SubscribeThe Kimkins Disaster
The Kimkins phenomenon has resided primarily within the confines of low-carb communities, but is starting to make its way into more mainstream media. It is a bizarre story of the quick rise and the tremendous fall from grace of an underground diet “guru”. Here’s the story;
Going under the moniker of Kimmer, Heidi Kimberley Diaz (apparently her real name) began a website about a year-and-a-half ago claiming to have lost almost 200 pounds in 11 months.
Her plan: A customized ultra low fat/carb/calorie diet. Presumably, she had strung along many a follower who had aspirations of losing unwanted weight quickly.
Heidi’s world has since come crashing down on. In the past several weeks alone, there has been a coup of sorts, amidst accusations of her diet making people sick. (A former member of the Kimkins team who was featured in Woman’s World magazine tells of her experience).
That’s just the beginning. As the story begins to unravel, sources have also determined that “Kimmer” had lied about losing the extraordinary amount of weight (see recent photo here), had taken up a collection for foster children she did not have and posted phony success stories (in addition to her own).
Anti-kimmer websites are now scattered all over cyberspace – exposing the disgraced woman. She now faces a pending class-action lawsuit for her misdeeds.
As this saga continues to unfold, I feel a visceral anger but also a tinge of sadness. I can only hope that this story acts as a warning to people of the dangers involved with extreme dieting.
Sources:
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com/
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/populardietplans/a/kimkinsdiet_2.htm
KTLA Evening News. Also video.
Editor's Note: Despite receiving a number of emails (many months ago) asking about Kimkins - I declined to give the "diet" any publicity whatsoever. There were simply too many things that didn't add up. Now that the dust is beginning to clear - we can all learn some lessons.
The best testimony of any diet will always be long-term success and health improvement. - Jim
The diet is not something I'd recommend, but the current backlash is starting to get ridiculous. Next up: Kimkins causes global warming?
ReplyIt's not a question of 'the current backlash getting ridiculous'. So many people are desperate to lose weight, they'll eagerly rip open their wallet to "buy the dream the person is selling."
When the originator knows the dream is just that (a dream) AND when those lies start to cause actual health crisises.... that goes beyond atrocious behavior. That's not just immoral, it's amoral.
My comments,
Barbara
ReplyI belonged to Kimkins last year, I followed her there from lowcarbfriends, where she got banned from. She claimed alot on that forum, was telling others how she lost the weight, how she kept it off for over a year. The lies the deception to others is so sad. There are people doing the diet yet, there choice yes, but getting bad advice from others. The site really needs to be shut down, or revamp the diet so it is more healthy, so people don't get sick.
ReplyIt goes beyond whether or not it's unsafe (people will always be tempted by quick-fix plans and schemes). It's really about wanting to see a malicious scam-artist get her "just desserts", so to speak. It's also an eye-opener, as far as how you can easily create a false identity on the web. The perils of technology...
ReplyLow calorie dieting can become very unhealthy and have affects on different people. Losing 200 pounds in 11 months is impressive but at the same time dangerous. Weight loss and health should be a progression and not a high peak for 11 months. Hopefully no one got to sick.
ReplyReading further into this, I discovered that Diaz/"Kimkins" apparently sits all day on her computer next to the window, bald head exposed to the world (she wears a wig). And she seems to leave the apartment only to go to the mailbox store and the bank, to collect her ill-gotten gains and deposit it. This is according to the private investigator that took the telling photos above.
http://allianceagent.blogspot.com/2007/10/private-investigators-notes.html
Also, the photo of a woman in the red dress was stolen from a Russian brides website, along with all the other fake success stories photos:
http://kimkinsexposed.wordpress.com/fake-success-story-pictures/
I would like to be disgusted at "Kimkins" fraud, but unfortunately, the only thought in my head right now is how I can make enough money for the woman in the red dress to marry me. ;)
ReplyI pity the people who were so desperate to lose weight that they paid money to sign up to the Kimkins site. But at the same time, the warning signs were all there. What kind of diet promotes "no exercise"? (Not that anyone would have the energy to exercise on so few calories.)
