Slimmer Kimmer Creating Weight Loss Winners
The post that appeared here has been removed for not promoting the low-carb community in the professional manner I have come to expect from myself. THANK YOU!
Read this blog post for more information.
Read this blog post for more information.
Labels: diet, Kimkins, Kimmer, low-carb, support, weight loss
posted by Jimmy Moore at
7/18/2006 05:41:00 PM
21 Comments:
You DO need adequate protein intake for the skeleton. A diet low in quality proteins (and low in fat) leads to osteoporosis. The same goes for calcium. A lack of calcium causes osteomalacia (an adult form of rickets) and not osteoporosis, which is a common misconception. Osteoporosis is caused by a weakening of the protein matrix of the bones, and the best preventative measure for this is a high-protein diet, not calcium.
What turns me off, along with the seeming lack of fat and protein in the diet, is the fact that it is $30 to do this. I can do Atkins, Protien power, etc, for free, and get support and accoutability from free groups on Yahoo and the like.
Any more than 1 or 2 pounds a week is an unhealthy rate of weight loss, even if you weigh 318 pounds. Not to mention, what did you do with those pounds and pounds of leftover skin? With a crash diet like this there would be an enormous amount of skin leftover, which in healthy slow dieting rarely happens, and not to a great extent. Please do not use this diet it will reduce your health more than you could possibly imagine.
I 'know' Kimmer from a low carb forum on which she was very active. For a couple of years I saw how dedicated she was and the hundreds if not thousands of people that she helped and inspired.
She always replied knowledgably, quickly, and thoroughly to the ovewhelming number of questions that she was asked, regardless of how many times she was asked them.
No, her plan is not for everyone. No plan is. If it doesn't work for you then don't do it. However to discourage others from a possible lifesaving plan is counterproductive to the low carb message.
If one who has 200+ pounds to lose were to aim for 1-2 pounds per week, it would take 2-4 YEARS to lose it. How can that possible be healthy?
I too know Kimmer from a long time ago on another forum and she knows her stuff, so many have been helped by her knowledge, she has fantastic success stories on her site, kimkins.com and no one has the right to judge someone else's success. Do you realize how many people can't get on track with ANY diet? I applaud Kimmer for helping so many people. Each to his or her own.
You know what's not healthy? Yo-yo dieting because you can't stick to a diet for more than a few weeks or a few months. When you have 100-200 pounds to lose, then losing at a rate of 1-2 pounds a week seems hopeless. What chance do you have of sticking with a diet for two years and keeping the weight off? Sure, there are some who have done it, but let's face it, for some morbidly obese people, if they could do it, would they have gotten so heavy in the first place? Two years is a long time to feel like you're starving all the time!
Doctors have told us there's nothing wrong with losing weight quickly on gastric bypass, as long as you take proper vitamins, take in 60 grams of protein a day (sound familiar?) etc, etc. Why do they then turn around and say you can't lose that quickly any other way?
To me, Kimmer's plan is the answer to gastric bypass. You get similar effects (feeling of fullness, quick weight loss) without the risks (death from surgical complications, complications from the inability to absorb as much nutrition as before, "dumping" syndrome, the inability to eat certain kinds of food, etc.).
I think the reason some people are so successful on Kimkins is because the quick weight loss. Where on other diets they fail, on Kimkins they get the "rush" of consistent, quick weight loss. They are less likely to cheat, because they don't want to give up all the progress they've made.
I think it is a lot safer than weight loss surgery, if done properly, if that is the only diet that works for them, why bash it? Maybe it's not right for everyone, but it's a heck of a lot better than staying 100-200 pounds overweight!
I don't think Kimkins is exactly unhealthy, especially to break stalls. What's kept me from trying it as a long term diet is that I remember Kim posting on a forum that her maintenance caloric intake is pretty low (like 1100 or less). This might not be a big deal for others, but it is to me. I don't expect to maintain at extremely high calories, but I don't see that is realistic for me. To each his or her own, though.
What I like about moderate protein, high fat, low carb diets is that our lean muscle masses stay intact. A heavier person is going to have a larger lean body mass. When you don't maintain it, your body doesn't discriminate between breaking down biceps or breaking down the heart or another vital muscle.
I think it's great that she's been successful and is helping others. I am also glad I have the option of using this as a tool in my larger low-carb toolbox.
The good thing, Molly, is that Kimkins IS working for a lot of people where the high-carb, low-fat diet failed them. It's about finding what works for you and then doing it.
Although I lost my weight initially on Atkins, now that I've been eating this way a few years I'm contemplating trying Kimkins to see if I can get my weight even lower.
It's good to have in the arsenal of low-carb options as you stated. THANKS for your comments and best wishes to you in your journey!
Keith (above) had a good point about excess skin that you didn't address. If you lose weight at that fast a rate, you're going to have excess skin. How do you deal with that short of surgical removal?
