Kimkins in Diets in Review

I came across this article, and while I read it back then, I found it interesting to refresh my memory. You might too.

Direct from Kimkins - Rebuttal
by Jimmy C

October 8, 2007
posted to Diet News and Diets in Review.

UPDATE:
Diets in review has received a rebuttal to our review from Jeannie Baitinger - Kimkins PR Director.

Dear Jim,

Thank you for giving Kimkins.com the opportunity to present our side of the story.

First please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jeannie Baitinger and on the website I am known as Tippy Toes. I am employed by Kimkins.com as PR Director and as management.

We know we are under attack from various sources. But many of these sources are coming from people who have only heard about our diets and have not actually tried them. The effect has been much like a snowball effect of people who genuinely mean well but are not actual members. Much is based on hear say and negative publicity.

Moreover, we offer no calorie limits on any plan. There are no 500 calorie per day plans. No plan is 100% fat free. We do allow the individual to use common sense when adding healthy fats and we term this as “just enough fat to make it work”. We do not promote starvation of any kind and we never will. We encourage members to stick within the plan guidelines and further, we encourage them to add extra protein and possibly extra salads if they are still hungry or not feeling well.

We do not encourage or promote laxative abuse. However, it is not at all uncommon for a low carb diet plan to cause constipation. When a member complains we have recommended gentle stimulants such as M.O.M. or 100% physillium husks. There is also a tea which is helpful in relieving symptoms. We will never recommend laxatives as part of weight loss plans. Never!

Additionally we do encourage our members to have their Doctor’s review the plans and monitor their progress. Many, many members report excellent lab reviews and Doctor’s blessings. On our website I have never seen anything but positive reviews. On other websites I read the negatives but without offered proof. What I do read are stories of hair loss. This seems common on a lot of diets. Even the Atkins diet can cause this. When I did Atkins it happened to me. Oddly, I never lost hair doing Kimkins though. But again, hair loss is easily corrected and people who have their Doctor’s monitoring progress can address the issue and get help. I would find it rather bizarre to lose huge chunks of my hair and still continue with any diet WITHOUT seeing my Doctor immediately. So I must question why there are no medical claims based on proof…

I am personally a Kimkins success story. I began my weight loss journey at 263 lbs. I am a female of 5′ 7″. I began losing weight with the Atkins diet (also quite con-traversal) and did well on it for about a year. I lost approximately 50 lbs on Atkins and then it stopped working. For the next 6 months I lost no further weight or inches. A dear friend told me about the Kimkins diet and I decided to give it a try. The weight came off just as promised! EXACTLY as promised! I made a personal choice to begin alternating Kimkins diet with Atkins. On Kimkins I could lose the weight and on Atkins breaks I could easily maintain it. Today my current weight is 152. Maintaining my weight has never been so easy thanks to a low carb lifestyle.

Our website is full of happy success stories much like mine. Many people have no trouble doing only Kimkins straight to goal. I have seen amazing losses–as much as 100lbs in 5 months. These big losses are quite common at Kimkins. Side effects appear minimal and as stated previously we do encourage everyone to have their Doctor’s monitor them every step of the way.

Our members are not uneducated people being mislead. We just completed a Teacher’s Challenge and the entire group lost an unbelievable amount of weight. The teacher’s group had planned to make a public donation to fund teachers but with all the negative publicity they have opted for private donations instead. It is not at all uncommon for Internet users to wish to remain private. That is why many choose a nickname rather than using a real name.

As far as the founder of Kimkins.com is concerned and with all due respect, most members really don’t care who she really is or is not. We believe the founder has every right to privacy and further we believe she is entitled to such. Her real name and weight is not an issue to people who are serious about weight loss and finally are able to make it happen. People buy a membership for their own weight loss and that is what they get. Weight loss. Our claim “there is no faster weight loss plan” is very accurate.

I will be more than happy to issue you a temporary site pass if you would like to come in and see what is really happening for yourself. Just let me know if you are interested in the real truth. It’s pretty amazing!

Sincerely,
Jeannie Baitinger, PR
Kimkins.con

Katey Oct 8th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
This is white-washing nonsense. I was a member of Kimkins. Members were told to eat their fill of lowfat protein. The ketosis kicks in very strong on that diet, and the appetite completely disappears.

Most Kimkins members, including admins and “star” losers provided their FitDay links. All of them were getting around 500 calories per day, sometimes less. I questioned this on the forums and was told that all the calories I needed would come from my excess body fat.

