Journaling the Good & the Bad

Gosh, don't you hate having to physically memorialize your off days?

I've had some struggles this week. some days were great (at or below points goals) and some days sucked. Yesterday I went over by about 200 calories. I woke up ravenous, but have been trying to stay on.

But I'm writing it down. Every morsel, each ounce, all the points.

I've had two meals so far, and I've used up almost two-thirds of my caloric allowance without any snacks yet and without my last main meal. Hmmm. I need to be cautious of the rest of my food intake. Can we say salad?

Dinking my water. Check. Focusing on the goals. Check.

But, man, was it hard limiting myself to ONE meatball at lunch. The Italian market down the street makes the BEST, the BEST meatballs. In the past, I'd have two, sometimes three. But today... just one. And just one cup of pasta, instead of the my past usual three to FOUR or more.

Limitations suck. BUT...limitations will help me be healthier.

Are you food journaling? Just about every expert I've read say it's a very good idea, at least until you get down to maintenance. If you haven't--try it.

It's not easy, but it's eye-opening and, sometimes, it's motivational.

If only this was easier...

^

Bible Verse For the Anti-Kimkins Fight

Ephesians 5:11 (NLT)

Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them.

Thanks to Sheridan for posting that at the LCF forum.
~

Exercise Excerpt: Start Easy and Grow

Exercise seems to be a big stopping block in my desire to live healthy and I am sure I am not the only one that feels this way. But I truly believe exercise revolves around finding something that you enjoy and at the very least something that you do not despise. If you trying to do something that you do not like, you will soon find many ways of talking yourself out of sticking with the plan.

I also believe that if you go from no exercise at all to wanting to exercise an hour and a half daily, six days a week, you have probably set yourself up for failure. If you start out with 20 minutes, 3 times a week and increase your time as you get in a routine and become comfortable, you are much more likely to be successful.

--from the September 22 entry at Healthy Living

The Triumph of Perseverance and the Glory of Never, Ever Quitting

You don't just hurriedly throw a couple rocks on top of each other and call it a castle. You don't just throw a wet paintbrush at a canvas and call it a masterpiece.

At her blog today, Chubby Chick features a great Calvin cartoon (dontcha love Calvin and Hobbes!?) It's an ironic one, and it fits her post topic of persevering in this weight loss journey.

It's funny, cause this time around, I'm out to lose SLOWLY. And that's exactly how it's going. Every other time, I've psyched myself to lose 2-4 pounds a week--really aiming at 3 or more. Haven't you done that? Said, "Oh, one to two pounds a week is great" but inside you were thinking, "No, I must lose it FASTER. This isn't good enough!" Then, once the initial phase (a week, two weeks) of fast fat loss passed, and it settled to the drudgery of the daily discipline and the minimal losses, I'd get dissatisfied, frustrated, negative, and "bored."

I'd give up. Too few immediate rewards.

That's what children do. That's not what mature people do. That's not what artists out to make something that last do. That's not what castle-builders out to save their lives behind those fortress walls did.

If it's worth it and if it's durable, it will require patience, discipline, and persistence.

Well, this time, I've told myself that I must see it differently. My daily mantra: I must be vigilant and eat smaller portions for the rest of my life.

We hear that a lot about weight loss, but it's revolutionary all the same when it registers in one's own brain.

For life. No going off. No, "This is just to get the weight off."

No, it's for life.

I got fat for assorted reasons, but mostly cause I had bad habits in terms of portions and sedentary living.

I am working on the portions and calorie limits. I am still stuck in sedentary.

It's a work in progress. But, unlike Calvin, I can't afford to get bored.


I can't see this as a sprint. It's a marathon. A marathon that may last decades, depending on how long I live. And I've no doubt my bad habits and obesity robbed me of life. Things of value--like fitness, good health, weight loss--take time to do right, to do so it lasts. Anything that stands the test of time takes hard work and time: Castles, Cathedrals, raising kids, creating the Sistine Chapel...

We're works of art.

While I was in the bathroom after waking up, reaching for the t.p., I was telling myself, "It's for life."

While I got on the scale, I told myself, "It's for life, not just this week or today."

So, it was cool to see Chubby Chick's post. And her small, shimmering motto: "It's not a diet. It's a life-changing commitment."

I can't go back to huge portions of Italian food. Of emptying bread baskets in restaurants. Or eating half a pizza. Of snarfing down a slice of chocolate cake that could easily feed two. Of eating a foot-long sub. Of eating several ounces of cheese at a pop. Of generously dousing salads with dressing. Of eating the whole chocolate bar. Of having three tacos instead of one or two. Of having humongous bowls of cereal instead of measuring out a sound, sane portion. Of drinking 16 ounces of OJ instead of 6 or, at most, 8. Of forgetting to count the calories in the sides, like cranberry sauce. Of double portions of fatty gravy. Of thinking that if I share that oversized, American restaurant portion, that it's suddenly a virtuous, low-calorie entree. Half of a triple portion is still half a portion too much.

I can't just follow my appetite, cause it leads to destruction.

No. I gotta keep working at that work of art that will be called "The Triumph of Perseverance" when the labor delivers its fruit. That will be renamed "The Continued Triumph of Perseverance" when the loss is maintained.

It's for life.

And we gotta keep telling ourselves that. We don't get to go off the diet. The diet is a lifestyle, must be a lifestyle, or we will fail, cause we won't persevere.

I'm only in the earliest phase of this artwork. It's gonna be a while here, with the dust and chiseling and sketching and all those fumblings of the brush and the hammer. Inspiration is variable. The muse is often out doing errands. Still, the work goes on: If it's a pound a week, or a half-pound, then I'll say goodbye to 26 or 52 pounds next Columbus day. The scale is my friend. The scale lets me know it's ups and downs, but there's progress in the big picture.

Art takes time. Put on some music to help you keep going. We're all of us dancing and drawing and painting and sculpting our way to a better day, and we're not dancing alone. The smells of marble dust and colorful oils and metals shaped in the fire fill the air. Smell it? Nice to have company, yes?

For more on perseverance--though she might tag it "never, never, never give up-ing"--visit the terrific blog Escape from Obesity.

Something is Up in the Kimkins Cause

Ducky, The Truth, Kimkins Sucks, and Kimkins Dangers...they're all grinning and winking. And the energetic ladies at the LCF are changing their avatars to grins.

Something is up. Stay tuned.

(Hope CarolinaRose doesn't mind I borrowed her avatar for this.)

