Kimkins Trial

It just took 3 years but all our work is hopefully going to pay off.

Heidi Diaz of Kimkins is going to trial on October 25. She is being sued for fraud in a class action suit initiated by former members with help from our eminent attorney John Tiedt.

While many of us would want to see Heidi aka Kimmer punished for the dangerous diet advice she handed out (egg white challenge, anyone?) that is not what the trial is about. It is for fraud.

Members paid for access to a diet forum led by an alleged diet guru that claimed to successfully have lost 180 pounds and maintained that loss for years. The claims of how efficient the diet is was backed up with success stories with accompanying before and after pictures.

None of it was true. Heidi is morbidly obese and never lost the weight. Not with Kimkins, nor any other diet. The success stories were completely fabricated and the photos were "borrowed" from the 'net, namely websites for "Russian brides." These imaginary people had clearly never followed the Kimkins diet either.

The outcome from the lawsuit that we plaintiffs are hoping for is to have Heidi to refund the membership fee to all members of the class. That would be some 30,000 people @ $39.95 that signed up before the scam was revealed and the lawsuit filed in October of 2007.

The plaintiffs are also requesting that the Kimkins website is shut down.

As I wrote a long time ago Kimmer - so dumb I have no doubt that she regrets that she didn't offer refunds way back when the scam was found out. I'm sure she has spent a lot more money on lawyer fees by now than what the refunds would have cost her at that time.

I want to thank the principals that will represent the rest of us plaintiffs in the class during the trial. Good luck to you all, and we hope for a favorable outcome!

Weight Loss Ads

Despite having applied for bankruptcy, Heidi Diaz continues to blow her ill gotten money on Google Ads. It's sort of funny to read them when you know that they are written by a morbidly obese, diabetic, woman that never lost weight on her own diet despite having had gastric bypass surgery.

The ads that come up today include:

• Turbo fast weight loss
• Amazing "no exercise" diet secret
• Supercharged low carb diet
• Works fast
• Low carb diabetic diet
• Fast!
• Bariatric gastric band surgery diet
• Xtreme "no exercise" diet
• Fast detox weight loss
• Insulin resistant diet
• Turbo fast fat loss
• Lose stomach fat fast
• Postpartum weight loss
• Master cleanse low carb

Does this woman look like she knows what she is talking about?

Yes, sure, the picture is a couple of years old, but reportedly she really haven't lost much compared to this picture. And it was taken at a time when she claimed to be a svelte 118 lbs!

Of course, the ads use other "success" stories now. Somebody that starved off the weight and agreed to become a poster girl (or guy) for Kimkins.con. Possibly with compensation in form of affiliate payouts. I hope it is worth the money, which I'm sure isn't much. Personally, I would be embarrassed to represent this woman.

And while there are people that did lose weight on Kimkins, I wouldn't call them a success before they have managed to keep that weight off for several years. Far too many end up looking like Heidi, ending up heavier than before they started. Severe dieting does much more harm than good, in my opinion.

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!

Kimkins Google Ads

There has been a lot of Kimkins Google Ads the last couple of weeks. Now, I know practically nothing about the cost for Google AdWords but it seems that:

The advertiser pay per click, i.e. every time someone clicks on the ad, the account is charged.

The cost for a click varies. It starts at 1 cent, but can be much higher depending on how popular the AdWord is (the word in a google search that will make your ad show up). The actual cost is determined by bidding.

It looks as if Kimmer is just using "Kimkins" as an Adword and the estimated cost is around 75 cents per click. Estimated number of clicks is 7 - 8 per day. I have no idea if this is per ad or per account. Heidi presently has about 25 different ads showing up. Assuming it is per account, the cost adds up to $4 - 6 per day, or $120 - $180 per month.

The question is why Heidi bothers to spend money on these ads. Kimkins is continuing its demise. I don't see that anything can save this business by now. Surely anybody googling kimkins will see all the negative blogs that show up and not just blindly click on the google ad.