As far as members not really caring who Kimmer is….also nonsense. Plenty of members cared, and voiced their concerns on the forums. But you won’t see those posts, because they are immediately DELETED and the posters banned. (Yes, BANNED, after paying for a “lifetime” membership.)

Susan Oct 8th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Jeannie is terribly misleading. I sent my diet log personally to Kimmer/Heidi and was instructed to reduce my calories (running around 700 at the time) and my protein “If I wanted faster losses.”

When I was a member on KimKins, I complained that I was stalling due to starvation mode and was chastized that there was no such thing! All I had to do was lower my calories further!

Constipated? Take 1/2 the usual dose of Milk of Magnesia daily, that’ll keep the pipes working.

This coming from Heidi/Kimmer, an obese woman who enticed us with fake photos and her own fake FitDay diet weight loss log & journal. Makes me question everything now.

I CARE about who this Kimmer is, if she based the diet on years of lies and her own faked before and after photos, that diet plan lost all credibility. I am now banned from Kimins for having a different view of that diet. I discovered she faked most of the Success stories.

ANYONE having a different view of that diet or questions anything will have their posts removed and then eventually they too, will go *POOF*. So much for paying for a lifetime membership.

You will find NO dissenters as you read the Kimkins posts, they simply are not allowed to exist. You will however find posts from the new administrators that will say “Who cares who this Kimmers WAS…this diet works!”

Candace Oct 8th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
This article is pure rubbish. I was a member of Kimkins when it first started and I tried their original Boot Camp Diet. It was 500 calories per day at that time. It is only recently that they have recommended more calories, and a paltry 800 calories per day at that.

Kimkins is a diet based upon a big fat lie. There is no Kimmer who lost 198 lbs in 11 months. The woman behind the diet is an obese fraud. The diet has been grossly misrepresented and success stories proven to be fraudulent. This diet is unsafe and unhealthy. There is only one nugget of truth to this post.

Where Tippy says “On our website I have never seen anything but positive reviews.” Anyone who dares question the diet, the founder or posts any negative effects are quickly banned from the forum without a warning or a refund.

I would urge anyone considering Kimkins to do their research. There are healthy lowcarb plans out there that are safe and that work. Please consider Atkins or Southbeach.

unhappyexkimkin Oct 8th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
What utter rubbish Jeannie (Tiptytoes) is spewing. Up until a few weeks ago when the media began investigating Kimkins the slogan of the site and members was “SNATT” which stands for Slightlky Nauseous All The Time. It was encouraged and cheered on by admins, other members and the Kimmer herself.

I bought the lifetime membership based on Kimmer’s success story of losing over a hundred pounds and finding out she is a morbidly obese fraud and con artist with criminal convictions was not my idea of who to take nutritional advice from.

I lurked for months on the site and saw firsthand Kimmer and other admins advising members to cut calories, take laxatives daily and that if your bowels only moved once a week it was fine. They actually sold T-shirts with the SNATT logo. You were berated if you ate over 500 calories a day and the notion of starvation mode was laughed at.

I could go on but there is enough information out there on the lies and eating disorder type strategies on the Internet already. Kimkins has been sanitized and cleaned up to cover up the real plan that is advocated. It is not sound nor healthy and most importantly it is not safe.

I hope that once the various authorities who are undergoing investigations conclude the site will be shut down and proper criminal charges laid against all who perpetuated this dangerous fraud and I do hope desperate people like me who want to lose weight find other healthier plans to follow. I am paying with my health for my months trying to follow Kimkins as laid out. I pray no one else is as foolish as I was.

Really? Oct 8th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
>But many of these sources are coming from people who have only heard about our diets and have not actually tried them. As far as the founder of Kimkins.com is concerned and with all due respect, most members really don’t care who she really is or is not.

yes REALLY! Oct 9th, 2007 at 2:21 am
The members who Do care who the Kimmer really is, are instantly banned. We Have tried the diet and we Do have serious comlications from the diet.

Clumps of hair falling out due to the malnutrition, slow metabolism and rapid pulse, no energy and fainting. Impaired thyroid function. Yoppy even has that now.

Dr. Broda Barnes was the doctor who did most of the testing on hypothyroid individuals and metabolisms. It’s not JUST those with autoimmune hypothyroidism either (Hashimoto’s). Dr. B (and Dr. Atkins much later) found that when you lower your carbs less than 30net, AND your calories to less than 1200, that your T4 to T3 conversion is almost nonexistent and can trigger Hashimoto’s as well as tertiary hypothyroidism.

