Dieter Tolerance: Letting People Do It Their Way Without Neener-Boos

Let me say up front that, like most human creatures, I have a critical streak and a judgmental birthmark. We all have it--fess up, you know it!

But one thing I wish we could have more of in this fatfighting microcosm online is tolerance for the way each person feels they need to journey toward a better weight and better health.

Not every body, every mind, every emotional situation is the same. Some people will never understand those of us who do emotional binge eating. I will never understand people who can tolerate liquid protein fasts or, egads, puke up meals. (I have a serious pukephobia. I'd lay in bed trying hard to not puke even as a kid with stomach flu. I hate the sensation of food and bile coming right back up my throat. How do bulimics do that???)

But I can UNDERSTAND that we got fat--and STAY fat-- for more reasons than just "ate too much". Ate too much is fundamental--more calories than our bodies can handle and we gain weight. That's the basic layer, the thick heavy poured-out root of the structure.

But physiologically, some people handle sweets and carbs better and others are absolutely sent off on highs and lows and binges by them. Some livers handle things better than other livers. Some of us have non-functional (or minimally-functional) thyroid glands, and others have normal or hyper ones. Some of us got put on appetite-increasing (but essential) medications, and maybe others got on needed (or elective) medications that revved up metabolism or reduced appetite. Some folks are tall and some short, some male, some female, some mushy and some muscular, so some can eat more than others even with activity rates factored in. Some of us have moral issues for or against eating meat --or how animal products are raised and  butchered--and some of us have environmental concerns about pesticides or responsible farming and others don't. Some have tight budgets and some lavish ones. Some of us suffer from depressions that, rather than curtailing appetites (gee, why couldn't I have THAT version), have depressions that send us self-medicating with food to raise mood. Some of us had parents who took effort to make healthful, low-caloric meals. Some of us had moms and grandmoms who were food pushers. Some of us were abused and castoff, some of us were nurtured and valued. Some of us thrive on exercise, love it like some love a glazed donut; others hate to sweat and would rather have dental surgery than go to the gym. Some of us have terrible joint pain upon movement, so moderate to vigorous exercise can prove excruciating. Some of us have high-stress cranking out the cortisol, others have more leisurely lives. Some of us have to cook for various people in a household with various tastes, some only need to cater to a couple, or just to ourselves.

I was reading Lyn's excellent blog, and she's apparently getting grief about Medifast as a diet choice and its sustainability lifelong.

Well, I'll say this: I am leery of packaged foods diets a la Nutrisystem, MediFast, Jenny Craig, ONLY cause I really do think that natural food is generally better for us and fresh organic even moreso, and because I am concerned about hefty caloric restriction causing metabolic issues (which I suspect is at the heart of some gastric bypass folks regaining weight on much lower caloric levels than normal).

But ya know, we're different and we gotta try different things to learn how we handle stuff. And we gotta realize none of us is the expert about another person's life and body.

I would even try something like Medifast or Jenny Craig in order to LEARN about my body and self and nutrition, etc. I might not keep doing it or like it, but I think every diet can teach us something. Lyn has learned a lot on MediFast, and while the pics of MediFast food grosses me out, she's losing weight and feeling great and she realizes she does better on low carb. Period.

For people to start harping about sustainability isn't going to help. And what we fatfighters want is HELP, not the critical gallery. If Lyn had been doing, say, old Kimkins, with 500 to 800 calories and minimal fat and not enough nutrients, I'd say, "Hey, girl, you're damaging your body with starvation levels of calories and not enough nutrition. You're gonna go bald and have metabolic slowdown!"

But as long as she is well-nourished (and she is) and she's feeling health and emotional improvements, who the hell am I to neener-bo her?

No, I am too busy neener-booing myself. :)

What I need from you , what I really want, if you're willing, is the good word that's gonna be the wind at my back to move me along, even if just a little, towards my goals.

If you don't have that good word: move along. I don't need a downer.

Please, when you visit assorted blogs, even if you have misgivings about the ultimate success of A, B, or C diet or weight loss technique (and let's all laugh through our tears together at how ineffective just about all of them have been for most Americans so far in terms of sustainable losses), as long as the person is not anorexic, bulimic, or doing something patently nuts, let's give them a cheery "I wish you well; I'm rooting for you." And if you have a good, solid, positive tip in your own successful journey, go for it.

If a plan or technique fails for someone, it will be evident soon enough. That's life. But it's really kinda a bummer, not to mention not at all helpful, to be told "Oh, you can't keep that up. You're gonna fail."

How does that help? Hmm?

Let people try stuff. Let people ride their wind. And if they fail, then help them get back up.

The world has enough neener-booboos.

Now, that's not to say we shouldn't HAVE DISCUSSIONS in general about this stuff--what we see might be dangerous, fallacious, ill-advised. I do believe in informed consent re lap bands and gastric bypass. But as long as people know the pros and cons (of diets, of training equipment, of particular supplements or foods, etc), if they wanna go ahead, then let's give them the cheerleader's rah-rah. We should want EACH OF US TO SUCCEED. We should wish for it. Pray for it.