(above originally posted at 3:11 PM on Friday)
~~
Edited to Ad: I just sent email to Google Adwords regarding their ads for Kimkins. I protested the ads and requested they be disallowed and banned. Add your voice. Do a google search on "Kimkins" and you'll see the ad is the first one on the right side, top. Kimkins Controversy has the information on how to contact Google AdWords and protest with the pertinent information on Kimmer/Kimkins. Do it today.

~~~

Edited Yet Again to Add: Oops. Misread Ducky's cues. Calm down. All is calm, literally.

Chicken Tacos: Mmmmmmm and Bran Muffins

Nicole has posted a Chicken Taco recipe that's EASY--for the cooking-impaired like The Princess or the harried, busy gal or guy--and that looks yummy. (Yep, there's a pic.) It looks to be about 3 WW points and not a whole lot of calories.

But before you get to the taco-ey delight, read her "vision" list. Maybe you have visionary things in common.
~~

Edited to add: Setting Her Free's Heather has a Bran Muffins recipe on her blog today. They've got one of The Princess' favorites: BLUEBERRIES!

Upping the Agua

Teale is trying hard to get the water intake she needs. We all know how important it is to drink plenty of fluids while on this journey.

Why?

1. to remain properly hydrated, so we don't confuse thirst with hunger.
2. to give our tummies that sense of fullness when we're eating less than we were used to or still want to
3. to keep you from becoming constipated (which shows on the scale and is just plain painful)
4. to minimize bloat from sodium intake from convenience foods like frozen dinners and canned soups

There are, I'm sure, other reasons, but these are the ones that come to mind for me.

I never was a water drinker. I've ALWAYS had trouble getting in more than a cup or a couple a day. Those "drink 8 glasses a day" rules used to just frustrate me.

This time, it's been easy. I just made a system of it: I can't eat until I have 3 to 4 glasses of water.

That's it. That's the only change I made. Told myself: I will drink water BEFORE I eat. That way, I can journal my water easily when I journal my food. Right there, how many cups.

I find that it takes about 3.5 cups for me to start feeling the tummy distention thing. One to 3 cups alone doesn't do it. Only after 3 cups does my apparently enormous stomach pouch get the "stretchy" sense that something is in there.

If I drink 3 cups before each of my three meals, that's NINE CUPS OF WATER at least for the day. If I drink a couple more with snacks, I make it past ten cups. So, this ONE strategy--link drinking water to "before meals"-- has simplified intake for me. Rather than chugging all day long (which annoys me, though it works for some), I just guzzle it fast while I'm heating or preparing meals, so that it's done and out of the way before I sit down to the yummies. (I'm not much for drinking a lot WHILE I eat, so this fits with my modus operandi.)

What's your tip for getting in adequate or substantial amounts of water?

~

Kimkins: The Princess Asks Woman's World to Step Up and Do The Right Thing

If you were lured to the Kimkins site via the Woman's World June 12, 2007 issue that carried Christin on the cover with the title "Better than Gastric Bypass," please write Woman's World at DearWW@AOL.com and ask they not be fooled by Kimmer/Heidi's smooth email responses and, rather, get some writer on the story and do a cover issue on dangerous diets to stay away from (ie, Kimkins).

I think a story on the "Kimkins Survivors" who have had side effects or were banned and threatened would be one heck of a draw. I'd buy it!

And I'd respect them for setting a wrong right, especially after they sent a stern letter to Martin of Slamboard to stop using the WW June issue graphic. Well, Kimkins dot com still uses that graphic at their site to lure in customers. How come WW is okay with that? Not okay for a whistleblower to use it, but okay for a fibbing diet tyrant to use it?

We need to send them a message that says, basically, "Step up Woman's World. Step up. Ethical journalism demands you print a follow-up with the SAME MODEL (ie Christin) and her story of medical woes and recrimination and regrets. And her insider knowledge of the iffy goings on. Include Jeanessa and her initiation of a class action lawsuit. Include the bannings. The tirades. The advice to use laxatives. The advice that said it was okay not to eat as long as one had excess fat on one's body(which encouraged the eating disordered to STARVE)."

I did not proof my email to WW (shame on me) or phrase as tactfully as I should have in places. You go and do better than I did, okay, when you write. Proofread and be diplomatic but firm.

Here are parts of what I sent:

Back in June, your glowing article on the Kimkins Diet led thousands to join up at $60 a pop. Now, more and more information has come out that the plan is 1. dangerous to those who follow it as detailed and 2. based on a fraudulent claim by "Kimmer" (Heidi Diaz/Kim Drake) that she lost 198 pounds in 11 months and has maintained that weight loss for several years, including at the time of your article.

I'm a regular reader of WW. I saw that cover article. I cut out that article. I almost signed on to the Kimkins site and plan. I'm glad I did not.

Now, sites all over the net--including my blog--have been posting information as the storm gathers. Former Kimkins members and administrators INCLUDING THE COVER MODEL FOR YOUR ISSUE and another "success story" within the article have repudiated the diet, laid out evidence that shows Heidi Diaz/"Kimmer" is a fraud, and have confessed their side effects from the diet (some of which was suppressed for the WW article).

snip~

Becky and Christin and Deny all have blogged in detail about the issue. It's time Woman's World did their part, for all of those who read that story and trusted that you'd checked this diet out properly.

Please. Don't drop this ball. ~snip~ A story about the "survivors" and the fraud would get those thousands of Kimkinites buying the magazine, and the anti-Kimkins brigade buying the magazine, and it would get the world out as a public service. Please.

For more information, these sites:

Christin's blog (your cover model for the Kimkins story): http://the-journey-on.blogspot.com/
Becky's blog (especially see The Perfect Storm entries) http://winningweight.blogspot.com/
Deni's blog (one of your success stories in that article) http://openbench.blogspot.com/
Kimkins Survivors (various ex-members reveal their experiences) http://kimkinssurvivors.wordpress.com/
Ducky's blog (keeping the revelations in one spot)-- http://kimkinsexposed.wordpress.com
About.com's "Inside Kimkins" (they investigated and put a warning) http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/populardietplans/a/kimkinsdiet_2.htm
Kimkins Dangers: http://kimkinsdangers.blogspot.com/
The Truth Starts Here (more undercover work)--http://thetruthinhiding.blogspot.com/

Or just google a blog search for "Kimkins" and find lots of stuff.

Please email Woman's World magazine. Let them know we dieters are harmed when they lure us with glowing articles on diets that are dangerous in terms of caloric levels or nutrient deficiences. And when they've indeed promoted bad diets--like Kimkins--they need to retract and warn readers with follow-up articles placed just as prominently as the first.

Write them: DearWW@aol.com

The Perfect Storm, Part Two: Kimkins

Becky continues her shatteringly good blog series on the frauds that are Kimkins the diet and Kimmer the diet tyrant.

*

The best anti-Kimkins quote of the day comes from HoneyBee2 of the Low Carb Friends forum:

IF THE RED DRESS DOESN'T FIT, THEY CAN'T ACQUIT!!!

I couldn't help adding the comma. It's the English major in me.

(Context: "Kimmer's" after picture of an attractive, very slim brunette in a tight red dress is the flagship photo of the Kimkins marketing campaign. It's NOT Kimmer, but is known as the "red dress pic." If anyone ever finds out who that model is, we'd all like to know.)

Motivation Moment: Create a Vision

Create a vision.

Have you ever written a business plan before? Writing a vision is crucial for the success of your business and it is crucial for your weight loss plan. Your vision is what you are working towards and how you envision your life.

Why do you want to lose weight? You must go beyond “I want to lose 15 pounds” or “I want to fit into a size 8”. Go a bit deeper. What will weight loss bring you? For most people it will bring increased energy and better health. It may even allow you to participate in something you have been longing to do like run a marathon or go on a back packing trip. These are heart-felt reasons to lose weight that will keep you motivated in the long run.

When you start to slide back into your old habits, just ask yourself, is this choice bringing me closer to my vision?

--from "Weight Loss--Five Ways To Stay Motivated" by Meri Raffetto

Bloat Troll say Bye-Bye

Mr Tanita says: 279.6

Seeing is Believing

Christin, the "face" of the Kimkins diet, as it were, because of her cover model status back in June when Woman's World featured the controversial ultra-low carb VLCD, has a message for those still doing Kimkins (or similar diets) and those thinking of joining even with all the scandal.

It's a moving testimony.

A woman of religious conviction and strong conscience, Christin has posted a 17-minute video on her blog describing the side effects she has suffered from doing Kimkins, and she apologizes to those who were sucked into the plan due to her success story in the magazine.

If there is one thing you sense seeing the video is how genuine this woman is, how you get the vibe of honesty. She honestly thought she was helping people back then by being the poster gal for Kimkins, and she genuinely is convinced now that she was mistaken and that the diet is dangerous. She is warning folks away from Kimkins. She is baring her errors to the world. SHE IS APOLOGIZING.

Notice the enormous difference between Heidi Diaz/Kimmer and Christin.

One woman (Heidi Diaz/Kimmer) went into this--as it alleged by those who knew her and followed her history of posting on low-carb forums and her words and actions on the Kimkins site--to satisfy her ego and cash in on the desperation of the overweight. Cash in big-time. We're talking more than a million dollars since June. Once the truth about her misrepresentations (ie, lies) started leaking out, Heidi/Kimmer has escalated her vicious and manipulative behavior at her site, and this reaction from her has resulted in numerous complaints at the Better Business Bureau. One former member has organized a class action suit. A former partner is prepared to cooperate with authorities with all the records at their disposal.

Kimmer/Heidi has not apologized for lying and berating and censoring and summarily banning members who did nothing more than ask questions about the safety of the Kimkins eating plans or about the veracity of Kimmer/Heidi's weight loss claims--which were brought into huge disarray by the photos of the P.I. hired by former partners-- or of the testimony of those making allegations against Kimmer/Heidi. No, Heidi/Kimmer has gripped more tightly to the reins of her power. She's read private messages, hired administrators without the least tact or concern for members, and has begun an avid campaign of intimidation to keep folks in line and very, very quiet. If you doubt this, visit the links on my sidebar (way down at the left) and read and learn.

Contrasting the Kimmer/Heidi behavior, Christin has done the honorable thing: Admitted she erred. And now she is seeking to keep others from taking the dangerous road she traveled through the medium of her blog.

I--an obese woman who did go to the Kimkins site after the WW article, but who refrained from joining due to what seemed the extreme low-carb nature of the diet (not my thing, I like my whole grain bread and pasta, plus I didn't feel like spending the moolah for that sort of diet)--yes, I appreciate the importance and generosity of what Christin has done with this video and is doing with her continued speaking out.

She is caring about people who might get hurt and is not making money off her revelation.

Heidi/Kimmer only cares about Kimmer/Heidi, and she wants to keep members piling into the oppressively censored atmosphere of Kimkins, bringing $60 bucks a pop for the Diaz coffers. That's why you see so much advertising for the Kimkins diet site despite the turmoil, questions, accusations, photos, testimonies, and appeals. Heidi/Kimmer wants the money train to roll on, cause, I guess, duping 40 thousand plus people into a malnutrition way of life is not sufficient, and a million plus (as estimated by those who worked there) is not sufficent.

One is trying to do the right thing. One is trying to protect an ego and bank account boosting empire.

One puts her own face and own frailties on display as a mercy.

One hides away to protect the truth about her lies.

Who are YOU going to listen to?

I know which woman I believe. I believe the one who shows herself, displays her pain, offers her mea culpas, and wishes us well. The one that so many former Kimkinites say made the boards a place of support and encouragement and affection. You can see that winning femininity and soft-spokenness in the video.

Contrast the reports people make about their contact and relationships with Christian (positive) and the reports of the relationship and contact people have had with Heidi/Kimmer (negative).

Go watch Christin's video, especially if you have been doing a dangerous or starvation type diet (like Kimkins).

And Kimmer: You could learn something from the graciousness and repentance of those who used to work for you.

Bloat Troll: Ruby Tuesdays & Sodium

Seems like several of my blogging fatfighter friends have had battles with the Bloat Troll lately. I had my defeat yesterday and this morning. But today and tomorrow, I'm kicking troll butt.

First, some context.

My scale readings were really nice in the days before TUESDAY. Down in the 279's. Even went as far down as 278.4. :) But, hubby and I were out of the house all day yesterday--I got my hair cut and dyed, he got his trimmed, lunch out with sister, major groceries run. Then I got home, made my low-WW-points soup batch, we had dinner. And I fell asleep on the couch. I vaguely remember hubby putting a pillow under my head. I was zonked. (Had only slept about 5 hours the night before.)

Note: I didn't drink extra water to compensate, cause 1. at the hairdresser's, I didn't drink ANY. At Ruby Tuesdays, the water tasted awful, left it behind. And at home, I fell asleep watching DAMAGES. I drank my usual 8 glasses and not much more. Sigh.

Now, back to ground zero: Lunch out with sis and hubby at Ruby Tuesdays. I knew ahead of time that wherever we ended up going, I wanted someplace I could get lots of veggies. Fill-me-up veggies. R.T.'s is good, cause they have a salad bar--as long as I stay away from the blue cheese dressing.

Blue cheese dressing. This is one of my "I have no control" foods. So, it's best avoided. If I don't avoid it, I end up ladling it on top like a madwoman, so that I end up less with salad and more with some sort of chilled soup. Only slightly exaggerating there.

