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Kimkins
Kimkins PR Director rebuts fraudulent claims.
BACKGROUND
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Please note, DietsInReview.com does not recommend the Kimkins diet program. Kimkins has completely misrepresented itself and the information it presents to customers, and in doing so, has endangered the lives of many of those people.
UPDATE 10/10 Kimkins Diets Founder Heidi Diaz is found guilty of fraud and false advertising
UPDATE 11/09: Kimkins Class Action Lawsuit Filed
Kimkins broke into the diet scene in 2000 selling itself as the one sure thing to end your dieting chaos. She said she had been an obese 300 pounds and like so many others, struggled to find a diet that worked for her. So she created her own solution- a low-carb/low-calorie diet that she says works incredibly fast. Not only would Kimkins help you lose weight quickly (198 pounds in one year in her case), but the plan would set you up for success for life. Kimkins also excitedly promotes that you won't have to do a single stretch, sprint or sit-up as exercise isn't necessary to achieve these amazing results.
Unfortunately, none of it is true. Kimkins is being investigated for fraud after many customers became seriously ill. Kimkins is an excruciatingly low-calorie diet and none of the information presented as fact as any medical or scientific support. Kimmer herself does not have a nutritional background and her advice is strictly from what appears to be fake experiences.
PRO
- None to speak of
CON
There is a laundry list of reasons why you should not follow the Kimkins diet. Currently the creator, Heidi Diaz, who operates under the alias Kimmer, is the possible subject of a potential class-action lawsuit and under investigation for fraud. Many of the Kimkins customers are becoming dangerously sick from following the Kimkins program. While Kimmer markets the diet as being a quick solution that will last for life, and losing 200 pounds in one year herself, she currently is morbidly obese- not at all what her ads claim.
- No research or healthcare endoresements
- Plan contradicts sound medical research
- Dangerously low caloric intake
- No exercise
- Suggested to take laxatives regularly
- Creator under investigation for fraud
- Creator does not have any nutrition or medical experience
Additionally, many followers of Kimkins have reported frightening side effects, including:
- Constant nausea
- Hair loss
- Fainting
- Heart palpitations
- Fatigue
- Bone and/or joint pain
- Constipation
DIET and NUTRITION
The proposed Kimkins diet is made up mainly of lean protein, very little fat or carbs and no fiber. The diet is said to be based on Atkins, but with Kimmer's personal twist. The average user consumes about 1200 calories a day; many users admit to only about 500 calories a day.
EXERCISE
Kimkins advertises that you will not need any exercise to achieve your desired goals.
CONCLUSION
Mom always said "If it's too good to be true, it probably is". And in the case of Kimkins, it sounded so much better than it actually turned out to be. This is one rapid weight loss fad that turned out to be a rapid weight loss scam. Consumers have been raising flags of concern about both the legitimacy of Kimkins and the health risks linked with the program. Heidi Diaz "Kimmer" is currently under investigation for fraud. It's unfortunate that so many men and women were duped by this convincing and charming sales woman. But it appears that this scam produced nothing more than a very lucrative eating disorder that has left a lot of people hurting.
Common misspellings: Kimmer, KimKens, Kemkins, Kemkind, Kimkins deit review
UPDATE
In October 2007 Diets in review received a rebuttal to our review (below letter) from Jeannie Baitinger - Kimkins PR Director. In January 2008, Kimmer sent a rebuttal and Jeannie responded letting us know that she had left Kimkins and severed all ties with the lawsuit-ridden program.
Dear Jim,
Thank you for giving Kimkins.com the opportunity to present our side of the story.
First please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jeannie Baitinger and on the website I am known as Tippy Toes. I am employed by Kimkins.com as PR Director and as management.
We know we are under attack from various sources. But many of these sources are coming from people who have only heard about our diets and have not actually tried them. The effect has been much like a snowball effect of people who genuinely mean well but are not actual members. Much is based on hear say and negative publicity.
