Still time to Join the Lawsuit

There is still plenty of time to add your name to the lawsuit. Here is a helpful video to explain how to join.

When reading news accounts about the Class Action Lawsuit many people get confused. They see the reports that say 8-11 number of people are involved in the case. Just to clarify for everyone. When a class action suit is filed, only a small portion are listed on the actual court documents. To the layperson reading them it looks as if just a few are involved.

You just have to realize they are just representatives of the whole class. They couldn’t very well refile each time someone else joins the suit.

If you have put off joining the suit because of this misconception, take the time to get you papers done to add your name to the MANY actually on file.

Heidi, Heidi, Heidi

Here’s the latest from the captain of the Kimtanic:

Re:”I’m a Kimkins Newbie” Challenge 2008! 2 Hours, 15 Minutes ago

Kimmer:
“I don’t believe in starvation mode (you can read more in my blog). The whole point of gastric surgery or Lapband is to drastically cut calories. There was a woman on the Joy Luck Club (Today Show) recently who lost 125+ lbs after gastric surgery. Her surgeon was on the show with her. She is now a size 2 and described what she eats: 2-3 oz of protein first, then a small amount of veggies. If she’s full after a few ounces of protein, she passes on the veggies. Her example of how many asparagus she could eat was 2-4, plus a multivitamin.”

“Last night I heard part of the show “I Can Make You Thin” on TLC. He also mentioned that metabolism is not rigid, it’s flexible and rises and falls according to activity level and personal “build in” metabolism. This is what I’ve said for years. When you reduce calories your metabolism drops, but not drastically. When you reach goal and begin eating more, your metabolism will raise, but people need to eat less at goal. This is a shocker for some people. They didn’t “break” their metabolism — their body may be 50, 100, 200 pounds lighter. A 125 lb body needs much less “energy” (calories) than a 325 lb body.”

“Dr. Johnny Bowden is respected in the diet industry. He wrote in an article suggesting women can lose and maintain on 1250-1400 calories a day — men 1800.”

“Don’t force low calories, just eat clean … eat according to appetite. Be sure to take a good quality multivitamin (I like Centrum). Dr. Oz on Oprah suggested splitting the multivitamin in half because our bodies don’t process a mass dose of vitamins all at once.”
“The “tons of energy” is ketosis. Ain’t it great!”

Heidi, Heidi, Heidi…..

As par for the course she is spreading her brand of nutritional knowledge. Not that any of it is true. I don’t want to get into all the untruths in the above statements. I would just like to address the points on WLS.

Are you ready for a little WLS 101???

She points out the lady only eats 2 onces of protein and if she is still hungry she will eat the veggies. There is a good reason for only eating such a small portion.

YOUR FRIGGIN’ STOMACH IS NOW ONLY THE SIZE OF AN EGG!!!

FIGURE A—VERTICAL BANDED GASTROPLASTY
FIGURE B—LAP BAND
FIGURE C—ROUX-N-Y (RNY)
The graphic above gives you an idea of several types of WLS. In all of them the “pouch” is restricted to hold only a very few ounces at a time. This makes it where you are forced to limit your portion sizes. One bite too much and you have the wonderful effect of puking everything back up.

As for the lady who lost 120+ pounds, I would like to know how far out she is. In WLS speak that means how long it’s been since her surgery. Most people do grand for the first few years. The farther out they are the more weight they have gained and more complications they have had.

But this post is not about debating the pros and cons of WLS. Wander over to my personal blog to get my views on that. This is about Heidi continuing to use the WLS life as an argument for how great her plan is.

I’ve addressed this many times over the course of these past months. When comparing Kimkins vs WLS, that’s like comparing apples and oranges.

Yes, one of the points of WLS is restriction of calories. By using restrictive procedures such as the lap band and restrictive/malabsorptive procedures such as the RNY.

BUT……this is where Heidi fails….

When someone has WLS…….

YOU ARE FOLLOWED BY A WHOLE TEAM OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

You know, those people with a whole string of letters behind their name….like MD, PhD, RN, CRRN, RD, etc….someone who is actually QUALIFIED to be giving advice.

In my case alone these are the MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS I saw on a routine basis for 2 solid years and am still followed regularly by most of them.

