New Diet

Making a New Year's resolution to lose weight in 2008? Looking for a new diet that will make it easy to shed the pounds? Considering finding one on the internet?

The Diet Detective has a good article what to look for and what to avoid. It is interesting to see how the fad diet of 2007, Kimkins, failed on practically all the critical points in the article:

What are the right questions to ask about any online weight-loss program?

• Are there message boards? Are they monitored by a professional, a member of the group, or are they completely unmonitored?

The only "benefit" with Kimkins, is the message board. The diet is outlined for FREE on FREE boards, so no need to sign up to find out that you can lose weight eating less than 500 calories per day.
The Kimkins message board is monitored by the "diet guru" Kimmer, who did not lose the 198 pounds she claimed and did not keep them off.
Kimmer rules the board with a firm hand, and any question that could be seen as critical results in immediate banning without a refund.

• Do you sell supplements?

Not really, unless you want to include the Smooth Move Tea, Epsom salt or egg white products that are promoted on the site.

• Is the pricing policy clearly stated on the Web site?

$59.95 for Lifetime membership but it's not clear what "Lifetime" means. Looking at the reports on Kimkins Survivors, there is a risk that it could be YOUR Lifetime.

• Are there any additional charges aside from the base fee?

Not unless you count ER costs that you might incur from following Kimmer's diet advice. Again, see the stories on Kimkins Survivors.

• Who developed the program? Was it designed by qualified health professionals who have previous experience in weight-loss counseling? Did at least one registered dietitian (R.D.) assist with the development?

No and no. The program was developed by a still obese woman that lied about her weight loss.

• Is your site medically supervised? Psychologically supervised? Registered dietitian supervised?

No and no and no. The only "expertize" on the site is by a self-proclaimed guru that didn't lose weight herself.

• What is your cancellation policy?

What cancellation policy? "Electronic media is non-refundable." If you have been banned, please join the lawsuit.

• What kinds of physical activity or exercise programs do you offer? Who developed them? Were the programs developed by certified exercise professionals? (American College of Sports Medicine or the National Strength and Conditioning Association)

No exercise required! And the certified professional that at one time offered advice on the site has been banned.

• Are there articles on the site? Who wrote them? Are they experts?

All blog posts are written by the self-proclaimed diet guru, Kimmer, or one of her aliases. Of course, most of them consist of material copied from articles available on the internet.

• Is the diet very restrictive? Will it work for you? Is it healthy?

Very restrictive is an understatement. VLCD (very low calorie diet) is an accurate label. Please read the stories on Kimkins Survivors for feedback from people that tried this diet.

Heidi Diaz aka Kimmer "Diet Guru"

Also from the Diet Detective article:

Blatner also warns against “scam” sites. They usually:

• Promise a quick fix

• Make claims that sound too good to be true

• Give recommendations based on a single research study (or none at all)

• List good and bad foods

• Make dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations

Kimkins is guilty of all of these.