Moreover, we offer no calorie limits on any plan. There are no 500 calorie per day plans. No plan is 100% fat free. We do allow the individual to use common sense when adding healthy fats and we term this as "just enough fat to make it work". We do not promote starvation of any kind and we never will. We encourage members to stick within the plan guidelines and further, we encourage them to add extra protein and possibly extra salads if they are still hungry or not feeling well.
We do not encourage or promote laxative abuse. However, it is not at all uncommon for a low carb diet plan to cause constipation. When a member complains we have recommended gentle stimulants such as M.O.M. or 100% physillium husks. There is also a tea which is helpful in relieving symptoms. We will never recommend laxatives as part of weight loss plans. Never!
Additionally we do encourage our members to have their Doctor's review the plans and monitor their progress. Many, many members report excellent lab reviews and Doctor's blessings. On our website I have never seen anything but positive reviews. On other websites I read the negatives but without offered proof. What I do read are stories of hair loss. This seems common on a lot of diets. Even the Atkins diet can cause this. When I did Atkins it happened to me. Oddly, I never lost hair doing Kimkins though. But again, hair loss is easily corrected and people who have their Doctor's monitoring progress can address the issue and get help. I would find it rather bizarre to lose huge chunks of my hair and still continue with any diet WITHOUT seeing my Doctor immediately. So I must question why there are no medical claims based on proof...
I am personally a Kimkins success story. I began my weight loss journey at 263 lbs. I am a female of 5' 7". I began losing weight with the Atkins diet (also quite con-traversal) and did well on it for about a year. I lost approximately 50 lbs on Atkins and then it stopped working. For the next 6 months I lost no further weight or inches. A dear friend told me about the Kimkins diet and I decided to give it a try. The weight came off just as promised! EXACTLY as promised! I made a personal choice to begin alternating Kimkins diet with Atkins. On Kimkins I could lose the weight and on Atkins breaks I could easily maintain it. Today my current weight is 152. Maintaining my weight has never been so easy thanks to a low carb lifestyle.
Our website is full of happy success stories much like mine. Many people have no trouble doing only Kimkins straight to goal. I have seen amazing losses--as much as 100lbs in 5 months. These big losses are quite common at Kimkins. Side effects appear minimal and as stated previously we do encourage everyone to have their Doctor's monitor them every step of the way.
Our members are not uneducated people being mislead. We just completed a Teacher's Challenge and the entire group lost an unbelievable amount of weight. The teacher's group had planned to make a public donation to fund teachers but with all the negative publicity they have opted for private donations instead. It is not at all uncommon for Internet users to wish to remain private. That is why many choose a nickname rather than using a real name.
As far as the founder of Kimkins.com is concerned and with all due respect, most members really don't care who she really is or is not. We believe the founder has every right to privacy and further we believe she is entitled to such. Her real name and weight is not an issue to people who are serious about weight loss and finally are able to make it happen. People buy a membership for their own weight loss and that is what they get. Weight loss. Our claim "there is no faster weight loss plan" is very accurate.
I will be more than happy to issue you a temporary site pass if you would like to come in and see what is really happening for yourself. Just let me know if you are interested in the real truth. It's pretty amazing!
Sincerely,
Jeannie Baitinger, PR
Kimkins.com
end of Kimkins rebuttal
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User Feedback
(Page 5 of 7, 122 total comments)Melanie
I thin there is too many people here telling people what to do, we have the facts now let us make up our own minds. I intend to keep my kimkins membership and continue with this way of eating and thats my right. I dont tell you how to eat or what to think so i expect you to give me the same courtesy.