Valiantly, I piled my plate high with the non-fat/non-junk items (ie, colorful greens and veggies and a bit of chick peas for legumey fiberness) and skipped the potato salad and other mayonaissey stuff. I put a bit of Italian dressing on half, and a bit of lite ranch on the other.

I also got the white bean chicken chili, cause Scale Junkie had a white bean chili recipe recenty and gave me a craving. And my sis had the artichoke and spinach dip with tortilla chips. I had 8 chips. I counted them out.

The salad was yummy. The beans had a lovely consistently (didn't eat the chicken, cause I am not big on chicken in soup). The chips with minimal amount of dip were crispy and tasty. But the sodium tally was startling.

Here's the thing: Hubby and I used to dine out nearly every night. This will explain part of my balooning up to giganto size. Eating out tends to be very bad for the lipid profile and the hip size. Restaurants don't watch oil use or portions for you. And they certainly don't watch the salt. Even at one of my fave local diners--a "gourmet" one that serves French food--the soups are overloaded with salt. I have no idea why. Makes no sense. To the chefs: If you're making fresh soup with fresh veggies, why the heck do you salt it like it needs to last the winter?

During the last month, I've been getting food delivered daily (at about 3 in the am, which is wreaking havoc with my sleep schedule), and it's mostly low-salt and assuredly low-fat and definitely portion-controlled. It has affected my sensitivity to salt, I realized.

Yesterday, with my first spoonful, I noticed how very salty the Ruby Tuesdays stuff is. I hadn't really noticed before, ya know. When you eat out all the time, you get used to the huge salt factor.

But I haven't been eating out all the time in restaurants. Not for weeks.

There I was, 4 in the pm, slurping up chili and gobbling down green peppers and cucumbers and romaine lettuce and beets with non-cheesy dressings, and my tongue noticed that the Bonneville Salt Flats had relocated to my mouth. And my mind was rolling one phrase over and over: "This is totally gonna kill me on the scales for the challenge weigh-in."

Now, this morning: Mr. Tanita says 282.4

Lovely. I am officially pissed at salt. And I've got a general grudge for the irresponsible salt content of American restaurant items. No wonder we've got an epidemic of high blood pressure.

Anyway, I'll be hitting the papaya and coconut water and clementines today to try and debloat some. And next week I'm into PMS time (maybe, er, perimenopause allowing). Which means water retention and salty cravings. So, even more important to get the current bloat out of the way.

So, there. A crap weigh-in. But I'm not upset. Even with eating out yesterday and those non-diet dressings, and even with going 300 calories over my maximum diet calorie count, I know I didn't eat anywhere near enough to gain 3 pounds. I did, however, swallow a good portion of the Atlantic's salt content. :::shrug:::

I think while nutritional activists are out to kill trans fats and reduce portions in eateries, they need to focus on salt, too. There is no reason a perfectly good chili or salad dressing needs to be salted to the max. None. Make it good and make it low-sodium, I say.

There's my first weigh-in for the Look Great in 2008 Challenge.

Now, let me slosh my way over to the fruit bowl and water jug...:::bloop, bloop, gurgle, burble:::: That's the only way I know to safely fend off a Bloat Troll.

Note: I have some commitments today that will keep me busy, but Zanitta, I'll try and post that recipe you requested--and I am a crap cook, beware--as soon as I can. Happy Wednesday fatfighters!!! And make sure to visit the anti-Kimkins brigade for some startling updates and to add your prayers to those for Christin.

Queenly Quotes: "Slow and Steady Wins"

"No one expects you to make changes all at once or to drop ten pounds in a week. That would just be unrealistic! So don't be discouraged if you don't see changes overnight. Challenge yourself to keep up your spirits no matter how you are doing. As long as you continue doing your program, exercising, and eating right, you will see changes. Remember: When you change your habits day by day and lose weight at a slow, healthy rate, you are more likely to maintain the changes and keep the weight off."

--Harley Pasternak, author of THE FIVE FACTOR DIET, in "Harley's Daily Challenge"

Kimkins Diet Needs a Warning Sign

Read what Deni, former Kimkins member, has posted about her visit to the doctor and about her side effects on the radical diet.

Sparkly Factoid: The Good Diet Blues

Bring the color blue into your life more often. There’s a good reason you won’t see many fast-food restaurants decorated in blue: Believe it or not, the color blue functions as an appetite suppressant. So serve up dinner on blue plates, dress in blue while you eat, and cover your table with a blue tablecloth. Conversely, avoid red, yellow, and orange in your dining areas. Studies find they encourage eating.

--from Reader's Digest STEALTH HEALTH as quoted at AllRecipes.com

Kimkins Miracles Do Happen

...all it requires is you pay her $60 to join a plan that encourages you to starve your body.

Yes, I allege on the weight of multiple testimonies and photographs that miracles need to occur for Kimkins to be a legitimately founded program and site with a legitimate creator and role model (ie. Kimmer or Heidi Diaz or Kim Drake or assorted aliases) with a medically safe (as claimed by Kimmer) eating plan for fast weight loss.

Some of those miracles would be:

1. That "Kimmer" would show herself as the svelte person she claims to be, rather than the morbidly obese scam artist that she is accused of being by, well, a whole lotta folks, including former partners , former site administrators, and former members. Several former affiliates have removed Kimkins from their sites after looking into the matter and seeing that there was a huge stench of fraud.

2. It would be a miracle if when Kimmer tells folks that the admin ability to read site member private messages has been disabled, it actually has been disabled. She's said the techs disabled it, but then a "mole" proved that it was not disabled. This has happened more than once.

3. It would be a miracle to find out who the heck those after pictures are of--the red dress woman, the tiger top woman, etc--because none of them are Kimmer/Heidi Diaz. And anyone with moderately serviceable eyesight can see that these are NOT the same person.
(pic from Psychic Rations)

4. It would be a miracle for Heidi not to be Kimmer. Again, with moderately serviceable eyesight, you could tell the before Kimmer pics are a match for the current Heidi pics. Nose. Chin. Mouth. Body proportions. Fake looking hair (ie. wigs) in similar styles. Look at the two profiles.

5. It would be a miracle if all those spanking new pro-Kimkins blogs that have cropped up are actually run by real people and not by Kimmer and her paid admins spamming the web to get more people to feed the $60 a pop habit Kimmer's developed(ie, new members suckered in to pay that to join the "club.")

6. It would be a miracle for Kimmer to finally just go in front of a news camera and admit that she lied, lied, lied and then lied some more--about losing the weight, about the non-existence of starvation mode, about her identities, about the medical acceptability and safety of laxative abuse, about the money that went to foster kids, about volunteering with blind folks, etc. This is a miracle I'd like to see.