• PRIMARY CARE DOC
• BARIATRIC SURGEON
• ENT DOC
• REGISTERED DIETITIAN
• BARIATRIC SPECIALIST DIETITIAN
• PSYCH DOC
• PSYCH THERAPIST
• GI DOC
• BARIATRIC SUPPORT SPECIALIST

What does Kimkins offer…..a “bored housewife” with a computer and too much time on her hands.

Just to add this…..remember Heidi is reported to have had “stomach stapling” years ago……

So how’s that working for ya, Heidi……

Insider Exclusive–Kimkins Diet Scam

The Exclusive Stories Behind The Headlines

Headline Legal News – Kimkins Diet Scam

VIEW ONLINE VIDEO

Transcript

Steve Murphy interviews Attorneys John Tiedt and Michael Cohen; Dr. Americo Simonini; and former Kimkins member, Terry Lind, about the Kimkins Diet Scam.

For those who are unable to view the videos, you can now read the Transcript of the show graciously provided by Elle.

Steve Murphy

Steve Murphy is the exclusive Senior Producer of Sky Radio Network’s worldwide business and legal shows, which are broadcast 24/7 on over 85,000 monthly flights to over 22 million listeners worldwide reporting the news, breaking headlines, legal developments, captured from his distinguished legal and business guests. Steve is also the President of PRI Inc, and also represents leading law firms and major fortune 500 companies in developing strategic business plans and the recruitment of key business and legal executives.

Steve has written over 20 books and numerous magazine and news articles on a diversity of subjects ranging from International Trade to Banking, Commercial Real Estate, general business books, and many more.

A SHORT SEGMENT FROM YOUTUBE

I love a good mystery….

It all started with a drive by trolling at LCF, with many of the posts deleted too. Then it went to a very odd cryptic blog, that eventually went poof, not before screen shots were done. there have been so many twists and turns here…you have to read it all for yourself….

• Prudentia: Stop the Fratricide! A Case of Friendly Fire …
  No Apology for the Trolls! « MJR’s-Duck Squad
• revealed!!!!!!!! Martina’s true identity!!!!!! « a fake blog about a real scam
• Prudentia: May Martina’s Martini Rest in Peace
• po sledam Martina’s Martini « a fake blog about a real scam
• Prudentia: Double-Minded …
• Prudentia: Was I Duped?
• Oh Heidi, What a tangled web we weave « MJR’s-Duck Squad
• Conquering demons, losing weight: Tsk, tsk, Heidi! Is THAT the best you’ve got?

you have got to read all the comments to follow along with this saga…..

Oh, but it’s the member’s fault….

One of the biggest arguments Kimkins supporters have to date is blaming the members for their own health problems. consistently saying they were cutting the calories on their own. They should have known better.

Here are the exact words SingingLass had to say on the Good Morning America show:

DELANEY DEAVER (aka SingingLass): We don’t tell people to starve, we encourage them to eat and I think there’s gonna be eating disorders that happen, you know, in any situation when somebody has an issue with food, but we try to prevent that from happening by giving people support.

and then we have a (:cough: sock puppet :cough:) member stating here:

People who have failed and have taken the diet to the extreme (eating less than 1000 calories a day…duh? commom sense?) are the main anti-kimkims supporters.

and the same “member” quoted here:

It is not the diet that made some people sick…it was their own fault for taking the diet to the extreme. I am sad that they say they got sick because of Kimkins. If they did not check with their doctor either before starting the diet or shortly after losing some weight, and discussing with their doctor, it is their own fault for getting sick.

These are just the most recent examples of blaming the members for cutting their own calories. Yet look what was posted on the FWK thread just last night by HoneyBee:

Kimkins- member asks for a review of their menu

…..I usually eat the following, but the weightloss is between 0-1lbs off per week!
B- (IF i have breakfast) Bacon or whey shake
L- leftover meat from the evening before (pork, beef, chicken) with a stick of celery, and 1 tbs mayo OR whey shake
D- Meat with salad or green veg.
Water, 1 coffee, multivitamin, detox tea (3 times per week)
IF i have a snack, it is a boiled egg or slice of meat or SF Jello or 10 almonds (no more than once per week)

‘Plumbing’ is all good- I am doing gentle exercise (I’m no gym bunny!)-I’m not deluding myself and ‘forgetting’ some things that go in my mouth, i keep a diary of everything that passing my lips.
Thanks for listening

Heidi responds

Hey girl!

