Anoretix

Anoretix is a weight loss pill. Who on earth came up with this name? Yes, I know that "anorexic" literally means "loss of appetite" but don't most of us associate it with anorexia nervosa?

Anorexia nervosa is a serious, often deadly, eating disorder. Medusa has written extensively about it. Eating disorder victims should not have any further encouragement to starve themselves.

I wonder if there was some marketing team behind this name. Or just an ignorant internet marketer. Very ignorant.

The Anoretix web site is a typical weight loss product sales page. The head line announces "I lost 12 pounds in 72 hours" next to a stock photo of a slim woman with tape measure. Some testimonials. Promise of a lifetime money back guarantee. Whose lifetime?

By the way; these testimonials? How many of you go back to a web site where you made a purchase just to submit a testimonial? And post progress updates? I have never done it. I don't even give feedback reviews on Amazon for a product I like.

Not that I believe for a minute that this product is any more helpful for weight loss than any other pill. Actually, it is a combination of some 9 other weight loss products that all are supported by some undisclosed studies and research. Just the usual "clinically proven" nonsense. And the "patented" or "patent pending" statement. As if a product needs to be proven effective to get a patent.

Many affiliates have jumped on the Anoretix train and it seems that very few of them have any knowledge about weight loss. A google search returns 40,000 hits. Blogs, ads, web sites. Hoping to cash in from desperate dieters. I hope they all fail.

One of the sites I looked up actually provided some interesting info; inadvertently, I'm sure. They said: "Most diet pills have about a 1,000% markup meaning that if it costs $3 to manufacture — companies sell it for $30. Which means we consumers are getting ripped off."

You can say that again. We consumers get ripped off!

Success Rate from a VLCD

The most recent Kimkins sockpuppet, Swalt (Sue), says that she wants to find out if there are any risks with following Kimkins long term. Clearly, she can not ask on Kimkins as there are no long term successful losers there. And asking would probably label her as a Negative Nancy and those are not allowed on Kimkins so she might end up being banned.

Kimmer has no experience in maintenance. She never had a weight loss to maintain.

Kimmer didn't learn maintenance from the people on LCF she answered question for during 8 years as they did not have experience with maintenance either. Read the stats on the posters on the Ask Kimmer thread. Most of them are at a higher weight now than when the question was asked 2 years ago.

Christin has maintained for a year, but with great effort and she is not doing Kimkins any longer. Deni gained weight on 1,200 cals.

Very low calorie diets (VLCD's) are defined as diets that range from 300 to 800 calories per day intake. Long term studies of the use of VLCD's have shown consistent results; patients on VLCD programs regain most or all of the weight lost in the months following the VLCD regime. In fact, one of the most remarkable features of VLCD's is the speed of weight regain following treatment (Garner & Wooley, 1991).

[Isn't that what Kimmer has said. She loses fast (at least used to, not so fast any more) and regains fast. Isn't that a typical yo-yo dieter?]

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (1994) published a policy paper on VLCD's in which it was strongly stated that VLCD's should only be prescribed and supervised by specially trained physicians. The College was clear in its position that VLCD's should only be used on morbidly obese patients (over 300 pounds) and that the prolonged use of VLCD's is dangerous and potentially lethal. Despite this, VLCD's are widely advertised using prominent actors or models who clearly give the impression that liquid diets are easy, successful and safe for any amount of desired weight loss.

• VLCD should only be attemped when supervised by specially trained physicians (this is not your family doctor).
  
• VLCD gives quick weigh loss and even quicker regain of lost weight.
• Prolonged use of VLCD's is dangerous and potentially lethal.
  

Revisiting the MCD

Timeline:

• We discover the MCD on December 10, 2007
• The MCD website goes down on December 13, 2007
• Hulon Pate, Bonnie's son-in-law, leaves a comment on my blog on December 14, 3:30 AM
• On December 15 (according to Tippy's shortlived blog) Heidi Diaz sends an email to Brian (at the Camp) claiming to have shut down the MCD website
• On December 17 the MCD website is back up with some minor design changes to the front page
• On December 21, Yucky reports that the shutdown was due to a billing issue and not a copyright infringement
  
• A new forum software is installed on January 31st, wiping out all old posts. The new forum by-passes the paid-member sign in process, leaving it open for anyone to sign up. The link is still open, 10 days after it was broadcast on my blog.
  

Re-reading Hulon's comment, I found many phrases commonly used by the LCF drive-bys. And while I don't for a second doubt that he wrote this, I think someone told him what to write. Read his posts at dallasdancemusic forum and judge for yourself. He posts as "vinylspotter" there. Or, check out his MySpaces: vinylspotter and Lonestardjz.

This is Hulon's comment from December 14:

Here is it is for the record. My name is Hulon Pate, im 33 years old and Bonnie & David Son in law.

David and Bonnie Own a Candle buisness. Now that being said its a full time buisness like any thing when you work for your self and dont punch a time clock.

When she lost her weight her freinds and family suggested they write a book or web site. They decided on a web site. This is 2007, the internet world at large, they started this web site on the basis of her own weight loss story and not in fact, trying to capitalize on kimskins road to ruin. They spent thousands of dollars, and more thousands of hours building this from the ground floor up.

They are genuine people who work hard for there piece of pie in life. I have no intrest in this except that Kimkins is a fraud period. Bonnies susscess is real as is her weight loss story. People being critical of her weight loss program, well being fat is by far more of a health risk.

