Kimkins Wins the Slim Chance Award

The Worst Diet Promotions of 2008 snag 20th Annual Slim Chance Awards

HETTINGER, ND – Healthy Weight Network released its 20th annual Slim Chance Awards today, highlighting both the hidden dangers of diets and supplements that often contain unknown ingredients and sometimes potent drugs, and the merely ridiculous.

To call 2008 a typical year in the weight loss field would be too easy. This year’s awards go to an infamous huckster of diet infomercials, known for his outrageous disregard of injunctions against him; $139 body-shaping jeans impregnated with substances that supposedly reduce cellulite; a pill that’s “proven” to make your belly fat vanish; and a dangerous starvation diet launched recklessly on the Internet with false promises of safe, fast and permanent weight loss.

All in all, a typical year that synthesizes all that is deceptive and exploitative in this field. So, here they are, the 20th annual Slim Chance Awards (only “Worst Product” is shown here):

WORST PRODUCT: Kimkins diet. It must have seemed an easy way to get rich quick. Founder Heidi “Kimmer” Diaz set up a website and charged members a fee to access the Kimkins diet, boasting they could lose up to 5 percent of their body weight in 10 days. “Better than gastric bypass,” there was “no faster diet,” and in fact she herself had lost 198# in 11 months. Stunning “after” photos were displayed. In June 2007 Women’s World ran it as a cover story, and that month alone PayPal records show the Kimkins site took in over $1.2 million. Then users began complaining of chest pains, hair loss, heart palpitations, irritability and menstrual irregularities. This was not surprising since Kimkins is essentially a starvation diet, down to 500 calories per day and deficient in many nutrients (shockingly, laxatives are advised to replace the missing fiber). In a lawsuit, 11 former members are uncovering a vast record of Diez’s alleged fraud. They found that the stunning “after” photos, including one of Kimmer herself, had been lifted from a Russian mail order bride site. According to a deposition reported by Los Angeles TV station KTLA, Diaz admitted using fake pictures, fake stories and fake IDs, and a judge has allowed the litigants to freeze some of her assets.

For a full list, go to Quackery and Fraud

Why Is Kimmer Off the Front Page?

In the latest episode of “As the Kimmer Turns“, Heidi has removed herself from the front page. No more watch us lose for her. Since she’s not losing anyway…..

anyway….the members wanted to know why….she didn’t get snarky about it this time….here is her response….straight from them Kimpound.

Why Is Kimmer Off the Front Page? 2 Hours, 50 Minutes ago
We wanted to give others an opportunity to share their progress and they’re spectacular! My biggest “thanks” to everyone who is, or has, volunteered their progress with the world.

Instead, I’ve added my start and progress pics in my siggy (XXXXXX, I did it, LOL!) The last photo is when I weighed about 180 and I’ll be happy to get back there. Yes, it was long ago so no Disco Hair comments!

This is her pic in her sig line now….

I mean, come on, seriously folks…..do we actually believe this may be a real pic of Heidi???

since we all know….

Kimmer is a Big-Boned, Diabolical, Quasi-Diabetic, Lint Licking, Lying, Liar that Lies.

I seriously doubt the authenticity of any pic she shows.

Here’s the pic I’m looking forward to…..

In Heidi’s Own Words

With all the sad news of continued support of low calorie starvation eating at Kimkins. We already know how nutritionally bankrupt the diet is. But is it a diet or an eating disorder? I thought you might like to revisit what Heidi feels about ED.

Low Calories/Pro Ana

We are low calorie after ketosis kicks in or with the shake option, but those calories are identical to post-WLS patients (500 cal a day for months), original Optifast and Medifast (450-700 cal a day for months).

I don’t know what WLS program Heidi used. But no reputable surgeon recommends 500cals/day. WLS programs are geared to be lower calorie at first, 1000 cals/day. That only lasts for a few months as your pouch heals. The big difference in these programs and Heidi’s is:

SHE”S NOT A DOCTOR.

