This is a slightly edited version of what I posted a couple months ago, on Ripoff Report.com.
Kimkins is an extremely dangerous, anorexic calorie level, starvation diet developed by one Heidi K. Diaz (aka Kimmer). Kimmer claimed to have lost 198 lbs in less than a year following her own super-fast diet, and even better than that, claimed she had kept all that weight off for 5 years. She provided supposed before and after photos “proving” that she was currently svelte.
Fraud: Two of the after photos provided by Kimmer are actually images stolen from Russian mail order bride sites (the search is ongoing for additional after photos, as there is now clear proof that none of the after photos are of Kimmer). There were also dozens of “success stories” on the site, which were actually falsified stories, with additional before and after photos stolen from various Russian Bride and Groom sites.
More Fraud: So what does Heidi K. Diaz really look like? Well, far from being the 118 lb beauty she claimed to be, she’s actually a good bit heavier than her 314 lb before photo these days, as evidenced by photos and videos provided by a Corona, California based private investigator, an attempted interview by a KTLA -TV news reporter, and video shot at a November 2007 deposition.
Genuine photos of Kimmer include the blue shirt photo above left, the “Before” blue flowered shirt photo from the Woman’s World article, above on the left, and the red jacket deposition photo labeled Nov. 12, 2007.
The ones known to be stolen “Russian Bride” images include the infamous red dress photo, top right, and the leopard print shirt photo labeled “after”, from the Woman’s World article. We are still looking for the original sources for the white shirt photo, and the lawn chair photo.
Still More Fraud: The “diet” itself was actually ripped off from the Stilllman’s diet and Atkins ‘72 diet, only with all dietary safeguards removed. The very name Kimkins denotes that it’s somehow approved by Atkins Nutritionals, and just another version of Atkins. The truth on both counts is that it is no such thing. The diet is denoted as a “low carb” diet, but the truth is that it is not only low carb, it’s also low fat, low calorie… low everything. Too low, WAY too low, especially in nutrients such as essential fatty acids.
Dangers: The eating plans are all starvation diet levels of 500-800 calories per day, plus a side order of daily laxative abuse to “keep things moving”. Due to the starvation calorie levels, weight loss stops after a week or two, as the body enters starvation mode. The advice at that point was to lower calories even more, so that some members were only eating 100-300 calories/day. The plan describes a state nicknamed SNATT (Semi-Nauseous All The Time) as highly desirable and proof the diet is working. However, this is actually a warning sign of the severe starvation state of the body from following her plan. Side effects from doing the diet range from heart palpitations, fainting, dizziness, loss of energy, weakness, cannibalizing of muscle mass (including heart muscle), dangerous electrolyte imbalances, the development of eating disorders, gall bladder problems, and extreme hair thinning, among other symptoms.
Did we mention Fraud? Kimmer’s plan, access to her expert personalized advice, a private members-only forum, and her e-book is sold for a lifetime membership of $59.95. However, Kimmer , who is supposedly the expert on her own diet, is now (December 2007) supposedly doing her own diet for the first time (there is proof that she never lost weight to begin with), and instead of being the expert on her own diet, is now asking for diet advice from her members!!! Hundreds of “Lifetime members” of her site have been banned without warning, merely for asking about physical problems, questioning the photos, without refund or recourse. Her e-book was nothing more than an email advertisement.
Just a few more of Kimmer’s Lies:
~All profits from the website were supposed to go to support her teenage Foster Boys as they aged out of the foster system. Turns out that it is illegal in California to solicit funds for foster children, whether they are in your care, not in your care, part of the system, or aged out of the system. There is also compelling evidence that Heidi K. Diaz has not cared for foster children for at least the last 7 years, and has no foster children in her care at the current time.
~Far from her members only website being the only source for her diet plan, the details of her plan are readily available on the Low Carb Friends forum (a free forum), as well as the Active Low Carbers forum (another free diet forum), along with extensive documentation of the fraud which has been discovered thus far.
~Kimmer, who has no medical or nutritional training, claims there is no such thing as starvation mode, and that if you have fat on your body, you don’t need to eat, that you can live off your fat until it’s all gone. On the contrary, the body needs a weight-related amount of protein to prevent muscle wasting, plus certain amounts of essential fatty acids each day, and if you lower calories below your basal metabolic rate (current weight related), you will go into starvation mode, when the body will conserve energy (bodyfat). Weight loss will then either come from fluid, resulting in dehydration and dangerous electrolyte imbalances, or muscle loss.
~Heidi K. Diaz has also given extensive, but extremely questionable advice about skin care and hair care, claiming that she has extremely youthful, smooth skin, and full, lush hair. I’m sure she wishes both those claims were true, but the photo/video evidence shows that she has extremely rough skin, and there is proof that she wears wigs because she is completely bald due to a condition called alopecia.
