No matter what your dieting style - low carb, low fat, low calorie, special dietary needs - dining out can present problems that make staying on program difficult. If you have several dietary issues like I do and must avoid multiple foods the logistics are a nightmare. Asking questions helps ("Does the cook add milk to the eggs?" "Is there corn in the Mexican rice?" "Do they use wheat flour in the breading?")
Personally, I've chosen to rarely eat out and when I do order steak and potatoes. Those two items are usually safe and chef proof. They can't screw them up colitis-wise.
Below are some links to help you make the best dining out choices for your unique situation:
Healthy Dining Out
For Low Fat and Calorie / Portion Control Dieters
CNN’s Eating healthy when dining out is getting easier
Healthy Dining Finder
Healthy Fast Food” Guide to Healthy Choices at Fast Food Restaurants
For IBD / Colitis / Crohn’s / Celiac Diets
Before You Eat Out
By Amber J. Tresca, About.com
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Kate Grossman, MD
Eating out at restaurants or at social functions can be a tricky situation for people with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis [IBD]). It is especially difficult when you are dining with people you have a professional or casual relationship with, since they are not likely to know about your health problems. (Nor would you necessarily want them to know.) How can you handle a high-powered business lunch or romantic dinner without bringing attention to your problem? Read more.
Eating Out When You Have Ulcerative Colitis
Dining Out With Celiac Disease and Food Allergies
Gluten-Free Restaurant Dining
Tips for Safe Gluten-Free Restaurant Meals
For Low Carb Dieters
Restaurant Eating Low Carb
How do you stay on your diet when someone else is doing the cooking? Here you'll find handy tips to use when dining out, what to eat at specific types of eateries, and links to low-carb menus at popular chain restaurants.
Low Carb Eating Out
Showing posts with label very low calorie diets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label very low calorie diets. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Does Britain Have It's Own Kimmer?!
'Detox diet' woman awarded £810,000 ($1.6 Million)
16 hours ago
A woman was awarded more than £800,000 after she suffered permanent brain damage while on a detox diet.
Dawn Page, 52, claims she was told to drink more water and reduce her salt intake during The Amazing Hydration Diet.
The High Court was told she suffered uncontrollable vomiting after starting the diet, but nutritionist Barbara Nash assured her it was part of the detoxification process. Mrs Nash's insurance company agreed to pay out £810,000 although she denied any wrongdoing.
In October 2001 when she was less than a week into the regime, she suffered an epileptic fit and was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon. Doctors were unable to prevent her suffering permanent brain damage and her memory, speech and concentration have been affected.
Her husband Geoff Page, 54, of Faringdon, Oxfordshire, told reporters: "Her life has been seriously affected, perhaps ruined, by this fad-type way of losing weight, which I can only say is a dangerous method of weight loss."
He said: "Just days after she started the Hydration Diet, she began to feel unwell and started vomiting. Things went from bad to worse, and within another couple of days she collapsed with the fit." Read more.
16 hours ago
A woman was awarded more than £800,000 after she suffered permanent brain damage while on a detox diet.
Dawn Page, 52, claims she was told to drink more water and reduce her salt intake during The Amazing Hydration Diet.
The High Court was told she suffered uncontrollable vomiting after starting the diet, but nutritionist Barbara Nash assured her it was part of the detoxification process. Mrs Nash's insurance company agreed to pay out £810,000 although she denied any wrongdoing.
In October 2001 when she was less than a week into the regime, she suffered an epileptic fit and was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon. Doctors were unable to prevent her suffering permanent brain damage and her memory, speech and concentration have been affected.
Her husband Geoff Page, 54, of Faringdon, Oxfordshire, told reporters: "Her life has been seriously affected, perhaps ruined, by this fad-type way of losing weight, which I can only say is a dangerous method of weight loss."
He said: "Just days after she started the Hydration Diet, she began to feel unwell and started vomiting. Things went from bad to worse, and within another couple of days she collapsed with the fit." Read more.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Kimkins Watch Revisited
A fake after photo of Kim Drake and a photo of the real Kim Drake who's real name is Heidi Diaz aka Kimmer. How many names can one scam artist have.
I was visiting Marisol's blog a few days ago and was amazed to find out the Kimkins website (link goes to the About.com Inside Kimkins review) and the dangerous very low calorie / carbohydrate diet endorsed there is STILL operating. Admittedly after Kimkins aka Kim Drake was called to task by California news stations and the California Attorney General I thought Kimkins would cease and desist then vanish from the internet and cheesy magazines like Woman's World. No, nada, not happening.