6. It would be a miracle if the money collected for the foster kids actually went to the foster kids for the stated purpose of helping them transition to an independent life.

Here's the thing: Weight loss is not a miracle.

It's a natural process that occurs when we get control of our bad eating and sedentary habits. It's darn hard work, not a miracle. (Well, okay, God could zap you and make you skinny, but that's not usually how He works. There are more important things in the world that divine power could be used for than making you fit into a size 2 in six months.)

When Kimkins claims that you can lose weight fast--it's the truth. You can. Crash diets serve that purpose all the time. Not a miracle, though. It's called STARVING. IT's called NOT EATING ENOUGH FOOD to sustain normal functions, so the body has to cannibalize fat and muscle to survive. Yeah, go on. Eat only 500 or 800 calories a day and see if you don't lose tons of weight. But the, watch out for those wacky side effects. Any extended VLCD can make you lose tons of hair. Kimkins survivors report this. Also, this kind of diet can lead to gallstones, calcium deficiencies, kidney trouble, along with dizziness, excessive weakness, and nausea (which Kimkins decided was an optimal state and even sold t-shirts and other paraphernalia with SNATT on it, for semi-nauseious all the time.) And, worst of all for those wanting desperately to get slim, you can wreck your thyroid and your metabolism, so that you need lifelong medication and may not be able to eat normal caloric levels without gaining weight. Think about THAT.

Don't believe me? Well, hear it from the mouths of former partners and administrators and "survivors." Look at the pics a private investigator took. Read the trail. Follow the money. Listen to the personal testimonies. Google up a blog or regular web search on "Kimkins fraud" or "Kimkins Exposed" or "Kimkins Survivors" or "Kimkins Dangers" and start reading.(See links on my sidebar left, way, way down, last list there.)

There is no miracle weight loss. There are dangerous diets. Learn the difference. Or instead of weight loss heaven, you might end up in post-crash-diet hell.

The last miracle: That a person with a working brain and an sense of morality and prudence and social responsibility, after researching all the above allegations, still signs on as a Kimkinite. That would defy all the expectation of logic and reason.

NOTE: For my regular readers, understand I'm gonna be posting on this until Kimmer/Heidi is properly exposed by some news organization or legal investigations, such as the class action suit being organized. I don't want others like me to be tempted and lured in. Excuse me harping on this subject, if it bothers you. If you want to help vulnerable obese people, please post against this dangerous diet. Thanks for understanding.

Things To Do With $60 Instead of Buying a Kimkins Membership

Since the Kimkins folks are spamming the web with the above heading, I decided to give other options that won't damage your health and put you in close contact with a con artist and her henchpeople:

1. Join a free low-carb forum, like Active Low-Carber or Low Carb Friends, do your low-carbing safely and with cheerful support, and donate $60.00 to people who are starving in the third world, not out of choice (ie, doing the strict Kimkins starvation diet), but cause they just plain don't have enough food.

2. Try a different healthy eating plan by visiting sites online and finding one that suits your personality and tastes, and donate the $60.00 to your local community food bank.

3. Spend sixty dollars on healthful groceries and feed your body moderate portions.

4. Buy a cool anime bento box and have fun with smaller portions of vegetables and whole grains at lunchtime. Smaller portions of Japanese style food (ie, greens, veggies, fish, etc) equals losing weight. Heck, with sixty bucks, you can buy more than one anime bento and share the joy.

5. Buy 4 exercise DVDs and use them every day.

6. Buy a steamer for your kitchen, and steam those veggies!

7. Make sixty bucks worth of ham or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pass them out to homeless people. Seeing folks who are much, much worse off than you may give you a dose of perspective that'll keep you from obssessing so much about your weight that you'd easily fall prey to the alluring promises of the Kimkins Diet.


8. Buy a nice Bible or Torah or whatever holy book suits you, and read about behaving like a decent, respectful, upright, honest, non-scamming person who will seek moderation in all pleasures of the flesh--like eating--but excess in joy and benevolence and holiness. The sort of book that espouses fasting for spiritual reasons and to benefit the world, not for shallow reasons such as wanting to look hot at a high school reunion or in a red dress. Holiness, spirituality, moderation, unselfishness, divinely-inspired self-control: There's a diet plan Kimmer wouldn't recognize if John the Baptist whacked her on the wig with his staff.

9. Find another dieter who needs support and buy 60 bucks worth of encouraging cards, and mail one out every week to keep him or her motivated.

10. Buy 4 or 6 paperback books written by bona fide professionals on how to make healthful life changes or how to sanely and effectively strategize to get control of eating, and then read a chapter every morning and a chapter every evening.

11. Buy a new nifty scale and do what every every reasonable professional has recommended to overweight people since time began: Eat less. Move more.

12. Buy sixty dollars worth of lemons and paper cups, then make fresh lemonade with no sugar. Go to some park where kids and families are hot and sweaty from playing in the sun, and, cheerfully, pass out free beverages to the thirsty who'll accept your offering. Just lugging and dispensing all that will burn off a quarter pound of fat, and you'll feel better. Then go back to the park every day and walk.

13. Sponsor a poor child for a couple months. At thirty dollars a month, you can sponsor a poor child who would stare stunned at a Westerner who would voluntarily NOT EAT GOOD FOOD cause some con artist said there is no such thing as "starvation mode" and, gee, you can lose a pound a day.

14. Buy a pair of walking shoes. And use them.

15. Buy simple hand weights--the colored ones are fun!--and use them every other day.

16. Buy a quality exercise mat...and use it.

17. Buy a dress two sizes too small, and put it right in front of your closet so you can't miss it. Make it a red dress, like the one Kimmer ISN'T REALLY WEARING in her after picture, because it's not her, cause she never lost a bazillion pounds. Eat sensibly as you use the dress for motivation. When you fit into that red dress, go dancing with someone you love. And while this may seem to contradict a comment in #8, I will only say I am vast--really vast!--and I contain multitudes. Find the balance between feeling good about being a girl and wearing a nice dress and the obssession of vanity. So there.

18. Pay for a session with a dietitian and discuss how to lose weight sensibly.

19. Pay for an introductory session with a therapist to figure out why you binge eat or are attracted to disordered starvation dieting.

20. Buy $60 worth of music downloads of really high-powered tunes and just dance, dance, dance away in your house and in your yard and on the roof! Do this often.