First of all, look at your “before” and “current” pics and you’re a totally different person! You’ve done an awesome job!!! Everything looks good in your sample menu, but if you want to tweak a bit here’s what I’d suggest:

1) Skip pork & beef for now, stick with skinless chicken, turkey, fish, tuna
2) Be sure to use low cal low carb salad dressing
3) If your detox tea contains senna (Smooth Move) that’s a laxative so consult your doctor
4) 1 large egg, 1 string cheese, 10 almonds are 80-100 calories each and can add up
5) What about adding 1-2 servings of List 1 veggies in place of 80-100 snacks?

You’ve lost 56 pounds! The closer you get to goal, the slower loss goes because your smaller body naturally needs and burns fewer calories to maintain that smaller weight.

Don’t give up! You’re soooooo close, you’ll make it. Stay tough & focused

SingingLass responds

The things thats stuck out to me were the bacon, beef, almonds, and possibly the whey shakes.

Bacon and beef can be higher in fat….typically just like lean steak now and then. Almonds really are not on the plan while in losing phase, and people report all the time about getting stalled up when the grab for nuts. Perfectly great for maintaining though. I would say maybe cut out the whey shakes for a little while just to see if you notice a difference, it is one of those things that some people are fine with but others can stall a bit, also depending on the shake.

What are you putting in your coffee?

BTW—you look great! You also have such cute clothes, where do you shop?

Even an imbecile can see this member is not taking in that many calories to begin with. Yet Heidi and SingingLass are quick to tell her to cut out even more.

But, oh, it’s the member’s fault for cutting calories to the bare minimum….

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…..

The Latest on the Idiotic Pinky Swear Challenge

The official results from week 2 of the idiotic Pinky Swear Challenge……drum roll pleeezzzz……191.4 pounds!!!

Bringing the total loss for just 2 weeks (halfway through the challenge) to:

434.7 pounds!!!

WOWZA!!! That’s impressive huh…..

Or is it????

:calculator in hand:

They have 130 people signed up for this idiotic challenge.

We know Heidi is not losing…so dividing this weeks loss by 129 gives us an average of 1.5 lbs/person. For the 2 weeks, they are averaging 3.4lbs/person.

Super fast weight loss there y’all…..

Heidi said she is “surprised” at the weight loss. But she “knows” Kimkins works. Yeah, starvation DOES have a tendency to make you lose weight….

BUT…….

Cleochatra is losing faster than that and she EATS!!!

Heidi Diaz AKA “Kimmer” Could Learn From These Ladies and Gents

In a earlier post here I wrote how Heidi has an affinity for targeting teens. Not only does she prey on the insecurities of todays teens, the need to conform to media standards of beauty, she COUNTS ON IT to line her pockets. As well as those same thoughts from adults too.

Remember how Heidi responded to a 14 year old girl on her forum? This young girl was participating in the boot camp program at Kimkins, consuming only 500 cals/day and exercising for 30 minutes.

Mo Pie, one of the many “Health at Any Size” bloggers out there, received a letter from a 14 year old girl. Here is a small portion of that letter:

“The Beautiful People Are The Skinny People”

Is this just a “fourteen year old phase”?
What’ll it take for me to love my reflection?
‘Cause everytime I say to myself “You’re beautiful” it feels like a lie…

How do you do it? How can you just totally accept yourself exactly the way you are! What your secret? Will you share it with me?

So far there have been 67 replies to this post. Here are just a few of the responses:

occhiblu:

Your body is how your mind accomplishes its work in the world; it’s what lets you do and be and act. We tell women that their bodies need to look a certain way, but if we all looked the same, we’d all be do-ing and be-ing and act-ing the same, and that’s not what this world needs. It needs all our individual bodies, and all our individual talents, and all our individual limitations in order to create the diversity of experiences that exist. If everyone were the same, even if everyone were perfect, the world would, frankly, suck.

Look at your body and love your body not for what it looks like to others, but for what it does for you. Find the parts of it you like, the parts of it that are strong or flexible or hard or soft in just the right ways, and concentrate on those for a while. Maybe you can’t hear “You are beautiful” yet (though you are), but try “I am strong” or “I am fearless” or “I am flexible” or “I am solid” or “I am energetic.”