The Kimkins site used to feature a photo of a very svelte-looking woman (allegedly Kimmer herself) in a bathing suit. If you believe that someone can lose 200 pounds without having some loose skin to show for their efforts, I have a bridge you may be interested in...
ReplyI've heard really bad things about the Kimkins diet; namely that it is very unsafe and can cause you to go into cardiac arrest. I feel bad for people that did fall for this scam, but you have to do your homework before beginning ANY diet. Any diet that promotes very rapid weight loss should raise some red flags.
ReplyShe seems pretty much judgment proof. I wonder why an attorney is looking into a class action suit? I bet they'll file an initial complaint with a discovery motion, use that to get ahold of her bank records and list of assets, and at that point the attorney will fade away. If there're no deep pockets to pay the legal bills, there's no class action lawsuit.
ReplyI have also written about this in my Chinese blog - http://doriscbwong.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post_07.html
Everyone, please make sure you are losing in a healthy way.
ReplyI just found out about this scam! Wow I feel like a fool for having paid put my hard earned money to this woman! I think we all need our money returned, and the web sight shut down..
ReplyWe can all see now that she has been conning us all. From the very start.. How sad that we are all so desperate for a solution to our growing weight gain
that we can put so much trust in a perfect stranger. If we were looking for any other medical advice we would be looking for a licensed Medical Dr. When it comes to weight we are so anxious that we will let anyone play with our health.
So disgusting. I can't believe that people saw this stuff and believed it was a good idea though... I mean, the most basic nutrition information should keep you from her crap.
Though she got into Women's World... which disgusts me even more.
ReplyHi, Kimmer! Another alias? You sure get around!
ReplyThank you for sharing this story with us, Mike.
Hopefully, it WILL act as a warning to others.
My mother always told me that, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably IS too good to be true. I wish more people would heed that caution.
Kimmer didn't lose weight on her "diet", and she has encouraged others to endanger their health by following her "diet", all the while claiming that "I did it... so can you!!!" even on her MySpace page:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=163266088
where she is STILL using the "borrowed" pictures from the Russian Bride website as her "After Picture":
http://www.onewife.com/girl_profile.php?id=16077
This is all so sad and scary. People are really endangering their health following this very low calorie diet, and all the while Kimmer is cheering them on to lose more weight, to cut more calories.
Folks, please realize that she didn't lose the weight on this diet, and you shouldn't either. There are other safer ways to lose weight. It isn't worth risking your life for.
Read and listen to what Christin has to say about this diet:
http://the-journey-on.blogspot.com/
Christin was the Kimkins PR person and the Cover Girl for the Woman's World article promoting this scam.
Please be careful, folks.
If you are currently on the Kimkins Diet, please make an appointment to see your doctor as soon as possible and take him your food diary so he can see what you are eating.
ReplyAnd she gave specific diet advice... and recommended laxatives...
She is certainly no RD... how long before the "Practicing medicine without a license" charge comes in?
Pin the charge on the jackass--- coming soon to a party near you. ;)
Reply
ReplyOR..... MAYBE IT'S THE NEW "DR. MARK" The one giving out medical advise without a license on the Kimkins website forums right now. BUT, YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT, HE'S POBABLY "KIMMER" IN DEGUISE.
check out the Truth! note the KTLA news videos on the right. YUP The Kimmer and her scam is in the news!
http://thetruthinhiding.blogspot.com/
Replyi just heard about this a week or so ago. any one should know that eating the extremely low amount of calories she was recommending was not safe.
ReplyPeople need to choose a diet they can stick with, a true lifestyle change, with a healthy number of calories and a healthy amount of fat.