21. Join a health club. That sixty bucks can pay for at least a month during which you can exercise EVERY DAY to build up muscle, burn off calories, and make fitness-minded friends who will happily support you on your weight loss journey. Maybe that month will turn into a year...but sixty bucks can get you started.

22. Buy rubber ducks for all the kids in your family. Make bathtime quacky fun. Plus, we love Ducky!

23. Buy original art online and support a "starving" artist. If you like wacky alien and zombie and monster art, try Monster by Mail. You can get TWO original art pieces for 60 bucks. Or just do a search for "original art" on eBay. You'll be surprised how affordable original, fun, non-caloric art can be. And if you want quality prints, then sixty buck easily gets you 2 letter-sized or 3 smaller archival quality prints form one of my fave artists, Sara Butcher. Just staring at Sara's art for a few minutes is sure to relax you enough to decide to have fruit instead of Doritos. Most days, anyway.

24. Upgrade your plus-sized work-out wear.

25. Sign-up for Weight Watchers online, or eDiets online, or The South Beach Diet online, or The Biggest Loser Club, or some other SANE subscription diet program that lets you eat a wide variety of wholesome foods in proper portions.

26. Go buy some yummy ChocoPerfection chocolate.

27. Go buy some yummy Vitalicious Vitamuffins in deep chocolate. Sixty bucks lets you buy several flavors--enough to share!

28. Go buy some fabulous Torreo coffee in Mocha Java or Mountain Blend or Yemen Mattari. (My faves.)

29. Go buy some lawn game gear, such as badminton, and work off some of your weekend caloric intake by swatting shuttlecocks around.

30. Buy a hula hoop and remember what it was like to be 8 years old and much slimmer. You were slimmer then cause you jumped rope, ran around bases, played hopscotch, pounded tether balls, climbed jungle gyms, and hula hooped. (Pictured left, the cool, top-of-the-line hulas from www.hoopgirl.com.)


There ya go. THIRTY things you can do with 60 bucks that will improve your--or somebody else's--life. None of the above items or activities or organizations will contribute to stuffing money into the scandalous pockets of a diet scammer named Heidi Diaz aka Kimmer of Kimkins.com.

If you have other fabulous things one can do with sixty bucks that promote your health or somebody else's health and does not promote quack diets and their shady promulgators, why not comment and let everyone know.

Happy and healthful spending!

I Dub Thee, Sir Tea, Defender of the Realm

Crabby McSlacker wrote the following in an archived post from June:

Tea, though it seems a refined beverage, is nonetheless a scrappy bad-ass cancer fighter. Antioxidants, those nutritional Superheroes, are the reason.

I love tea, but this will definitely color my reaction next time I whip up some home brewed. I mean, will my cuppa have a little cape around it. Will my iced tea fly right to me?

No, really, I love the term "scrappy bad-ass"

So, go drink some more tea, and if anyone is artistically inclined, consider creating the "Hot and Cold Adventures of SuperTea and his BadAss Brew-Crew."

I'd read it.

Hey, do you take lemon or milk or do you like your hot tea plain?

Me, I'll drink my hot tea sweet, no milk. (I add milk when I need comfort reminders of childhood, but not often.) I like my iced tea sweet with lime, or lemon if no lime is about. And I like to make my own iced tea, rather than use a powder formula. And I like Sweet n Low in my iced tea and Splenda in my hot. Do not ask why? I am not even sure myself. Habit.

INSPIRED: The Movie

I know this sounds like something *I* want to see! Visit their site and see. (Note the link to a blog, too.)

Kimmer told Jimmy Moore ...

that she was Heidi Diaz. Here's the comment from Becky's excellent THE PERFECT STORM Part 1 blog entry:

Excellent work, Becky! Actually, I will add one thing to what you wrote: When I requested my affiliate sales be sent by check and not PayPal, "Kimmer" admitted at that time that she was really Heidi Diaz but "Shhhh, don't tell anyone. It's our secret."

Then when she told me her name really is Kimmer and that Heidi Diaz is her cousin in in July, this flip-flop in her story was one of the major issues that made me grow concerned enough to break all ties with her fake identity and suspicious diet plan once and for all.

In light of all that has happened since, I'm glad I did. Keep up the great work, Becky!

Kimmer is vehemently denying she's Heidi. Heidi gets the checks, you see? And, well, we all know to FOLLOW THE MONEY.

Most Fun Anti-Kimkins Site Bar None!

I am literally having to reach for my asthma inhaler. This had my husband coming into the office to see what was up, cause I was ROARING with laughter. Now, I wheeze.

Borat Does Kimkins

The voice is perfect. I read it out loud--between bellows of hilarity--in the 'Borat' voice. If you've seen the Borat film, do it in Borat voice out loud. Trust me. It adds to the fun.

I cannot wait for the next Borat/Kimkins post. All that laughing and rolling burns calories!

Plus, with all the dire Kimkins stuff, the humor is a healthy tonic.

Edited 9/22 to Add: If you want more Kimmer-humor, visit the amusing Ozzified recap at Psychic Rations. Go on, burn those calories with guffaws.

Strategies for The Scale and The Spouse: What I Posted To Chubby Chick...

....just a few minutes ago at her terrific, honest, open JOURNEYING TO LOSE 200 blog. (I'll copy and paste at the bottom of this post. First, I must ramble.)

I figure we sometimes kick ourselves for not being perfect, and we can't. We can't be perfect. Ever. We're human. And we're learning.

Those of us losing A LOT of weight need time to adjust, to learn new habits, to figure out how to work around our triggers, to just learn self-control via good strategies in eating. It's hard work. And it's like learning a new vocation. Weight loss is a new job, nearly full-time in the beginning as we struggle to change old ways. Fitness is a new part-time job. Ain't that true, ladies and gents?

Eventually, the habits take over, and it only becomes a part-time job. But for us, it will never be totally breezy sailing. We have too much baggage. And we may have damage to our physiologies. So, even if losing/maintaining takes up 2 to 3 hours of thought and planning and action a day, it will always be a part-time job. Whether losing or maintaining, it's gonna be steps forward, steps back, more steps forward, steps back.

If the steps forward are MORE than the steps back--as Chuck Swindoll has taught--it's progress, and it's moving towards the goal. And the goal CAN BE REACHED, even if the stages look like two steps forward, one step back. You can reach the finish line that way.

I believe that, eventually, the steps forward far, far, far outweigh the backward ones. I do. I've seen the success stories. They tend to read that way.

So, whether it's scale anxiety or spouses who enable out of sheer love for us, we must deal with it. Whether it's triggers to binge, we must face them and strategize.

As I say in the comment: "It's war."

We need allies.

I'm your ally, Chubby Chick. And I need you to be mine.

Anyway, here's my post for those who, like us, need allies cause we have a long journey to "lose" those pounds and win our good health back, like me and Chubby Chick. Anything in brackets is my clarification that's not in the original comment post. I also corrected the unproofed comment I submitted, heh:

If that's what you need to do,{change to monthly weigh-ins} then do it. Some people have excessive scale anxiety, and weighing often is a hindrance. Others do better weighing in daily, cause it is a tool, just a marker, that makes them THINK about, "Okay, I ate too much salt, the water weight is shwong, today I'll eat less salt and more fruit and water."