Anonymous
I too have a lifetime membership to KimKins, Joined way back before the Women's World article. After several months of deliberating on whether to start (there was no maintenance to speak of, I was assuming that information would be in the forthcoming ebook that was part of the membership. Never happened.) Anyway, I did try it for 3 weeks, yes, I lost 15Lbs by the end of week two. I went off for some reason and it came back on just as fast with an additional 5lbs. When Heidi finally publicly admitted she was Kimmer and was overweight, I was questioning her about giving advice when she had no credibility and there are no LONGTERM successes as of yet. I was banned. So yes lifetime if you "play nice" and be "positive" . All these people losing the weight, it will be interesting to see how that plays out over the next few years and months.
Ex-Kimkinite
First point: I'm willing to bet fully 80% of those posting positive reviews above have by now changed their minds and realized how unhealthy Kimkins is. Not to even mention the well-documented fraudulent activities of Heidi Diaz, the diet founder who couldn't follow her own advice! Second point, I did the diet and I know for a fact and can prove the less than 800 calorie per day standard advice given. Third, yeah, the diet works.....STARVATION WILL MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT. Think, people think!!!! This diet is insanity, pure and simple. It WILL ruin your metabolism and your health. Is it worth it?
Anonymous
Here is the link to the story that was on The Mike and Juliette Show on Monday, November 12: http://www.mandjshow.com/videos/online-diet-scam/
Anonymous, MD
Quote: "We do not encourage or promote laxative abuse. However, it is not at all uncommon for a low carb diet plan to cause constipation. When a member complains we have recommended gentle stimulants such as M.O.M." Hello ladies & gentlemen.. MOM is a laxative! Do not use magnesium hydroxide (MOM) as a laxative if you have stomach (abdominal) pain, nausea, or vomiting, unless directed by a doctor. "Symptoms of an magnesium hydroxide overdose include nausea, vomiting, flushing, low blood pressure, a slow heartbeat, drowsiness, coma, and death." Losing 100 # in 5 months with no exercise is too fast. Your organs are shutting down. A diet with no exercise is a death wish! Why would you do a diet when the owner/CEO/President doesn't follow her own plan???
Anonymous
I don't think the argument here is that the diet doesn't work in terms of loosing weight. do iThe problem is that it is not necessarily a healthy way to loose weight. It is based on the low carb Atkins diet, and although that is controversial (or as the Kimkins PR Rep says - it's "Con-traversal" - in her letter above!), there is emphasis on health and the science behind it, not just losing weight. This plan is taking Atkins to the extreme with no scientific or medical basis. This random woman with no medical or health credentials created it, who clearly can't even stay on the diet herself! It gives the low carb lifestyle a bad name! Although I see there are success stories, it may end up damaging your health if you continue to eat like this. I hope they take this time of controversy to revise the plan with the help of health professionals.
Anonymous
I have been on this diet for about a year now, and let me tell you al this...this diet is no way to live by...you lose the weight at first and everyting seems all fine until you start experiencing the health effects...all i can say is that I have gone from being an energetic and out-going person to now being a very tired and bitter person....THINK AGAIN BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT!
Jeanessa
Join the lawsuit if you want your money back! http://kimkinslawsuit.wordpress.com
Anonymous
I tried Kimkins for 1 week, it only took a few days to realize I was endangering my life. I was so sick. I hope all of those who did this plan recover and do not have long term issues from this
Anonymous
Oh My, what can I say, PLEASE! PLEASE! Dont listen to Tippytoes(liar) She isnt interested in any one or their health. All she is interested in is the money and the Power. She is in my opinion as bad as kimmer if not worse. I hope that all of you who arte considering trying this diet will do research to see what a scam it is. I know people are saying SO WHAT IF SHE IS FAT, SO WHAT< SHE GAINED, WE ALL HAVE> Well, for one thing, do you want to trust a liar who has NEVER lost weight on her on plan? Do you really want to risk your health to become Skinny? DO you want to be a thin BALD person? IF you answered yes to any of these questions, then there is nothing any of us can do to convince you NOT TO DO THIS! You will just have to learn for your self what will down the road happen to your health. Dont you want to take the word of people who have been on this diet(and lost weight) and now have severe health problems. Dot you want to question why a woman named kimmer is getting rich promoting a diet that she her self cant follow? Dont you want to do your research and see what a LIAR Tippytoes is when she says she lost her weight on kimkins? IF you answered yes to any of these questions, GOOD for you. We are all proud that you will research and discuss this diet with your doctor. Think about your health and your hair, and DONT DO THIS or follow this SCAM ARTIST. I sure hope that tippytyoes can lay down and go to sleep at night knowing what she has done in aiding and supporting this LIE. I hope she knows that this will be on her hands(if not on this side on the other side) SHAME SHAME what a few dollars can lead a person to do.