SHE HAS NO LICENSE TO PRACTICE MEDICINE.

The same applies to the Medifast or other liquid diets. You are supervised very closely by a doctor. Not some woman sitting behind a computer screen on a big power trip.

I don’t think we can fight the “1200 calorie a day mentality”. Some people cannot understand that your body takes the calories it needs from body fat if the calories you eat are too low to sustain current weight. If you need 2500 calories (250 lb person) and eat 500 (number picked for easy math), the other 2000 are taken from body fat.

This is just stupid. Elle did a good job of debunking this myth.

In Jimmy’s interview I meant what I said about take a Weight Watcher or Jenny Craig meal and remove the starches. What’s left? Kimkins. There is no health advantage to adding carbs or extra fat, so why is removing them (and having less calories) dangerous? 1200 calories a day is an arbitrary number (like 8 glasses of water).

Once again, Heidi is just plain wrong. Fats are the key to good health. there are many benefits to eating fat. Here are some good articles:

• Why Low-Carb Diets Must Be High-Fat
• The Importance of Saturated Fats for Biological Functions
• The Skinny on Fats
• Fats and Oils and Their Impact on Health

Anorexia is a psychological disorder. Do we have people with ED on Kimkins? Of course. I weighed 318 pounds and you don’t get that big without an improper relationship with food so I have an ED. But low calories aren’t an ED, otherwise all of the WLS patients would be medically classified anorexic.

What if regular Kimkins changes guidelines from 0-20 carbs to 10-20 carbs and 0-3 cups to 2-3 cups List 1? Then again, I’m stuck with what to do when you’re not hungry. Forced eating sounds ED to me. I’ll find someone I trust to make a Recommended Supplements list.

Just a reminder of some info on what an eating disorder is:

While eating disorders may begin with preoccupations with food and weight, they are most often about much more than food.

Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from a combination of long-standing behavioral, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors. Scientists and researchers are still learning about the underlying causes of these emotionally and physically damaging conditions. We do know, however, about some of the general issues that can contribute to the development of eating disorders.

People with eating disorders often use food and the control of food in an attempt to compensate for feelings and emotions that may otherwise seem over-whelming. For some, dieting, binging, and purging may begin as a way to cope with painful emotions and to feel in control of one’s life, but ultimately, these behaviors will damage a person’s physical and emotional health, self-esteem, and sense of competence and control.

ED are behaviors. It’s not about the food or the calories. It is all about your thinking. Heidi and her minions all preach that nothing tastes as good as thin feels. That in itself is an ED. Period.

If we make changes it will be announced with the Maintenance Plan (which will be a work in progress from member feedback). The announcement will be general and not in response to any outside pressure.

At least in this aspect Heidi has been true to her word. The maintenance plan is still ongoing with her asking members for advice. She couldn’t come up with a maintenance plan on her own, so she is having members do it for her. Color me shocked….

She couldn’t even come up with a diet of her own, so she stole Stillman’s.

Heidi Wins An Award

Consumer News, Advice & Commentary
Directory of Consumer Protest Sites

Avaritia Facit Bardus

“Greed Makes You Stupid”

WINNER! Week of 12/30/2007

KIMKINS DIET

For reckless disregard of everything and everyone that stands between her and a fast buck, Consumerama hereby force-feeds Kimmer and her company this week’s NMRoM Award!

Don’t it just kinda get you right here…..

Kimkins Trickle Down Theory of Weight Loss

This is from “Just Ducky” , Kimkins Exposed, August 24, 2007:

With Kimmer a tad busy, it seems members are jumping in to offer advice to each other. This might be a good thing if the starvation concepts advanced by Kimmer didn’t seep down deep into those following the diet.