People say Why charge well, its the same reason people charge large amounts for clothes. If they were cheap who the hell would ever want them. Nothing worth while is ever free. The same goes for Bill Gates, he has more money, than most of the richest people on earth, yet he still charges for his computers and software.

Bonnies underlieng factor in this was not to get rich over night, but to simply to afford surgery, to replace the brest she lost 18 years ago to breast cancer. Kimkins by every account is a fraud. yet her people had go daddy take down there site today as of Dec 16th 2007, with a formal complaint that they ripped off her forums and diet content for food. Now all things being equal, all diets or for that matter simular buisness will have manny of the same, concepts and products listed. How could a diet program not be simular? Atkins is simular to Kimkins as well as most any other diet that would actully result in weight loss. Eating less, healthier food choices. how can any one be so stupid and not see this. If you sold, a service online and some one elese started the same buisness, online how could it not have mirroring ideas and products and details. Bonnie and David did not steal nor borrow or in fact have any ideas about kim kins or there diet or web site period. Untill the news brought up her being a complete liar. THere both too busy with there other obligations to there, professions.

They didnt rip kimkins off, they didnt borrow any ideas. If you even knew these people you know, it took guts and courage and most important money to do this web site. This all really started this week honestly, and kim kins and her flunkies are waging a smear campaign on Bonnie Luper. A woman who has survived brest cancer. I got wedding photos to show her in 2003, that she was once a verry large woman. And now she is living life and happy. Hell its minorly snowed on Thanks Giving Day, and she was running around and playing in it. The First time I remember seeing Bonnie was in Dec 2002, she was in a parking lot crying, eating a hamburger, upset by her lack of will power. She is by far a much happier person this day. All you nuts who doubt her, will soon see, she is 100% real, and isnt out to screw any one.

Kimmmers and her group are out to trow mud and keep her TRUE SToREY, offline, because as you might all know, New years Brings the most buisness for Weightloss programs such as, Weight Watchers, and Jenny Craig. Bonnie Luper did not create the lies of Kim kins. Shes much too busy of a person to even, have time to copy cat any one for any reason. You all must either all be unemplyed or have no lifes what so ever to be so envolved in the mud slnging that is going on, and I have a sneaky feeling that Kimmers has a certian few of you on the payrole.

This wasnt some over night get rich quick scam. I saw bonnie, Eating CHicken,back in 05& 06 most of the time out of a can from Costco, which all of out family enjoys,shopping at. There are manny Candle makers in our family.

Just like maybe some of you went the first person to cut hair for a living or sell cars, or become a florest. THis is kimmers sitting at home with her suitcases of money,that she scammed from people.
Trying to keep up her income and trying to keep a real woman who actully lost wieght from getting the spot light, that she deserves.
{you guys do know the day before her assets were frozen she, bought a house for cash money?}


YOu people are sitting there, on your computers, should you have a job or dont. Most dont realize what it takes to start a buinsess.
Most wouldnt have a clue.

Kimkins is going to cringe when, more bad press comes out that because shes a liar, shes trying to hurt a woman, who is a breast Cancer surviver. Kimkin I know your readin this, if you in fact can read or have enough money some ones reading this for you. If you would just follow, Bonnies diet you could loose weight, and wouldnt have to hide from the world at large. you know Bonnies Diet is better and shes the real deal and you cant stand it. Just know, that you cant ever remember the lie, but the truth is easy to tell. God have Mercy on your Soul Kimmers your fixxing to need it.

Bonnies Liable to come beat Kimkins ASS!

Photo from Christmas 2007 on Lonestardjz MySpace
(It might illustrate his state when he wrote the comment)

Magic Menu

Picture shows "modified menu", Tuesday. Calorie count: 612

Magic Chicken Diet Menu:

MY SAMPLE MENU PLAN

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Breakfast	4 chicken strips	4 Chicken strips	4oz. Thin slices grilled turkey breast	4 oz. grilled turkey breast	4 Chicken strips	4 Chicken strips	4 Chicken strips
Snacks	1 chicken strip or 1 cheese stick	1 chicken strip or 1 small peach	1 chicken strip & diet jello	4 -5 Strawberries & diet jello	1 cheese stick & diet jello	Diet jello & 4 or 5 berries	1 cheese stick & diet jello
Lunch	Grilled Chicken Salad	Grilled Chicken Salad	Grilled Chicken Salad	Grilled Chicken Salad	Grilled Chicken Salad	Chicken Wrap (see recipe)	Grilled steak 8oz. steak & grilled zucchini, bell peppers
Snacks	4-5 strawberries and diet jello	1 cheese stick & diet jello	1 chicken strip or 4 strawberries	Chicken strip & diet jello	1 sm. Peach & diet jello	Chicken strip & diet jello	4-5 strawberries & diet jello
Dinner	Grilled chicken filet & steamed broccoli	Chick-k-bobs & salad (see recipe)	Gortons frozen baked fish & green veggies	Chicken fajita wrap (see recipe)	Bacon wrapped shrimp skewers, steamed broccoli(see recipe)	Baked chicken cheese melt & spinach	Turkey breast, steamed veggies
Snacks	Diet jello	Diet jello	Diet jello	Diet jello	Diet jello	Diet jello	Diet jello

