We’re all on the same side, right?

I’d like to speak up and out and address a point that has really been bothering me since I left kimkins. I know I am not the only one as I have talked with other “refugees” who feel this way.

When I left the Kimpound I was 65 or so pounds lighter than when I was when I entered. I know people who have lost more, people who have lost less, some none at all. Some were strict, some like me did “Atkins days” here and there. And yes I KNOW if you tweaked it, it’s not really kimkins. But no matter how you parse it, it was still a VLCD.

I am fully aware that this was not the correct way to lose the weight nor was it healthy. I knew that in my heart and head when I was doing it. I also know that there may be far reaching ramifications later on. Sometimes desperation will do that to you. Heidi Diaz knows desperation and she preys on it. A slick marketing plan was so easy to swallow.

Nonetheless, I did lose the weight. Now what? 

Some people chant that they never did KK in high and mighty tones and boast they’d NEVER be so foolish. They repeatedly assure us this weight loss is not realistically sustainable, no matter what.

It doesn’t matter if we find a healthy eating and exercise plan, according to them, it will come back. Just wait!

I find it interesting that some readily admit to having eating disorders themselves.

Yet, instead of encouraging and helping ex-kkers to find a healthy WOE and maintenance plan while attempting to sustain the loss, they become finger waggers in their blogs and on the forums. They discourage and dishearten. I can see why some refugees feel the need to run back to their perceptions of a “safe” place.

I know one woman who says every time she hears this she feels like diving head first into the Ben and Jerry’s because someone is telling her it doesn’t matter what she does she won’t ever be able to stay the way she is.  

It’s almost as though it is unconscious encouragement by some to revert to the same behaviors that you had before you lost the weight.

I am sure that they say and write the things they do out of pure altruism.  They are trying to stop the influx of newbies; they are trying to prevent innocents from being lead like lambs to the slaughter.   

But don’t forget that there are many refugees, who while they may have had weight and esteem issues pre kimkins might have many more post kimkins. People come out fragile, whether or not their on-screen personality reflects it. And we struggle every day.

Please, for the sake of those who have actually been there, have a little mercy.

We’re all on the same side right?

 

 

 

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

A Good Man?

Some guys are like roses.

You’ve got to watch out for the pricks. (unknown)

  

Today it was revealed though some intrepid detective work that “Crispybread” of  Kimkins, various blogs and LCF troll fame is actually Gary Fontaine, an employee of the Kimpire.

 

It was assumed by most that Crispybread was actually Heidi Diaz herself.

 

As it turned out Crispybread is a man.

 

I had a father. I have a brother. I have nephews. I have a husband. I have a son. I have many male friends. I have had the benefit of many good men in my life.

 

So now I have to stop and wonder,  just what kind of man is this? Is this a good man?

 

A good man likes children and respects women, motherhood and family.

 

A good man would treat any woman, no matter how much he disagrees with her with appropriate dignity:  Much like he’d treat his mother, wife, sister or daughter.

 

A good man would never attack a helpless child and the child’s long suffering family. He would show kindness and compassion to those who are hurting.

 

A good man would reach out to others and try to help them as he saw fit, no matter what the ramifications. He would step in and lend comfort, a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on instead of only thinking about his self and his own seemingly cruel pleasures at someone else’s pain.

 

A good man, even though he might not be the most verbose or literate person, would never stoop to taking other’s words and calling them his own.

 

A good man would never leave anonymous comments with purely ugly insults and lies. He would be proud of his own thoughts and willing to share them with others.

 

A good man is proud of his own name and his identity. He would stand up and admit who he is and what he stands for in his life.

 

A good man would never hide behind the skirts of a woman. Especially a woman like Heidi Diaz. 

 

FASCINATION FADING WITH THE DRAMA QUEENS

The Ultimate Drama Queen

Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (1950)

I’d better get this post up before the reappearance of the two Drama Queens on the Fascination thread at Low Carb Friends.

First of all, we have AmyB, who seems hell bent on posting every personal thought she’s ever had and the minutiae of her life second by second, revealing everything except her Aunt Gertrude’s dog’s name on the thread. AmyB, listen, honey. Send PMs. And you’ve got a blog. Post there. Please.