ReplyThis woman needs to be stopped. She is a scam artist and she is endangering the lives of many, many women who thought she was telling the truth about her "weight loss" of almost 200 lbs. Turns out she is a morbidly obese woman who is completely FAKE. Read more about her scam:
http://kimkinsexposed.wordpress.com/
Barbara B
ReplyThe low-cal thing is actually debated in low-carb circles. Some people who cannot lose on pure low-carb find adding low-cal to help them lose, but the jury is still out on whether it is dangerous. There is no research on it, and Heidi is simply opinionated about it, she has no qualifications to give advice to others, particularly since it has apparently never worked for herself. Meanwhile, Kimmer has removed the low-cal advice from her site (for the moment). I also heard she sold the site, and also heard she moved her place of residence. Hopefully someone will keep track of her activities.
What is most pernicious about this is that she will even come on forums like this and impersonate supporters - there are many other examples of her doing this - she truly lives on the web, and freely changes personas to manipulate. THANK YOU Someonewhocares for pointing this out!! But she has let her guard down enough times to reveal her true identity, and we now know alot about her. Her ex-husband and other relatives have testified to her long-term mental illness and manipulation of the state welfare systems. To this day, none of her official PR "success stories" has ever met her in person - she always refused and kept changing stories. Even Woman's World published their story without checking her out. Jimmy Moore, a true believer at the time, twisted her arm to do a long telephone interview, and she squirmed and fibbed under his direct questioning. This is what really cleared the smoke for him. She refused to appear in public, for a hundred flaky reasons.
She is probably bald because of the diet, no other reason. She recieves disability for supposed mental illness. She truly feeds off the system, and this now includes the internet. Will she be with us for fifty more years, tricking others into money scams via multiple personalities? This reveals how dangerous the internet is. Any lunatic can hide there. But it was also the internet which helps us to find them. With diligence and carefulness, you will not be taken in by such shameless scammers.
More than anything, I find her an amazing example of a study in social pathology (and our gullibility) under a microscope. We should make a reality show out of her - a Truman show. It would truly be fascinating. She's just a clever, venomous, shape-shifting survivor in the wild. Don't get caught in the Web.
ReplyI found Kimkins before WW (in May) and lost 47 lbs. I had an electrolyte scare and backed off, studied and upped my calories, fat and suppliments. Common sense prevailed and I feel very thankful that the weight has stayed off and my health appears fine. I'm now cynical of any one program and seem to be losing again by eating "normal", excluding sugar and grains. I have such terrible reactions to grains that I probably won't add any until I get close to maint (about 50 lbs from now).
I recall reading a Kimmer reply to the red dress pic. It stated that her son took the pic and the shadows helped her look "better". Also, that she had been eligible for skin removal through her insurance company. I know that there are evil people in the world, but what blows me away about her is that she has made such an amazing picture of the alter ego. She's scary.
Banned for asking her to delete my journal.
ReplyOk, lessons to learn, but what lessons? No quick fixes, but some plans are more effective than others. It is up to each of us to be informed and have communities (like this one) run by someone we learn to trust through time. We are still independent and self-responsible, but sharing info and interacting. What I hate to see is government getting more power and controlling too much (like vitamins and the internet). Let information flow freely. Teach your children how to learn. Be responsible for yourself and grow and build community relationships. I hate to see governments and other control freaks take advantage of this and send it in the wrong direction!
ReplyHer advice is what worried me the most, reassuring people that it was okay if they only ate 4 bites of chicken and even not at all. She even told a 14yr old whom was eating only 500 calories that she didn't need to eat more. This girl I doubt was even overweight and if she was, only just!