We're all different.

I would suggest one thing: Write down a list of your trigger foods, things you tend to binge on, and tape it up somewhere obvious--the fridge, a bathroom mirror, and tell hubby that he must NEVER BUY YOU THOSE FOODS, EVEN IF YOU BEG.

I know that's tough, but husbands love us so much, they want to please us, even if it could kill us, sadly. If I tell my hubby, "I want chocolate cake," he'll get dressed, go to some restaurant or the store, and get me cake.

But I've told him: "Do not buy me junk. If I say I want junk, don't buy me junk. If I beg. Don't buy me junk. I will DIE, if I don't lose this weight. I will get diabetes. I'll have a premature stroke. If you buy me junk, you aid in killing me. So, I know you love me, love me enough NOT TO BUY ME PIG-OUT FOOD."

He's been great. So far. :) But love will break down will.

Be firm with him. Let him know he can't buy you a pizza or cake or ice cream or take you out for pig-outs. Just can't. It will tempt you too much.

It's war, baby. War. And we need our loved ones on OUR side, our allies in the battle, not sabotaging us out of love and a desire to fulfill our food whims.

Tell him, "When I"m hungry, you can get me X, Y, Z, cause these are healthful and good and, even if I eat too much, these things won't do damage."

Get him in on the plan.

And best of luck on those monthly weigh-ins. No matter what you weigh. you're a wonderful human being and easy to like and love. So...none of us here are juding your weigh-ins. Know that.

Once Upon A Starvation Diet: "KimKins Like" Diet For a Size Zero

Kimkins likes to tout that celebrities use "Kimkins-like" diets in order to lose weight fast. Yeah, despite that some of the celebrities she names are renown for their macrobiotic ways, which allows them brown rice and popcorn, which are carbs Kimkins would not stand for. And never mind that celebrities can have eating disorders and be obessive about food, too.

More Kimmer lies. More Kimkins aggressive marketing full of half-truths and outright fibs.

I'll show you a Kimkins-like diet. A real Kimkins-like diet...

Here's a gal who really ate a diet like the Kimkins Diet in her obsessive quest to become a size zero (US sizing). Small bits of lean protein, small servings of low-carb veggies, and starvation level calories:

Now, here I was, eight weeks after the experiment began - depressed and suffering from insomnia, headaches and mood swings. I was so tired I could barely get dressed in the morning. But my waist had shrunk 31/2in, I'd lost 17lb and 50 per cent of my body fat, and for the first time in my life, I was thin.

The exhaustion and other symptoms have been reported by other refugees from Kimkins. And even by some loyalists who refuse to accept that FAST is not necessarily GOOD.

Well, if you break your health, sometimes, you don't get it back. Young and resilient folks may. But some of us, well, when the thyroid is shot, it stays shot. When the eating disorder shows up it stays put. When the obsession strikes, it takes up residence for a long time. Starving can wreak havoc on your metabolism. Starving can set you up for some serious binges. I'm not talking a bag of chips and some cookies. I'm talking, "I can't stop eating. I'm so hungry!" binges.

Please, lose it healthfully.
Lose it while taking good care of youself.
Lose it while eating good foods with assorted nutrients from various sources. Not just small bits of chicken and egg whites and and some spinach or asparagus and broccoli.

You need food with colors, all those glorious colors God put into food to catch your eye and signal, "I'm nutritious! Eat me!:
You need healthy fats--essential fatty acids so your machinery works properly.
You need calcium in generous doses.
You need B-vitamins to keep your energy up and other vital functions.
You need FIBER, for pete's sake, to keep you regular and lower colon cancer risks.
You need potassium for a healthy blood pressure and other functions.
You need lycopene.
You need vitamin C.

Getting these things from supplements because you've cut your calories to 800 or 700 or 500 or 300 or less says something. It says your diet is wonky and nuts. Supplements are supposed to be just that--supplementation added to an already decent diet. It makes up for "holes" or is used for specific conditions according to a nutritionist or doctor's suggestions. Supplements are not supposed to be a routine part of an purposefully inadequate, malnourishing way of eating.

A crappy diet plus vitamins is still a crappy diet.

Don't starve yourself for ANY REASON.

Slow and steady is better than fast and half-dead-y. Easy and adaptive is better than speedy and compulsive. Gentle and persistent is better than frantic and destructive.

Prudence over vanity, people. Rational over emotional. Self-merciful over self-damaging.

Okay, rant and warning for the day delivered.

Go on to your regular schedule of taking good, good, good care of your body, mind, and spirit.

For Those Following the Kimkins Saga

Remember to check Kimkins Exposed tomorrow AM, because a mole will be outed by Ducky.

I can hardly wait!

Shoot, I even went to iStock to get an appropriate image.

Man, between the rats, the moles, the singing canaries, and the duckies, we're gonna need to hire a zookeeper to keep things tidy as The Truth emerges.

Thank God for stool pigeons. But...some rats can't tell when a ship is sinking...they just keep "singing" and "tippy-toeing" around the Kimtanic, while taking a "bonus" here and there for playing henchmen, er, I mean fanatical zealots, er...no, I mean helpful volunteers. Yeah, dat's it.


ETA: In order to raise the rankings of blogs exposing the Kimkins fraud/hoax/nastiness, I placed a new category way down on my sidebar: Caveat Kimkins Emptor.

EATA: You must read Becky's part one entry of "The Perfect Storm". She lays it all out and she does it cogently and without clutter. So far, yes, so good.

EYATA: Posting links for technorati Kimkins-smashing purposes:

Kimkins Exposed
Anti-Kimkins
Becky: Winning Weight
Christin: The Journey
Deni: Open Bench
Free Kimkins Free
Jimmy Moore’s Apology
Kimkins @ Slamboard
Kimkins Controversy
Kimkins Dangers
Kimkins Sucks!
Kimkins Survivors
Kimorexia
Kkatastrophediet’s Weblog
TRUTH Starts Here
3 Fat Chicks: Anatomy of a Diet Scam
About.com Inside Kimkins
A Pinch Of…
How Jeanessa Got Scammed
How Much Body Fat Can You Really Lose In A Week?
Jersey Girl: Thoughts on Kimkins
Kimkins Circus
Kimkins Controversy Continues to Boil
Kimkins Debacle; Super Smart Diet Tips
Kimkins Experience Part 1
Kimkins Experience Part 2
Kimkins Saga Revisited
Kimkins Survivors
Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Anorexic
Tami’s Change in Game Plan
The Problem with Kimkins
Thin at Any Cost
A Running Jewel
Kimkins Circus
The Quack of Doom: Entering the circus for the first time?
Once Upon A Diet
Someone in Southern California may need an attorney soon
The Final Escape
melting mama: Kimkins Scam.
Have you ever screamed so loud that the room echoed? « Incredible Shrinking Ladies
Inside the Kimkins Controversy
A Dumbbell In A Home Gym: Kimkins: Caveat Freakin’ Emptor.
Heard of the Kimkins Diet? Steer Clear it’s a total scam!
Vickie’s Voice: …more of my story…
The Road to Clarity and Transformation: The Kimmer (Kimkins) Controversy and a Parallel Universe
Banished…oh Fo’ Shame. not.
a mother’s heart » the kimkins debacle
Vilma’s World » Kimkins on Dateline & other complaints