And next we have TwiddleDee who comes crashing and burning from Kimkins into the Fascination thread, alienating most within the first 30 seconds with her not-so-passive-aggressive posts. Within 48 hours, she has an epiphany and suddenly renounces Heidi Diaz/Kimmer. Then, after being asked a few very valid questions, which she refused to deem worthy of a response, she stomps off the thread in a huff, leaving a terse message that she’d be better off dead. Nice work, Dee/DEEDLYNN/whatever.

You know, many Kimkins members have joined LCF and posted in the Fascination thread but none that I can remember have alienated as many people as quickly as Dee.

Dee’s behaviour has done nothing to endear her to even her former supporters on FWK and has left many questioning not only her motives but her denunciation of Kimmer. Is it all an act? Is she a Kimmer plant? Who knows. And who really cares at this point. Most of us are Dee’d out.

Carly and Malucas, both having been banned from Kimkins, have posted on LCF and have been welcomed. Perhaps they both could give some tips to Dee on how to win friends and influence people…not that I’m in any way encouraging them to do so.

And a personal note to Malucas:

Malucas, I’m truly sorry that my post on shiphips caused your banning at Kimkins. Heidi, if you’re reading this, shiphips was dead wrong. Malucas was not a mole. Not that you really care, Heidi…I just wanted to set the record straight. Malucas, I’m relieved you got out of the Kimpound, and wish you all the best.

And for those who missed it, the talented and brilliant NancyElle posted the following on the FWK thread. For those who fear they may be suffering from the “all about me” complex, please ensure you read this:

“Histrionic Personality Disorder

What is histrionic personality disorder?

Histrionic personality disorder is one of a group of conditions called dramatic personality disorders.

People with these disorders have intense, unstable emotions and distorted self-images.

For people with histrionic personality disorder, their self-esteem depends on the approval of others and does not arise from a true feeling of self-worth.

They have an overwhelming desire to be noticed, and often behave dramatically or inappropriately to get attention. The word histrionic means “dramatic or theatrical.”

This disorder is more common in women than in men and usually is evident by early adulthood.

What are the symptoms of histrionic personality disorder?

In many cases, people with histrionic personality disorder have good social skills; however, they tend to use these skills to manipulate others so that they can be the center of attention.

A person with this disorder might also:

Be uncomfortable unless he or she is the center of attention

Dress provocatively and/or exhibit inappropriately seductive or flirtatious behavior

Shift emotions rapidly

Act very dramatically—as though performing before an audience—with exaggerated emotions and expressions, yet appears to lack sincerity

Be overly concerned with physical appearance

Constantly seek reassurance or approval

Be gullible and easily influenced by others

Be excessively sensitive to criticism or disapproval

Have a low tolerance for frustration and be easily bored by routine, often beginning projects without finishing them or skipping from one event to another

Not thinking before acting

Make rash decisions

Be self-centered and rarely show concern for others

Have difficulty maintaining relationships, often seeming fake or shallow in their dealings with others

Threaten or attempt suicide to get attention

What causes histrionic personality disorder?

The exact cause of histrionic personality disorder is not known, but many mental health professionals believe that both learned and inherited factors play a role in its development.

For example, the tendency for histrionic personality disorder to run in families suggests that a genetic susceptibility for the disorder might be inherited. However, the child of a parent with this disorder might simply be repeating learned behavior.

Other environmental factors that might be involved include a lack of criticism or punishment as a child, positive reinforcement that is given only when a child completes certain approved behaviors, and unpredictable attention given to a child by his or her parent(s), all leading to confusion about what types of behavior earn parental approval.

How is histrionic personality disorder diagnosed?

If symptoms are present, the doctor will begin an evaluation by performing a complete medical history and physical examination. Although there are no laboratory tests to specifically diagnose personality disorders, the doctor might use various diagnostic tests to rule out physical illness as the cause of the symptoms.

If the doctor finds no physical reason for the symptoms, he or she might refer the person to a psychiatrist or psychologist, health care professionals who are specially trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses. Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed interview and assessment tools to evaluate a person for a personality disorder.