And we should want the dieting odds to be beaten to a bloody pulp in every case.

So, like so many others are doing for the summer, I'm taking on a summer slimming challenge. Do challenges help ultimately? I dunno. Maybe to refocus us on good habits for weight loss and to get support. But I know it's better to keep fighting and trying than to just look at the bad odds (98% of dieters fail) and say, "Oh, well, might as well order a double-meat pizza."

Here's to everyone trying to get healthier and slimmer. I want you to win, and I want to win, too.

Anti-Kimkins Round-Up: The Fight Against Kimkins Goes On and On

In the ongoing quest to spare the unsuspecting and maybe some of the deceived, more blog entries that should keep people far, far away from the scammer Kimmer and her freakasoid diet Kimkins:


The Journey: Good Morning America - The TRUTH addressed
REGANDY.... the weigh down!: KIMKINS HURT MY METABOLISM
Medusa: WARNING!!! IF YOU'RE DIABETIC & DOING THE KIMKINS DIET, DON'T GO OFF YOUR MEDS !!!
Kimkins–Targeting Teens Diary of a Mad Housewife
Kimorexia: Anorexia Is Not Just a Teenage Battle
mariasol: Kimkins Eating Disorders
Why battle Kimkins 2big4mysize’s Weblog
Kimkins Diet Review: Losing weight the right way......
MrsM Kimkins Survivors
Which Road (or ship) Will YOU Take? MJR’s-Duck Squad
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Pickles: Happy Deposition Day, Heidi!
Kimkins celebrity endorsement!!!!! a fake blog about a real scam

Thanks to Laura of LCF for those linkies.

Friends don't let friends support scam artists or do Kimkins.

ABC NEWS Wants to Hear From You if You're a Kimkins Survivor

Did you do the Kimkins diet? Did you get bad side effects? Did you go down to VLC levels following the plan and had to go to the doctor cause you had bad dizziness, headaches, palpitations, major hair loss, fainting spells, amenorrhea or other symptoms from the diet?

Well, ABC NEWS wants to hear from you:

If this is you and you are willing to have ABC News come to your home this week to speak to you about your Kimkins experience, then please send an e-mail to KimkinsOnABC@gmail.com with your name, telephone number, and a brief description of your story. Time is of the essence on this as they are trying to put this segment together quickly. The deadline for being involved in this unique opportunity is Thursday, January 17, 2008.

They only want to hear from you if you have medical documentation of some side effect from doing this low-fat, low-carb VLC diet.

Do it. Bring the Kimpire down to the dust!

Good Morning America will have something on the Kimkins Diet this coming Saturday. Rumor is that 20/20 is looking into this as well. Let's hope there's lot of adverse coverage of the diet, so people DO NOT GET SUCKED INTO a plan that puts their health at risk and puts money in the pockets of a scam artist she-devil.

Sorry to bring this update so late, but, really, I've not been online much.

~

Powerful Post from Medusa

It's not just about NOT doing Kimkins. It's about NOT doing harmful diets or deadly diet behaviors of any kind. It's about obsession. It's about consequences. It's about denial. It's about crazy expectations. It's about self-destruction. It's about truth.

Read it.

Kimkins Wins Naked Mole Rat of Marketing Award; Plus Heidi & Tippy Have a Falling Out--AGAIN; & Other Kimkins Updates

I've been a bit on the lurky side, but there have been developments in the Kimkins Scam saga:

1. Kimkins is the maybe-not-so-thrilled recipient of the Naked Mole Rats of Marketing Award for the Week. She deserves it, too.

2. Speaking of moles: There's some cool spywork going on. Check out the particulars at Medusa's place, where the ads to hire moles were first placed:

Quite a few applicants were "hired" and are relaying important information to me from inside Heidi's fold.

However, one of the mole prospects who contacted me, pledging to do some serious digging, immediately set off alarm bells for me. And what that particular mole did not realize is that I knew from the outset that he/she was a double-agent, working for Heidi Diaz/Kimmer.

Read the rest of that blog entry, and enjoy some classic film posters, too. :)

3. Jimmy Moore bagged up his sugar-free marshmallows and left Camp Carbaway, unable to recommend the paying site to low-carbing dieters. He wrote:

Since my simple posting about some questions that came up recently regarding the ongoing relationship between Heidi Diaz and Jeannie Battinger was described as "accusations" by me, then I no longer feel welcomed by Camp Carbaway. I was given a free membership to this forum for the distinct purpose of seeing that it is different than LCF and even my own forum, LowCarbDiscussion.com. But this place doesn't offer anything different than what you can find elsewhere for free. Again, I appreciate the invite and request to blog about this new venture, but I'm gonna have to take a pass. There's nothing new under the sun here. BEST WISHES TO EVERYONE!
(Posted by Gibster #13 WTFWK thread, #81 post dated 1/4/07)

Tippy's reply was slightly snarky, with echoes of Her Heidiness peeping through:

We wish you well Jimmy. It is my hope that you will NOT blog about things that may not be true... That would be called gossip and I would hope you would not go there. One more thing, Jimmy. I never posted on your site for valid reason. I did not want to cause drama and have LCF follow me to your boards. I did not post out of respect for your forum. I gave you the interview you asked for. And I offered you a free spot in my forums. You may have had some concerns here. I really didn't mind you addressing any concerns but to be honest I did feel under attack with the implications of Kimkins. And it is my understanding that even you followed Kimkins with success. However, I did listen to your points of concerns and have decided to make some changes. If you feel you need to leave--well, best wishes.
(Thanks to the Gibster for that, too.)

