to her expert advice. Shouldn’t she know that a VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) would result in health problems? She, that researched for 10 years? Kimmer is to blame, not the people that took her advice.

Kimmer and her sock puppets say that it’s our individual responsibility to do our research before we start a diet. Surely, Kimmer never wanted us to do any research, as then there wouldn’t be a Kimkins.com today. The original plan is available for FREE on FREE sites with better support. And on the FREE sites, you would not be subjected to the “Plan Behind The Plan” which was to lower calories below starvation levels.

Kimmer and her sock puppets say that we should have shown the diet plan to our doctor for his/her approval. Showing the original Kimkins Diet that allows “unlimited lean protein and enough fat to make it work” to a doctor would probably not result in any objection. However, showing the typical Fitday of a Kimkins dieter that followed the Plan Behind The Plan would surely lead to alarm. I can’t see any doctor wanting to keep his/her license approve of 500 cals or less per day.

And what Kimmer and her sock puppets do not address at all is the fraud and the scam. Are the victims to blame for that also? That a normal person could not even envision the type of lying that Kimmer has done? That someone would actually steal photos from Russian Bride sites and post them as success stories? Is that the victims fault? No. Kimmer is to blame. Kimmer committed fraud. Kimmer lied. Kimmer scammed members out of money.

Read the stories on Kimkins Survivors. Are these people to blame? Did any of them do anything wrong? Was it wrong to want to lose weight and believe what Kimmer told them? To not recognize Kimmer as a scam artist? I think not. Kimmer is to blame.

“It’s best not exceed the 1000 cals, 20 carbs, 20-30 fat grams, and keep the Protein at 60-90 grams per day. These are the limits for newbies, but you will find that as you stick with the plan you will see lower numbers in all the above categories. If you have any other questions or need help PM me anytime, I love to help.”

I had to LOL at the “I love to help.” Who would want help from an obese Kimmer that never lost weight and now is struggling to lose even a pound per week on her own diet? What about the “MORE” weight loss that the Kimkins front page announces? But, I digress.

While the limits now stated by Kimmer is much higher than earlier promoted, they still do not add up to 1000 cals, and it is clear that Kimmer intends people to eat less as she says: “as you stick with the plan you will see lower numbers in all the above categories.”

But lets look at the “start” numbers: 20 carbs, 30 grams fat, 90 grams protein. This adds up to:

20 x 4 + 30 x 9 + 90 x 4 = 710 calories as the upper limit. Huh? What about the 1000 cals? Surely Kimmer has done enough Fitday entries to be able to do the math.

The lower limit: 20 carbs, 20 grams fat, 60 gram protein adds up to 500 cals, and this is only for newbies and you would be expected to go lower?

Even with the “new guidelines, Kimkins remain a VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) and while such a diet is approved for some patients under doctor supervision, it’s nothing you should try at home on your own.

The Magic Chicken Diet, that we bloggers are not supposed to criticize as the founder “may” be a “real” success story, does not look any better. I used a sample menu and came up with a total of 468 calories; 16 grams fat, 26 grams carbs, 54 grams protein. Another VLCD.

A Pinch of… explains the dangers with VLCD:

Research on Very Low Calorie Diet (VLDC) Risks

I wanted to share this Kimkins follow-up with what looks like Kimmer herself. Back in October, Diets In Review shared with you the disappointing news that many Kimkins customers feel that the Kimkins program is fraudulent. Their PR manager, Jeannie Baitinger, responded to Diets In Review and we shared that post with you here.

It appears that in early December, Jeannie left Kimkins. This morning we received a response from Kimmer explaining the departure.

Please be advised that Jeannie continues to follow and support the Kimkins Plan today.

She simply left Kimkins in order to help spread the word via her own Kimkins-based website. She has my blessing and full support for her Kimkins CTF Diet.

Jeannie is still a very strong Kimkins supporter, and she remains my right hand here at Kimkins. Kimkins would not be the success it is today without all the hard work and support that Jeannie has given me and continues to give me on a daily basis.

If your life has been benefitted by the Kimkins Diet, you owe a great debt to Jeannie and all her hard work.

I couldn’t have achieved all that I have achieved without the monumental contributions made by Jeannie.

She is a fine testament of the proof that the Kimkins Diet is working miracles for thousand of obese men and woman every day. – Kimmer Jan 1st, 2008 at 6:21 pm

But the former admins Christin and Deni lost the weight, didn’t they? Yes, that is true, but at what cost? I can not speak for them but I suggest that you visit their blogs and read for yourself. Was it worth it?