MODIFIED SAMPLE MENU PLAN

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Breakfast	1 scrambled egg & 2 slices bacon	1 boiled egg & 1 turkey sausage	1 poached egg & 2 slices bacon	1 scrambled egg & 1 turkey sausage	1 boiled egg & 2 slices bacon	1 egg cheese pepper bacon omelet	1 poached egg & 2 slices bacon
Snacks	½ grapefruit	2in. plum	5 strawberries	½ grapefruit	Sm. Nectarine	Sm peach	½ grapefruit
Lunch	Can of chunk white chicken breast stalk celery	Can of tuna in water 2 pickle spears	Grilled chicken salad	4 chicken strips 1 serving baby carrots	Frozen baked fish & side salad	Grilled turkey& grilled veggies	Grilled salmon & steamed broccoli
Snacks	Diet jello	Diet jello	Diet jello	Diet jello	Diet jello	Diet jello	Sugar free popsicle
Dinner	Grilled lean pork chop green beans small salad	Chicken, broccoli, cheese casserole & small salad	6oz. grilled steak, grilled squash & cucumber, lettuce & tomato salad	Grilled catfish, green beans & salad	Steak, chicken , pepper,mushrooms,tomato & zucchini shish-k-bobs	Grilled lean pork chop broccoli cauliflower mix	Skinless rotisserie chicken breast spinach small salad
Snacks	Sugar free popsicle	Sugar free popsicle	Sugar free popsicle	Sugar free popsicle	Sugar free popsicle	Sugar free popsicle	Diet jello

MAGIC CHICKEN DIET – (MCD) - QUICK WEIGHT LOSS PLAN

Hopefully you will find the sample menu plans helpful for your own personal weight loss journey. I made one with basically the way I worked the program. The other is showing you a way you can substitute for what will work for you. The Magic Chicken Diet is a combination of low carbohydrate, low fat and low calorie diet all wrapped up in one. So when you are choosing what to eat please keep the 3 in mind and read labels. I lost a total of 160 pounds in only 10 months eating this way. I actually lost the first 100 lbs. in only 5 ½ months. Wow I still can’t believe it myself! I did it and you can too; that is if you want it bad enough. It’s up to you!

HEPFUL HINTS:
Try to keep your calories between 800 and 1200 a day. If you have a lot to lose you may have to start with 1200 a day until you get your stomach shrunk a little bit. If you want to lose a little faster then adjust your caloric intake for what you need.

Try to keep your carbohydrates between 15 and 30 carbs a day. Everybody’s body is different you may have to eat a little less carbs for your body to lose fast enough. When you hit a plateau cut those carbs completely out for a couple of days. I would do that and change my chicken to grilled turkey and it worked.

Try to keep your fat at 25 grams or less a day. Only buy lean meat and watch the fat in the cheese.

VEGETABLES ALLOWED

• Asparagus • Bell Pepper • Broccoflower • Broccoli • Brussel Sprouts • Cabbage • Carrots • Cauliflower • Celery • Cucumbers

• Greens • Green Beans • Jalapenos • Lettuce • Mushrooms • Okra • Spinach • Tomatoes • Yellow Squash • Zucchini Squash

If you want to lose a little faster just cut out a serving of veggies or the fruit for a couple of days.

If you want to lose a little slower just add an extra serving of fruit or veggies for the day.

If you are not in to losing weight really fast you can change your breakfast to a serving of Total cereal or Special K with skim milk but it does give you more carbs so watch it.

Try to eat a little something every couple of hours. I think it really helps speed up your metabolism.

Try to drink between 80 to 100 ounces of water a day. I have not myself but it is better for you if you can. I always drink Crystal Light, Tea with Splenda and Diet Drinks. If you really want to do great and cut back on sodium then drink Diet Rite Colas for your diet drink as it has no sodium or caffeine. If you are a coffee drinker then you can drink black coffee and if you need a sweetener use Splenda.

You can get Crystal Light Slurpees at most 7-11 or RaceTrac but also you can make your own.

Sugar Free Jello is a great snack and only 10 calories. Try all the different flavors and get creative and come up with your own blends.

When you go to fast food restaurants try their grilled chicken salads. Sonic has the very best; just don’t eat the onion ring they put on it. If it is too much temptation just tell them to leave it off. I don’t eat any of the dressing but if you need it get the spray dressing at the store that is only like 10 calories a spray. I ate Sonic Grilled Chicken Salads nearly every day when I worked my candle routes. After my stomach started shrinking I could just east half of it and then I would just snack on it a little at a time through out the day.

I do want to Thank Sonic very much as they do not know how much they helped me even though I have already told them. They didn’t seem too impressed; I think they are more into selling and promoting ice cream desserts, however it was really convenient having them in most of the little towns that I would go to. Sometimes I would also just order the grilled chicken sandwich without the bun or sauce and that was great too. Braums and Jack in the Box has great Grilled Chicken Club sandwiches with bacon and cheese. Don’t forget to cut out the bread and sauce.

Nearly all of your nice restaurants have grilled chicken meals or grilled fish with green veggies, or grilled zucchini and salads, so you can still go out and stick with this plan.

Once a week I enjoy a great (my personal choice, Ribeye) steak on the grill. When you get something besides chicken make sure you get the lean cuts.
If you don’t love chicken as much as I do you can substitute turkey and fish but I just love grilled chicken and the super fast results.

