Woman's World: 'We Can't Stand Behind' Our Kimkins Diet Story

The notorious Woman's World magazine Kimkins cover story

It took them eight months to do it, but Woman's World magazine has FINALLY acknowledged the cover story they did on the now-notorious Kimkins diet contained some "inaccurate information" from and about the founder of the low-fat, low-calorie, starvation scheme--the lying and manipulative Heidi Diaz.

Ever since a private investigator released photos of a morbidly obese Diaz back in September 2007, literally thousands of concerned readers have flooded Woman's World with letters and e-mails begging them to print a retraction of their June 2007 story featuring the Kimkins diet prominently with two real people--Christin Sherburne and Deni Huttula--and a fake photograph and story of Diaz who referred to herself in the magazine as Kim Drake.


Christin Sherburne and Deni Huttula have repudiated Kimkins

Although Heidi Diaz alleged to have lost 200 pounds, it was one big lie and it took a class action lawsuit deposition for her to admit that after many months of speculation following the private investigator's shocking photo discovery. In the meantime, some of the most ardent former supporters of this diet have been speaking out about how the Kimkins diet program has negatively impacted their health and even got a local television station in Los Angeles (KTLA-TV) to pick up the story in October 2007.

Despite this, Woman's World was eerily silent.

But then the Kimkins diet fraud was given a nationally-televised audience for the first time in November 2007 when it was featured on FOX-TV's "The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet" where Christin and Deni shared their concerns about Diaz and the ultra-low-calorie diet plan she was pushing on the members of Kimkins who joined as a result of the Woman's World story. They warned that this diet simply promoted "anorexia" and should be avoided.

Even still, Woman's World did nothing.

The public spokesperson for the Kimkins diet at the time was a woman named Jeannie Battinger who severed ties with the organization in response to her own concerns about the now-exposed Kimkins founder. Even as Battinger was trying to defend the indefensible during her appearance on "The Morning Show," you could tell she knew that something was awry. Her resignation took place about a week after the show aired.

And yet again, Woman's World took no action.

However, the most significant exposure of the Kimkins calamity to date took place last month when ABC News was looking for people harmed by Kimkins and ran this story that was featured on "Good Morning America." The tidal wave of concern about Kimkins apparently grew to the point after that segment aired that Woman's World came to their senses and decided to post a statement.

Here's what the statement reads:

A statement from Woman's World Magazine. Please accept our apology. We at Woman’s World pride ourselves on finding inspiring diet successes to share with our readers every week. That's why we were so distressed to learn that Kim Drake, the founder of Kimkins.com, gave us inaccurate information about herself and her weight loss. Though the article appeared several months ago, in our June 12, 2007 issue, and nutritionists assure us the diet information we provided was accurate, we deeply regret having shared with you a story we can't stand behind. Your trust means everything to us, and we want to bring you the very best magazine we can, each and every week.

All I can say is IT'S ABOUT TIME!!! Considering all the preponderance of the evidence that had previously come out in the eight months since the story was published, it should not have taken this long for action to be taken. They are now asking for people to e-mail them at dearww@bauerpublishing.com if they have any concerns or questions about this decision.

According to our friends at Kimkins Scam, the retraction will appear in the March 4th issue and will be on newsstands the week of February 25th. The skepticism of the Kimkins Scam author about this is difficult to argue with or ignore.

"Now, you know this retraction will be buried way back in the back, in itty bitty letters. Just CYA...that's all it is...CYA."

She's right! But at least they took SOME kind of action to right this wrong that set in motion a flood of new Kimkins members to the web site to be sucked in by a professional scam artist who is still bilking members out of $80 even today (it used to be $60 before that $40 before that $15 before that $10...is it gonna cost a hundred bucks next, Heidi?!). If you're even thinking about joining this web site, don't waste your money.

There are plenty of FREE low-carb support groups like my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum, Low-Carb Friends, Active Low-Carber forum, The Low-Carb Cafe forum, Eating Low with Amy, Atkins All The Way, and MANY MANY MORE (my apologies for leaving some out...but there are a BUNCH of 'em)! The point is you don't NEED to pay money to get the support you need in your low-carb lifestyle. You can glean all the helpful support and information you need to get started right livin' la vida low-carb by relying on the collective wisdom of those of us who have been eating this way a while. We're ready to help you on this amazing journey to lose weight and get healthy, so hop on board one or more of these sites today to get started!

I think we should all e-mail Woman's World at dearww@bauerpublishing.com to thank them for stepping up and doing the right thing. Yes, it took them a long time to do it, but at least they did it and printing a retraction takes a lot of guts for a magazine to do. They don't like getting a story wrong, so let's encourage them and share how much we appreciate the courage they have taken in doing this. Perhaps you can send them your story of success by livin' la vida low-carb if they want to talk about REAL success the healthy low-carb way. Ladies only please! :D

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!