Now, if she used an AdWord like "turbo weight loss" or something similar, she wouldn't need to compete with the anti-kimkins blogs. But I'm sure the bidding on those generic terms make the cost per click very high.

While the AdWord used seems to be only "Kimkins" she is using other terms in the actual ad to catch new customers. For example: "Gastric Band Diet", "Insulin Resistant Diet", "Low Glycemic Index Diet", "Master Cleanse Low Carb", "Low Carb Diabetic Diet", "Postpartum Weight Loss", "Quick diet for new moms", "Gastric Band Alternative", "Fast Detox Weight Loss".

Who would have known that a starvation diet could have so many names?

She is also trying to capitalize on the weight loss "success" stories on Kimkins. Out of the 25 ads, 15 of them are using the name of one or another poster girl. Deb is most popular, but also Pat (or Pattie), Del (or Delaney) and Lynne are featured. We might soon see Jan that Medusa wrote about earlier today.

If it were me, I would be embarrassed to lend my name to Heidi. But it's clear why Heidi doesn't use herself for the ads. Who would sign up for a diet where the founder herself can not lose weight?

Kimmer's 1 Year Progress

These pictures show Heidi Diaz' progress after one year on the Kimkins Diet. The August 2007 picture was posted by Slamboard and the August 2008 picture by AmyB.

I think it's obvious that Heidi has lost weight. How much? Hard to tell and she doesn't give any updates about her own weight loss on her own diet site. 50 pounds perhaps? Down from 350 lbs to 300? 50 pounds in a year is about one pound per week. Huh?

What about the claim of "No faster diet, none"? What about promising 3 - 5 pounds per week? As compared to the 1 - 2 pounds' "gaggle" other diets provide?

What is it with the Kimkins Diet that makes it not work as promised for the founder? The fact that the diet is not suitable for anyone? That it's impossible to stick to? That any weight lost on it is really hard to keep off?

Any decent person would stop promoting something that obviously is not working for herself.

Kimmer Exaggerating Kimkins Weight Loss

Kimmer, a.k.a. Heidi Diaz recently stated:

"This is what I did wrong:
1) I used model photos to show Kimkins possibilities
2) I exaggerated my personal weight loss

That’s it. Hand to God, that’s it."

Dictionary (answers.com):

Exaggerate
v.tr.

1. To represent as greater than is actually the case; overstate: exaggerate the size of the enemy force; exaggerated his own role in the episode.
2. To enlarge or increase to an abnormal degree: thick lenses that exaggerated the size of her eyes.
   

v.intr.

To make overstatements.

How can you "exaggerate" something that is non-existent in the first place? Kimmer went from this:

to this:

There never was any weight loss, so how can she "exaggerate" a weight loss? Fabricate seems to be a more fitting word.

Kimmer successfully fabricated a weight loss story that she stuck to for 6 years and posted fake photos to support her claim of being a slender 118 lbs young-looking woman.

"I've been at goal for nearly 6 years and my old 318-pound life seems like eons ago!"

And what about the first thing that she did wrong? Using model photos to show Kimkins possibilities? If the diet was as successful as she claims, where are all the real pictures from the 6 years she was promoting it? She always talked about receiving so many emails from people that thanked her for their weight loss. Were they all camera shy, like Kimmer herself?

"Hello, I'm Kimmer! I've studied weight loss plans for a lifetime, noting what worked. What didn't. And, most importantly, why. Not only from personal experience, but from the feedback of hundreds of unhappy, overweight folks."

I do think she knows what doesn't work. But not what does work. At least not for herself.

Kimkins Admin Gary Fontaine

In November last year, I wrote a post where I speculated that the Kimkins admin Gary was a sockpuppet. At that time, I thought that Heidi and/or Brandon were posting as Gary. I have since been informed and convinced that a person "Gary" exists.

Gary doesn't display a lot of personality and I suspect he plays a "fictional character" and that not much he says on Kimkins is true. He has been a staunch Kimmer supporter since he first showed up on Kimkins and nothing about the controversy has changed that.

In my opinion, that means that Gary still qualifies as a sockpuppet.

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 (sometimes termed an "alt") is the pretense that the puppet is a third party who is not affiliated with the puppeteer.

Gary showed up on the Kimkins scene in early June 2007. He immediately became a "diet guru" and cheerleader on the site. The avatar he posted does not look like the 56 year old he claimed to be, neither like someone that needs to lose 100 pounds (which he subsequently claimed to have done in 5 months without any problems along the way).


While Kimmer is desperate to post success stories on her website and in newsletters, there have never been any "after" pictures of Gary.

There is a Gary Fontaine in Southbridge, MA close to where Gary claims to live (CT). I don't know if this is the same Gary Fontaine but they share a lot of non-favorable characteristics. The MA Gary Fontaine is the person on the right in this picture:


This picture is from February 2006 when this Gary Fontaine was president of the Southbridge Lion's Club and likely also the Gary Fontaine who is a Lieutenant in the Southbridge Police Department.

Lt. Gary Fontaine was put on administrative leave in 2005 and a local reporter had plenty to say about him: Sheriff Glodis’s payroll amazing

Some highlights:

• Lt. Fontaine acquired $148,000 in cash to buy a Sturbridge restaurant. No evidence of wrongdoing was found, although questions about where the money came from weren’t answered.
• Lt. Fontaine’s cell phone number was found in a safe during a state police raid in 2000 on Sonny’s Place in Southbridge that turned up $18,000 in cash, credit slips from poker machine payouts and telephone numbers linked to a man who had been charged with operating an illegal gambling business.
• Lt. Fontaine has said he saved the money but never put it in a bank. He said his phone number was in the safe at Sonny’s Place because he was friends with the owner.
• In an unrelated matter in 2001, the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission pulled the liquor license for Lt. Fontaine’s pub, saying he continued to operate Tarragon Restaurant despite being told he had no valid license. He later lost the business after the ABCC refused to give him a license.
• In February 2005, Lt. Fontaine was placed on paid leave by Town Manager Clayton R. Carlisle, who said only that the action was “pending an investigation into issues that have come to the town’s attention.” While on leave, Lt. Fontaine has been paid more than $72,000 to date for doing absolutely nothing.
  

Sounds like a nice guy? Just like Admin Gary? The Gary that wrote nasty PM's to Amy B, posted as CrispyBread on LCF and put up a blog where he claimed that prominent anti-Kimkins people were lesbians?

Admin Gary being on administrative leave would also explain why he has so much time to post on Kimkins. And while he still may receive pay as a police officer, extra money from Kimmer is surely welcome.

Success from doing Kimkins?

Dee's success picture allegedly taken 4/18/2008 @ 239 lbs

Dee's picture taken in August? 2007 @ ??? lbs

Dee's picture taken in November 2007 @ 270 lbs

Dee's "before" picture from 11/2005 @ 350 lbs

So when did Dee start Kimkins? She has said herself that she started halfhearted in June 2007. In her first post she states:
Failed LAPBAND surgery in 2006, which put me $17,000 in debt. (I did lose 75 lbs and have kept off 60).

If this statement is true, she started Kimkins with a 60 lbs weight loss from 350 lbs, or at 290 lbs. This rings true looking at the liquid diet she did just before starting kimkins where she reported getting down to 285 lbs on April 17, 2007.

If Dee now weighs 239 pounds, her weight loss on Kimkins from June 2007 to May 2008 has been a total of 50 pounds (and not the 108 stated in the newsletter).

Weight Loss Success Story

Dee, the latest Kimkins' sockpuppet has a blog post with the title "KIMKINS - the perspective of a success story".

So, is Dee a weight loss "success story"? She has lost 100 pounds in 11 months or so, starting at around 345 pounds in June 2007. Certainly an accomplishment, but does it constitute a weight loss "success story"? In my opinion, it's too early to tell. She is still following a diet that has proven to not be sustainable for many that have tried it. If Dee comes back in a year and reports that she has kept the 100 pounds off, I will consider it a "success story". Until then, the jury is still out.

Remember that Dee's "diet adviser" Kimmer said that she once lost 100 pounds in 6 months. Was that a "success story"? Judging from the picture below, I would say no.



Where is the "success" in losing weight if it's not going to stay off?

Dee seems to have the same opinion as Kimmer when it comes to claiming being an expert on weight loss. I fail to see how many years of unsuccessfully trying to lose weight, or failing to keep weight off make anyone an "expert".

This is what Dee posted on the BBB Kimkins' review:

I have more than 30 years of dieting experience, so I feel more than qualified. If you are interested here is my resume:
1) Weight Watchers....more times than I can count
2) System 7......twice
3) Diet Workshop.....more than 5 times
4) Weigh Down workshop....once
5) LAPBAND....once
6) Do it yourself'ers.....more than a dozen.
7) Hospital based Liquid Diet....twice

And now, Kimkins of course.

Kimmer Fails to do Kimkins

Who would pay $79.95 for "expert" advice from a "Diet Guru" that can't even stay on her own diet? This is from a recent post on her member-only-$79.95-board:

"We went to dinner for my son's birthday and I wasn't 100% on plan. Oddly, I didn't cheat on purpose. I ordered something that I've always ordered (non Kimkins) and in chatting with people I didn't think twice about it. But the shocker was having a fruit punch drink which I never do (our friends ordered a round) and I sipped it without thinking. Fruit juice. Carb central ... and not good for diabetics. Haven't had pineapple juice in forever (and I love it) so live and learn and I'm planning a coping strategy for the next time out. Planning to cheat, I can understand ... but not thinking before ordering? What was that about?"


This is a "Diet Guru" that has been pushing her starvation diet for eight years on lowcarb boards on the internet. Sounding like she knew what she was talking about. Not accepting any cheats. Not accepting any weaknesses. Not accepting any excuses.

So now it's all acceptable because she can not do the diet? Asking for sympathy for cheats that she knows people can relate too? Birthday dinner. Not thinking. Not planning. Did she ever listen to herself?

What on earth does this woman provide that dieters can not find on free low carb boards? Where they can actually interact with real people and not sock puppets? Where they can get to know real friends that don't want anything from them? That don't lie to them and take their money?

This is Kimmer?

Can anybody tell me the significance of this picture? Why is Kimmer using it as her avatar? Sure, it's no less realistic than the lady in the red dress was, but I'm still wondering why.

And what's up with her not blogging. The last post was on April 14th. Getting tired of no people reading? Weed pulling resulting in no links to her blog?

Magic Chicken Alive Another Year

Domain Name: MAGICCHICKENDIET.COM
     Created on: 02-May-07
     Expires on: 02-May-09
     Last Updated on: 01-May-08

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.
  

Kimkins Yoga

The Kimmer:
Re:My NSV (Non Scale Victory)! 3 Days ago
XXXXXX, so this is where the Non Scale Victories are hanging out!

I love NSV, because even when that darned scale doesn't cooperate, you know you're losing when rings fall off, shoes get too big ... or you can walk a flight of stairs without gasping for breath! My sister gave me a pair of velour yoga pants (me?) that were too snug. I left them folded in a drawer and figured "some day". Well, now is the day! Hoping to outgrow them soon!!!

New Kimkins Sock Puppets

I believe there is a large number of sock puppets on Kimkins and that Kimmer, SingingLass, Gary and possibly other loyal minions are busy keeping them all "alive".

While the earlier sock puppets mainly acted as cheerleaders and motivators ("Keep up the good work!", "I lost 20 pounds in 10 days!") the new breed is aimed towards keeping people at Kimkins.con despite the controversy.

A number of newbies or returning dieters are posting things like:

"I know about the controversy. I don't care. This diet is the only thing that is working for me. I've tried other lowcarb boards but they don't accept me there."

[Paraphrasing here as I do not have access and rely on secondhand reports.]

They are trying to tell the few remaining kimkinites that the only place "safe" and "friendly" for them is kimkins.con.

That is not true. The many free boards have challenges where any kimkins member would be welcome, even if they stay with low fat and low calories.

Just join one of the LCF Stillmans challenges and skip the dairy. It's the same thing.

Or, the LCF "Meat and Egg" challenge. Those girls are doing "Kimmer's Experiment (K/E)" but just not using the Kimkins label for it.

Amy Eating Low is another place where it's "safe" to do Kimkins.

Why stay at Kimkins.con? Continue to support the fraud? Having to watch what you are saying not to be banned? Not knowing how many of your friends are "fictional characters"?

Doesn't it bother them that prominent, long-time members leave or get banned? That Kimmer herself doesn't show the "turbo weight loss" she promises? That there is a pending lawsuit?

Will they stay until Kimkins.con is inevitably shut down? Why? Why not leave now?

Kimkins Starvation Diet

Remember Jimmy Moore's phone interview with Kimmer last summer? The part where she said "The purpose of Kimkins is for very quick weight loss. You can take a fiber hit for a few months to get to goal."

She was talking about a fiber "hit" but forgot to say anything about all the other "hits" that strike Kimkins dieters; hair loss, trashed thyroid, heart palpitations with possible permanent heart damage, muscle loss and bone loss.

Is it worth it? Is fast weight loss worth risking your health for? When there are safe alternatives? Like Atkins? No starvation necessary.

[Tippy Toes said this in a comment recently: "I have done many things to lose weight before. I was actually mad when they pulled Phen Fen from the market as I was almost at goal. Yes, I knew it was killing people but I also knew I would gladly pay the price to be thin at all costs."
I have to believe it was just a badly chosen expression, but it shows the desperation that drives people to try Kimkins.]

And when you have lost weight on Kimkins, what do you do then? To maintain? Or lose a few more pounds if you didn't make it all the way to goal? Continue to starve or see the scale go back up?

What's the point in losing weight if it's not going to stay off? And if your health is going to suffer in the process?

We seem to have a whole new diet community with ex-kimkins dieters that are trying to repair their metabolism. They are finding it very hard to maintain and even harder to lose.

Christin, the WW cover girl, has admitted struggling. Deni, also featured in WW, regained 20 pounds while eating 1200 cals per day. Tippy Toes doesn't really know what she is doing and is getting help from an Atkins expert, 2big4mysize. AmyB will be starting Atkins as well.

Is there any true Kimkins success story? I have yet to see one.

"The biggest misconception is that doing something in the short term will have long-term results"
[Elaine Magee, the "Recipe Doctor" for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic]

Kimkins - How It All Started

Kimmer's fairy tale of her weight loss is well known on Low Carb Friends (LCF). Kimmer joined there sometime in 2000 and I believe she intended to lose weight on a lowcarb diet at the time. I also think she actually lost some weight.

But, what she later on used as her "before" picture is probably her "after" picture, showing her at the lowest weight she ever achieved.


What would her weight be in this photo? 220? If she started at 318 lbs, she would have lost about 100 pounds at that time.

Obviously, she wasn't "strong enough to stick with it" and started gaining back weight at this point. For some reason, she could not admit her failure at LCF and started to fake further weight loss. Perhaps people there had been impressed with her success and she got addicted to the admiration.

At some time between 2000 and 2002 (which is when the LCF public archive starts) she claimed to have reached her goal, 135 lbs or 125 lbs at that time. Later, she adjusted that to 118 lbs without really commenting on it. I think it happened when she allegedly was fasting for a longer period of time. It would have been strange if she didn't show any loss.

Personally, I never believed her claim of 118 lbs. I am 5'6", like she is, just a couple of years older, with small bones and I would be too skinny if I went below 120. With big bones, as she has always claimed to have, she would have to weigh at least 20 - 30 pounds more. She would look severely anorexic at 118.

Of course, now we know that she went from the 220 pounds to, what, 350? 380? It certainly is more than the 318 she still claims was her highest weight.


Supposedly she is NOW, finally, trying to lose weight. What took her so long? She was acting as a diet guru for 8 years and it never occurred to her to actually follow what she preached?

And is she really losing weight? Her most recent picture doesn't show a big difference.



It seems also that she is finding out that what she has been claiming all these years is not true. The majority of people can not follow the Kimkins starvation diet a longer period of time without cheats. The body's defense mechanism objects to the lack of nutrition and off-plan meals or binges result.

Would Kimmer have been kinder to the dieters on LCF that she chastised on a daily basis if she had known this then? I doubt it.

Kimmer, your birthday is coming up soon

Remember when Kimmer started the "Kimmer back on track" challenge on Kimkins? She then said:

"Also, my birthday is May 10th and I will be 50 years old. It's my goal to reach goal by that date. What is my goal weight? I'll know it when I see it, but in the 130-150'ish range probably. I'm big boned and that will be good for me."


She presently weighs 256 pounds. That means that she needs to lose 106 - 126 pounds in 3 weeks. After having lost just 62 pounds in the previous 5 months.

Turbo weight loss? No faster diet, none? Apparently not for Kimmer herself. She must not want it bad enough.

Try Again, Article Gems

UPDATE:
It was just brought to my attention that there are two Article Gems sites. The owner quoted below, article-gems.com, has in fact removed all Kimkins articles.

The three Kimkins articles we found reside on articlegems.com. They have not even responded to emails sent to them.

Sorry about the confusion.

In a comment to Kimkins Scam, the owner of Article Gems said:

"Did I not take the time (half a day) to investigate what you said, to ask for further information - search through 50,000 articles to find what you were talking about - none of which I’m obligated to do. Yet I did it because I try to run a quality directory and I care about fellow human beings."

This was in response of Article Gems first being pointed out as an article service that did not initially agree that Kimkins' articles violated the TOS. However, eventually the articles were removed and we updated our blog posts to reflect this.

But it seems that the "half a day" work was all in vain. The article site is still picking up weeds. As pointed out by an observant weed chasing duck to me this morning, there are at least three Kimkins articles on the site today:

Kimkins search

Instead of manually removing them after the automatic article generator program has picked them up, perhaps try to tweak the settings in the program so it doesn't pick up articles with a Kimkins tag?

2 More Weeks of Magic Chicken

Domain Name: MAGICCHICKENDIET.COM
Created on: 02-May-07
Expires on: 02-May-08

The Magic Chicken Diet that was made as a clone of Kimkins (both the web site and the diet itself) might be gone in a couple of weeks if the domain is not renewed. We have already seen a number of former pro-Kimkins sites being put up for auction. Will this one be next?

I still can not understand what purpose this site is supposed to have. Bonnie can certainly not make any money from it.

There seem to be no paying members. She can not expect to get any paying members either as she now had disabled the registration process for her forum.

Bonnie herself hasn't been on the site for more than two weeks. Her last visit was when the ducks flocked in via the open access directly into the forum. Bonnie was upset with the "freeloaders" and banned a few of them. However, she couldn't even do this right. She banned their IP but not the User. The link is still open unless you try to access it from a banned IP.

There was an attempt in early January to add another success story, and pictures were taken as is evident from Bonnie's MySpace album. But the pictures never made it up on the website. They don't seem to be able to do it themselves and apparently are not paying anybody to handle the site for them. Even existing pictures of Bonnie are now gone from the site.

Was this venture just done on a whim by a husband that was proud that his wife had lost weight and wanted to show her off to the world? And then none of them had the interest or the energy to make it into a real business?

If so, my guess it that the domain will not be renewed. In my opinion, that is a good thing. As real as Bonnie's weight loss success seems to be, we don't need another starvation diet like Kimkins sold on the internet.