Why pay when there are FREE diet support sites

I have been thinking about how a site that requires a "registration fee" or a "lifetime membership fee" would get people signing up for their "service." Obviously they need to offer something that the FREE sites do not have. As they don't, I have to assume that the only customers they get are people that do not know about the FREE sites.

Looking at Kimkins, the Magic Chicken Diet, and now lately The Camp Fire, the website recently launched by the latest Kimkins defector, Tippy Toes, I have not found anything there that is not provided by FREE sites such as LCF and ALC.

Kimkins and the Magic Chicken Diet sites seem similar and claim to offer:

Kimkins ($79.95):

• Kimkins Diet
• Food Lists
• Sample Menus
• Recipe Library
• Online Personal Journal

Magic Chicken Diet ($69.95)

• Lifetime Membership
• Magic Chicken Diet Plan
• Support from Bonnie & Members
• Forums Q & A
• Personal Diet Blogger
• Sample Menus / Recipes
• Grocery Shopping List
• Access to Clothes Swap
• No Monthly Fees

The latest of the three, Camp Carbaway or the Camp Fire ($19.95) offers:
"What makes Camp Carbaway special? For one, it is owned and operated by people who are successfully losing or maintaining their weight. We are not one of the free larger low-carb boards which means you get more personal attention. We will not sell you any food products because we know some will cause you to stall out and NOT lose your weight. We do not allow our members to be harassed or belittled in any way, even if they stumble a bit while learning. We support the BEST low-carb plans available such as Atkins, Southbeach, Stillman's and more. You are not asked to stick with only one diet plan though -- you have options! We also have recipes for meal planning."

What of these things are not found on the FREE sites, ALC and LCF? I can not see ONE thing!

The Kimkins diet is outlined in detail on LCF and there are knowledgeable members there that can help you to modify it or transition into a sensible diet that will not risk you health.

The Magic Chicken Diet is found at Kimkins Exhausted, in case someone would be interested in eating chicken strips for breakfast, canned chicken for lunch and some more chicken for dinner.

The guidelines for low carb plans listed by The Camp Fire are all covered extensively on both LCF and ALC, plus there are many challenge groups and advice from people that are using the plans, all provided FREE. And the FREE sites offer FREE lifetime membership and registration as long as you refrain from harassing other members.

Save your money, join one of the FREE sites and enjoy your weight loss journey with FREE advice and FREE support from the many knowledgeable members on these sites.

$79.95 to starve at Kimkins in 2008

The membership fee just increased. Making up for less people signing up? Copying the Magic Chicken Diet price? One starvation diet is just as good as another, right?

Remember, there are many, many FREE sites that offer better support and better diets than Kimkins!

Try Active Lowcarber Forum (ALC) or Low Carb Friends (LCF). Both offer FREE support for any low carb (and many non-low carb) diets.

Tippy denies supporting Kimmer, but still thinks Kimkins is great

In a post on her Camp Site today (copied to LCF) Pocahontas aka Tippy Toes aka Jeannie Baitinger denied that she was still supporting Kimmer, stating that she left Kimkins to avoid being dragged into a law suit. Obviously, Kimmer's fraudulent marketing and unethical business methods with bannings were of no concern to Tippy.

She also goes on to endorse the Kimkins Diet in her post, and that she believes that Kimmer did not write that comment.

Tippy also says "I do believe in freedom of plan choice and I will never bully or harass anyone for their plan of choice." The comment she left on my blog a few weeks ago suggests differently. I do hope, for her sake, that she treats her new Camp members in a less "bullying" fashion.


Medusa has an insightful post with both Kimmers comment and Tippys response:

THE TURN OF THE SCREW...

Tippy still supporting Kimkins

Diets in Review said:

I wanted to share this Kimkins follow-up with what looks like Kimmer herself. Back in October, Diets In Review shared with you the disappointing news that many Kimkins customers feel that the Kimkins program is fraudulent. Their PR manager, Jeannie Baitinger, responded to Diets In Review and we shared that post with you here.

It appears that in early December, Jeannie left Kimkins. This morning we received a response from Kimmer explaining the departure.

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. - Kimmer Jan 1st, 2008 at 6:21 pm

What the Mike&Juliet Show didn't tell you about Kimkins

You might have seen the re-run of the Mike&Juliet show yesterday, featuring the Kimkins diet scam (links at the end of this post). They showed that the diet is nutritionally deficient and that the founder, Kimmer aka Heidi Diaz, lied about her alleged weight loss. Heidi Diaz claimed to have lost 198 pounds in one year and maintained a svelte 118 lbs for over 5 years. That was a LIE. Heidi never lost the weight and is still obese.

But the former admins Christin and Deni lost the weight, didn't they? Yes, that is true, but at what cost? I can not speak for them but I suggest that you visit their blogs and read for yourself. Was it worth it?

Jeannie lost the weight, didn't she? Yes, but from most accounts (the original ones from Jeannie herself) she lost the weight on Atkins and never did Kimkins as written. Besides, Jeannie is no longer with Kimkins. She was banned shortly after the show. While the circumstances are not completely clear, they might have to do with the fact that Heidi Diaz' assets were frozen due to a class action law suit against Kimkins, and Jeannie would not longer be paid.

So how come Kimmer aka Heidi Diaz was not on the show? Actually, that very day she had to make a deposition in California for a class action lawsuit against her and Kimkins. Not that she likely would have volunteered to show herself on national television. She claims to be shy, but perhaps it has more to do with the fact that she is not the 118 lbs she has claimed during the last 5 years.