You can grill, bake or boil your meats.

No salt and if I can cut it out I’ll bet you can too. I used to use so much salt on nearly everything and I now can’t believe it. I don’t even miss it now and Mrs. Dash makes all kinds of wonderful spices so experiment and enjoy!

Once a month I treat myself to a nonfat yogurt twist from Costco they are great but just do it once a month because it does have carbs.

Chewing gum, sugar free helps keep you snacking when you don’t even know it. I always just chew ½ piece at a time. Even though most sugar free gum is just 1 carb it still adds up. If you chew your gum and then take it out of your mouth in order to eat something it does give you a minute to think about if you really want that bite of a temptation food. Remember once you swallow it you can’t taste it anymore. So ask yourself is it really worth it?

I never did through any of my weight loss exercise except for my normal route selling of candles. I do realize that I need to start now so that I can tone up, but it is not necessary. You may want to start out with just small walks to the corner and back as this will help you to lose the weight even faster.

If you ever have any questions feel free to email me, join in for our LiveChat, Forum or check out our Diet Blogger and I will be very happy to assist you in any way that I can. I just want everyone to feel as great as I do now!

The two biggest things that helped me the most was sniffing the food that I could not eat and the wonderful Sonic Grilled Chicken Salads.

Don’t forget to meet up with other members for additional support on our Diet Blogger and Forum boards. There are lots of great topics that should be very helpful through your weight loss journey.

Just remember this works if you really want it to. Stop making excuses now!

I will be adding more recipes and if you have any you want to share just post them in the recipe forum.

Don’t forget to check out the shopping list so you can see the many items you can buy at the store; just remember to stay in your range for the calories, carbs and fat for the day.

Your maintenance plan will be posted soon because I am just getting started on it myself!

Thank you and, I Wish You as Much Success as I
God Bless

Bonnie Luper


I can not figure out how to get tables to post properly, so here is a jpg of the menu.

Kimmer Lies to the AG Again

Today, I received a letter from the Attorney General of California with a response to my complaint about Kimkins. It was practically identical to the one Magicsmom received in January.

The "private reason" given on Kimkins' admin board, as sent to the AG, was a copy of a post on ALC that was made more than 4 weeks after I was banned.


I was banned on September 27th, and the post copied from ALC is dated October 22nd.



The Kimkins letter to the AG further states that "She still retains full usage of the Kimkins weight loss program including the diet, diet variations, food list, grocery shopping lists, recipe library, BMI calculator, calorie calculator and other diet aids. ". This is a lie. When trying to log in at Kimkins, I get a message that says:


And Tippy, you have always claimed that you had nothing to do with my banning. How come the "private reason" on Kimkins is a post about you that I copied to ALC from LCF? And what about the reference "per Jeannie"?

Recovering from a Cult

Kimkins has been labeled as a cult in several blog posts:
Kimkins Cult Mentality
Kimkins Cult Mentality Revisited
Kimkins - A Cult

And the latest Kimkins defecter, AmyB, is also calling Kimkins a cult on her blog

Magicsmom says: Every one of us who was taken in by Heidi has to go through a process which is exactly like grieving. You go through stages, and I believe it is very similar to this:

The seven stages of grief are:

* Shock or Disbelief
* Denial
* Bargaining
* Guilt
* Anger
* Depression
* Acceptance and Hope

Why do people leave? How do people leave?

Members typically:

1. walk away

2. are thrown out (banned)

3. lose their group to dissolution

4. or are convinced to leave by outside people

in roughly that numerical order.

"Walkaways" may leave gradually because of love for family or friends or what is called "cognitive dissonance" — a growing realization that the ideals of the group are at odds with their actions. They may float into new groups or eventually return to their original group. Frequently they do not face the damage that they have endured, and they experience reduced functionality for many, many years.

Banned members are tossed out by their leaders or groups for real or imagined offenses — or to keep other members in line. This group may experience the most traumatic re-entrance into mainstream society. They usually have not rejected the beliefs or leader of their group and have the added guilt and shame of having been rejected.

Someone involved in the disbandment of their group may experience an ego-strengthening sense of power and control. If the group disbanded against their wishes, they may experience a depth of despair similar to a castaway (banned).

Those who are counseled out, through persuasions, or the like, usually experience the smoothest and quickest recovery.

reFOCUS: Recovering Former Cultists' Support Network

The keys to recovery after leaving a high-demand group or cult are:

Education or knowledge

Support

Patience

Education

The over-riding factor is education: educating oneself about what happened to you while in the group and why it still affects you after you leave. Its crucial to understand the techniques that were used to gain your compliance, to shut down your critical thought processes, to manipulate your experiences and your emotions, to isolate you psychologically and sometimes physically from gaining information and feedback from the world outside the group. These techniques have an effect for quite some time after you leave the group. And it is important to understand that these lasting effects are normal under the circumstances, and that they will begin to dissipate once you do understand them and can begin to unravel them.

Support

It is so important to build a support team for yourself. Look for people who are willing to learn and to be there for you when you need to talk or to just spend some time together. The most powerful support can be found in other former members of groups have had very similar experiences to your own and are going through the recovery process as well. It is so good to be around people who really get it!