Tippy seems to want to pre-empt any criticism by calling it, before the fact, "gossip." Of course, gossip (intimate chit chat, often of a negative nature, not always or necessarily untrue) can be negative AND true. Still, Jimmy's main point is one others have made: Why pay for the site when others offer the same (or better even, I'll add) for free.

4. Join the Lawsuit: http://kimkinslawsuit.wordpress.com/
Bring the Kimmer down, folks. If you've been a member of Kimkins, join the lawsuit. Maybe you'll get your money back, but you'll definitely be adding to the cause of good and right in getting that scamming liar who lies in the red (financially speaking).

Don't be intimidated. It's easy. Here are step by step instructions from the fab Avenue Girl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zxURudcNes

5. Heidi Diaz must not really be doing her own diet, cause the stats on her own website show that she isn't losing weight all that fast. Not Kimkins fast. Not faster than one would, say, on a reasonable diet (whether low or high carb or in between). You know, a big loss at first, and then anywhere from 2 or so pounds a week. Her right hand soprano has only lost 2 pounds her first week back on Kimkins (the week one would expect a huge water loss). Guess both the top dogs at Kimkins are just not really working that plan!

Where's the promise to lose nearly a pound a day? Where's the 100 lbs in five months?

Heidi "Kimmer" Diaz touted her diet as THE FASTEST EVER AND ANYWHERE. Well, yeah, I suppose, if she actually did it--which clearly she ain't--it might work fast for a spell, cause the real diet behind the diet had people eating zero to 700 calories a day. It's called starvation. You'll lose weight that way. People do it all over the globe, only not voluntarily. You'll also lose your hair, damage your thyroid, snap your metabolism, deplete your bones, stress your body, and maybe fall into ongoing disordered eating. But hey, what's health when you can look like Heidi Diaz!

Um, hang on a second there...let's not even think about THAT.

Go take a look at her sporadic FitDay entries. Clearly, Heidi's either psychotic when it comes to food, or she's putting us on. I'd bet on the latter. She's having a joke with her food journal--with one day only coffee and creamer, one day only veggies, one day only meat and chicken, one day only booze. Freaky. (And freakier if that's her real diet.)

6. Theories are bouncing around that Queen Heidi and her adoring Kimkinsland subject GentleFawn (who has perfected the art of sycophancy) seem to have set up Tippy Toes/Typo Toes/J Baitinger/headmistress of Camp Carbaway to look like a Kimkins collaborator even after her exodus (well, duh). It started with a blog post by Fawn (now gone from Blogger) and an internet comment more recently by Heidi. All speculation, I reiterate. However, with a track record like Heidi's, it's the sort of speculation one can readily believe. Fawn comes across as someone who, in her burbling passion for "Kimmer" and Tippy, would just want to fan the flames of love between Queen Diet Fraud and Princess P.R. Plan Switcher.

Fawn posted (in her now defunct blog) about how tight Tips and Kimmer still were, praising those superlative role models of compassion and diet brilliance. This as Tippy was setting up her own for-profit haven for Kimkinites and cooperating with the lawsuit (in exchange for immunity, natch). Hmmm. (What? You think Heidi was gonna take that whole cooperating thing gracefully and benevolently?)

Then, just a couple days ago, Heidi writes to Diets in Review about how Camp Carbaway is just Kimkins CTF in Campwear and how Tippy is still doing Kimkins' plan and always will be her staunch supporter and right hand henchwoman. Er, I'm paraphrasing. Tippy took offense and posted about how she was stunned and made aghast by Heidi's comment, and how now she has asked for a cease and desist on her success story and picture over at Kimkins. (The link takes you to the entry with the comments section that has two posts from Tippy.)

Hmmm...so all those sick Kimkins Survivors didn't move Tippy's heart away from Kimkins and her fraud, all the pleas from folks uncovering Heidi's lies didn't budge Tippy from pushing a dangerous diet she didn't even follow cause she was switching diets every other week; but Heidi trying to suck Tippy back into the lawsuit vortex--that did it. Yeah, CMA is a strong motivator, ain't it Headmistress B. Moreso than human empathy for Kimkins victims.