A member recently asked for help on the Ask Kimmer thread:

…stayed on the diet for five days and not lost a pound so I gave up. Hard to stick to something that is not working for me….eveny just a 1/2 pound would have been nice. My fit day is public so if anyone wants to look at it, feel free. I hope someone can help and maybe I will feel excited about starting again. Thanks to anyone who will try…

After someone suggested a public fitday to review, the member complied, and sure enough, other members were at the ready to give advice.

Before we look at the advice, the member’s fitday clearly shows that

8/13
518 calories
13 grams carbohydrate

8/14

938 calories
16 grams carbohydrate

8/15
608 calories
18 grams carbohydrate

8/16
488 calories
19 grams carbohydrate

8/17
254 calories
6 grams carbohydrate

Guess what advice they received?

You use a lot of cream – this might satisfy your coffee with cream in the morning – it does mine!

Please review the veggies you’re eating with the Kimkins Grocery list. When I started I counted the carbs and stayed under 20 per day – I now stay under 10 per day.

Hope this helps!

The plan works – now you have to work the plan.

Then there was this gem:

I’m not Kimmer either but and no where near my goal but your veggies are too high. You can only have 2 cups of the list one and 1 cup of list two or 3 cups of list one. You show you’ve gone over on most days. Also, no regular creamer if that’s the kind you’re using. Drizz has good advice too. Also, there were a couple of days you didn’t list…..so not sure if you went over on those days or just didn’t write stuff down. Beef also stalls me terribly, which is a shame because I love beef and can only tolerate the rest of the choice.

If you go back to the food list and really follow it, I think you’ll find you’ll do just great. Please hang in there, you are so worth it!

Notice no one said anything about the erratic and very low calorie intake? With a five day calorie average hovering around 500 calories, the problem is too many vegetables and cream, even though this member is remaining within the 20 grams of carbohydrate supposedly allowed on the diet?

Yes, what we see here is the trickle down theory of Kimkins weight loss advice.

Sad isn’t it. Yet this is still the practice over at Kimkins. You know, I think I have a better title for this post.

S*** RUNS DOWNHILL

Kimkins Scam
Join Us, Say “NO” to Kimkins
WildAngel6 Daily Links
Back Across The Line
Kimkins Class Action Lawsuit
Kimkins Diet Review

KIMMER LOVES TO ROCK THE RED !!!

Imagine my surprise last night when I checked out the Kimkins website for the last time in 2007, only to discover that Heidi Diaz/Kimmer has a new picture up!Now, before you go to her site and raise her hit ranking on the web, which is not a good thing, above is her most recent weight-loss picture for your viewing pleasure.

This latest picture, where Heidi is wearing more makeup than a whore on a holiday (no disrespect to whores intended), I must say is a vast improvement over her badly photoshopped picture which appeared on her website on December 14, 2007:

What I find most amazing in viewing her latest picture is not only the amount of weight she alleges she has lost doing her own Kimkins starvation diet, but her penchant for the color red.

Let’s take a look at some of her other red outfits…

First of all, the lovely Lesya, the woman from the Russian bride website whose picture Heidi Diaz/Kimmer scoffed to represent her “after” picture on the Kimkins website. Not a good choice, Heidi.

Then, we have Heidi at her deposition in the civil action:

And now a closer look at Heidi’s new picture on her website:

You know, Heidi, every time I see another picture of you, I see RED.

How can you, in all good conscience, continue to lure unsuspecting people desperate to lose weight to your website in the hope that they will pay big bucks to you to learn how to literally starve themselves by following your deadly Kimkins diet? How?

Which brings to mind another RED …

(from The Shining)

Kimkins—Too Good To Be True

From Just Ducky—

Consider the cunning words chosen by Kimmer to persuade visitors to her homepage her diet is better than all the rest:

Millions of overweight people think fast, permanent weight loss is completely out of their reach. They’ve been told their entire lives they should be happy with slow 1-2 lb a week weight loss. How depressing and untrue! What if I told you that you could lose weight at turbo speed? Experience natural appetite suppression? Would you be interested?