Where've ya been, Retsin? I've blogged at GREAT LENGTH about the "loose skin" issue. It's very real for people who are very overweight regardless of the speed you lose.
The loose skin saga has a lot to do with a lot of things. First of all, it's not just how much weight loss how fast. It has to do with genetics, body water content over the years (water helps keep skin elastic) and, also, how long and many times the skin has been stretched. If someone has been very overweight for most of their lives, the skin has been stretched longer. Also, if the person has lost a great deal, then gained, then lost (yo-yo) then the skin continues to get stretched, shrink (even if only a little) then stretched and therefore, get worn out and therefore, is harder to shrink.
I have been following lots of people who have lost various different amounts of weight, are various ages, and lost weight various different ways, and that is why I know that all of these things matter.
Here is a brief summary of my subjects: Willie, age 50, lost 150 by gastric bypass...no lose skin. Tracy, age 25, lost 57 pounds through WW, very minimal lose skin. Twana, age 28, lost 125 via gastric bypass, has moderate to large amounts of lose skin. Mike, age 42, lost 200 pounds via Atkins, has moderate amount of lose skin on legs and belly, very little anywhere else. These are just a few of the people I have followed. I should also say it took them all the same amount of time to lose the weight.
Everyone has to pick the journey to weight loss that works for them. No one way works for everyone. We are all struggling too much to be ripping each other apart with rude comments because we think or want to be right. Grow up, offer some support and positive comments for a change, and lets all pray for each other to reach our weightloss goals once and for all!
I could not agree with you more, Patricia. You echo a lot of the same sentiments that I do here at my blog.
Find what works for you, follow that plan exactly as prescribed, and then keep doing it forever. It's a recipe for success every time.
THANKS for contributing to the conversation!
Hi Everyone! I haven't posted here before, but I had a few quick questions about this diet after reading the article in Woman's World and reading several discussions online.
1) Is this diet only meant for people who have a lot of weight to lose? Additionally, how long are people to maintain such restricted caloric intakes? I can completely understand the rationale behind wanting to give those with a lot of weight to lose a mechanism in order to lose it quickly. I'm concerned about integrating such a plan into my current intake goals, however, because anything below 1210 just shuts down my metabolism after about two weeks. And 60 grams of protein, that would not be enough to sustain myself--I tend to need from 90-100. However, I'm also at about 13% bodyfat, do weights 3x a week, and about 45 minutes of cardio each day.
Has anyone ever had success with this plan after having reached a low percentage of bodyfat? Of course, I'm at the point where those last pounds are a bit excruciatingly hard to remove (I'm currently following Atkins OWL to a T, maintaining the normal carbs/fat/protein ratios and sticking to that 1210 number), but I'm very apprehensive about doing something to my body that maybe...just wasn't an original purpose of the plan?
Moreover, anything that calls for consistent caloric reductions under 1200 (for me--this number can vary around that point) scares me a bit, as I used to be anorectic and while I can definitely vouch for being able to sustain myself on 500-700 calories a day...I also know that I burned through all of my muscle mass. And the whole starving my body thing.
Which brings me to 2) Has anyone been able to build muscle mass on this diet? Or sustain what they have? If the plan was meant for people with a lot of weight to lose, I can imagine that they might be experiencing a lot of muscle atrophying anyway--and again, the best idea might be to have them quickly lose the weight in order to then begin an appropriate weight-training/cardio plan. But I ask because I wanted to make sure that it was remotely feasible for me to even consider this plan, because from what I've been seeing...it might be a bit hard on my body in the building muscle area. I'm actually quite afraid that I'd begin burning muscle, actually.
I do appreciate any answers to my questions--and I thank you in advance!
Thanks for reading this,
Jennifer
Jennifer and anyone else:
I reached goal today! I ate approximately 500 cals a day for the past few months. I went from 179 to 125 so that's 54 lbs gone! I feel great. I've never quite understood the whole "losing muscle" thing. I'm not a super technical person when it comes to health stuff. What I do know is that I look and feel great - I have muscle, I am toned and I didn't exercise at all the whole time! If you want to see my goal pic you can see it at http://www.kimkinsfans.com. Anyways, I'll leave the techno stuff to the people with bigger brains than me - but thought you'd want to hear from someone who did the diet and had success! :D
Amy, would you mind sharing how long it took you to reach goal?
I have just recently read about Kimkins in Woman's World, and was instantly intrigued. I had initial success with Suzanne Somer's food combining, but stalled after 20 lbs gone. I will say food combining does work, for me it was to a point, as I stayed on her plan for 18 months, ate everthing I wanted within her guidelines (a LOT of food), and never gained an ounce. So Suzanne had part of the puzzle for me, but there was a missing piece. I think I am seeing that it was still allowing too much carb to lose, and I really think Kimkins is going to be the missing piece. I am only on day 3, and am not weighing yet, so I can't report lbs lost. I do know I feel better already, water is definitely flushing out of my system. My head is clearer and craving are gone. (This I recoginize from Somersizing, eating protein and reducing carbs results in less fatique, better emotional balance, and better skin (tone and decrease in dryness).
I read a lot about it is unsafe to lose too fast, high protein and fat are bad for you, etc.
I have PCOS and insulin resistance, and I feel like refined carbs and high carbs are unhealthy for me. I feel so much better eating high protein and not being hungry and deprived all the time.
In my humble opinion, we are going to find in the end that it ISN'T all about calorie intake (otherwise, I sure would have gained in my 18 month Somersizing stint). I believe for a lot of us, it is the fact that if we give our body too many carbs, it will store the rest of what we eat in fat, instead of burning it. Regardless of the calorie count. Low calorie Kimkins will be even faster than the higher calorie Somersizing method, but I suspect now that if I had kept my carbs way down during Somersizing, I would have continued to lose, in a slower fashion. My plan now is to lose with Kimkins, and maintain perhaps with Somersizing. We will see.
This is all my opinion, just thought it might be food for thought.
Linda - I lost 54 lbs in just a little over 4 months!
I had one cheat my second week and two "planned cheats" during trips to NYC, so I probably could have done it a little faster but that was still way faster than I've ever lost weight before (and the only time I've EVER been able to lose that much!). I have done Suzanne Somers in the past. I do agree with your assessment of her program. There are several women on the Kimkins plan with PCOS. I feel better when I don't eat carbs too. For me, doing Kimkins made me realize what I was doing "wrong" when I did other plans (which is valuable in and of itself). I think by not allowing the low carb bars and sugar alcohol items as well as not allowing fiber subtraction, people on Kimkins keep their carbs "naturally" low. I know when I did Atkins I was using low carb tortillas and fiber subtracting so my carb counts were probably higher than they were on Kimkins. The calorie intake has also helped with portion control. I can get by now on much less than I used to and that gives me hope for my maintenance!
Amy, I'm curious as to what you are eating that keeps you full and is still ~500 calories? I'll give you a run down of my "program" if you will and tell me what you think. I don't know if it'd be feasible for me to even try a diet with so few calories.
I'm still 21 years young and 6'4" 275 lbs.
Thus far I've been eating tons of eggs, meat, cheese and low-carb vegetables. I also drink 3 protein shakes a day with each meal. I'll sometimes drink them as snacks because whey and casein protein plus amino acids are great.
I'm also a cottage cheese addict. I'm sure this isn't something you can eat on the Kimkins program. I supplement with creatine, glutamine, flax oil and ZMA as well. I do 30 mins of cardio in the morning and lift at night after work.
So far I've lost about 10 pounds in 3 weeks. While the numbers aren't anything to brag about, I believe they are deceiving. I know I've put on a lot of muscle, while I can see obvious weight loss in my stomach, love handles and face. I guess the mirror is a better indicator than a scale for me :)
Any feedback would be much appreciated.
If you do Kimkins combined with exercise will you lose weight quicker?
I have two questions:
1) Do followers of Kimkins see this is as a way of eating for the rest of their lives? Does that mean that they swear off alcohol, fruits and desserts for life?
2) Doesn't this program cause a deficiency of important nutrients from natural sources like fruit? are people encouraged to take vitamins instead?
In light of the recent developments involving the Kimkins Diet Scam, please consider removing all articles promoting the Kimkins Diet from your website.
The Kimkins Diet Scam is a dangerous, very low calorie, starvation diet, akin to anorexia.
The creator of the Kimkins Diet lied about who she was and lied about losing all that weight. She is still a morbidly obese woman, who did not lose 198 lbs., nor did she maintain that loss for over five years as she has previously stated. She used pictures taken from Russian Bride websites as her "after" picture and for the fabricated "success stories" she posted on her website. Finally, she has admitted all of this in a court of law as well as on her own forum.
The Kimkins Diet Scam is the subject of a class action lawsuit.
Please do not allow the Kimkins Diet Scam to use your site to lend credibility to their fraud.
For more information please read:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/Diets/Diet_Articles/Kimkins%3A_Anatomy_of_a_Diet_Scam/
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/populardietplans/a/kimkinsdiet.htm
And for actual PI photos of this woman, please visit: http://www.slamboard.com/2007/09/05/surveillance-pics-of-heidi-diaz-kimmer-at-the-kimkinscom-post-office-box/
Please do not inadvertently encourage your readers to follow this dangerous diet by continuing to promote it on your website.
Thank you for your consideration.
I already have removed the posts about Kimkins and replaced them with my apology about promoting it as I have done in this post. I've kept the titles of my original posts so people looking for info on this scam will see my post about what a fraud Heidi Diaz is. Anyone who had read my blog over the past ten months knows I have been a very outspoken critic of this diet scheme that has hurt people physically and psychologically. Thanks for spreading the message.
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