How is histrionic personality disorder treated?

In general, people with histrionic personality disorder do not believe they need therapy.

They also tend to exaggerate their feelings and to dislike routine, which makes following a treatment plan difficult.

However, they might seek help if depression—possibly associated with a loss or a failed relationship—or another problem caused by their thinking and behavior causes them distress.

Psychotherapy (a type of counseling) is generally the treatment of choice for histrionic personality disorder. The goal of treatment is to help the individual uncover the motivations and fears associated with his or her thoughts and behavior, and to help the person learn to relate to others in a more positive way.

Medication might be used to treat the distressing symptoms—such as depression and anxiety—that might co-occur with this disorder.

What are the complications of histrionic personality disorder?

Histrionic personality disorder can affect a person’s social or romantic relationships and how a person reacts to losses or failures. People with this disorder are also at higher risk than the general population to suffer from depression.

What is the outlook for people with histrionic personality disorder?

Many people with this disorder are able to function well socially and at work. Those with severe cases, however, might experience significant problems in their daily lives.

Can histrionic personality disorder be prevented?

Although prevention of the disorder might not be possible, treatment can allow a person who is prone to this disorder to learn more productive ways of dealing with situations.

©Copyright 1995-2007 The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. All rights reserved”

And be sure to check out the fabulous Nancy Ellyn’s blog here:

Chilled White Wine

LINKS:
bainosbanter.blogspot.com
http://www.loqueyotediga.net/files/Sunset%20Boulevard_01.jpg
http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/10337811-post2118.html

HEIDI, DEE & PATTI: HOW COULD YOU BE SO HEARTLESS?

Dee/DEEDLYNN/DEEDLYNN22

PATTI

Yesterday (April 14/08), I received information from a member of Kimkins about a 17-year-old girl who, in her first post, admitted she had an eating disorder.

In an effort to reach out to this young girl, I attempted to enlist the assistance of Kimkins members, Dee/DEEDLYNN/DEEDLYNN22, who has recently been posting on Low Carb Friends, and Patti, one of the current KK cover girls, to intervene.

Below is a copy of my e-mail to Patti:

“Medusa to patti
show details May 14 (1 day ago)

Patti, I have grave concerns regarding a member of KK and would like to pass on some info to you in the hopes that you may be willing to intervene.
Thanks.
Medusa

http://www.2medusa.com”

Not having Dee/DEEDLYNN/DEEDLYNN22’s e-mail address, I left a comment on her blog and asked her to contact me. Here is the screen shot of my comment to her:

Dee quickly replied to my post with this:

“DeAnna XXX to me
show details May 14 (1 day ago)

Here is my email address. I’d be happy to help you if I can.

Thanks,
Dee”

I then forwarded the following e-mail to Dee:

“…There is a new member of Kimkins, XXX, who has a serious eating disorder. A
member of Kimkins copied XXX’s post and sent it to me. Her KK username is XXX.
The text of her post is at the bottom of this e-mail.

I’ve been advised that no one at KK has responded to her posts, and I was wondering if you could perhaps contact her and suggest that she contact one of the following eating-disorder helplines:

Bulimia/Anorexia Self Help Hotline: 800-
227-4785
Eating Disorders Hotline: 800- 448-4663
Anorexia Nervosa and
Associate Disorders 847-831-3438
Youth Crisis Line: 800- HIT-HOME
Thursday’s Child National Call Center for at Risk Youth: 800-USA-KIDS
Boys and girls Town National Hotline: 800- 448-3000
Kids Help Phone
(Canada): 800-668-6868
The Eating Distress Helpline (Ireland):011-44-2600366
Referrals to Eating Disorder specialists (US and Canada) 800-736-3739
The National Mental Health Association Information Center: 800-969-NMHA

The phone numbers above are from the blog Weighing the Facts, which is a wonderful resource blog for those who are suffering from bulimia, anorexia, and other eating disorders.

My blog, as well, has information on eating disorders (www.2medusa.com).

I’m hoping that, with encouragement, she will seek help.