Anonymous
I was one of the first posters in here. And I just want to add a follow up, it is now 11/20/2007 and I have reached goal and have maintained my current wt loss of 60 lbs since 10/3/2007. I feel great, no health problems, and my self confidence has multiplied. Thank you Kimkins for giving me my life back, for helping me to lose the wt that so many people struggle for daily. WTG
Kenni
There is no medical studies on this web site, there is not one "client" that has lost and kept it off for any great amount of time. There is no study of the long term helath risks to this diet. I joined the diet when the web site first started. All of the members that did the diet with sucess are still reporting side effects. Kimmer has no medical background, she herself didn't even follow the plan. She is obese. She says she "gained the weight back" after the WW story because she was glued to her computer. That would mean she gained something close to 200 pounds in 4 months time. How can anyone take her word for anything? No proof of health issues from this diet? I have proof. I had a complete physical and lab works done before I started this plan. When I started having health issues, I went to my doctor. Once he saw the diet details, he almost fainted. I feel like a fool for taing this woman at her word that she lost weight and could help others do it too. She is a fake and a Fraud and needs to be shut down.
Anonymous
I don't care what you say about the scam...the diet does work, and it works better and faster than any other diet out there. I lost 40 pounds in 2 months, have gone off of the diet completely for 2 months, and have gained back only one pound. If you need motivation, and a jumpstart out of what seems like a hopeless situation, try this diet...it will work 10 times better than any other. It is easier, too, because your appetite decreases so dramatically.
fatchickonadiet
Hi, I have been on kimkins since August of 2007. I "cheat" and still lose weight. I have lost 34 lbs since August, and my husband has lost 47. We both feel great, and look better than we have in years. I not only believe in the diet, but recommend it to anyone wanting to lose a significant amount of weight in a quick time. I slowed the diet down myself because I want to not only lose it, but I want to keep it off. I take a LIQUID vitamins daily to help keep my body healthy. I have never read anything about a 500 calorie diet on the kimkins site. Like I said I am a member. I wouldn't trade the information I have received from the site for the $60 lifetime member price refunded for anything. I have learned how to lose weight, and how to maintain the loss I have already experienced. I love the Kimkins diet. Or as we call it The Way Of Life.
Kimkins member early 2007
My initial success with this program prompted me to go as far as promoting the diet. In light of recent events, I can no longer recommend this program. There were many references to the extremely low calorie intake that were recently removed from the site. Members were banned from their lifetime membership simply for voicing some concerns. Kimmer who claimed to lose 198 lbs in 11 months has recanted her story to say she had lost only 100 lbs in 6 months, only to gain it back. She now claims to be back on the plan herself to lose this 100 lbs for the fifth time (does this sound like a diet that works?). The site has claimed a change in ownership, but the new ownership remains anonymous. This leads to many questions: is it really under new ownership? And, if it is what makes them an authority on successful weight loss? This diet appears to work, but in all it is still one giant science experiment. The new rules which have been applied have not been there for long and are not proven in their effectiveness. The old rules, which encouraged extremely low calories bordering on starvation would cause anyone to lose weight, who could stick with it. I myself lost weight, and by the end of my journey proceeded to lose a lot of hair. I took the recommended daily vitamin, but that is obviously not enough. The short term effects of weight loss are valid, but as for the long term effects on ones health, there is just no way to know at this time. If you like the circus and snake oil remedies then this is for you. If you respect your body and wish to live a long healthy life, then I recommend you do your homework on this one. You only get 1 body. Treat it wisely.