Don’t worry! No awful prepackaged foods. Forget about diet pills or risky surgery. The plan I’m talking about is all natural with everyday food.

It’s called Kimkins and was developed by me, Kimmer, in 2000 when I weighed a morbidly obese 318 pounds! In less than a year I lost 198 pounds and kept it off!

Are you getting excited yet? You should be!

…

Sure, there are other popular diets out there like Weight Watchers, Atkins, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig and South Beach, but they only work up to a point before you quit in frustration with the slow weight loss and complicated rules. But not Kimkins!

…

So what do you think? Are you ready to experience for yourself what Kimkins can do for you? Now it’s your chance to be a weight loss success story!

Persuasive!

But, the big question is, is it true?

Those with any knowledge of just what the diet consists of know it is nothing but a vLCD. Read on for Ducky’s take:

The underlying implication is that Kimkins is the best way to resolve what is one of our nation’s most serious health problems, obesity; faster than any other weight loss program.

If this were true, there would be a persuasive arguement using supportive evidence and endorsements from healthcare professionals.

The site and ‘Kimmer’ cite no supporting evidence, have no researchers or healthcare professionals to endorse her plan, and no one recommeding it as a healthful way to lose weight from within the medical or scientific community.

In both the pages which are publicly available, and those accessible by logging in, she carefully avoids any reference to hundreds of scientific studies published during the last three decades; all of which contradict her position. She could not pull even a single useful quote supportive of her diet, so the use of research is completely avoided.

Instead she relies on the trustfulness of those desperate to lose weight; she sets the stage for blind faith by not encouraging anyone to review evidence or to ask hard questions. In fact you will not be allowed to demand scientific evidence that her diet has merit or health benefit if you do join.

Such questioning is simply not tolerated.The claims made should make anyone suspicious, even those who have barely scraped through high school biology. Kimmer goes well beyond that level and not only implies her experience overrides scientific data, but even asserts that her plan is suitable for anyone, including all diabetics. [Exceptions in the site disclaimer include pregnant and lactating women and those with impaired kidney function]

Kimmer effectively shoves aside decades of published, controlled, randomized clinical trials comparing caloric intakes, macronutrient ratios, weight loss and risks associated with severe calorie restriction. Her justification for this omission is that she claims she culled out the ‘best of’ from Dr. Robert C. Atkins and Dr. Irwin Maxwell Stillman, both physicians and authors of popular diets.

But that’s nothing but sheer nihilism. Good recommendations are based on science, they’re cautious and skeptical, not permanently fixed based on an ‘n of 1’ proposition that ignores the fact that there is considerable evidence against Kimkins-like very low calorie diets being followed by free-living medically unsupervised individuals.

In fact, the evidence against using such an approach to losing weight is crushing in its abundance. By circumventing this mass of peer-reviewed literature readily open to public scrutiny in libraries and online, Kimmer insists you accept her personal experience, an experience which remains unverified.

It’s her word and you’re expected to take it and swallow it as if it were fact.

You are expected to accept without question the veracity of her statements, assertions or claims.

You are expected to look the other way and not seek data in your decision.

You are expected to buy into her claims and website with only your desire to believe that there is a diet that will work better than anything else out there today.

Like any other ‘fast weight loss’ scam, it’s no different in the claims made, no different in the emotional buttons Kimmer tries to hit in you.

But, unlike other diet plans sold to the overweight and obese, Kimkins comes with the added potential to maim or kill the unsuspecting and desperate who are ready to do anything to lose weight.

Don’t fall for the clever, crafty message! You’re smarter than that!

This was posted on July 31, 2007. The only thing I changed was to add some links into the post. The words are still Ducky’s.

Even though this is from way back in July. The message still rings true today. Heidi’s tactics remain the same. Her message remains the same. The diet is just as deadly and her lies are just as prevalent. Then again she is…..

Big-Boned, Diabolical, Quasi-Diabetic, Lint Licking, Lying, Liar that Lies