Say good things about yourself long enough, and even you will come to believe them. (Remember that it works the other way, too, and stop yourself from saying negative things about your body, even in your head.)

JoGeek:

All the tips and tricks and affirmations in the world won’t force a change in an unwilling mind, but you have to find whatever it is inside you that makes it true for you. A lot of that comes through doing whatever it is that you are uniquely good at, because the satisfaction of creating or performing something great drowns out a helluva lot of self-loathing cynicism. It can be anything; art, sports, music, theater, writing, gardening, martial arts, photography, crafts, etc. etc. etc.

Do something physical. I agree about the Yoga since it challenges you, you can work up to it gradually at your own pace, it helps your balance and posture, and it makes you really aware of your body and what it can accomplish.

Then, surround yourself with good people. Friends are not really friends if they tear you down or make you feel ashamed of any part of yourself, physical or personal. A friend is someone you should be able to trust. A couple of true friends is worth more than a houseful of “associates” that stress you out.

Skinny people hate their bodies too. The “beautiful people” often see just as much to hate about their bodies as everyone else. That doesn’t help or comfort much, but it’s a perspective to hold onto so that you’re not placing anyone on a pedestal. Choose your heros by what they do and who they are, not by what they look like.

BigLiberty:

Sweetie, you ARE beautiful.

Is it your fault that our culture worships at the altar of “thin”? No.

Many other cultures have different ideas of beauty, and even our own culture has had, historically, different ideas of beauty.

But I don’t really think you believe that weight loss equals automatic beauty. I bet you know a lot of girls who are skinny but aren’t very beautiful inside, right? They might fool people with the outside for a while, but it’s funny: usually what someone is on the inside pushes out through her, and shines on the outside.

I bet you’re nice, and even if some people are mean to you they know, deep down, you’re nice, and talented. High school is hard. People are finding themselves, creating the adults they will soon be. Some people need to feel like they’re superior to other people, so they read magazines, watch TV, and get an idea of what our culture thinks is superior. Right now the culture says that skinny is superior to fat.

But is it true? Fat doesn’t make you bad. Fat doesn’t make you lazy, or ugly, or stupid, or untalented, or undisciplined. It’s just biological tissue, it can’t make you BE anything!

Sweetie, you have to understand that although a majority of people believes a thing, that doesn’t make it true. At one point in history, the majority of people thought the Earth was flat and the Sun orbited the Earth. Well, science was discovered that told them that wasn’t true. And science has been discovered, and more is being found out every day, that shows that fat doesn’t make you unhealthy, or stupid, or lazy, or ugly.

It will take some time for the culture to catch up, but they will. What can you do in the meantime? Stand up for yourself. Don’t let the haters treat you like you’re worthless, because they’re ignorant. Don’t let yourself be discriminated against without a fight. If the boy you like doesn’t like you because he thinks fat is ugly, then you know what? HE’s the ugly one. Keep your dignity in the face of adversity, like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did.

Keep that dignity, knowing that you’re right, and believe you’re beautiful, and attractive, and never, ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

Shapely Prose even posted about it.

There is a happy ending to this story, the 14 year old girl responds back.

Heidi, since I know you read here, this is how you respond to a 14 year old girl struggling with her body image issues. NOT encourage her to keep starving herself.

I wonder what these wonderful people would have to say to Heidi Diaz…….hmmmmm

Heidi’s Spin on Things

Heidi once again throws her “spin” to make things look better than they really are.

Her latest is that idiotic juvenile Pinky Swear Challenge. She is trumpeting the fact that this week’s weigh-in has resulted in well over 200lbs lost in the challenge. Sounds real impressive on the surface doesn’t it.

Do a little math though and it averages out to be a little over 3 lbs a person. Big whoop de friggin doo. The average Atkins dieter can do that each and every week and they actually get to eat.

Plus when the person following Atkins hits maintenance, there’s actually a program in place.

Anyone can starve and lose weight. The key to being a success at any weight loss effort is maintaining it. With Kimkins, it ain’t gonna happen. The minute you put any real food in your mouth—boom pounds pop on. Plus they bring lots of friends with them. It’s the way the human body is designed for survival.

She’s a manipulator plain an simple. Don’t fall for it.