I had deleted my "Kimkins Watch" links from my sidebar awhile back because I thought it was over. Well, now I wish I hadn't. So they're back and near the top of my sidebar for now. Many of the blogs no longer update regularly or cover Kimkins but I feel their previous posts have valuable insights. (If I missed anybody, let me know).
I just want to reiterate Very Low Calorie Diets Are Dangerous unless medically supervised. And medically supervised VLCDs are of dubious value, cause muscle loss, slow your metabolism and cause rebound weight gain after discontinued. Don't Go There. Period.
Healthy women who start low calorie diets (below 1200 calories a day) often end up showing signs and symptoms of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. This was demonstrated recently in the BBC America special "Super Skinny Me" - a must see show. I mentioned this a few posts back, one of the female reporters who went on a very low calorie diet (1000 calories a day) began showing signs of bulimia and anorexia and was counseled by an eating disorders specialist to stop the experiment.
In the end, there's only one proven and sustainable way to safely lose weight and KEEP IT OFF. You must create a lifestyle of a healthy balanced diet, eat fresh whole foods, keep calorie restriction to no less than 250-500 calories under your total daily requirements (not under your BMR!) You must also exercise regularly, and do resistance training to preserve or build muscle. This is EXACTLY how I lost 50 pounds, gained muscle mass, and kept the weight off!
The above lifestyle is not just to lose weight. Healthy whole foods in proper portions, regular aerobic exercise and strength training enhance and preserve good health. Always consult your physician before starting any new dietary or fitness practices. Especially very low calorie diets like Kimkins.
Related Links:
What is a portion size?
What Is A Healthy Balanced Diet?
12 Reasons Every Adult Should Strength Train
Scientific Guidelines For Effective Weight Loss
Begin Exercising For Your Fitness and Health
Six New Rules Of Fat Loss - Cardio Isn't The Best Approach To Fat Loss & You Must Build Muscle To Win The Battle Against Fat
Calculators for BMR, RMR and more.
Diet That Made Oprah Winfrey Slim Demands Discipline, Specialists Say
I was visiting Marisol's blog a few days ago and was amazed to find out the Kimkins website (link goes to the About.com Inside Kimkins review) and the dangerous very low calorie / carbohydrate diet endorsed there is STILL operating. Admittedly after Kimkins aka Kim Drake was called to task by California news stations and the California Attorney General I thought Kimkins would cease and desist then vanish from the internet and cheesy magazines like Woman's World. No, nada, not happening.
I had deleted my "Kimkins Watch" links from my sidebar awhile back because I thought it was over. Well, now I wish I hadn't. So they're back and near the top of my sidebar for now. Many of the blogs no longer update regularly or cover Kimkins but I feel their previous posts have valuable insights. (If I missed anybody, let me know).
I just want to reiterate Very Low Calorie Diets Are Dangerous unless medically supervised. And medically supervised VLCDs are of dubious value, cause muscle loss, slow your metabolism and cause rebound weight gain after discontinued. Don't Go There. Period.
Healthy women who start low calorie diets (below 1200 calories a day) often end up showing signs and symptoms of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. This was demonstrated recently in the BBC America special "Super Skinny Me" - a must see show. I mentioned this a few posts back, one of the female reporters who went on a very low calorie diet (1000 calories a day) began showing signs of bulimia and anorexia and was counseled by an eating disorders specialist to stop the experiment.
In the end, there's only one proven and sustainable way to safely lose weight and KEEP IT OFF. You must create a lifestyle of a healthy balanced diet, eat fresh whole foods, keep calorie restriction to no less than 250-500 calories under your total daily requirements (not under your BMR!) You must also exercise regularly, and do resistance training to preserve or build muscle. This is EXACTLY how I lost 50 pounds, gained muscle mass, and kept the weight off!
The above lifestyle is not just to lose weight. Healthy whole foods in proper portions, regular aerobic exercise and strength training enhance and preserve good health. Always consult your physician before starting any new dietary or fitness practices. Especially very low calorie diets like Kimkins.
Related Links:
What is a portion size?
What Is A Healthy Balanced Diet?
12 Reasons Every Adult Should Strength Train
Scientific Guidelines For Effective Weight Loss
Begin Exercising For Your Fitness and Health
Six New Rules Of Fat Loss - Cardio Isn't The Best Approach To Fat Loss & You Must Build Muscle To Win The Battle Against Fat
Calculators for BMR, RMR and more.