Patience

Yes, I know it is hard to be patient with yourself in the recovery process. Remember, we had a lot of practice living on the edge and being expected to produce results yesterday. A residual effect of living that way is to expect recovery yesterday and to be very impatient with ourselves. Also, remember when you were in the group, the leaders or the ideology could never be wrong if something was wrong, guess who it was! So, we tend to say whats wrong with me in the recovery process. Guess what. There is nothing wrong with you. Recovery takes time. It takes education. It takes support. And it takes giving yourself a break.

Edited to add:
A comment reminded me that I didn't fully finish this post.

While I have no problem calling Kimmer and Singing Ass "Cult Leaders" (even if the latter is just a wannabe) I do not want to attach the label cult to the former Kimkins members.

While many Kimkins members that leave go through stages of feelings that are similar to people that are leaving a cult, Kimkins did not encompass the member's entire life in the same way as a religious cult so the "recovery" process should be easier.

I also forgot to include links to where to find support and to meet up with other people that have left or been banned from Kimkins:

• Low Carb Friends has an active thread with people trying to shut Kimkins.con down. Kimkins discussions are detained to this one thread. Many ex-kimkinites find it a useful place to vent anger while others see it as Kimkins bashing. Then you might want to find one of the many diet support groups on LCF instead.

• Active Low Carber Forum has many diet support groups.

• Jimmy Moore's forum is a meeting place for many ex-kimkinites but the Kimkins Diet is strongly discouraged.

• Amy Eating Low is also a forum where many ex-kimkinites hang out, including Amy herself.

• Big Huge Minds is a brand new, very friendly forum.

Infamous Diet

in·fa·mous
– adjective
1. having an extremely bad reputation
2. deserving of or causing an evil reputation; shamefully malign; detestable

Kimkins certainly qualifies as an "Infamous Diet". Read what Consumer Affairs has to say about it:
Kimkins Diet Rolls On Despite Founder's Excess Poundage

The article by Consumer Affairs is a result of the complaints submitted by the Ducks as part of the "Take Down Kimkins Contest" on Kimkinsscam.

What is interesting with the Consumer Affair's article is that it is written by someone, David Wood, that had no previous knowledge of the diet. David was given a free pass to kimkins.com and commented:

"Our time on the Kimkins website showed that many people didn't care that many if not most of the claims were bogus. It was a cult atmosphere, with people attacking anyone that dared speak against Heidi and her diet. And although the membership fee is supposed to pay for a lifetime membership, we spoke with numerous people who had been banned from the site.

We also saw the consequences of a classic starvation diet. Women who had quickly lost the weight started eating again, and then returned to the Kimkins site for encouragement to lose the weight again."

Apparently, the new sockpuppets Heidi created on Kimkins just before David's arrival did not fool him one bit, just as the "cleaned up" version of kimkins.com still doesn't make the diet any better.

Sockpuppets

Wikipedia:

A sockpuppet is an online identity used for purposes of deception within an Internet community. In its earliest usage, a sockpuppet was a false identity through which a member of an Internet community speaks while pretending not to, like a puppeteer manipulating a hand puppet.

In current usage, the perception of the term has been extended beyond second identities of people who already post in a forum to include other uses of misleading online identities. For example, a NY Times article claims that "sock-puppeting" is defined as "the act of creating a fake online identity to praise, defend or create the illusion of support for one’s self, allies or company."

The key difference between a sockpuppet and a regular pseudonym is the active exploitation of the pretense that the puppet is a third party who is not affiliated with the puppeteer.

I was an early member of Kimkins (June 2006) but soon lost interest and didn't return to the board until the controversy started in July 2007. I immediately was surprised by the large number of "success in progress" stories that seemed unbelievable. The more I read, the more unbelievable it became.

Unbelievable is really the keyword here. Yes, I know that you see huge, quick losses on a low carb diet in the beginning, especially if the starting weight is high. But these people were happily posting for weeks while they survived on 400 - 500 calories, never had a stall, never had any problems sticking to the diet, never had craving, never were hungry, never complained about not feeling well. Unbelievable. I have been posting daily on lowcarb boards for 4 years, and I have never seen anything like it.

These posters also lacked personality. They were just reporting on their menu, their weight loss and how happy they were with the diet. Again, a characteristic I did not recognize from other boards where you get to know your fellow posters pretty quickly, or at least get some sense of the person behind the keyboard.

I'm sure the majority of these successful posters were Kimmer sockpuppets. Her admins at the time of the big inrush of new members when the WW magazine came out report that Kimmer hardly posted at the time. I think she did, just not using the name Kimmer. She was busy inventing fictional characters and posting as all these sockpuppets that created a happy and positive atmosphere.

I can just imagine how the members felt about themselves when they read those posts with their shiny lies -- "Other people are doing so well, what's wrong with me? I need to try harder, I need to eat less, I must be the only one who's failing, or the only one who's feeling so ill..."

I'm not sure the use of sockpuppets constitute fraud in the legal sense, but it is certainly unethical. Kimmer is using sockpuppets to promote her business, for her own gain.

In addition to the success stories, there recently has been a large number of a different type of sockpuppets. These are "newbies", not all new members but all with few posts. They seem to be used as "fillers" to promote the sense of more active members on the site. They are characterized by either having a generic avatar or a distorted one, similar to this:



Now, this could be due to technical difficulties, similar to what Tippy Toes once had:
Well we are having some kind of tech problem. Don't laugh but I had changed my avitor from the bikini pic to one in a black dress. This morning when I logged on the pic was all stretched out like a fun mirror at the circus. I looked like I gained all 112 lbs back overnight, RFLMAO! Now I have this flower till I figure out what happened. Still laughing!