Kimkins VS WLS

Everyone involved in the Kimkins saga remembers the glaring headline in the June 12, 2007 edition of Woman’s World magazine: Better Than Gastric Bypass. Kimkins is Not better than gastric bypass.

Heidi Diaz AKA Kimmer is up to her old tricks. Comparing her “diet” with those having had WLS. This is her latest from the Kimpire:

“XXXXXXX – I’ll share a secret with you: the diet that
gastric bypass and lapband patients follow after surgery is veryKimkins like. lsnt 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… )

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).”

The WLS patient is prescribed a four part post-op diet. This varies from each bariatric center and each surgeon. Yet they are all similar. By stage four most are recommending just smaller portions of the food pyramid.

1. Clear Liquids — The first stage of the gastric bypass diet, clear liquids (meaning beverages that you can almost see through), usually lasts for a day or two after the operation. The clear liquid diet starts with sips of water, and then allows foods like sugar-free juice, diet gelatin, boullion or clear broth, and flat (no fizz) diet soda in small amounts, usually 2-3 ounces at a time.
2. Low-Fat Full Liquids — If no problems are experienced with clear liquids, the gastric bypass diet advances to high-protein liquids like diet Carnation Instant Breakfast™, Ensure™, or Sustacal™. This stage of the diet is started before discharge from the hospital and lasts for 1 to 2 weeks. Most patients also begin taking a chewable multivitamin/ mineral supplement at this stage.
3. Soft/Purée Diet — The physician will indicate when it is time to advance to the soft or purée diet. Some patients are able to start this diet after they have been out of the hospital for about two weeks. Others may need to wait longer. The purée diet includes very soft, high-protein foods like scrambled egg, low-fat cheese or cottage cheese, or blenderized lean meats like tuna fish, chicken, or pork. Some patients find it more convenient to use strained baby foods. It is important to make sure that all foods are puréed or extremely soft and smooth in texture.
4. Regular Diet — The regular diet starts about 8 weeks or later after gastric bypass surgery. While this diet includes all 5 food groups, it is important to start with high-protein foods, like lean meats or milk, at every meal. Each meal or snack should be small, with liquids consumed in between meals. Ask a dietitian for advice on planning an individualized regular diet pattern.

Here’s a sample menu:

Sample Menu
Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
banana – 1/4 med Scrambled egg – 1 toast, white –1/2 slice margarine – 1 tsp	broiled chicken breast- 2 oz carrots, boiled – 1/4 cup margarine – 1 tsp pasta salad – 1/4 cup	haddock, baked or broiled – 2 oz green beans – 1/4 cup dinner roll – 1/2
Morning snack	Afternoon Snack	Evening snack
graham crackers – 2 pudding, sugar-free, made with 2% fat milk – 1/2 cup	fruit cocktail, waterpacked – 1./2 cup	cheese, American – 1 oz saltine crackers – 2 mustard – 1 tsp
*Consume nonfat milk between meals, throughout the day. Drink no more than 2 to 3 ounces at a time, for a daily total of 2 cups.

This Sample Diet Provides the Following
Calories	1011	Fat	37 gm
Protein	71 gm	Calcium	1065 mg
Carbohydrates	97 gm	Iron	6 mg

Do you see 500 calories anywhere on that sample menu??? Do you see liguids are for a SHORT period of time only?

Here are the actual post op instructions for Johns Hopkins for RNY and Lap-Band surgeries.

Laparoscopic or Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Patients

Lap Band Patients

Now let me tell you how I did the weight loss surgery thing. I did not follow the recommendations of my surgical center of a low fat way of eating. Hey even the bariatric centers are still stuck on stupid about the low carb approach, as you can plainly see from the above sample menu. They just encourage you to eat your protein first. There is a good reason for this. Your stomach is the size of an  egg for goddess sake. You have to give your body the best possible nutrition first. So you don’t eat your body instead instead.

Low fat is encouraged for two reasons. One being they are still caught up in the whole low fat dogma like the rest of the medical establishment. Secondly, many post WLSers just are unable to tolerate fat intake. They bypassed 2 feet of your intestine, of course you are going to handle fat differently.

As for the low calorie part of it, many do go for the low calorie in the beginning.  If you were throwing up every time you took a bite of the wrong food or ate too fast or didn’t chew well enough, you wouldn’t be getting in much food either. But that is not the norm of WLS. As time goes on their calories range from 1200-1500 calories.