Jeannie lost the weight, didn’t she? Yes, but from most accounts (the original ones from Jeannie herself) she lost the weight on Atkins and never did Kimkins as written. Besides, Jeannie is no longer with Kimkins. She was banned shortly after the show. While the circumstances are not completely clear, they might have to do with the fact that Heidi Diaz’ assets were frozen due to a class action law suit against Kimkins, and Jeannie would not longer be paid.

So how come Kimmer aka Heidi Diaz was not on the show? Actually, that very day she had to make a deposition in California for a class action lawsuit against her and Kimkins. Not that she likely would have volunteered to show herself on national television. She claims to be shy, but perhaps it has more to do with the fact that she is not the 118 lbs she has claimed during the last 5 years.

Another fact the show failed to address is banning of Lifetime members without reasonable cause. Hundreds, if not thousands, have been banned from Kimkins. Some of them had questions or opinions that were deemed “unacceptable” by the admin. Others, like me, did not post anything at all on Kimkins but were subjected to disapproval by an admin that knew us from other boards.

If you are not put off by the dangers of a starvation diet, and what it can do to your long term health, you might want to consider the risk of just wasting your money. The $59.95 “Lifetime membership” fee might end up just buying you aggravation. It can be terminated at a whim by a site admin, and you have nowhere to complain. It is sold as “electronic media” and is “non-refundable.” It’s an internet business and emails to the site owner get no answer. Your only recourse is to join the class action lawsuit.

But think about it; why would there even be a class action lawsuit unless a large number of people were defrauded? I was banned, and many others were too. Don’t make the same mistake. It’s just money wasted.

Find one of the FREE sites with excellent diet support. My two favorite places are ALC and LCF, but there are many others available.

Mike&Juliet Part 1
Mike&Juliet Part 2
Mike&Juliet Part 3
Mike&Juliet Part 4

Making a New Year’s resolution to lose weight in 2008? Looking for a new diet that will make it easy to shed the pounds? Considering finding one on the internet?

The Diet Detective has a good article what to look for and what to avoid. It is interesting to see how the fad diet of 2007, Kimkins, failed on practically all the critical points in the article:

What are the right questions to ask about any online weight-loss program?

• Are there message boards? Are they monitored by a professional, a member of the group, or are they completely unmonitored?

The only “benefit” with Kimkins, is the message board. The diet is outlined for FREE on FREE boards, so no need to sign up to find out that you can lose weight eating less than 500 calories per day.
The Kimkins message board is monitored by the “diet guru” Kimmer, who did not lose the 198 pounds she claimed and did not keep them off.
Kimmer rules the board with a firm hand, and any question that could be seen as critical results in immediate banning without a refund.

• Do you sell supplements?

Not really, unless you want to include the Smooth Move Tea, Epsom salt or egg white products that are promoted on the site.

• Is the pricing policy clearly stated on the Web site?

$59.95 for Lifetime membership but it’s not clear what “Lifetime” means. Looking at the reports on Kimkins Survivors, there is a risk that it could be YOUR Lifetime.

• Are there any additional charges aside from the base fee?

Not unless you count ER costs that you might incur from following Kimmer’s diet advice. Again, see the stories on Kimkins Survivors.

• Who developed the program? Was it designed by qualified health professionals who have previous experience in weight-loss counseling? Did at least one registered dietitian (R.D.) assist with the development?

No and no. The program was developed by a still obese woman that lied about her weight loss.

• Is your site medically supervised? Psychologically supervised? Registered dietitian supervised?

No and no and no. The only “expertize” on the site is by a self-proclaimed guru that didn’t lose weight herself.

• What is your cancellation policy?

What cancellation policy? “Electronic media is non-refundable.” If you have been banned, please join the lawsuit.

• What kinds of physical activity or exercise programs do you offer? Who developed them? Were the programs developed by certified exercise professionals? (American College of Sports Medicine or the National Strength and Conditioning Association)

No exercise required! And the certified professional that at one time offered advice on the site has been banned.

• Are there articles on the site? Who wrote them? Are they experts?

All blog posts are written by the self-proclaimed diet guru, Kimmer, or one of her aliases. Of course, most of them consist of material copied from articles available on the internet.

• Is the diet very restrictive? Will it work for you? Is it healthy?

Very restrictive is an understatement. VLCD (very low calorie diet) is an accurate label. Please read the stories on Kimkins Survivors for feedback from people that tried this diet.