Because I Said So: KimKims Survivors
Hundred Day Head Start Kimkins a fraud
Healthy Low-Carb Living Blog: Kimkins - How I Feel About It Now
Back Across The Line: Kimkins Cult Mentality
Good Carbma: Words for Heidi Diaz
Living Low Carb & Lovin’ It!: What an Amazing Day This Has Been!
Borat Does Kimkins: Hello From Borat!
SITES ADDED
Medusa
Kimkins Nightmares
stepping up to the plate « 2big4mysize’s Weblog
mariasol
Kimkins Scam
Willa’s Notebook
Doggy Girl’s Weblog
All About Kimkins & More

Props and Thanks to eDiets.com

After venting about Drugstore.com, I want to note that eDiets.com has excellent customer care.

I had a glitch with the weigh-in this afternoon, and when I went to the help section, their link was messed up.

WITHIN HOURS--like a couple of hours, seriously--they emailed to say all was well, and to thank me for noticing the messed up link, which they will see to. I signed on and did my weigh-in and stuff: no problem at all. It was REALLY, ACTUALLY fixed.

(Now, my only complaint is that I asked for "no soy" on the menu, and my menu plan has, yes, soy. But, hey, I'm so happy with them right now, I'm chilling.)

TAKE NOTE OF THAT: Drugstore.com That's C-U-S-T-O-M-E-R S-E-R-V-I-C-E

Princess is Peeved: Drugstore.com

I'm calling for my Cranky Wizard to retaliate with much thunderbolt and lightning!

Why? The Princess is NOT amused right now.

And, no, I don't mean Kimkins and her wicked ways. Though, granted, that also makes me fume.

No. Today, I frown and sneer at an online store: DRUGSTORE.COM

I've placed like three or so orders with DRUGSTORE.COM--including the one that brought me my kicking new scale-- and have been pleased with the stuff. Okay, except for the first order, where one of the object in a glass jar was not protected properly and broke and spilled over the other items. But that's not enough to get me riled. I didn't even ask for a replacement or refund. I chilled.

I chill a lot now that I'm over 40. But, whatever, today, no chilling.

I hate being ignored. It so does not go with the tiara.

The Issue: I've been trying for a couple days to get customer care to sort through a particular glitchy problem.

1. Although I placed an order, paid for it, and received the delivery, their shopping cart won't clear.
2. I didn't get my $7+ in drugstore dollars because of said glitch showing I have not placed the order that, well, I placed and have been eating/stepping on/etc.
3. They have sent me a couple emails in the last week saying, "Hey, don't forget the items in your shopping cart." Yes, those items. The ones I am using/consuming already cause I PAID AND GOT THEM.
4. I have sent emails. I've been specific. I sent copies of the "confirmed" order that was PAID AND SHIPPED AND RECEIVED.
5. I keep getting these dumb-assed auto-replies with links, rather than an answer and solution from a living person who's read my emails.
6. I keep getting promised that a customer care representative will respond.
7.I keep replying--as instructed, not changing the subject line--and I get...more auto-replies with links.

After hitting these auto-replies about 6 or 8 times in the past couple of days, I'm fed up. I'm getting the feeling NO ONE IS FIXING THIS. They just put me on some weird auto-reply thing that keeps sending me mail with links.

I had a few things I wanted to buy--several Kashi cereals, some lipstick, some soap. At least another full order with them, maybe 50 bucks. But I refuse to place it until they fix my issue. Which, clearly, they have no desire to do, given that all I get are auto-replies which are no help.

So, DRUGSTORE.COM: You get my Boo for the Day for unresponsive customer care.

And if I don't get satisfaction soon, I will find someplace else to get my stuff. This aggravation, I don't need. I'm too stressed with other things. I don't need techie and c/s annoyances.

Learn a lesson from the Amy's people. I told them there was a problem. They fixed the problem. They sent me an apology. They sent me coupons.

~~

ETA: More than 24 hours after I posted this, I still have not heard from Drugstore.com's customer care people. Uh-huh. THPPPTT!

The CLight Has Arrived: My Verdict?

There once was a limey delight
The Princess bought: It's called CLight.
I wish Kraft would stock
The stuff near my block,
Cause two-weeks to get it's not right!

This morning, I got a small box from my postal carrier with my 40 packets of CLight. If you've been around here for a couple weeks, you might recall my post about ordering the Crystal Light variant from an eBay merchant.

The reason: To savor the much-acclaimed lime flavor and some other tropical flavors not available in the US (mango, soursop, etc).

Kate Ford was not kidding! I now understand why women go to Mexico to get this stuff.

The lime (limone) ROCKS THE PRINCESS' MOUTH!

I'm sipping some right now. Mmmmmmm. Very lime-y, and I love lime flavor. Prefer lime in my iced tea. Prefer lime to lemon in my cold water. Prefer limeade to lemonade. For beverages, lime beats lemon in the realm of the Princess Dieter.

You might like lemon better. (Although, I really wasn't wowed by the Crystal Light lemonade.)

Then again, maybe it's all psychological: I see green limes and think "limeade" and go all "ooooooooooooh." Maybe it's just Crystal Light lemonade packaged as lime. Quien sabe? (trans: who knows?)

If so, I'm not alone in thinking this one's better than the US lemonade. And I'm a-sipping an' a-digging.

If you're a lime lover--Did you dig those lime Lifesavers as a kid? Did you groove on the lime Dots in the movie theater? Do you swoon at the thought of a good Key Lime pie? Did you ever buy that great Born Lippy lime lip balm at BodyShop back when they had it? (Even my husband loved those! Can't believe they stopped making it. At least that's what they told us when we went looking for it over a year ago)--then you might wanna make chums with someone in Mexico or Brazil.

Or go to eBay.

Yum.

Kraft, please release the lime in the US. Come, on! PLEASE? The Princess says: "Make it so."

Note: I'll let y'all know what I think of the other flavors--the more tropical/Caribbean/Latin ones--when I get to those packets.

The Princess Loves Ducky

It's Love A Ducky Day on Once Upon a Diet--in honor of truth, justice, safe dieting, and the American way of getting ticked off at scammers and sociopaths and making their lives miserable.

Here's to Ducky.

Princess Party Time: YESSSSSSSSSSSS!

Yet another reason to adore my new scale: Those .2 of a pound increments add to the joy of scaling. Ups don't seem so huge. Downs are more evident.

For example: Today, I got on it and was 279.8

Did you hear me scream? Yes, I cracked 280.

Now, on my other scale, of .5 increments, I would not have. It would still say 280.0.

But on this one, I can have the satisfaction of seeing that fighting off those snack cravings last night paid off. Not to mention the 13 minutes of exercising.

(I actually was getting ready for bed, out of my clothes, teeth-brushed, and was logging my achievements for the day over at eDiets. I realized that, once again, I had not MOVED according to plan. So, I took off the chemise, put on sneakers and work-out gear, and at 3:30 in the morning, I was doing some Cardio Salsa with a DVD. Yes, I almost died gasping, that's how out of shape I am. But I did it. And, after showering, I went to bed much more satisfied with my day.)

Okay, so the 70s might be gone tomorrow-- if I overeat salt--but for today, The Princess is in the '70s and it's FIESTA TIME in the castle!!!!

And I'll take my weight-loss journey wee joys where I can!

Onward and DOWNWARD!