Subjects who ate well OVER 1600 to 1800 calories a day with 25net grams carbs did quite well. Subjects who ate well over 100 grams carbs and about 1400 cals a day did well too.

and now we have that idiot hick Tippy telling us to us our diet to 800 cals.

IdontThinkSo Oct 9th, 2007 at 7:42 am
This rebuttal is misleading, to say the least. When I joined I had no idea that the impressive before/after pictures and stories were fraudulent, the pictures taken from online Russian bride and groom sites. I had no idea that the inspiring after pictures of the site’s founder were also fake. I, like many, do care who Kimmer is. I based my decision to join on those stories, those pictures, and her claim of losing nearly 200 pounds and maintaining that loss for several years. I paid for her experience, support, and guidance following a plan that I was to find was not based on her success at all.
Members were told to lower already low calories. Members were told to take Milk of Magnesia at half dose, daily. Members were told that the calories they needed would be taken from their excess body weight/fat. “Tweaking” the plan to suit your needs was frowned upon. If you tweaked it, it wasn’t Kimkins. I read those posts during my time as a member of Kimkins. SNATT (semi-nauseous all the time) was applauded and available for purchase, printed on tee shirts.
I agree with one thing said in the rebuttal above. You will find many happy success stories but that is not due to a lack of dissatisfaction. Jeannie Baitinger says, “On our website I have never seen anything but positive reviews.” If this is true then I would guess that she has spent much of her time on the site with here eyes closed. Members who have questioned the validity of this diet, the founder, the advice given, or stated health concerns or health issues were deemed trouble makers and have had their posts deleted and were banned without warning. One needs only search the internet to find the truth.

Sherrie Oct 9th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Yes shes right, there are plenty of people whom haven’t tried the diet…

BECAUSE THEY KNEW IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS!!!

You don’t need to try the diet to make a judgment on it, you just need to be able to read.

500 calorie bootcamp with 30min daily cardio MINIMUM

800 max calorie protein shake plan where you can choose to use standard protein shakes, no mention of adding fat and Kimmer herself has recommended her members to do a 450 cal version for faster weight loss, calling it her fastest plan.

1000 calorie vegetarian plan.

To top that off Kimmer has given out very dangerous advice.

Plus her other two plans being so low fat particularly her lean meat and egg only plan often come to below 500 calories or close for a lot of members due to something they encourage called SNATT (semi nauseous all the time). Just ask their former PR Director, Christin, ask her how she lost her weight and how KIMMER encouraged her members to copy what Christin was doing!!! Ask Christin how healhy she has been feeling lately!

Apparently, they are now stating an 800 calorie minimum (publicly) but this is only because of an impending lawsuit, TV expose and various investigations. Now Kimmer encourages the members to email Kimmer at her gmail account for “Ask Kimmer” questions… SCARY!

Laura Dec 1st, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Isn’t it interesting that the one who posted the rebuttal has now jumped ship?

http://2big4mysize.wordpress.com/2007/12/01/has-tippy-toes-flipped/

http://2medusa.blogspot.com/2007/12/tippytoes-spills-beans.html

If you were a paid member of the Kimkins.com website and you would like to participate in the Class Action Lawsuit against Kimkins:

http://kimkinslawsuit.wordpress.com/

To see the latest information from the KTLA investigation:

http://tinyurl.com/2voac6
[link added by me goes to Insider Exclusive]

Say NO to Kimkins Jan 1st, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Please update your article to reflect that Jeannie Baitinger in NO LONGER the Kimkins PR Director.

You might want to contact her to see if she still feels the same way about her rebuttal. I have a feeling that she does not.

Kimmer Jan 1st, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Please be advised that Jeannie continues to follow and support the Kimkins Plan today.

She simply left Kimkins in order to help spread the word via her own Kimkins-based website. She has my blessing and full support for her Kimkins CTF Diet.

Jeannie is still a very strong Kimkins supporter, and she remains my right hand here at Kimkins. Kimkins would not be the success it is today without all the hard work and support that Jeannie has given me and continues to give me on a daily basis.

If your life has been benefitted by the Kimkins Diet, you owe a great debt to Jeannie and all her hard work.

I couldn’t have achieved all that I have achieved without the monumental contributions made by Jeannie.

She is a fine testament of the proof that the Kimkins Diet is working miracles for thousand of obese men and woman every day.