7. Wanna read 140+ pages of legalese regarding Kimkins? Well, you can. The semi-snarky correspondence between Heidi's and the Force For Good's lawyers is entertaining. The timeline also makes clear that Heidi was doing an awful lot of money spending right before she got deposed. Smells like a strategy to keep the cash out of the hands of the plaintiffs to me, but I'll leave that to judge/jury to decide. Let's hope they do a better job than O.J.'s judge/jury.

(If you click the link, just type GUEST where it says "operator code" and ignore the password box. Just "GUEST" gets you in. When you do a name search for Heidi Diaz, you'll get a choice. Pick "Fenderson vs. Diaz." That's the Kimkins lawsuit. The ones with little camera icons on the right hand side of the grid have viewable documents. The one with the snarky letters is the motion to set aside right to attach etc dated 12/21. Enjoy.)

8. Heidi may have been an Avon Lady, and, interestingly, a fervent allegation of scamming going on even with Avon were made by a commenter at Slamboard calling him or herself "NotAHeidiFan". This is part of the comment:

She has conned the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the foster care people, her own brother and anyone who will give her money. She has ripped off her ex-husband, impersonated his wife at their bank and many other scams. She made up an internet story years ago about how someone stole her Avon products and money from orders. She made this up along with a sad tale of being a single disabled mother, blah, blah and got people to give her money all while her district manager was sitting in the hospital with her young son who died of cancer. There was no theft.

Avon should look into that allegation, methinks. It warrants investigation given the evidence (including Diaz's own admission under oath) that Kimkins website was a hotbed of marketing fraud (re success stories and photos and Kimkins own weight loss claims).

Avon, why don't you go calling on Ms. Diaz.
~~
Folks, if you want to stay up on the Kimkins developments, you can always do a blogsearch with Google with "Kimkins" to get updates (click on "last day" or "last week"). Please, try to stay away from the actual diet site or the junk sites of online marketing promoting Kimkins. It just raises their profiles. And you can find good updates at places like:


http://kimorexia.blogspot.com/
http://yustyucky.wordpress.com/
http://notmakingnicetokimkins.blogspot.com/
http://2medusa.blogspot.com/
http://mariasol-mariasol.blogspot.com/
http://kimkinsdiettruth.wordpress.com/
http://kimkinssurvivors.wordpress.com/
http://www.kimkinscontroversy.com/

Scroll way down on my sidebar (left) to see a collection of links to places with information on the Kimkins scandal and scam, some summaries, some investigative, some round-ups, some ongoing blogs.

But the wisest thing of all: Don't do Kimkins. Don't pay to join Kimkins. And don't let your friends do Kimkins. Warn people about VLC diets and scammers who lie about their weight loss and make up stories with fake dieters who are actually Russian models and bride-wannabes. Don't put more dollars in Diaz' s pockets.

It's hard enough to lose weight healthfully. We don't need exploiters to muddy the waters for those desperate about their weight.

Onward and Downward!

PRAYER REQUEST: Christin, former Kimkins poster girl and staffer, who is now a staunch and vocal anti-Kimkins crusader, one who has appeared on television shows countering the falsehoods of Heidi, was in a terrible car accident. (Her car was totaled, and I saw the pic, scary. I had Princess Di Paris accident flashbacks!) She's been in the hospital with brain swelling and bad pain and nausea. She's stable as of the last update, but still needs your prayers. Please pray she heals up totally and can go home to her children and hubby (who all, thankfully, survived.)

EDITED TO ADD: Christin has updated her blog. The entry includes her own warning against Kimkins and a horrific photo of what her car looked like AFTER the crash. She's recovering, thank God, but I'm sure she covets your continued prayers.

PSA: Don't Use Your Credit or Debit Card on Kimkins Website

Medusa is sounding the warning, and I wanted to add my voice:

Please, don't give your credit card or debit card information to Kimkins, the scam diet site. Heidi Diaz is not someone to trust. Just google up her name or do a blog search for Kimkins and you will learn.

Or visit Medusa.

Remember, don't trust lying liars who lie. Especially not with your credit info.

Find a legitimate, scandal free, health-promoting place to lose weight online. Kimkins is NOT it.
~~

Kimkins Still Sucks

For those who haven't been keeping up (er, like me), there are new developments in the Kimkins scam and Heidi Diaz adventures (AKA the lying liar who lies). You can start your catching up over at Kimkins Scam And Medusa's blog.

And it seems I missed Tippy Toes's banning and "turnaround." (Okay, so I reserve a tad bit of skepticism, while nurturing hope.)

She's learned that chronic liars and scammers don't stop lying and scamming. And we've learned what we suspected all along: Heidi was raking in big bucks while doling out pittances to the people really doing the work to keep the site going. The emphases are MINE:

But recently Kimmer had a deposition with Teidt. I saw parts of it. Kimmer told me she was in danger of losing her car. She had financed it to build credit and can no longer make the payments. She couldn't buy milk on her ATM card... And so I then learn from her own deposition that she had 1.6 million in cash, spent almost half a million on a house just prior to deposition, and that she bought two cars with CASH. It was then I realized Kimmer was not really coming clean as I had hoped she would. Things really were not changing after all. And her photos on the front page... I had recruited Brian and Heather to be out there with her losing weight. I began to notice that Heather was losing a lot of weight pretty quickly and Kimmer claimed about the same loss. But suddenly Kimmer looked 100lbs less than Heather and I knew something wasn't right. It was really the final straw for me. I have asked Kimmer numerous times what Kimkins plan she was following and never received a reply. This, combined with the rest was too much for me and I decided to take a break and reflect on the situation.

