The Kimkins Calamity: From Merely A Raw Business Deal To A Really Big Danger

As much as I have tried to distance myself from the still growing controversy over the low-carb imposter diet known as Kimkins since my public apology for once supporting it nearly two months ago, new revelations that cannot be ignored keep bringing it back to the forefront and warrant further exposure here. THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT TO JUST IGNORE!

When the virtual face of Kimkins--Becky, Christin, and Deni--decided to distance themselves from the diet earlier this month, it was a tremendous blow to the reputation of Kimkins that promises "super-fast results" by restricting fat, calories, and carbs. These three beautiful women were the heart and soul of Kimkins and their departure has left the Kimkins web site with a very noticeable lack of love and concern that it had become known for (incidentally, all three of them are now at my forum providing support like they once did at Kimkins).

But then when it was discovered by a private investigator that the founder of this diet who calls herself Kimmer (her real name is Heidi Kimberly Diaz despite the fact she told me personally that Heidi was both her real name and her cousin on two different occasions) is a morbidly obese woman who never lost weight according to her son and ex-husband and has a very long history of being a scam artist, I could no longer remain silent.

If you are a member of the low-carb community, then this issue with Kimkins should be of grave concern to you. What started out as a seemingly innocent-looking diet that's "just another low-carb plan" (it isn't really, but that's how it is being portrayed) has turned into something really ugly that is now having a negative impact on the lives of real people. That's right--PEOPLE ARE GETTING HURT FROM BEING ON KIMKINS!

One such person it is having a direct impact on is the Woman's World cover girl Christin herself who lost 100 pounds in five months on the Kimkins diet. I don't know if you've heard about this yet or not, but she was admitted to the hospital last night with chest pains and has been referred to a cardiologist. Her pulse dipped into the upper 30's and that has the doctors worried for her heart health.

They have ordered Christin to rest today and she is on pain medication to help relieve the chest pains until she can see the cardiologist.

"They did all the tests for major cardiac issues and ruled them out," Christin wrote at my forum. "EKG, blood work, chest x-rays, all came back normal so that is good...please keep praying. I'm pretty sore today (in my heart), but feeling a bit better."

Add this to the other side effects Christin admitted she experienced while on Kimkins, including her hair falling out and missing her menstrual cycle for five months in a row and it is quite disconcerting to say the least. While it is unclear whether this chest pain issue is related to the Kimkins diet or not, it's certainly difficult to ignore.

Then you have Deni who lost 60 pounds in three months on Kimkins and she is now wondering where the "warning label" about this diet is at her blog this week after experiencing some rather odd side effects since being on the diet, too: extra periods, hair loss, dizzy spells, blurred vision, heart flutters, and intense cravings. All of this came in the pursuit of weight loss so she could live a healthier life for her family.

The irony of it all isn't lost on Deni.

"I said that one of the reasons why I wanted to lose weight was because I wanted to be here long enough to see my kids and future grand kids grow up," Deni wrote in her blog this week. "Now, it's possible that losing weight has lowered the chances of that actually happening."

More tests are being run on Deni to see if the damage that was done can be fixed. Please pray for Christin, Deni, and all the others who have received the grim news about the damage to their health that may have been caused by their participation in the Kimkins diet. What a travesty this would be if hundreds, even thousands more following the dictates of this scam diet plan were to have their health ruined, too!

Is it just mere coincidence that the two most prominent Kimkins weight loss success stories are now having to deal with this kind of thing? Why is something like this even allowed to exist when real people have DOCUMENTED proof that they have been damaged as a result of this low-carb imposter diet scheme cooked up by an extremely overweight woman named Heidi Diaz?

If anyone is considering going on the Kimkins diet, then let me warn you: PLEASE DON'T! There are better ways to shed the pounds that are a part of a happy and healthy low-carb lifestyle. You can find information and support for these plans at my new "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum so you can shed the pounds in a healthy and safe manner. Eating at least 1200 calories a day with ample protein at each meal, limiting your carbohydrates from mostly non-starchy veggies (green leafy), and getting healthy amounts of fat will put you on the pathway to success in your low-carb lifestyle. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

As for Kimkins, please do your research by checking up on this growing list of web sites for detailed information about how this diet is nothing more than a ruthless money-making scheme that has been perpetrated on unsuspecting victims by someone who doesn't care a bit in the world about the weight and health of the people she comes into contact with.

Anyone who doubts this (especially those who are still supporting Heidi despite all the evidence inside Kimkins) should get introspective and take a long, hard look at all that has transpired over the past couple of months. If you do that, then there's no other choice for you but to distance yourself as much as possible from this shyster. It is for the best and you'll be so glad you did.

For those of you who were either employed by or were affiliates of Kimkins and are concerned this scam artist Heidi Diaz may try to use your Social Security number for her devious schemes, you may want to try LifeLock to protect yourself as I did. For less than $10 a month, they guarantee your credit and identity will be kept safe from evildoers (like Heidi) and you get a copy of your credit report twice a year along with that service. Additionally, they stop all those annoying credit card offers within a couple of months and alert you anytime someone tries to open a line of credit in your name using your private information. It's the best protective purchase I've made in a long time and it may be just what you need to protect yourself, too! Regardless, good luck to you and here's hoping your sensitive information was not compromised.

The moral of this story surrounding the Kimkins calamity is simple: be very careful about who and what you choose to associate yourself with. I learned my lesson as have many others who were sucked in by this. What began as merely a raw business deal has now turned into something much worse. It's without a doubt a really big danger for the health of those who are on this low-fat/low-calorie starvation diet.

How many more lives will need to be hurt before something is done to bring an end to this? If you want to get pro-active in stopping this dangerous dieting scheme before anyone else is harmed, then lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Also, if you were a member of Kimkins and have been refused a refund, consider joining the class action lawsuit that has been filed against Heidi Diaz for fraud.

9-26-07 UPDATE: My friend Christin has posted a heart-wrenching video at her blog about all that has happened to her health since she began the Kimkins diet that EVERYONE needs to watch--especially those who are still at Kimkins. She addresses her recent heart concerns and warns others to be very wary of this imposter low-carb scam. I'm proud of you Christin!