Diet That Made Oprah Winfrey Slim Demands Discipline, Specialists Say
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Kimkins Watch - Gonna Wait Til The Midnight Hour
Click on Photo To View Large Version.
A friend of mine recently said to me that Kimmer and Kimkins was getting too much attention. I respectfully disagreed.
Kimkins needs to be stopped before someone dies.
Kimkins is a dangerous diet in all its five forms. And it would be irresponsible not to speak out and speak out often on how potentially dangerous this diet can be.
I’ve been busy beefing up my Kimkins Watch links list on my sidebar. And I’ve decided to move the list as far up my sidebar as feasible. Today it’s at the top so check it out. The links appear in no particular order. If I missed listing any links it is purely oversight on my part and you can post any links you think I should add. I’ve tried to cover everyone’s experience or views. (Including Kimmer herself through other people's posts of conversations, PM's and emails, though frankly I wouldn’t trust anything she said at this point).
In my heart I feel this is the right thing to do. It’s a must to spread the word and warn people Kimkins and possibly it’s mysterious founder is a danger. I’m moved to do this, whether by God or conscience, or my gut emotions, I cannot look the other way. I can’t ignore this or play it down or pretend no one will get hurt. People have already gotten hurt.
As far as we know no one has died yet, but many Kimkins dieters have suffered harm both physical and emotional and mental - Kimmer messes with people's minds. People placed their trust in this woman and her diet plan(s) and believed that the diet was safe. It’s human nature to trust blindly when we want something badly. When it comes to weight loss we sometimes lose all reason in our desire to lose it fast. Our fast food drive thru-have it now-get ‘er done lifestyle has taught us to expect fast results.
And how seductive is this diet? For a brief time after Jimmy Moore started the K/E plan it crossed my mind to try Kimkins to lose the last few pounds. I was about 12 pounds from goal, getting impatient, and thought if Jimmy endorses it, it must be a good program. Lucky for me I was just getting into Power 90X and didn’t want to change plans let alone cough up $60 bucks. I decided to stay on plan and consider Kimkins after I finished Power 90X if I didn’t reach my goal. This was before the plan behind the plan leaked out and shocked those of us who knew a very low calorie diet could be dangerous.
Later Jimmy apologized for endorsing Kimkins and he caught a lot of flack from all sides.
Personally I do not feel Jimmy Moore has anything to apologize for. Sure Jimmy is a low carb lifestyle icon and a leader in the diet community but he’s also human like the rest of us. And Jimmy has a good heart. He only wanted to lose those last few pounds AND help others succeed as well. Jimmy’s intentions were good.
The hype and hoopla that ensued after Kimkins made the cover of Woman’s World magazine drove this dangerous way of losing weight because of dieters’ pain at being overweight, desperation to find a program that worked, and the desire for fast results YESTERDAY.
Be honest, we’ve all been there. There’s nothing mysterious about any one of us falling for a fast fix. Sure it’s against our better judgment, intelligence, high school biology, wisdom and experience.
Our culture is schizophrenic. One counter culture exists of thinness at any price with moral connotations that being fat means you’re less valuable. We are driven beyond reason to be thin.
This is juxtaposed by an environment of ample and cheap food driven by big agriculture, big food (like McDonalds, Applebys, Coca Cola, Frito Lay), rampant advertising everywhere you look urging you to eat, eat, eat, and while you're at it make it Super Size. This is supported by our time crunched, stressed out, hurry up and get it over with lives. Have no time to cook? Grab a fast and cheap Biggie Meal.
We send emails and instant messages, check our bank balances and pay our bills online without leaving our seats, enjoy one-hour dry cleaning and photo processing, TIVO our favorite shows to watch at our leisure, microwave our food in minutes, and patience is no longer seen as a virtue. In fact patience is rarely seen at all.
Kimkins found its niche in the midst of our cultural insanity. It fit into our schizophrenia to want to become thin without any effort or inconvenience and have it yesterday. No patience needed! Better than gastric bypass! No food restrictions, no exercise, no way!
Here was the low carb diet of our dreams. Lose a pound a day! Never mind that pound isn’t a pound of fat. VLCD’s are known to strip the body of muscle, water, and excess intestinal matter along with some body fat. You cannot easily lose a pound of body fat a day. You would have to create a calorie deficit of 3500 calories EVERY DAY.
Never mind the diet only works as promised if you starve yourself, restrict fluid intake, rely on laxatives, and are will to be slightly nauseous all the time (SNATT).