--from Medusa's "TippyToes Spills the Beans! Sort of..."


So, she went on a spending spree right before her deposition. I'm guessing in California a house cannot be taken in bankruptcy? Hmmm? Yeah, she's sheltering her money before anyone can get some. She made people work for her with pay cuts then for zero money, claiming she had no moolah, while enriching herself with a house and two cars. Can we say evil, rotten bitch?

May karma bite her a big one on her ginormous butt. Soon.

The Kimmer Komic

Erik Sansom has created a comic (like your newspaper comics) that would be funnier if it wasn't so very true.

Check it out HERE.

The Princess Pouts: I Wanna See Part 3 of the KTLA TV Kimkins/Kimmer Expose

The third part of the KTLA news segment exposing Kimkins and Heidi "Kimmer" Diaz aired last night. I'm on the east coast, so unless they post it to their website, I won't see it. Bummer.

However, there is progress. The complaint for damages has been filed by the class action lawsuit's attorney, John Tiedt, and you can read the complaint and view the "exhibits" in the case at the court's website HERE. (Click on the camera icon at the bottom right of the "fast track" entry. It's a lot of pages, but you get 30 at a time.)

Additionally, on November 1, Heidi gets deposed. Think she can ditch the 118 pounds by then? Hmmm. I do wonder if she'll have the chutzpah to wear a red dress.

I'd prefer to see her in an orange jumper.

(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, scroll way down on my sidebar to the left until you get to the links related to KIMKINS.)

~~
Edited to Add: I pout no more. The brief updating report is at the KTLA site. See it HERE. They don't give the LCF gals credit for finding the Russian Bride pics, but that's okay. It's good to see the expose on TV. :D

BINGO! Red Dress Pic Found and It's Another Russian Bride for Kimkins

It was exciting over at the LCF forum in the late night and wee hours. BuzzyBee found the red dress pic, and, yes, like the other pics of success stories (fake) and the leopard shirt pic for Kimmer (fake), the red dress woman is a foreign bride candidate by the name of Lesya. Here she is:




Click the photo to go to the actual site where the photo was found.

Soon after the picture was discovered, a couple of intreped LCF forum folks carpet-bombed the Kimkins site with posts linking to the pics and linking to exposes. Since the Kimkins administrators took a while to notice and ban the enthusiastic "outers", some people got to see the evidence. We hope they leave Kimkins soon.

What made the use of this photo particularly heinous (aside from stealing another woman's image for her own), was that Heidi/Kimmer had even concocted a story about the photo shoot, and how she was so shy she needed wine to get through it. The screen shot of one of her posts about this red dress pic:




The text on the post dated May 30, 2007 says:

People kept bugging me for a new pic--what else is new? My teen son took the old photo on our patio. With the new website, our PR Director, Nicole, said a new picture was needed. So, here it is. But it's the last...so commit to memory!

Notice the filter lens, strategic stretching, twisting and turning. Hides a lot, LOL. So do bribes to the photographer.

The reference to the patio pic is to one that hasn't been located. It looks nothing like Heidi/Kimmer's before pic, and looks a lot like a catalog shot for women's clothing. Some are searching on, I bet. Whether it's found or not, it is certainly another fake after pic. It doesn't take a brainiac to make that assumption.

I can relax now. I was so eager for that pic to be found and Kimkins' main image to be shown to be false. It has been.

How you like them RED apples, Heidi/Kimmer?

Note: Feel free to visit the LCF blog where HoneyBee2 (who I dubbed Baroness BusyBee) has put information on all the fakes found.

And I'd like to share the cute badge that GinaC on the LCF forum made for me. (Lots of different ones based on whether they were Russian Brides Division, Undercover, Special Ops, Fraud Squad, etc.) I decided that, being a princess and all, I should be the Royal Liaison. :) We are "hater detectives" cause that's what one of the Kimkinettes called us--you know, saying we're "haters" and "detectives" trying to uncover dirt. So, we used their pejorative and made fun with it. Behold:



More Good News: hubby is home, and I have been on plan. I also got 12 hours sleep yesterday. I needed it. So, for now... It's all good!

Happy Weekend, fellow fatfighters. Talk to y'all soon.
~

Edited to add: One Anti-Kimkins Blogger (the wackiest by far) has been delighted with the discovery of the "Russian Brides". Read the latest from Borat Does Kimkins. And be sure to take a very, very close look at the women in his group shot. :)

Kimkins Falls: Developments and Links

Livin' La Vida Low-Carb's Jimmy Moore calls Heidi Diaz/Kimmer, who plays dumb (and maybe deaf). The Heidi/Kimmer part starts on the timeline at about 14:27.