Many thanks, Dee. I really appreciate any assistance you’re able to give this girl. She is in serious trouble.

All the best,
Medusa

XXX’s post on Kimkins:

“Alrighty then, I’m a mess-up.

I suppose it depends on how you look at it. I’m 17 years old, I am a Jr. at
Pepperdine University and I go there on a scholarship, I’m pre-medicine, I
love to read and write… and I have this tricky little thing called an eating disorder.

It’s bothered me for a long, long time. I have screamed at God, I have screamed at my parents, I have screamed at myself. I have cut myself. I have contemplated suicide.

One day, I asked myself why it is better to commit suicide than to change my life. Even if changing my life was the most difficult thing imaginable, I do believe that I would be happier once I’d done it – so clearly, taking a difficult step towards happiness is far wiser than taking a selfish step towards oblivion. And so, here I am. For the millionth time, in one way or another.

But I love to write, so I thought – maybe a blog ill help. Where yes, I talk about how much I weigh today and how the elliptical felt on my gracilis muscle, but also about Ayn Rand’s purpose behind discussing selfishness in The Fountainhead, and where we can discuss the implications behind bio-engineering, and where we can consider the incredible theories behind Newtonian physics and Nietzschean philosophy.

So that’s what I’m asking – because, for my entire life, I have been overwhelmed by the realization that very few people that I’m friends with are really interested in
all the things I listed above. I’ll be honest – I don’t care about Jamie Lynn Spears. I don’t. I don’t care about 24 or CSI, but I deeply care about the starving people of North Korea and the importance of love in marriage.

So that’s my first topic: love. My last boyfriend was completely in love with me. I don’t say this in a vain way, but I know it was true. I broke up with him because I was not in love with him – and it broke his heart. And so now I have come to the realization that I don’t want to even consider dating someone until I feel the possibility that he could become someone I could never live without. For me, this seems so unlikely that I don’t think I’ll ever get married – and here is why. When you read a great piece of literature, you fall in love with a multi-faceted thing which is greater than you are. Words on a page, in my opinion, truly can overcome reality. And so it is that I love this – this depth, this power, this beauty which not even the author could fully grasp – so much that I don’t believe it is possible to love something which is tangible quite as much. The tangible cannot be as beautiful. The thing I love about literature is it wields a power greater than any one human being.

The only way I can see of falling in love with someone is if he joined me in that same love. But I have not met anyone who is like that yet. That is partly why I’m here – to assure myself that such people do exist. But here is my question – I am young and people here have more life experience: have you honestly met someone that you love so much that you cannot imagine life without them? Because that is what I want. I love my dad so much that I cannot begin to consider life without him – but I was born loving him that much. Have you actually MET someone who took this place of importance in your life?
–
XXX

P.S. I weigh 184 pounds. I’m 5’8”. I work out every day. haha I forgot that’s why I’m here.

Okay, so….
I’ve definitely got some issues. I’m 17 years old and I’m a Jr. at Pepperdine University. When I was 12 I had anorexia and since then I have developed a pretty clean case of Binge Eating Disorder. (it does exist… it’s not just made up). So, I\’m here to change that and change myself. I’ll be honest – there is a boy I like and I think he could like me too. But we’re off school for the summer and I want to become a different person.

However, I want this blog to be about more than that – I love philosophy, literature, science – really anything that makes you think. My favorite books would be The Catcher in the Rye, Atlas Shrugged or The Plague. My favorite movies – Scanner Darkly or Shawshank Re “

I then received this response from Patti:

“Patti Larsen to me May 14 (1 day ago)

Screw off. I’m a healthy woman making the right choices for myself who happens to eat three times a day, thank you very much. You should be ashamed.Thoughts are things. Make every thought count.”

I immediately followed with this response to Patti:

“Medusa to Patti
show details 10:01 AM (33 minutes ago)
Patti, I was contacted by a member of Kimkins who is asking for help in assisting a very young girl who has admitted in her posts on Kimkins to having a very serious eating disorder.
My only purpose in writing you was to ask if you might reply to this young girl’s post on Kimkins and direct her to some eating disorder helplines.”