Kimkins perpetuated myths about weight loss than are not based on fact or science. Unfortunately average Americans don’t hold Ph.D.’s in science and medicine so Kimmer had no problem convincing her followers of whatever myths suited her agenda.
Kimkins Myth: If you have body fat you do not need to eat fat or even enough calories to sustain you beyond your RMR.
WRONG! Body fat does not supply complete nutrition, it is simply a form of fuel that can be burned for energy. It does not supply you with essential nutrients like omega-3s, 6s, 9s, vitamins, minerals, phyto-chemicals, antioxidants, and certainly not protein. Without adequate protein intake your body begins to break down muscle and other tissues (including heart muscle) to meet protein needs.
Kimkins Myth: It’s normal during weight loss to have SNATT, heart palpitations, weakness, dizziness, menstrual irregularities, and hair loss. WRONG!
Healthy weight loss – in other words slow weight loss – does not lead to symptoms of ill health. Only unhealthy rapid weight loss leads to symptoms like these.
(Many have questioned whether Kimmer ever lost weight because people close to her claimed she didn’t. I can’t help but wonder if her hair loss is not aleopecia but actually caused by chronic extreme dieting followed by rapid weight regain).
Kimkins Myth: Exercise is not necessary to weight loss. Although technically true in the long run this is bad advice to follow.
Our bodies lose more weight when exercise is a part of our lifestyle. We keep off more weight during maintenance by exercising regularly. And last but definitely not least exercise has benefits beyond weight loss and weight maintenance including cardiovascular conditioning, preserving and building muscle mass, mood improvement, better control of blood sugar levels, an improved sex life, better sleep, and more.
Kimkins Myth: Gastric Bypass patients eat less than 500 calories a day so it's safe for everyone. WRONG. Gastric Bypass patients only eat 500 calories or less for a brief time while their digestive tract heals from surgery. About 8 weeks after surgery the resume eating 3-6 meals a day of about 1/2 cup of food including food from all food groups. Limiting carbohydrates is encouraged.
In the end, Kimkins is not a low carbohydrate diet and the ‘diet behind the diet’ bears no resemblance to Atkins or Stillmans. Kimkins is a very low calorie diet. VLCD’s require close medical supervision even in obese patients in order to be done safely. And VLCD’s have a notorious past with dubious results For comprehensive coverage of VLCD’s check out A Pinch of Health’s VLCD Research.
If you are on Kimkins don’t ignore the warning signs and stop the diet immediately whether you suffer warning signs or not. See your physician and get checked out. Kimkins followers have complained of one or more of the following:
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Muscle fatigue or weakness
• Heartbeat palpitations
• Moderate to severe hair loss
• Bone and joint pain
• Mental changes - irritability, forgetfulness, confusion
• Bowel complications/symptoms of laxative abuse
The founder of Kimkins, known as “Kimmer” aka Heidi Kimberly Diaz
• is not certified or licensed in any way to dispense nutritional and medical advice
• claims to have lost 198 lbs. but has never provided solid evidence of such loss, having refused to be interviewed in person
• has advised the daily use of laxatives extended beyond products’ warnings
• has pushed diet followers to stay as low in calories as possible, even as low as 0-300 calories a day
• has used questionable marketing techniques to generate membership revenues by:
-- displaying false “before/after” testimonials
-- using viral marketing techniques such as the willful misplanting that young celebrities have followed the plan in order to target a younger demographic, including pre-teens
-- has allowed affiliates to spam many valid forums with misleading information
-- advertising the acquisition of an e-book as included in the membership fee, which she never produced
For what you can do to stop Kimkins go here and scroll down for a list of links including:
the Better Business Bureau
the Consumerist website
the Federal Trade Commission
Fraud.Com
The California Attorney General’s Office
Sign the Petition To Investigate Kimkins
As for the morality or character of this woman known as Kimmer aka Heidi Kimberly Miller Diaz aka Kim Drake, I’m not willing to judge the particulars of her character on a personal level. Not because I think her diets are not dangerous or she is not perpetrating fraud, but because I don’t know her personally and I've never dealt with her online or in any capacity. Not to mention judgment is not mine to mete out. In the end, it is perhaps our job to be our brother or sisters keeper and to look out for each other, but judgment belongs in the hands of the Lord. Only He knows our hearts and minds.
BUT I'm not going to stop telling whoever will listen about the dangers of the Kimkins diet or any other dangerous diet that comes along until everyone gets the message because it feels like the right thing to do.