A page has been dedicated to the multitude of fake success stories touted at the Kimkins site. More lies by Kimmer/Heidi. (Can't blame this on the graphic guys, Heidi.) Kudos to the LCF ladies for rooting out the fraudulent tales and pics. HoneyBee2 needs to be dubbed Baroness BusyBee. :) One of the newer additions to the fake-pics list is "Vanessa," the Kimkins Affiliates Manager. Know what that means? Take a guess. It rhymes with "swimming funny." As of this posting, the Kimkins site has been noted to be furiously deleting the scammy pics, which sort of leaves its contents on the thin side. Ahem.



In a message between "Kimmer" and Tippy Toes (J. Baitinger), PR person for Kimkins, Tippy Toes admits her thyroid is shot and that she didn't do Kimkins very long. Never mind that Tippy attributed her great weight loss success to Kimkins at the BBB and other places. Yet, her own words admit she lost MOST Of it on Atkins, stalled, tried Kimkins, stalled, and has been using all sorts of plans (ie, cycling) to maintain. Read the message at The TRUTH Starts Here.



Heidi's former partner, Catherine, has posted for the first time on the matter at LCF. Read her post with the name CanadaCatherine.



If you missed the KTLA two-part expose on Kimkins and Heidi Diaz/Kimmer, see part one and part two online.



If you haven't read the blog entry by the private investigator, Robert Charlton, then go HERE.



If you haven't seen the actual surveillance footage by the private investigator hired by Martin and Catherine, view the first HERE and the second HERE at Youtube.



One of the former big, big Kimkins champions--a gal named Amy/CurlyGirl, who lost weight on Kimkins and reports no ill-effects, one of the fortunate ones--has repudiated the diet, even though she's kept out of the anti-Kimkins drama till now. She posts about it on her blog, and she explains why she's speaking up now.



Kimkins Dangers posts on "The Tell-Tale Eye" that I spoke of, the weird eye on the infamous red dress photo. Whoever that lady is, Heidi/Kimmer doctored her eyes, probably to make them brown and match her own eye shade. However, I also mentioned it could simply be an effect of pixellation, and SaucyLady speaks to this at LCF. I don't think that person posted at Kimkins Dangers IS the red dress lady. I think when we find her, it will be the EXACT SAME PIC and POSE. And, yeah, she'll probably be some catalog gal at a bride/model site.



Despite trying for several days to get Google AdWords to stop linking up to this fraudulent plan, activism spearheaded by Kimkins Controversy, the ads are still the first thing that show when one does a google search on Kimkins. Fortunately, the plethora of anti-Kimins blogging and reporting has made sure anyone doing a Google search will find plenty of hits for warnings and exposes that list right after the Kimkins ad and site links. Good show, allies.



More survivors are telling their tales. Read them at Kimkins Survivors. One of the recent ones is a sad story I remember reading at the LCF forum "live" as it were. Kiwi8's story shows perfectly how a person can be eating disordered and not even really realize it, and how Kimkins can encourage and support EDs. This is one of the main reasons the site needs to be shut down. It preys on those who are looking for support FOR their anorexic and bulimic ways, and does so by fraudulently saying it's medically sound. This sort of lie CAN KILL. God bless Kiwi8 and all those dealing with this issue.



One of the new admins at Kimkins is obviously Kimmer/Heidi herself. The proof? Deni posted at LCF how she got an email signed by Danielle, but the email addy was Heidi's own. Oops, Heidi! Ya made a booboo and outed yourself. I suspect we'll be learning that a host of admins and members have been Heidi in alternate-persona, making it seem like she had more rah-rah support than she actually has had.



Kimkinettes and Kimkindudes are dropping the plan in droves. One Kimkin refugee started a blog called Scamkins, which boasts one of the funniest Anti-Kimkins blog entry headings ever: "I did Kimkins for 6 months and my butthole paid the price." Oh, lawdy! I wish all the refugees well. Heal and lose weight safely, folks. And Woofy, don't let your calories go too low, okay? Lose, don't starve.

A new Kimmer letter claims Kimkins is under new ownership. Yeah, well, maybe she sold the sinking ship to TippyToes, legal woes and all. I'm guessing it's another sham for the purpose of calming the mooing crowd remaining at the site. Or maybe she created a new persona from Philippines brides this time, and THAT'S the new owner. With Kimmer/Heidi, it's a game of Russian Identity Roulette.

I'll wrap up this update with two beautiful--and pertinent--Bible verses posted by former Kimkins "cover girl", Christian:

2 Corinthians 3:16
"But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the
Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Zechariah 8:16"
These things are the things that you shall do: Speakthe truth to one
another render in your gates judgements that are true and make for peace, do not
devise evil in your hearts against one another and love no false oath, for all
these things I hate declares the Lord."

KTLA Does Part 2 of Kimkins Expose & LCF Regulars Find More Kimkins Fraud

Make sure to catch part two of the KTLA expose on the Kimkins diet and Kimmer aka Heidi Diaz. It's up online.