This is a weight loss board. Would you post a picture that shows you a lot heavier than you are? Tippy didn't. She replaced the picture until tech support had helped her post it so it showed up in right proportions. So why are these distorted avatars so common on Kimkins? It's obvious that they originally were 3x5 pictures that got posted as 5x5. Here is the original of the above picture:


Is Kimmer starting to be sloppy? Doesn't care anymore to keep up appearances? The remaining members don't care, or all they all sockpuppets? I think it's a combination of all of these.

VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diets)

While all Kimkins Diet Plans are Very Low Calorie, the Shake Plan is the only one that has a given calorie limit. (The other Plans have suggested serving sizes, which automatically makes them low calorie, as shown here: Kimkins Diet Plans.)

It is based on 0 - 4 shakes, max 200 cals/4 carbs each. EAS (100 cals/ea) is the most recommended brand. While the shakes, according to the nutrition information, have added vitamins and minerals, they are clearly labeled "Not intended for meal replacements". Somehow, this fact is never mentioned on kimkins.

From Weight-control Information Network (emphasis mine):

What is a very low-calorie diet?

A very low-calorie diet (VLCD) is a doctor-supervised diet that typically uses commercially prepared formulas to promote rapid weight loss in patients who are obese. These formulas, usually liquid shakes or bars, replace all food intake for several weeks or months. VLCD formulas need to contain appropriate levels of vitamins and micronutrients to ensure that patients meet their nutritional requirements. Some physicians also prescribe very low-calorie diets made up almost entirely of lean protein foods, such as fish and chicken. People on a VLCD consume about 800 calories per day or less.

VLCD formulas are not the same as the meal replacements you can find at grocery stores or pharmacies, which are meant to subsitute for one or two meals a day. Over-the-counter meal replacements such as bars, entrees, or shakes should account for only part of one’s daily calories.

When used under proper medical supervision, VLCDs may produce significant short-term weight loss in patients who are moderately to extremely obese. VLCDs should be part of comprehensive weight-loss treatment programs that include behavioral therapy, nutrition counseling, physical activity, and/or drug treatment.

Who should use a VLCD?

VLCDs are designed to produce rapid weight loss at the start of a weight-loss program in patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 and significant comorbidities. BMI correlates significantly with total body fat content. It is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in pounds by height in inches squared and multiplied by 703.

Use of VLCDs in patients with a BMI of 27 to 30 should be reserved for those who have medical conditions due to overweight, such as high blood pressure. These diets are not appropriate for children or adolescents, except in specialized treatment programs.

Very little information exists regarding the use of VLCDs in older people. Because people over age 50 already experience depletion of lean body mass, use of a VLCD may not be warranted. Also, people over 50 may not tolerate the side effects associated with VLCDs because of preexisting medical conditions or the need for other medicines. Doctors must evaluate on a case-by-case basis the potential risks and benefits of rapid weight loss in older adults, as well as in patients who have significant medical problems or are on medications.

Health Benefits of a VLCD

A VLCD may allow a patient who is moderately to extremely obese to lose about 3 to 5 pounds per week, for an average total weight loss of 44 pounds over 12 weeks. Such a weight loss can rapidly improve obesity-related medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

The rapid weight loss experienced by most people on a VLCD can be very motivating. Patients who participate in a VLCD program that includes lifestyle treatment typically lose about 15 to 25 percent of their initial weight during the first 3 to 6 months. They may maintain a 5-percent weight loss after 4 years if they adopt a healthy eating plan and physical activity habits.

Adverse Effects of a VLCD

Many patients on a VLCD for 4 to 16 weeks report minor side effects such as fatigue, constipation, nausea, or diarrhea. These conditions usually improve within a few weeks and rarely prevent patients from completing the program. The most common serious side effect is gallstone formation. Gallstones, which often develop in people who are obese, especially women, are even more common during rapid weight loss. Research indicates that rapid weight loss may increase cholesterol levels in the gallbladder and decrease its ability to contract and expel bile. Some medicines can prevent gallstone formation during rapid weight loss. Your health care provider can determine if these medicines are appropriate for you.

Maintaining Weight Loss

Studies show that the long-term results of VLCDs vary widely, but weight regain is common. Combining a VLCD with behavior therapy, physical activity, and active follow-up treatment may help increase weight loss and prevent weight regain.

In addition, VLCDs may be no more effective than less severe dietary restrictions in the long run. Studies have shown that following a diet of approximately 800 to 1,000 calories produces weight loss similar to that seen with VLCDs. This is probably due to participants’ better compliance with a less restrictive diet.

For most people who are obese, obesity is a long-term condition that requires a lifetime of attention even after formal weight-loss treatment ends. Therefore, health care providers should encourage patients who are obese to commit to permanent changes of healthier eating, regular physical activity, and an improved outlook about food.

Why not avoid yo-yo crash dieting and just do Atkins from the start?

The Gravy Diet

Kimkins has a new competitor on the internet: The Gravy Diet!

How the Gravy Diet works:

While mainstream medical science kept telling people to lose weight by changing their diets and exercising more often, Dr. Morgan kept working towards his dream of providing people with a quickfix diet that would allow people to lose massive amounts of weight quickly, and without exercising.