Update: As of this afternoon The Truth Starts Here posted 'Ask Kimmer Locked Down' - perhaps the midnight hour looms near.
A friend of mine recently said to me that Kimmer and Kimkins was getting too much attention. I respectfully disagreed.
Kimkins needs to be stopped before someone dies.
Kimkins is a dangerous diet in all its five forms. And it would be irresponsible not to speak out and speak out often on how potentially dangerous this diet can be.
I’ve been busy beefing up my Kimkins Watch links list on my sidebar. And I’ve decided to move the list as far up my sidebar as feasible. Today it’s at the top so check it out. The links appear in no particular order. If I missed listing any links it is purely oversight on my part and you can post any links you think I should add. I’ve tried to cover everyone’s experience or views. (Including Kimmer herself through other people's posts of conversations, PM's and emails, though frankly I wouldn’t trust anything she said at this point).
In my heart I feel this is the right thing to do. It’s a must to spread the word and warn people Kimkins and possibly it’s mysterious founder is a danger. I’m moved to do this, whether by God or conscience, or my gut emotions, I cannot look the other way. I can’t ignore this or play it down or pretend no one will get hurt. People have already gotten hurt.
As far as we know no one has died yet, but many Kimkins dieters have suffered harm both physical and emotional and mental - Kimmer messes with people's minds. People placed their trust in this woman and her diet plan(s) and believed that the diet was safe. It’s human nature to trust blindly when we want something badly. When it comes to weight loss we sometimes lose all reason in our desire to lose it fast. Our fast food drive thru-have it now-get ‘er done lifestyle has taught us to expect fast results.
And how seductive is this diet? For a brief time after Jimmy Moore started the K/E plan it crossed my mind to try Kimkins to lose the last few pounds. I was about 12 pounds from goal, getting impatient, and thought if Jimmy endorses it, it must be a good program. Lucky for me I was just getting into Power 90X and didn’t want to change plans let alone cough up $60 bucks. I decided to stay on plan and consider Kimkins after I finished Power 90X if I didn’t reach my goal. This was before the plan behind the plan leaked out and shocked those of us who knew a very low calorie diet could be dangerous.
Later Jimmy apologized for endorsing Kimkins and he caught a lot of flack from all sides.
Personally I do not feel Jimmy Moore has anything to apologize for. Sure Jimmy is a low carb lifestyle icon and a leader in the diet community but he’s also human like the rest of us. And Jimmy has a good heart. He only wanted to lose those last few pounds AND help others succeed as well. Jimmy’s intentions were good.
The hype and hoopla that ensued after Kimkins made the cover of Woman’s World magazine drove this dangerous way of losing weight because of dieters’ pain at being overweight, desperation to find a program that worked, and the desire for fast results YESTERDAY.
Be honest, we’ve all been there. There’s nothing mysterious about any one of us falling for a fast fix. Sure it’s against our better judgment, intelligence, high school biology, wisdom and experience.
Our culture is schizophrenic. One counter culture exists of thinness at any price with moral connotations that being fat means you’re less valuable. We are driven beyond reason to be thin.
This is juxtaposed by an environment of ample and cheap food driven by big agriculture, big food (like McDonalds, Applebys, Coca Cola, Frito Lay), rampant advertising everywhere you look urging you to eat, eat, eat, and while you're at it make it Super Size. This is supported by our time crunched, stressed out, hurry up and get it over with lives. Have no time to cook? Grab a fast and cheap Biggie Meal.
We send emails and instant messages, check our bank balances and pay our bills online without leaving our seats, enjoy one-hour dry cleaning and photo processing, TIVO our favorite shows to watch at our leisure, microwave our food in minutes, and patience is no longer seen as a virtue. In fact patience is rarely seen at all.
Kimkins found its niche in the midst of our cultural insanity. It fit into our schizophrenia to want to become thin without any effort or inconvenience and have it yesterday. No patience needed! Better than gastric bypass! No food restrictions, no exercise, no way!
Here was the low carb diet of our dreams. Lose a pound a day! Never mind that pound isn’t a pound of fat. VLCD’s are known to strip the body of muscle, water, and excess intestinal matter along with some body fat. You cannot easily lose a pound of body fat a day. You would have to create a calorie deficit of 3500 calories EVERY DAY.
Never mind the diet only works as promised if you starve yourself, restrict fluid intake, rely on laxatives, and are will to be slightly nauseous all the time (SNATT).
Kimkins perpetuated myths about weight loss than are not based on fact or science. Unfortunately average Americans don’t hold Ph.D.’s in science and medicine so Kimmer had no problem convincing her followers of whatever myths suited her agenda.