I ate 2500 cals plus after progressing to stage four. I lost 200+ pounds in 2 years. I maintain now with 1800-2000 cals.

Constantly comparing the Kimkins starvation diet to WLS post-op diet is comparing apples and oranges. They are 2 entirely different things. Now compare the Kimkins diet and some of those followed on the pro-ana, pro-mia sites and you are right on the money there.
The biggest difference in the WLS diet and the Kimkins, the post WLSers are followed very closely by a full team of doctors and nutritonists.

Who does Kimkins have?

A morbidly obese psychopathic housewife with way too much time on her hands itching to swindle you out of your hard earned $80

Kimkins–Targeting Teens

One of my problems with Heidi has been her promotion of Kimkins through viral marketing. Most importantly is the fact she has targeted teens in her pursuit to have members.

For those who have followed this saga from the beginning, you remember the 14 year old who was on the Kimkins site looking for answers. Here are the posts as a reminder for everyone.

• Kimkins Cheers Child Dieting on Site « Kimkins Exposed
• 14 Year Old Begs Kimmer for Help « Kimkins Exposed
• Child Still Cheered Along on Kimkins « Kimkins Exposed
• Kimmer Encourages Child to Continue On! « Kimkins Exposed
• One Week, One Day, Teen Advised to go to Mother & Doctor « Kimkins Exposed
• Kimkins Members Attack Child on Kimkins Forum « Kimkins Exposed

The thing about all of this that disturbs me the most, was Heidi’s reply to this young girl. All of it disturbs me really. But Heidi’s stands out.

Kimmer (Admin)

Re:I need more calories

I agree with all the replies above, except about needing more calories simply because of your age. A calorie is a unit of energy, that’s all. If we eat too much energy, it’s stored as fat — whether you’re 14 or 84. If you have excess body fat, you have CALORIES hanging there, again whether you’re 14 or 84.

However, if you want to up your calories, simply add more food. You’re a teenager, so a couple servings of dairy are important (or use supplements with your doctor’s advice). String cheese, Dannon low carb yogurt, broccoli, kale, cottage cheese are good sources of calcium and will give you extra calories.

If your goal is to only add more calories, drink 1-2 meal replacement shakes in addition to your food choices. It’s easy to add calories if that’s your goal.

I disagree about adding fruit until you’re at maintenance. There’s little there nutritionally compared to the high carbs. Nothing that can’t wait a bit until you hit goal. You’re much better off with a 1/2 cup of sweet potato than an apple, as an example. More fiber, more antioxidants. And …

But if you’re listening to “other sources”, think logically and think about hidden agendas.

As a reminder, this 14 year old girl was following the boot camp program, 500 cals/day and 30 minutes of exercise. Yet Heidi did not say anything about her needing to up her calories.

In her efforts to target teens, Heidi planted stories about stars who were supposedly following Kimkins. These showed up on MySpace and Yahoo Answers, to name a few.

With so many of the former Kimkins members speaking of having eating disordered thinking. It worries me to see Heidi go specifically after teens. They are already very vulnerable to developing an eating disorder. The Kimkins diet severely increases your chance of developing an eating disorder.

As I’ve stated before, Kimkins is not better than being fat.

The Kimkins site is suppose to have an age restriction now. Other changes have been implemented to make the site more generic. Less cause for possible litigation.

In my opinion, all the changes at the site are much too little, done way too late. Or as we say here in the south, it’s like closing the barn door after the horse has got out.

Kimkins Diet–Is It Better Than Being Fat?

One of the biggest arguments Heidi had for following her diet was it was better than being fat. Here’s some of her ideals.

She employs fear, an emotion which can lead to decisions because one fears the unknown that the future holds. As someone listening who is overweight or obese, it’s easy to fall into the trap and set your emotions on overdrive to worry you too may get diabetes, heart disease, or have your arms or legs amputated if you don’t lose weight, fast. With your heart pounding, you think, because it’s now been suggested, that if you do not do something extreme and drastic, you might be too sick tomorrow to do something. You better start today. Tomorrow is too uncertain.She knows this type of fear mongering works. She previously used it when she actively posted on LowCarbFriends.com. One only need look at the thread titled ‘Ask Kimmer’ to really see her in action. Her proverbial paper trail is long and provides a glimpse into her techniques to motivate with fear, loathing any dissent, disdain for any questioning of her advice.