Then 30 minutes later, this arrived from Patti:

Patti Larsen to me
show details 10:31 AM (4 minutes ago)

I am not interested in your games. Not sure how you got my personal email, nor do I care, except that you must have a fake profile on Kimkins, which makes you dispicable. Just so you know, I’ve reported you to the Kimkins organizers. People like you blame the world for your problems when the only one who can really make a change is you.
I hope this ficticious girl finds her own path.
DO NOT email me again or I will report you as a spammer.
Thoughts are things. Make every thought count.”

~~~~~~~~~~
How sad.

Late yesterday, the 17-year-old girl posted this on Kimkins:

“hey! I want to join this group.. I am kind of disappointed because so far, no one has responded to any of my posts on this site.
I currently weight 182.5 pounds… I want to be about 135-140.
I have had 3 cheat free days so far.”

Having not heard back from Dee/DEEDLYNN/DEEDLYNN22, I sent her another e-mail this morning:

“Medusa to DeAnna show details 8:28 AM (7 hours ago)

Good morning, Dee :^) Were you able to get in touch with XXX ? “

As of 3:37 today, I have heard nothing back from Dee/DEEDLYNN/DEEDLYNN22. I guess she is too busy reading Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, posting on LCF, and PMing Heidi.

Shame on you Heidi, Dee, and Patti. Your lack of concern for this young girl is despicable.

Cold Case File: The Case of the Mysterious Kimkins Woman…CONTEST!!!

The “Patio Chair/Lawn Chair” fake Kimmer

One of the many fake “after” pictures that Heidi Diaz/Kimmer posted on her Kimkins.con website last year to depict her fraudulent weight loss continues to intrigue me. The picture has never been found and/or the woman identified.

Many posters on the Fascination with Kimmer (FWK) thread on Low Carb Friends searched for the picture but never found it.

So I have decided to have a contest in an attempt to quench my insatiable curiosity.

CONTEST DETAILS

The person who is able to find the original picture of the mystery woman and provide me with a link or tear-sheet of it in its original form, will win a $25.00 gift certificate from Amazon.com.

So all you super sleuths, start digging :^)

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

Dana Carpender still supporting Kimkins?

Dana had a long absence from her blog Hold the Toast but started posting again at the beginning of this year. Somehow she managed to find the time to comment on the Kimkins controversy during the time the didn’t keep up her blog. And what was her comment? She supported Kimkins! Perhaps not very surprising as Dana’s latest book (from 2006) was titled “Every Calorie Counts Cookbook: 500 Great-Tasting, Sugar-Free, Low-Calorie Recipes”

References to Dana’s support of Kimkins are still available on the internet. There is no information that she has denounced Kimkins or that she disagrees with the Kimkins diet. From all appearances she still supports it.

While the original comment has been removed from Jimmy Moore’s site, Dana’s statement is still available, in part, on Carbwire:

July 16, 2007

I recently wrote about this whole subject of believing so strongly in a singular diet as the means for weight loss and improved health in this blog post and I got both criticism and support from people who are on either side of this issue. Many support the Kimkins low-carb diet for people who want to try it to lose weight and get healthy while others oppose Kimkins because they think the founder of the diet is fraud and the diet is dangerously unhealthy.

But in the midst of all of this back and forth about who’s right, I received an unexpected e-mail from a major voice in the low-carb community to say the least–it’s Dana Carpender! This bestselling low-carb recipe queen and cookbook author has been watching all of this debate over the Kimkins diet lately and scratching her head about what the big deal is.

Dana is not at all happy with the way the Kimkins haters have responded to this diet which is helping a whole lot of people shed the pounds when nothing else worked for them. She has a message to share with those who have been most vocal in this despicable display of disgusting behavior over a low-carb diet option like Kimkins.

It’s a pity the email is no longer available. Did Dana really call us ‘haters” or is that something that Jimmy added?

I would also like to know what Dana thinks about Kimkins today. She is not saying anything about it. Why? She spoke out in support of Kimkins back then. Is that still how she feels? I think she needs to clarify her stand as she is an important figure in the low carb community thanks to her cook books