Kimkins Myth: If you have body fat you do not need to eat fat or even enough calories to sustain you beyond your RMR.
WRONG! Body fat does not supply complete nutrition, it is simply a form of fuel that can be burned for energy. It does not supply you with essential nutrients like omega-3s, 6s, 9s, vitamins, minerals, phyto-chemicals, antioxidants, and certainly not protein. Without adequate protein intake your body begins to break down muscle and other tissues (including heart muscle) to meet protein needs.
Kimkins Myth: It’s normal during weight loss to have SNATT, heart palpitations, weakness, dizziness, menstrual irregularities, and hair loss. WRONG!
Healthy weight loss – in other words slow weight loss – does not lead to symptoms of ill health. Only unhealthy rapid weight loss leads to symptoms like these.
(Many have questioned whether Kimmer ever lost weight because people close to her claimed she didn’t. I can’t help but wonder if her hair loss is not aleopecia but actually caused by chronic extreme dieting followed by rapid weight regain).
Kimkins Myth: Exercise is not necessary to weight loss. Although technically true in the long run this is bad advice to follow.
Our bodies lose more weight when exercise is a part of our lifestyle. We keep off more weight during maintenance by exercising regularly. And last but definitely not least exercise has benefits beyond weight loss and weight maintenance including cardiovascular conditioning, preserving and building muscle mass, mood improvement, better control of blood sugar levels, an improved sex life, better sleep, and more.
Kimkins Myth: Gastric Bypass patients eat less than 500 calories a day so it's safe for everyone. WRONG. Gastric Bypass patients only eat 500 calories or less for a brief time while their digestive tract heals from surgery. About 8 weeks after surgery the resume eating 3-6 meals a day of about 1/2 cup of food including food from all food groups. Limiting carbohydrates is encouraged.
In the end, Kimkins is not a low carbohydrate diet and the ‘diet behind the diet’ bears no resemblance to Atkins or Stillmans. Kimkins is a very low calorie diet. VLCD’s require close medical supervision even in obese patients in order to be done safely. And VLCD’s have a notorious past with dubious results For comprehensive coverage of VLCD’s check out A Pinch of Health’s VLCD Research.
If you are on Kimkins don’t ignore the warning signs and stop the diet immediately whether you suffer warning signs or not. See your physician and get checked out. Kimkins followers have complained of one or more of the following:
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Muscle fatigue or weakness
• Heartbeat palpitations
• Moderate to severe hair loss
• Bone and joint pain
• Mental changes - irritability, forgetfulness, confusion
• Bowel complications/symptoms of laxative abuse
The founder of Kimkins, known as “Kimmer” aka Heidi Kimberly Diaz
• is not certified or licensed in any way to dispense nutritional and medical advice
• claims to have lost 198 lbs. but has never provided solid evidence of such loss, having refused to be interviewed in person
• has advised the daily use of laxatives extended beyond products’ warnings
• has pushed diet followers to stay as low in calories as possible, even as low as 0-300 calories a day
• has used questionable marketing techniques to generate membership revenues by:
-- displaying false “before/after” testimonials
-- using viral marketing techniques such as the willful misplanting that young celebrities have followed the plan in order to target a younger demographic, including pre-teens
-- has allowed affiliates to spam many valid forums with misleading information
-- advertising the acquisition of an e-book as included in the membership fee, which she never produced
For what you can do to stop Kimkins go here and scroll down for a list of links including:
the Better Business Bureau
the Consumerist website
the Federal Trade Commission
Fraud.Com
The California Attorney General’s Office
Sign the Petition To Investigate Kimkins
As for the morality or character of this woman known as Kimmer aka Heidi Kimberly Miller Diaz aka Kim Drake, I’m not willing to judge the particulars of her character on a personal level. Not because I think her diets are not dangerous or she is not perpetrating fraud, but because I don’t know her personally and I've never dealt with her online or in any capacity. Not to mention judgment is not mine to mete out. In the end, it is perhaps our job to be our brother or sisters keeper and to look out for each other, but judgment belongs in the hands of the Lord. Only He knows our hearts and minds.
BUT I'm not going to stop telling whoever will listen about the dangers of the Kimkins diet or any other dangerous diet that comes along until everyone gets the message because it feels like the right thing to do.
Update: As of this afternoon The Truth Starts Here posted 'Ask Kimmer Locked Down' - perhaps the midnight hour looms near.