And visit the major anti-Kimkins sites (see my sidebar, far down left) to get the latest, which includes the discovery by several LCF Forum regulars of the pics that Kimmer/Heidi used as after pictures, including the one that was "Kim" in the WW article last June. (It's at HotRussianBrides.Com and she's number 169503.)

Also, at least SEVEN (so far, as of this post) of the "success stories" after pics have turned out to be photos of women/models on Russian bride sites.

Yes, Kimmer/Heidi trolled foreign bride/dating service sites in order to get pictures of attractive women for her after pictures.

I'm guessing she did this because those sites have search databases that let you choose age, weight, height, hair and eye color, etc. That means if she needed, say, a 130 pound brunette with brown eyes and long hair, it would be easy to search for one.

Evil people are crafty, ain't they?

The hunt for the Red Dress Pic continues. We know it wasn't Kimmer's image. And, you know, something about that pic always bugged me. I never could put my finger on it. The answer may lie in the eyeballs. One of the LCF ladies blew it up and the eyes are triangular. Either they were photoshopped to make them look this way for some odd reason, or the original eyes were replaced with a particular set of brown eyes to seem more "Kimmerish." We don't know. But something is definitely odd about those triangular irises when seen in extreme close-up. See below to compare unfreaky eyes on the left and the triangular irises on the "not Kimmer after" pic right:



Maybe it's just a trick of the pixellation, but hey. You decide.

I suspect many people will be using their spare time to hunt down which Russian bride/model was the one Kimmer chose to be her online representation. (Oh, and there is artwork on a t-shirt at one Russian Brides site that is clearly the inspiration for the Kimkins site logo. Heidi Diaz hasn't got an original bone in her body, it seems. She just pilfers the ideas of others.) If you go hunting and find the red dress pic, go to LCF and let them know. The evidence is being compiled.

Another success story that is highly suspect is brought to light at Kimkins Circus. See the before and after, and, if you have any information on the veracity or falsehood, please notify an appropriate anti-Kimkins warrior:



And yes, tis a jest. But hey, it's not that far from what Kimmer herself did. Honest.

As expected from a con artist, Kimmer continues to do the denial thing, insisting she's not Heidi Diaz, even though all doubt has been removed about that matter. And her admins are standing by her side, which means she must be offering them some juicy bonuses. Some Kimkinettes continue to support their scamster leader, which just makes them look like utter nincompoops in my eyes. Sorry, but dang!

~~

The Jig is Up for Kimmer: Heidi Diaz On KTLA-TV News

The Princess would like to heartily thank the producers and Chip Yost of KTLA for their 10/2 exclusive story on the diet fraud named Heidi Diaz, alias The Kimmer of Kimkins. They seem to be the very first to break this from a legitimate news venue.

Many bloggers and blog sites have been waiting for journalists to come in and expose this scammer. Well, it's starting.

Go to this site. See the video part up top? Click on the NEWS category. Skim the sidebar until you get to the Kimkins story, or as it is labeled "Internet Diet Scam Exposed." It's 3 1/2 minutes long. That's a really good length for a television report. There is surveillance footage--including stuff not seen at Slamboard. And Chip Yost will be doing another segment on Kimkins and its dangers tomorrow night.

If you notice the small bit of voice you hear, it matches the voice on Jimmy Moore's interview of Kimmer. Kimmer=Heidi, folks. As we've known all along. And Heidi/Kimmer is nearly as big as I am. So much for her 198 lbs loss.

ALL RIGHT! A good blow against the forces of Kimkins darkness

:::sending greateful, platonic smoochies on the cheek to Chip Yost::::

I hope a national news agency picks this up and puts it right there on prime-time, to keep other unsuspecting and desperate overweight folks from falling into the trap of Kimkins while the site exists.

Hey, now we know why Kimmer has been laying low and why the red dress pic disappeared. Heidi knew she was a news story subject when that reporter stuck his microphone in her face.

Anyone who knows cars, is that a BMW she's driving? Or what?

Enjoy. The Kimkins Fight Front is prevailing!

Edited to Add: Here's a direct link to the news story on 10/2

~

Kimkins PR Person Lies Yet Again & Former Kimkiners Offer Proof & Truth

In fine, old abuser slash tyrant tradition, the leadership at Kimkins is playing the "blame the victim" game.

Don't fall for it. See an "annotated" version of Tippy Toes' latest blame-someone-other-than-Heidi post.

Becky and Christin have responded with facts (not propaganda). Some on the LCF forum have discussed the issue as well. They all give testimony about how they ate at dangerously low caloric levels on the specific encouragement and advice of Kimmer/Heidi, with assurances that it was safe, misleading medical study information, etc. The whole cheerleading, the "I did it and am an expert" set-up. The twisting of studies. The berating of those who didn't toe the line. The pats on the back to those who did.

Tippy Toes gets paid to lie. Becky and Christian get not one penny...to tell their true stories. And back it up with records (their FitDay screenshots and their copies of communications from Kimmer herself.)

Follow the money.

I know who I do and do not believe. I believe the people not being paid to make Kimkins look good. The ones with historical evidence of posts, emails, etc. The ones with, ahem, PROOF.

I also trust the ones who admit they were foolish and trusting, bare their souls and lives, and show concern for the health of others. The ones not holding back from seeming like dupes to the world, because it may lead to saving someone's health, maybe life.

I do not trust the ones who only care about themselves and their wallets. I trust the ones who are praying for their "enemies" and speaking the truth in love.

I don't trust liars who have been proven to have issues email threats in order to hush the truth. I don't trust those who cover up by getting rid of old posts, who tweak the real authentic Kimkins diets so that they seem less dangerous, who delete deceptive content from web pages in a whitewashing effort, who take on different personae to fool members with dummy posts, and who keep taking money from a credibly accused woman peddling a dangerous diet.

I trust the ones weeping. The ones holding out their arms and saying, "Please, don't hurt yourself. Please, research and free your mind."

While this is hyperbolic and verges on cliche, I do have one word for Tippy, the name of a historical personage who made a bad guy look good. But hyperbole is one way to try and educate and teach. A shock tactic even the Son of God used in various sermons. So...Tippy...One word: Goebbels. Not a good role model, Tipster. Learn from the hyperbole and cease being the Propaganda Minister of Kimkins.

The Princess is here. ....Still waiting for Heidi/Kimmer to come out of her Heidi-hole and show us her 120 pound bod in the red dress.


"If the red dress doesn't fit, you mustn't acquit."

Read "Kimkins: The Perfect Storm Part 3" Plus Other Updates on the Kimkins Fight

Becky has added a third post to her excellent expose and cautionary series called "Kimkins: The Perfect Storm."

I encourage anyone who has ever tried crash diets, or who is tempted to try a dangerous VLCD, or who has suffered ill effects from such diets, but can't break the desire to try them again---read her journey and warnings. Start with part one. She's done a clear, mature job of laying out the perils of Kimkins and similar diets and situations.

More on the Kimkins Fight Front:

~~Tippy, the Kimkins P.R. person (though I'm tempted to use a less flatterng term), has called the anti-Kimkins fight a terrorist activity. Uh-huh. Clearly, Tippy has lost all sense of proportion. That's what happens when you're living in a gulag where you're paid to be the warden. Listen closely, Tips: Whistle-blowing and warning people away from dangerous diets is not terrorism. It's benevolence and caring for one's neighbor, for their well-being. We dieters need to watch out for each other. It's not about maintaining the income flow. It's about getting healthy and helping others get healthy. What YOU, Tippy, are doing is not benevolent. It's not looking out for your neighbor. It's looking out for the bottom line. It's self-serving and aiding and abetting a way of eating and a way of controlling and a way of scamming that is loathsome. Tippy, think long and hard. Resign. Give up the money and save your soul...or at least your ethics. And while you ponder, READ THIS to find out what terrorism actually is.

~~Site changes at Kimkins dot com show that there is yet more scrubbing that has taken place. Reports are that the fake Kimmer claim of losing 198 pounds in 11 months and phony after photo (ie, the infamous red dress shot) have been removed. I wonder how Tippy defends that little action.

~~Kimkins site, it has been reported today, is displaying an old People magazine cover touting a cover model as a Kimkins success. Never mind that this same model/success story attributes her success to Atkins, with only a minor detour through Kimkins. The dieter, Mary Smith, is not a Kimkins advocate, and she's on record as being miffed at having a minor mention of Kimkins being blown out of proportion. Heidi's misuse of dieter stories continues, we see.

~~Bannings continue for little to no good reason. One recently banned Kimkins paying member hadn't even posted. Just got banned for, I suppose, speaking against Kimmkins OUTSIDE of the Kimkins site. Hmmm. How's that for oppressive moderation? On the plus side: Banned members now have a cute avatar on LCF forum, proudly displaying their Kimkins-banned status in bright yellow--the color of duckies, no less.

~~A prayer thread for Heidi exists at Jimmy Moore's low carb forum. I wonder how many "hate groups" pray for their target, huh, Dippy Tippy? (As a mixed-race Hispanic, I can tell Tippy a thing or two about hate speech and hate actions, in case she's not really had real-life experience regarding that. She might need a clue.)

~~For the latest updates, visit Kimkins Exposed or THE TRUTH STARTS HERE or see my sidebar, way down, where I've posted links.

~~Other Kimkins Fight Front blogs are posting on organizations you can contact to get this dangerous diet's iffy founder properly investigated. Feel free to add your voice. And if you know any reporters eager to do a story that mixes good old love of money, abuse of power, diet fraud, groupthink, eating disorders (and their propagation), and the general weight loss and health angles, well, you might want to ask them to look into this. If you're real good chums with someone at 20/20 or DATELINE NBC or, shoot, Tyra Banks, put in the good word.

~

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.
~

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.

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.)

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.