It’s apparent she has one goal, to convince you to starve yourself on a very low calorie diet (vLCD) so that she can continue to promote, loudly, that the diet works and weight loss is fast. That is nothing special, anyone who seeks out the data on very low calorie diets and reads through the findings knows that very low calorie diets make you lose weight, but with a price.

The media’s constant portrayal of the obesity epidemic is one thing that drives people to lose weight. Although the obesity paradox shows a different story. That being overweight is actually healthy for you.

Then you have the whole prejudice against being fat going on. Overweight people do not have it easy. They are discriminated against in the work force. Being thin generates more financial freedom, more independence, a more active social life, a better job.

Which leads people to be desperate to become thin at any cost. Which leads them to Kimkins regardless of the dangers or the controversy. Their mantra is always, “but it works”. Yeah, VLCDs work, but at what cost to your health.

So in answer to the question of this post, that’s a big…..fat…..NO

As long as Kimkins is still up and running. I will work with the other duck detectives to put a stop to Kimkins. I will not quit until I see….

I will not quit….

I had some interesting comments on the post from yesterday.

First we have Dana :

She most certainly did tell her to eat, just not on the site because of people like you , who take things out of context and post on blogs…….HATERS…….just unreal, leave us alone please.

Dana

Followed by AvenueGirl:

Dana, if she told her to eat on the site then we wouldn’t have anything negative to discuss here. It is near impossible to see all the harm being done here when you are under Heidi’s trance.

We are not haters, we are normal people like you, some of which used to follow the plan, lost weight, but now suffer the consequences.

You think you’re getting ahead, but really the time in there will eventually set you back even further.

We choose not to leave you alone because we care. WE don’t get any financial support for what we are doing here. We do it because we care about people like you.

We offer support that is from our hearts.

It’s people like us that have learned from the experience and freely share what we have learned.

It’s the things that are not said that are the things to worry about. What you don’t know can hurt you.

Last comes Watcher:

So Dana, are you privy to pm’s between Heidi and Jane Doe? How do you know she told her to eat, if Heidi didn’t make it public? We have only the desperate pleadings of Jane as recently as last week. Where did you get your info from?

Dana, have you taken a look at Jane Doe’s journal entries?

An entry was sent to me last night. I will not post it in it’s entirety. But I do want to post one small section.

“I am going to do protein shakes, chicken broth and diet drinks for the next five days…Kimmer thinks it might get things moving on the scale.”

Did you get that Dana?

Heidi is telling her to drink protein shakes, chicken broth, and diet drinks.

Do you know what that is doing to her body? The body is starving. It will feed off the muscles.

The heart is a muscle.

Jane Doe is a prime candidate for sudden death from her diet and exercise.

So the answer is NO.

I will not quit.

UPDATE:
AvenueGirl responds to Dana in more detail on her blog. Here is just a small excerpt from her post, Am I Off Topic Here?

I’m not going to lie to you Dana. I did not get it at first. I didn’t understand what the big deal was. I felt I wanted to be in charge, and make my own decisions. I didn’t need these crazy “haters” raining on my parade. So I entered the fascination thread to give them my two cents.

I took the time to stop and listen to their responses to me too. I wanted to understand why they were so intent on carrying on. It wasn’t just one or two looneys putting up a stink. Their number was probably somewhere in the hundreds.

Their compassion for others became clearly apparent to me within the writing of just a few posts. They had nothing to “sell” me. There was nothing in it for them. I was just an intruder. Yet, they took the time to listen to me, and treated me fairly.

Now I have joined the “haters” for better or worse. I understand their mission, and I believe the cause is beyond worthy.

Very well said. The cause is beyond worthy.

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.

The Science of Wearing Red

In a recent post, Medusa, talked about Heidi’s affinity for wearing red.

Kimkins Controversy-Kimkins Scam posted a nice piece showing the science of wearing red. This is my favorite part:

A person who likes red can express many personality traits. The positive ones being passion, energy, and money making. The darker manifestations of those who favor reddish-brown colors can be addictions such as drugs, alcohol, eating disorders or emotional instability.

Sound like anyone we know???