2BIG Jan 3rd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
interesting post Kimmer. too bad Jeannie saw it and has sent a rebuttal of her own to your rebuttal of her leaving Kimkins.com

here it is for folk not realizing DIETSINREVIEW has moved the Kimmer commnet out as a page of its own

Jeannie Baitinger
Jan 2nd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I am friggen stunned! I just don’t know what else to say. Cutting/reducing fats from Atkins does not make it Kimkins. I have done both and I know the difference.

First, I am in no way affiliated with Kimkins. In fact, I don’t even visit the site. Check the stats for yourselves. I will try to make this very clear. I left Kimkins to avoid being dragged into a lawsuit and a serious one at that. It is not my intent to bad mouth Heidi or her Kimkins plans. That is NOT saying I support her or any fraud she has done.

I am not following Kimkins diet. I am at goal. I did re-gain a tad over the holidays. I tried STILLMAN’S Quick Weight Loss and took it off. I do believe in freedom of plan choice and I will never bully or harass anyone for their plan of choice. As far as Kimkins plans, yes I did lose weight and a lot of it. No one wants to hear it but I will not lie about it. I have no reason to. I stalled on Atkins after about a 50lb loss. I tried Kimkins but learned I just couldn’t stay on it long. But I also saw weight loss for the first time in a very long time. So, I learned to cycle it back and forth–Kimkins to lose–Atkins to maintain. There are threads at LCF which show this though they are mostly overlooked. :Smiley A matter of convenience I am certain. Check the thread “Has Atkins Quit Working For You”. It’s all there. Another thread I posted a lot on was Support Unlimited. And for a while Banta Babes. Some say that was never Kimkins… But on a Kimkins cycle round it WAS.

Because I did lose a lot of weight using Kimkins I have not asked her to remove my success story. I know that is going to make a lot of people mad to read but that is how I feel. It is fair. I have not had contact with Heidi about my pics, my story or anything else. All ties are severed. We do not communicate by email, telephone or 3rd parties. And while I have been granted immunity from the lawsuit in exchange for cooperating I have not joined the lawsuit nor do I want my money refunded. I just want to be left in peace from all sides. This has been a nightmare.

A family member has started reading all the blogs and such about me and is now worried to death over it all. He didn’t need that at all. He has had one stroke previously and suffers from other health and stress problems. My daughter started reading it too and is very angry over the obvious lies. In fact, my entire family is worried sick for me. People who do not know me at all are repeating the lies. It is sickening of the joy some get from attempts to ruin a person’s life. I don’t understand it.

I had no idea when I left Kimkins that I would be starting a site. In fact, I looked into Amy’s site as a new home and was instantly banned thanks to LCF members who are determined I am not worthy of support, even though I have supported so many of them on my weight loss journey. This is what lead to Brian and Heather offering to build us our very own “home” and that is how Camp Carbaway was born. There was no master plot happening at Kimkins. We can all clearly see how people who follow her diets are treated by the other low carb communities. IF she should be forced to shut her doors due to the lawsuit her people are most assuredly welcome here. In fact, I don’t care if they want to be members of both. That is their right.

Further, I find it surprising that Heidi would want us to offer Kimkins plans here as she sent Brian an email with a hint she would sue anyone for copycatting her plans. And, after all, they do belong to her. I respect that. Because of that I find it hard to imagine that Heidi would write that at all… And I suspect she did not. What I do suspect is just another person claiming glory to once again put a dagger in the middle of my back. Seems my suffering is their joy.

UPDATE 2
After posting this, it was brought to my attention that Tippy had made a new comment with a disclaimer:

Jeannie baitinger
Aug 1st, 2008 at 1:57 pm

Just a note to update my view of the Kimkins diet. I have recently been made aware of serious health complications that may be caused from following Kimkins diet. I urge anyone who is following this diet plan to discontinue the diet until you have the chance to speak with your Physician about the plan.

Please tell your Physician your calorie and carb counts and provide a detailed menu with portion sizes and exact amounts. Be sure the Physician knows how long you have been using the diet and how much weight you plan to lose. Many times we say low carb veggies and lean meats that sounds great but when broken down into the diets guidelines may prove to be dangerous.

I would no longer advise anyone to follow the diet at this time after seeing examples of health problems in members who’s Doctor’s feel is likely is a matter of complication from following Kimkins. There are many low carb diets available with great results as well that have not been linked to the complications that may be from Kimkins. Atkins, when done properly is one, Protein Power is yet another.

I recommend before starting any diet, it is written and approved by the founding Physician or health professional as well as your own. I no longer endorse Kimkins Diets.