Soon the Gravy Diet was born.

But how does it work?

Think of gravy as a lubricant -it makes things stick less- and when you eat nothing but gravy, your body loses its "grip" on your stored fats and incoming calories, making them easier to burn and eliminate.

The Gravy Diet works with your body naturally, causing a state Gravy Diet researchers call "diatosis". Diatosis increases your metabolism, while at the same time reduces your absorbsion of incoming calories. Diatosis helps the body eliminate fat-building carbohydrates, fats, and proteins from your diet, causing quick and certain weight loss.

The key to the Gravy Diet is fine tuning your DVI, or Diatosis Volume Index. You'll want to keep your DVI at approximately 1 liter per 10 kilograms of body weight.

Gravy Diet Success Stories:

I've been on diets all my life, and finally I discovered that diets just don't work. Then I read Dr Morgan's book, and I'm a diet believer again! I've lost over 45 pounds!
-John Henderson, Missouri

After years of trying fad diets that promised I could eat all I wanted, not exercise, and still lose weight, I tried the Gravy Diet! Now I can eat all the gravy I want and still lose weight! This is great! I've lost over 75 pounds!
-Mary Manski, North Dakota

By following Dr. Morgan's wonderful diet, I was able to lose well over 200 pounds in just a few weeks. I'm a doctor, and I recomend Dr. Morgan's Gravy Diet to all my patients.
-Dr. Robert Morgan, Texas

I lost a grand total of 2,358 pounds on the Gravy Diet. If I can do it, anybody can.
-Li Mei Choi, Fuzhou, China

Common myths about the Gravy Diet:

Myth #1: The Gravy Diet doesn't work.

It has been conclusively proven that eating nothing but gravy causes a person to lose weight.

Myth #2: The Gravy Diet isn't healthy.

Proponents of this myth haven't been keeping up with recent scientific research which shows that the Gravy Diet is extremely healthy if health is measured by weight loss alone.

Myth #3: The Gravy Diet isn't nutritious.

Nonsense. Properly prepared, gravy contains all the nutrition a person needs. In rare cases nutritional supplements are needed to replenish those nutrients lost to diarrhea, but usually only about 80-99% of those on the Gravy Diet find this necessary.

Myth #4: Constant diarrhea (diatosis) is not good for people.

This is the most common myth. While proponents of this myth will point to numerous anecdotal hospital reports of patients "suffering" from diarrhea, there is no hard scientific link between unhealthy people, diarrhea, and the Gravy Diet.

Myth #5: The same effects can be had by taking simple laxatives.

Nothing could be further from the truth! While it's true that some people have lost weight by inducing diarrhea with laxatives, and that laxatives are sometimes a necessary part of the beginning phases of the Gravy Diet, research has shown that gravy-induced diarrhea is up to 7 times more effective than laxatives alone.

Myth #6: Gravy Dieters just blindly follow Dr. Morgan and worship him as a god.

Many people think Dr Morgan is treated more like a cult leader than a doctor giving medical advice, and many Gravy Dieters are accused of "hero worship". But is this really true? Dr Morgan says it is not, and that He had predicted that His followers would be persecuted by the non-believers.

Myth #7: The world's healthiest, longest lived, and least overweight cultures eat very little gravy.

They just think they're healthy. And what good is living a long time if you're not eating gravy?

The Gravy Train:

As the body of medical evidence supporting the Gravy Diet increases, more and more doctors and scientists "get on the gravy train" and support the gravy diet. Here is a sampling of quotes and excerpts from recent scientific studies on the Gravy Diet.

"The Gravy Diet is Gravylicious."
--Dr. Robert Morgan.

"... gravy ... can be ... an effective tool ... for ... weight loss ..."
--Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Well, yes, if you measure health by weight loss alone then a diet consisting of nothing but gravy and laxatives is 'healthy', but I..."
--US Surgeon General.

"...the patient lost a considerable amount of weight due to constant diarrhea..."
--Mayo Clinic hospital records.

"I really want the Gravy Diet to be true."
--Editor of Gravy Monthly Magazine.

"Diatosis is good."
--Gravy Science.

How does one start Dr. Morgan's Revolutionary Gravy Diet? Just follow this simple four phase plan:

Induction

Buy Dr. Morgan's book "Dr. Morgan's Gravy Diet Revolution".

If starting the Gravy Diet doesn't initiate diatosis naturally, use the proper amount of Dr. Morgan's Laxative Powder.

Weight Loss

If you haven't done so already, buy Dr. Morgan's book "Dr. Morgan's Gravy Diet Revolution".

Once you start shedding those pounds, have fun with your gravy. Try adding different spices.

Begin taking Dr Morgan's SuperGravy Multi-vitamin.

Maintenance

Buy the damn book already.

Once you've reached you target weight, it's important to stick with the diet forever. If you stray too far from a strict gravy diet, the weight will come back almost instantly. Most people have problems with this phase because they find that not being able to ever have candy, bread, rice, pasta, carrots, peanuts, apples, bananas, meats, and fish again a little depressing.

Don't cheat, the effects of the Gravy Diet are eliminated by having a biscuit with your gravy!

Avoid Dying/Spend Money

Taking Dr Morgan's SuperGravy Multi-vitamins can help avoid scurvy and death.

Buy new Gravy Diet books and products.

Remember that Dr. Morgan died for your sins, so pay us money.

Kimkins Diet Blogs

Many wonder why we bloggers keep on writing about Kimkins, and some call us "haters" and claim that we "don't have a life". For me, the answer is easy. Read Kimkins Survivors

As long as kimkins.com is still up and running, I will keep on blogging about it. I have hope that it will not be too long before we see a "404" when clicking on kimkins.com and at that time I will happily consider in what direction to take this blog. However, my anti-kimkins posts will remain as information for new dieters that have not followed the story.

A bulletin board I came across yesterday showed me the difference blogs are making. Remember that in June 2007, when the WW magazine came out, there was no anti-Kimkins blogs on the internet but plenty of pro-Kimkins articles.

The BB posts, starting on September 12:

Subject: Kimkins anyone?
Poster: Kimkins affiliate
DH and i just signed up today. We are going to start on Sunday. I realize it is extreme but we are all or nothing people and we need to make a major change. It was only $60 for a lifetime membership with no additional fees, ever. All foods can be purchased at any local market. It's dramatic but simple (and my doctor said it would be ok).

Has anyone else heard of or tried this plan?

Moderator:
No, but I'm intrigued!!
I did atkins years ago and lost 30 pounds in about 2 months. I stopped it and gained the weight RIGHT back but it wasn't because I incorporated carbs, it was because I incorporated the junk food back in.

This is low fat and lower calorie.....hum...interesting. I'm going to have to read more about this!

You just might have a buddy!!

Moderator 1/2 an hour later:
So I was REALLY intrigued so I've been googling Kimkins for the past couple of hours. I'm not finding good things about it. Sounds like a clever marketing ploy that uses fake before and after pictures.

http://www.slamboard.com/2007/06/30/kimkinscom-part-i-the-kimkinscom-business-partnership-case-study/

I'm still looking though. If I find more I will.
Sometimes I have to realize that if it sounds too good or too easy, it probably is.

Moderator 5 minutes later:
I found more...

http://kimkinsexposed2.wordpress.com/

I'm thinking this is most definitely a scam - here is another link...
http://www.3fatchicks.com/Diets/Diet...f_a_Diet_Scam/

OMG!! If you read the above link, this is the part that scares me the most =
Dangers of the Kimkins Diet
Many Kimkins followers have been complaining of serious side effects from the plan including hair loss, heart palpitations, fainting, confusion, and more. When approached about these problems, they claim Kimmer brushed them off, saying they were not the result of the plan and the member must be cheating. Go lower in calories and you'll be fine. In the published email exchange between Kimmer and one of her staff, Kimmer stated that she couldn't help it if the members were "too stupid" to go to a doctor.

The plan promotes pro-anorexia techniques to get followers to stick with the plan, such as laxative abuse. Kimmer recommends regular use of laxatives to her members. She attempts to justify this by pointing out that one of her members was prescribed laxatives by her doctor, so that must mean it's safe. Only that member and her doctor know what kind of problem she had that required a laxative, and if that laxative was to be used more than once. Regular use of laxatives is very dangerous, and could result dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and even laxative dependence.

If your teenage daughter decided to cut calories that drastically and take laxatives, how would you react? You'd worry she had an eating disorder, and you'd seek help for her before her health suffered. You love her, you're a good mother. Why would you treat yourself any differently?

And I keep finding more!!
Please get your money back - this is awful. All the links I am finding are attached to the above in someway.

Affiliate 3 hours later:
Thanks for the info. I admit I never searched it out online because it was recommended to me by a friend who has lost weight on the plan. I ran it past my doctor and she said it was like a healthier version of Adkins.

After reading your posts I scoured the site for anything "fishy" and all I see is the basics super low cal, super low fat, super low carb plan. Members post about constipation and ask for remedies that will not "stall" their weightless but I don't see anything at all that promotes laxative abuse or anorexia.

I’m going to have to give this some serious thought. While I want to lose weight, I don’t want to risk my health.

BTW- They are clear about no refunds when you sign up because once you do all of their trade "secrets" are online.

Moderator 2, the following day:
* Permanent weight loss is not about finding a quick fix diet, but making a commitment to life style changes that include nutrition and exercise
* Any weight loss program you choose must pass the “Can I eat that way for the rest of my life?” test,
* The weight loss program you choose should ultimately teach you how to eat and be self reliant so you can make informed long term choices about your nutrition.
* The weight loss program you choose should not leave you reliant on commercial bars, shakes, supplements, or pre-made foods, for your long term success.
* The weight loss program you choose must have an effective exercise component.
* The weight loss program you choose should attempt to help with motivation, goal setting, and support, but can’t be a replacement for psychological counseling if needed.

Affiliate, one day later:
Thank you for your thoughtful response. When I signed up I had no idea what the plan was about. I was going based upon a friends recommendation. I did ask my doctor about it but she must not be as informed as I had thought/hoped. I am so grateful that you are looking out for my lazy self.

I am committed to healthy weight loss. I can't get my money back but I wont be "doing" the plan.


This story had a happy ending thanks to a moderator that did the research and thanks to the anti-Kimkins bloggers that provided the information. Just imagine if this conversation had taken place just 3 months earlier. At that time, there were no anti-kimkins blogs and most likely a large number of dieters on this bulletin board would have jumped on the Kimkins wagon and later ended up as a page on the Kimkins Survivor blog.