For anyone interested in some of the possibly side effects, I have collected (and still am) a bunch of research on very low calorie diets here: http://www.apinchofhealth.com/resources/lowcarb/VLCD-Research.html
Also some info on gallstones: http://pinchof.blogspot.com/2007/09/low-fat-side-of-kimkins-diet-gallstones.html
As well as rabbit starvation, sudden death and changed to ones resting metabolism here: http://pinchof.blogspot.com/2007/09/low-fat-side-of-vlc-dieting-rabbit.html
And a must read is the kimkins survivors blog where people that did kimkins tell of their experience: http://kimkinssurvivors.wordpress.com/
ReplyHey everyone, I just read about this scam and it is terrible. I wanted to share a little bit of advice. Dieting is hard and I have struggled and am still struggling with my weight. I have joined weight watchers online since June and lost 28lbs the healthy way by eating the right way and exercising. Losing weight and keeping it off is about eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise. There will never be a quick fix. Losing weight is a life change not something that will happen over night!
ReplyThanks for that post thereishope! Congratulations on taking steps towards changing your life. All the best in your journey. I hope your story will inspire others who may be searching for answers in the wrong places.
Take care and keep us posted on how you're continued progress!
ReplyThank you, Mike, for helping to warn folks about the Dangers of the Kimkins Diet Scam.
Kimkins was featured in the recent Diet Scams series on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet:
http://www.mandjshow.com/videos/online-diet-scam/
and in the local Corona newspaper this weekend:
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_kimkins17.3478b98.html
If you are interesting in taking part in the Kimkins Class Action Lawsuit:
http://kimkinslawsuit.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/want-to-see-heidi-come-to-justice/
ReplyThe sad thing is there are so many lies and misconceptions about Atkins people think it's unhealthy. Basically the only difference between Atkins and a diet any nutritionist or Dr. would put you on is you do'nt consume sugars or flour the first 2 weeks. After you can add fruits,whole grain breads,pastas, you just as long as they don't have sugar and keep the "bad carbs"under control. The myth you can eat ham and bacon is false. They contain sugar and you do not eat as much as you want. I am almost at my 80 lb weight loss I look great and feel great and my doctor said "keep it up".
ReplyThe latest on Kimkins from KTLA News:
http://tinyurl.com/2voac6
If you have been a victim of the Kimkins Diet Scam, please be sure to join the Class Action Lawsuit:
http://kimkinslawsuit.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/want-to-see-heidi-come-to-justice/
ReplyThank you for getting the truth out about this dangerous diet---it is greatly appreciated.
ReplyKimkins is a SCAM
She didn’t lose the weight
She is still morbidly obese and has scammed 10’s of thousands of innocent people out of their hard earned money. To find out more check out these sites.
http://kimkinsdiettruth.blogspot.com/2007/12/weight-loss-in-new-year.html
http://kimkinscam.wordpress.com/wp-admin/
If you have been a victim of this scam PLEASE join the class action lawsuit here:
Replyhttp://kimkinslawsuit.wordpress.com
Friends don't let friends do Kimkins! Remember that cover girl on the WW Mag? Well, she learned the hard way about Kimkins and it's dangers!! Read her blog and decide for yourself.
http://the-journey-on.blogspot.com/
ReplyDid you catch Kimkins on Good Morning America this morning?
ABC News: Online Diet Comes Under Scrutiny
Click here for a full transcript of the show.
Say NO to Kimkins.
It isn't worth risking your life or your health over it.
ReplyThe noose is tightening around Heidi Diaz' neck. Mark and Heidi want to believe she's judgment proof. Hmmmm, sounds like a comment she'd like to take back! For those who don't know, in her deposition, she was confronted with the text of a damaging e-mail in which she was poo-poo-ing a class action lawsuit against a housewife. Well friends, she asked if she could take that comment back. No, she can't, and it is entirely possible that the court will certify a class action against a housewife - one with a lot of ill gotten gains.
ReplyCheck out the latest video about the Kimkins Diet Scandal on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vHaREHmBhMY
For more information, see what ConsumerAffairs.com has to say about the Kimkins Diet Scam:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/02/kimkins.html
ReplyHow is it with all this controversy, there is still a website available for Kimkins??
Reply