Anonymous
Nobody disputes that you can lose weight on this plan. So do people in concentration camps. The most telling fact about this website is that they sanitized the website after criticism started coming out. You will not find references to taking MOM to relieve the constipation it causes. You will not find posts from Heidi Diaz telling people to cut their calories, and cut their calories, and then cut them again. Keep in mind, this website promotes the use of Fitday.com, a website where users log every morsel that goes in their mouths. It keeps track of their carb and calorie levels. Each time someone posted they were not losing weight, Heidi reviewed their Fitday record and her pat answer was to cut calories more. Heidi wants people for forget they saw this advice over and over, but they did, and they remember it. People, you can starve yourself for FREE! Save your $60, and if it's too late and Heidi already has your money, join the lawsuit! She is a fraud, a liar, and a cheat!
OMG
THE DIET THEY ARE TRYING TO SELL FOR $60 WAS CHANGED TO COVER THEIR DIET SCAM. TIPPY TOES THE PR PERSON TOOK THIS JOB BECAUSE SHE WAS UPSET WITH MEMBERS OF ANOTHER SITE,WHERE SHE EVEN RECEIVED THE NAME MEME , EVERYTHING WAS ABOUT HER. SHE LOST THE WEIGHT MOSTLY ON THE ATKINS DIET AND WOULD SWITCH TO KIMKIMS ON AND OFF. (HER ADMISSION) SHE ALSO SOLICITED DONATION FOR HER BOSS ,FOR FOSTER KIDS WHO DO NOT EXSIST. HEIDI DIAZ POSTED HER BEFORE AND AFTER PICS TO ENTICE NEW MEMBERS AND IT WAS FOUND TO BE AN AFTER PIC FROM A RUSSIAN BRIDE SITE. SHE ALSO HAS PHOTO SHOPPED HER NEW PIC WHICH SHE PUT ON HER SITE AFTER GOING TO COURT. IT WAS ALSO EXSPOSED THAT MOST SUCCESS STORIES WERE MADE UP WITH PICS FROM THE RUSSIAN BRIDE SITE. EVEN AFTER ALL THIS EXSPOSURE HER NEW PR PERSON IS TRYING TO HIDE ALL THE PAST EVIDENCE THAT SHOWED THAT THEY PROMOTED A DIET WITH 500 AND UNDER CALS AND LAXITIVES. THE NEW DIET IS JUST ANOTHER LC DIET WHICH YOU CAN GET FOR FREE ON OTHER SITES.......
Anonymous
I too have the lifetime membership, but when Heidi publicly "came clean" I questioned her credibility to continue to give advice and there is no real maintenance plan. No REAL LONGTERM successes....I was banned. So as long as you "play nice" and are "positive" and never ever question Heidi, then yeah you may have a lifetime membership (or as in the current TOS for the life of the KimKins site) To all those who have lost the weight best of luck...it will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the months and years to come.
Susan
Im convinced many of the positive comments were posted by the founder of Kimkins, such glowing comments! I was on Kimkins 4 months, lost weight like crazy and ended up in the hospital! Potassium so low they were horrified, so dizzy I couldnt walk for 4 days, liver enzymes out of whack! Now that Kimkins is being investigated Ms. Diaz has "cleaned" the site of the original diet rules. Go to WAYBACK.com to see it before they scrubbed the site! The calories used to be SO low, that is how she could tout it being "the fastest diet ever!" Starvation works...but it also make you sick!
Anonymous
You ladies are quacks!!!!! Don't you have a life? How about complaining to the GOVENRMENT about their Pyramid.....eating 12 carbs a day......that is why you got FAT!