A One-Week Sample Kimkins Diet Menu

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!

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Gastric Bypass Surgery NOT The Obesity Answer

I was privileged to be interviewed by an online magazine this week about the sometimes controversial subject of gastric bypass surgery. While it may surprise you that I'm not totally against it for those very, very few people who have exhausted every possible solution to their obesity, I do NOT support it as a first option as it is so flippantly being used by people calling themselves medical professionals today. I'll post a link to that interview when it is published in the next week or so.

Coincidentally, this very topic came up late this week because I just happened to receive an e-mail from a 41-year old woman who weighs 310 pounds and is now considering gastric bypass surgery. Yikes! Her story is a sad one because she is at the end of her rope struggling with her weight since the age of four and even going through several bouts with eating disorders. She now feels there is nothing left for her to do but to go under the knife.

Here's what my reader wrote in her e-mail:

When I turned 25 I became bulimic. At the time I weighed 300 and my weight began coming off like crazy. I went to a size 8 and didn't stay there but always 'maintained' a low weight via hours and hours of exercise, laxatives or purging the other way.

That went on for so many years until I became a Christian. Once I got saved, I was very convicted to treat my body as a temple of God. The battle was hard, but I did stop purging. I don't need to tell you the weight flew right back on me again and I've tried so hard to eat healthy (which I realize is the low carb way of life) and in the right portions

Yet, I cannot seem to make any headway and have been to all the specialists. I have started the process for the gastric bypass surgery. This isn't a quick decision I just made yesterday...I've wanted this for the past 2 years and I've taken most of the steps required to have the surgery.

I went to counseling (because of the eating disorder history) and I know that this is not my magic bullet. I so desperately want to do this for the sake of my kids, my husband and my health. I don't want to sit at home while they go to the park anymore.

What I want is two goals--1) to ride a horse with my daughter and 2) ride a bike with my husband and son. So many have tried to talk me out of it, but my doctor and I feel that it's the only way to make the 'mountain' more manageable. I have to admit, he was against it for quite some time and worked with me for the past five years before we got to this point.

Now my dilemma is my insurance has denied the surgery. I need help! Who can help me? Do you have names of doctors that you know who would work with me financially? Are there other options to pay for the surgery? I appreciate any help you can give, I know you are busy!

Oh, this just breaks my heart. What would this poor woman do if the gastric bypass surgery option wasn't available to her? How would she eat? She already KNOWS low-carb is a healthy nutritional approach, so why even mess with getting cut on? After all, livin' la vida low-carb is the diet they'll put her on after she has the surgery, so why not do it now?

I don't want anyone who has had gastric bypass surgery and found success on it to mistake what I'm saying as ridicule or scorn against your decision. I know there are some real gastric bypass surgery success stories, most notably my friend and fellow blogger Beth Badore (aka "Melting Mama"). But people like her are the exception, not the rule.

Here was my response back to this hurting reader:

Let me encourage you with the hope that you CAN overcome your obesity problem naturally without the use of surgery. That was what I was able to do three years ago when I reached 410 pounds.

Thanks to the Atkins low-carb diet, I lost 180 pounds in one year and got healthy for the first time in my entire life. I would have never thought it was possible had it not been for this amazing dietary approach. I found what worked for me and I'm STILL doing it! YEAH!!!

God was with me throughout my weight loss and I KNOW He will give you the strength, support, and guidance that you need to succeed as well. THANK YOU again for writing and please feel free to contact me anytime with your questions or comments about livin' la vida low-carb.

I hope you reconsider your decision about having gastric bypass surgery.

While a lot of people look at that surgery as their big opportunity to lose weight for good, there are certain risks involved with it that need to be weighed. If you are comfortable with them and feel there is absolutely no other way because you have given all the other options a 100 percent chance of working, then perhaps gastric bypass surgery is for you. My own mother had the surgery done just one month before I started low-carb. She has lost 100 pounds, but it's been a tough road.

Hopefully you now realize gastric bypass surgery is NOT the answer obesity. Seek out every other natural dietary option that you can and be sure to give them a real chance to work before giving up on them. If you find a nutritional approach that you enjoy, read everything you can about that way of eating, and then keep on eating that way for the rest of you life. Do that and you'll probably be surprised by how effective it will work for you.

Don't give up hope because weight loss CAN be done...without surgery! GO FOR IT!

Kimkins Diet Web Site Gets A Major Upgrade

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!

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Kimkins Low-Carb Diet Hotties To Grace Woman's World Magazine In June

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.