Another fact the show failed to address is banning of Lifetime members without reasonable cause. Hundreds, if not thousands, have been banned from Kimkins. Some of them had questions or opinions that were deemed "unacceptable" by the admin. Others, like me, did not post anything at all on Kimkins but were subjected to disapproval by an admin that knew us from other boards.

If you are not put off by the dangers of a starvation diet, and what it can do to your long term health, you might want to consider the risk of just wasting your money. The $59.95 "Lifetime membership" fee might end up just buying you aggravation. It can be terminated at a whim by a site admin, and you have nowhere to complain. It is sold as "electronic media" and is "non-refundable." It's an internet business and emails to the site owner get no answer. Your only recourse is to join the class action lawsuit.

But think about it; why would there even be a class action lawsuit unless a large number of people were defrauded? I was banned, and many others were too. Don't make the same mistake. It's just money wasted.

Find one of the FREE sites with excellent diet support. My two favorite places are ALC and LCF, but there are many others available.

Mike&Juliet Part 1
Mike&Juliet Part 2
Mike&Juliet Part 3
Mike&Juliet Part 4

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.

Magic Diet

I earlier made a post about the Magic Chicken Diet using the Day 1 menu. I thought I would revisit the subject, now choosing a day from the 2nd week's "modified" sample menu.

While I don't understand why anyone would use canned chicken for anything, this is what was recommended in the menu. That day, the food was:

Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg, 2 slices bacon
Snack: 1/2 grapefruit
Lunch: Can of chicken, celery stalk
Snack: Diet jello
Dinner: Grilled lean pork chop, green beans, small salad
Snack: Sugar free Popsicle

Adding this up, I get a total of 468 calories; 16 grams fat, 26 grams carbs, 54 grams protein.

In what way is this diet better than Kimkins?

Kimkins Diet

Looking for a new diet? There are many, many offerings online and most of them ask you for money. Some have inventive names such as Kimkins, The Magic Chicken Diet, The Genie Diet, and the WeightLoss4Idiots diet to name a few. How do you know if they offer value for your money, or if they are just out to scam you?

There are a few clues:

1) Asking for a one time payment. After you have paid, you are useless to them. They have already gotten your money and have really no interest if what they sold is working for you or not. It's not like they care about you. They just want to make money, and they did.

2) Paying for a Lifetime membership. A "Lifetime" membership will only be valid as long as the website exists, OR until the webmaster decides to lock you out by banning you for any or no reason at all.

3) No information up front. That probably means that what they sell is not worth paying for, but you will not know until you have paid.

4) No money back guarantee. Even if they claim to have one, how are you going to get your money back? This is an online business and who knows who the owner is and how to contact them. At least for kimkins, there is now a class action lawsuit. Please join if you have been scammed by Heidi Diaz aka Kimmer.

5) Exaggerated claims such as "no faster weight loss, none," "no exercise," "better than WLS,", "100 pounds in 3 months." If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

6) A large number of success stories and testimonials. Pretty girls and professional photos. How do you know they are true? Do these people exist? Did they do this particular diet? There is no way to find out. It is so easy to do what Kimkins did; scour the internet and copy pictures at random.

7) The owner/founder hides under a fictional name and refuses to show herself in public. Did she even do the diet herself? What are her credentials? Are the photos really of her? The pictures Kimmer tried to pass off as herself were all proven to be fake. They don't even look like the same person! And even less like the person they were supposed to resemble, Heidi Diaz.

Free Diet Support

New Year's Resolution to lose weight? Looking for the magic pill?

There are many online resources for weight loss. They all promise FAST, EASY, TURBO weight loss, provided that you either buy their product, pay to download a program, or pay a fee to join a support forum. They typically use pretty pictures with slim women that allegedly lost weight on their program, and there is very little information available until you have parted with your money.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Before shelling out money for any of the online programs, it is a good idea to do a little research. Just using Google to look into what other people say about the program can save you money and prevent physical and mental ill effects from a dangerous diet, promoted by unscrupulous people.

Also be aware of the many, many FREE resources available on the internet. There is something for all preferences, and they are FREE.

Kimorexia has really good advice on what to look for when choosing a diet forum.

FREE support forums are available in all shapes and forms.

Diet specific forums like Atkins offers FREE information and support.

"General" lowcarb forums offer a great variety, FREE. Details of all the popular plans are provided FREE. There are also members on these sites that willingly share their extensive knowledge in nutrition and of dieting FREE. Challenge groups and journaling are provided FREE. And if nothing else, go there for all the wonderful recipes provided FREE by members.
The larger forums are typically FREE to read for anybody. Registration is required to post and ask questions but registration is FREE.

Smaller forums offer a more intimate setting, and may be focused on a more limited selection of plans. They may require FREE registration to access the forum.

Yahoo groups exist for any type of diet imaginable. It is easy to make a search for a group that follow the diet of your choice. Some are private while others are public but they are all FREE to join.

I follow a lowcarb plan and these are my two favorite FREE sites:

Active Low-Carber Forums

FREE to read. FREE registration required to post and ask questions.

Low Carb Friends
FREE to read. FREE registration required to post and ask questions.








Oh, and the pretty girl in the red dress used to promote Kimkins was fake. Well, the girl isn't fake. It's just that it wasn't Kimmer and she had nothing to do with Kimkins. It is a Russian girl on a bride web site. This is how Kimmer of Kimkins actually looks: