Saturday, October 20, 2007

Who's in Charge at Kimkins?

As mounting evidence of continuing criminal fraud and dietary damage has escaped from internet forums and into 'real life' public notice, even Kimmer, who had claimed to be 'completely unconcerned' about it all, has finally had to realize that she is in legal and financial jeopardy. Thus, she recently adopted a new "duck and cover" strategy to try to protect herself and keep the money rolling in.

In an email to members on October 4th, Kimmer announced a 'change of ownership' at Kimkins, and now pretends to be 'gone' from Kimkins. That easily can and will be proven to be completely false.

Why should anyone believe her claim about not running the business anymore, anyway, when she has been proven to lie easily about so many things already, and has freely admitted to using multiple identities for years? After all, the only 'evidence' that she has stepped back is just her own brief emailed statement.

However much she shuffles names and titles and structure, Heidi 'the Kimmer' Diaz is still very much in charge of Kimkins, still perpetuating fraud, and still profiting from every new membership sold. In fact, good authority states that she has been actively posting on the site under 6 or 7 different identities within the last month. [NOTE: Danielle Hauck, wannabefit2, noelle88/Noelle Lawson, Admin, PimpMyDiet, Wonder Woman, and probably dwmcneill] She did take some time off of posting under any for a few days after October 15, when a lawsuit was filed against both Heidi 'the Kimmer' Diaz and the business entity of Kimkins, under any and all aliases.

She has continued to answer questions or comments from her AskKimmer gmail account. People who have emailed supportive messages to her at that address have received this message in return:
I'm still here, but behind the scenes. You can reach me anytime here -- it's just like a PM. No abandonment issues! Everyone still has "direct access". :)
(This statement seems a clever ploy to deflect any possible complaints that she defrauded on her promise of personal coaching for members.)

She also continues to manage and promote the site, by posting testimonials and blog entrees, etc. In typical Kimmer style, one of her most recent blog posts was a stolen cartoon, lifted and used without credit to the author.

Think about it realistically. Who would purchase or otherwise assume liability for a foundering business in a time of scandal and legal crisis like this?
Who, having stepped in to clear up a web of secrecy and deceit, would not then provide full disclosure, introduce themselves, open up communication, calm the members' concerns, and work overtime to correct every bit of wrongdoing?
The notion that the 'new owners' are hiding to avoid exposure by the anti-Kimkins 'haters' is preposterous! That is simply not how legitimate businesses operate.

No, the vague unsubstantiated statement, accompanied by empty assurances, and followed by the banning of anyone who questions the story is very much more of the same Kimmer treatment. Lying and hiding to protect herself while allowing the Admins to do the work, take the heat, and cover for her is very much Heidi's style.

Kimmer had previously discussed in PMs to at least 2 Admins how things might continue to function if she were forced to "leave" for a while. That is all this is ---- a pretense of 'leaving' while waiting for things to 'blow over'. (Not going to happen!)

Some of the less deeply-involved Admins did not know this was coming until the got the same email everyone else did. Just as none of them met the real Kimmer, none of them have met or know anything about the 'new' people, either. However, whether the current Admins know this is a ruse, or sincerely believe Kimmer's story, they are being used, once again, to front for a lie.

Heidi keeps lying, even to her own members, because it's what she does.

Friday, October 19, 2007

The Case Against Heidi Diaz . . .


. . . . Kimkins, and all associated "Does" (meaning aliases, as in John Doe/Jane Doe)

If you would like to see for yourself the extent and nature of the complaints, and the weight of evidence so far gathered against Heidi Diaz/Kimmer/Kimkins, you can access it through a public records search by clicking here.

To log in, enter GUEST in the spot for Operator Code, and leave the password field blank.

On the next screen, enter Diaz as last name, Heidi as first name. (If you do that, it will bring up two cases, the first one being her impending December court date for being in default on student loans, and the second one being this lawsuit.)

and/or enter the Case Number: RIC483005

Scroll down to the last entry, "COMPLAINT FILED FAST TRACK - SUMMONS ISSUED" and click on the little camera icon.

You will be able to download and view 30 pages at a time.
There are 215 pages altogether.

KTLA - Part 3

KTLA Exclusive!!! Internet diet Scam Exposed


In this 3rd installment of his expose' of 'the Kimmer' and the Kimkins diet scam, reporter Chip Yost of KTLA television station in Los Angeles tipped off viewers to some BIG NEWS I have known for some time and had been asked to keep quiet.

In the broadcast on Thursday, October 18, reporter Chip Yost features the fake success stories using stolen 'Russian bride' photos, including Kimmer's infamous 'red dress' fraud.

He leaked news of the rapidly escalating legal challenges facing Heidi K. Diaz (Kimmer) and Kimkins, reported that the lawsuit has already been filed, and that Heidi 'the Kimmer' Diaz will be required to appear for deposition on November 1, 2007.

This is a major milestone in the case against Heidi Diaz/Kimmer, and it is only the beginning of actions that will soon bring a halt to the Kimkins fraud.

To watch Part 3, click here.

The series will continue, as more information surfaces and new developments occur.

I repeat what I said after the last episode, with even more urgency:

Kimkins is winding down, and Kimmer is running out of time.

For any remaining Kimkins members, it is past time to be looking for a new forum to join. This cannot last much longer, and it will not end well.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Kimkins: The Perfect Storm, Part 4

What happens when a deceitful, disordered person promotes effective but defective diet plans which then grow into a dynamic but dysfunctional business?

That confluence forms the perfect recipe for disaster.

The ingredients?
The person, Kimmer/Heidi Diaz
The professional practices of Kimkins
The plans of Kimkins
The plan behind the plans at Kimkins
The people of Kimkins

Now, a look at what has been dubbed the plan behind the plan.


One of the accusations most often leveled against Kimkins concerns what has been dubbed 'the plan behind the plan'. This charge concerns the persistent and well-documented tendency of Kimmer/Heidi Diaz to continually push for very low and even lower and even still lower calories, to promote daily laxative use, and to overlook eating-disordered behavior, all in an effort to see those numbers on the scale move virtually every day.

This was apparently Kimmer's modus operandi at Low Carb Friends (LCF) for years, where the original 'Ask Kimmer' thread is preserved. The trend continued and became even more extreme at the Kimkins site, since Kimmer was essentially unopposed there. In fact, Kimmer's own repeated pronouncements would be perfectly compatible with a pro-anorexia support site rather than any safe and reputable diet support site. Kimmer/Heidi regularly set the standard at 500 - 600 calories per day, and ALWAYS recommended cutting calories deeper when someone was stalled or even simply losing more slowly than desired. This is irrefutable, as many of us can easily document. By doing this, Kimmer formed the culture which inevitably continues to influence Kimkins, no matter what changes those in charge may pretend or promise.

The plans as written are still VLCD, and the 'plan behind the plan' still permeates the culture. In fact, that is the only way that Kimkins can brand itself with its unique selling proposition of "No faster diet. None." The latest ploy is to suggest (*wink, wink*) that everyone get enough healthy fats and a full allowance of vegetables, at least 800 calories daily with cycles of higher calories, plus daily water consumption and daily exercise, plus a full complement of targeted nutritional supplements. With all that, Kimkins wouldn't be Kimkins anymore --- it would be Atkins! And it could no longer promise big losses much faster than the standard 1 -2 lbs. a week that Kimmer has ridiculed so much.

So, is there real evidence of 'the plan behind the plan'? Oh, plenty!!

Did the dieters who developed health problems really 'take it to the extreme' all on their own, against Kimmer's wishes? No way!!

Here are just a few excerpts, out of dozens and dozens of potential examples, with screen shots to back them up:

~~~One member wrote of regularly going almost all day before eating eating anything, and usually taking in 400 - 600 calories a day.

Kimmer replied, "(Name), do what feels right to do. . . . Many of us have to overcome "forcing" ourselves to eat or ignoring when we're "supposed" to eat. Work at it!"

~~~A Kimkins member posted that she was eating less than 500 calories a day, more like 300 calories, but wasn't hungry. She asked if that was enough calories, and if there was no truth to the 'starvation' theory.

Kimmer replied that the body runs fine on stored body fat for all its calories, and gave the equation of exactly how many calories an obese person is carrying with them before they need more fuel. She said, "Want more proof low calories are OK? What about people who have gastric bypass surgery and the very goal of surgery is for them to limit their daily calories to 500! They lose just fine. Any complications are a result of the surgery or pre-existing health conditions brought on by obesity." (Note: this is not correct!) Then, she goes even further and recommends the poster consider long-term fasting, saying Dr. Furhman supervises patients who fast for several months at a time.

~~~ Another member posted that she had eaten 546 calories, and was not hungry, but wondered if she should eat more?

Kimmer replied, "I'm begging you, please don't eat if you're not hungry! We've all got to work on the 'I should' tapes in our head."

~~~One member reported episodes of dizziness and racing heartbeats, and asked if it could be caused by not eating much food. A couple of other members reported similar episodes, which in both cases they related to very low calories and said the episodes went away when they ate more.

Kimmer replied, "I disagree about not taking in enough calories. Water fasters take in 0 calories and their hearts are fine. So long as you have sufficient body fat, there's no problem. You're thin, but not overly so. By all means I'd snack on lean protein and be sure you're getting in the RDA of 60 grams, but it takes very little chicken/beef/eggs to do that."

When the original poster reported doing fine after adding more food in the morning before work, Kimmer replied, "I'm glad you felt better after chicken & cheese, but since neither has any carbs to speak of (and it takes 24-48 hours to synthesize protein), it didn't have an affect on your blood sugar or deficiency."

~~~One member reported that she was trying to keep her calories up to 400, but had only managed that once. She reported days of from 188 to 443 calories, with protein intakes as low 17 grams and fat as low as 7 grams.

Kimmer's response? "Did I tell ya or did I tell ya? It would happen! Don't panic about low calories. . . . Bottom line, as long as you have sufficient body fat you don't need to eat calories -- you're carrying them with you."

Wow! Is she claiming that people who are overweight don't even need calories at all?

When my own weight loss slowed to a crawl on Boot Camp, part of Kimmer's response was, "Someone can "eat clean" and still be too high in calories, even if they're low by other diet standards. Certainly no one would think 900 calories a day is "high", [Note: I was NOT eating that much] but it's 3 times as much as someone doing the Egg White Challenge at 300 calories a day. Weight loss will be different. Don't forget people who dabble in days of fasting, too."

When we original admins confronted Kimmer with our concerns, her response about low calories was, "I don't believe in starvation mode. I cannot and will not say anything about minimum calories. A grilled chicken breast and a 1 cup USDA serving of mixed greens is 200 calories. It just is. Adding fats or starches isn't "healthier" to up the calories."

Wow! As if 500 calories wasn't low enough, was her REAL intention 200 calories all along? (Notice how she dragged in starches when no one had said anything about that.)


As for some people at Kimkins dismissing or casting doubt on the health issues of former Kimkins dieters by saying 'no one really knows' how they ate, or that they 'took it too far' all on their own - not true! Until recently, most of the people there made their food journals public, and many posted to the Daily Menu thread, where very low calories were the norm and the goal. Kimmer herself posted to the menu thread for a good while, and reviewed many journals, always favoring lower calories.

Christin wrote an excellent blog entry on this very point: Used or Abused?

In response, I posted a comment excerpted here:
It is beyond belief that anyone would honestly say you abused the plan. You EPITOMIZED the plan. You were Kimmer's star pupil, her protege, her chosen cover girl. Kimmer checked and approved your FitDay more than once, and always suggested even more cuts to lower things. You were the one Kimmer asked to cover the 'Ask Kimmer' thread for her. You were the one Kimmer selected to run the Kimkins 'Loser Line' Chats. You were the one whose "FAQ: How I Did It" thread was pinned up at the top of the main forum for all to see and follow, with Kimmer's full support and blessing. You and your 300 calorie egg-white days were the example she threw in my face when I complained that the diet wasn't working as promised. You are STILL the one whose weight loss story is on the front page of the site, to sell memberships!

In fact, Kimmer's comment on Christin's FAQ thread was, "Brava, girl!"


What about the allegations of Kimmer recommending daily laxative use for weight loss?

"How about just doing a 25% dosage for a couple of days? Well, actually every day to compensate for the lack of veggie fiber . . . . I predict you'll absolutely have a "whoosh", LOL."

"If anybody is doing MoM
[Note: Milk of Magnesia], it needs to be a daily thing since Kimkins is low in fiber. If you take MoM and get "action", then stop taking MoM, everything will begin backing up again and the scale will show a fake gain.

Are we going to be laxative addicts? No. Once you're close to goal and begin adding back good higher fiber carbs (not Twinkies!), things will move on their own. Or maybe not? The market is chock full of laxatives and not everyone who's buying them is doing low carb so there must be a serious constipation problem out there!

A reminder for dosage is take the maximum dose the first (and maybe second) night, then a 25% or 50% dose every night thereafter."


I could give so many more examples of Kimmer actively encouraging extremely low calories, fasting for weight loss, daily laxative use, and of her being either oblivious or accepting of eating-disordered behavior. Personally, I have come to believe that is how she once lost some weight, though that approach left her unable to reach goal and maintain it, as she claimed. I believe she herself is extreme and disordered in her eating, and that will always eventually come through in any eating plan or diet site she is part of --- and she is still in charge of Kimkins, have no doubt.

Whether recommending and supporting members in attempts to fast off 100 lbs., or to eat nothing but egg whites or nothing but fish for months at a time, she was and is the driving force of 'the plan behind the plan' that created the Kimkins culture.

When I first read these types of things, I thought I must have been misunderstanding --- that Kimmer could not possibly mean what it seemed like she was saying. I thought maybe she just lacked social or communication skills. After a while, as I began to realize how extreme her views really are, I tried to mitigate and buffer them as best I could with a more reasonable and balanced approach.

At times, though, I still felt myself being sucked into the vortex of ever-lower calories for continuing losses. Even as an intelligent middle-aged woman, I sometimes caught myself toying with the flitting idea of a few days of fasting or a dose of laxative tea, just to see the scale reach a magic number. It frightened me.

Anyone at Kimkins who has avoided 'the plan behind the plan' did so in spite of Kimmer, no thanks to her.

The 'plan behind the plan' IS the plan.
The rest was just a front.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

'Professional' Practices of Kimkins, Take 3: The Infamous Red Dress Picture

As if any further proof of fraudulent business practices at Kimkins by Kimmer/Heidi is needed, check this out:



This is the beautiful 'red dress' picture that Heidi/Kimmer posted on the new Kimkins site in late May, 2007, claiming it was her current 'after' picture. She even told stories of the photo shoot, of needing a few glasses of wine to loosen up, of how the photographer had her twist and turn to look her best, how the lighting and filters were 'kind' to her. She 'modestly' accepted praise for her beauty, gave credit for her youthful appearance to her supposed Retin-A routine, gave credit to 'good genes' for her firm muscle tone.

Kimmer's target market, primarily desperate, overweight women, were to believe that this was the current photo of an almost 50-year old woman who had lost almost 200 pounds in less than a year, and maintained it. In actual fact, it turns out to be the stolen photo of a 27-year old Russian mail-order bride named Lesya. See the original source here.

Here is another photo of Lesya from that same Russian agency:
(Thanks go to buzzybee of LCF for this discovery.)

This photo has recently been removed from the Kimkins website, but, at the time of this writing at it can still be seen as Kimmer's 'after' shot on various newsletters and blogs around the internet, not to mention in archived copies stored for the legal authorities.

Kimmer played upon the hopes and fears and deepest emotions of an already vulnerable group of people. She eagerly sold them the lies she knew they so fervently wanted to hear, with her full assurance that she could help them achieve their dreams, as she claimed she had done. She exploited the photos of these Russian mail-order brides, who are an already exploited group of women. Then she used these photos to exploit tens of thousands of trusting customers who were willing to risk $60 on the fond hope these wonderful results could be theirs as well.

That is not only immoral---it is illegal.
It is not just a bad business judgment --- it is fraud.

And, at this late stage of the game, those associated with Kimkins who knowingly suppress this evidence, or delete posts pointing out this evidence, may be seen as accessories after the fact to fraud, and share in the guilt.

Friday, October 5, 2007

The 'Professional' Practices of Kimkins, Revisited

On 9/27, I wrote:
~ Fraudulent Marketing: In her marketing campaign, she lied to prospective members by spamming Craigslist with fake listings to plug Kimkins, by posting phony 'articles' and answers and numerous blogs for Kimkins all over the internet under various names, by promoting Kimkins with false implied celebrity endorsements specifically to target teens, and primarily by posting numerous fraudulent 'success' stories with 'lifted' and photoshopped 'before' and 'after' pictures. She also made numerous claims she had no proof of or right to make, in violation of FTC regulations.



A recent breakthrough brought irrefutable proof of this false advertising. Struck by the thought that certain 'success story' models looked vaguely Eastern European, former Kimkins member vanillasky (aka Cilantro at lowcarbdiscussion, or Caro at LCF) decided to check Russian 'mail-order bride' sites, and soon stumbled upon a photo that Kimmer had claimed was an 'after' image of a Kimkins success. As news of that discovery spread across the internet, many other people, primarily a large contingent from LCF, began searching various similar sites, finding phony 'success' after 'success' very quickly.

They also found that the names Kimmer and Kimmer2 were already taken at some of those Russian site forums.

Remember "Kim Drake' in the leopard print blouse from Woman's World?


At the time of this writing, the group's efforts have uncovered the real photos of:
'Kim Drake', the alias that Heidi/Kimmer used in Woman's World magazine
'Vanessa', imaginary Kimkins Affiliate Manager
21 false 'success stories'

and are continuing to search for more.



See them all here at Kimkins Exposed.

It is now evident that Kimkins actually has very few verifiably real success stories.
At least one prominent success story freely admits to using Kimkins less than half of the time. Another one used another low-carb plan instead of Kimkins.

Even worse, at least half of the real success stories have now renounced Kimmer and Kimkins completely, and been banned from membership. Many of those have filed cease and desist orders, to have the use of their names, images, and stories completely removed from the site.

These photos seems to be clear evidence of criminal fraud. This information has been turned over to the proper authorities.

Kimkins is collapsing.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

KTLA - Part 2

KTLA Exclusive!!! Internet diet Scam Exposed




Watch Part 2 here.

In this broadcast from Wednesday, October 3, reporter Chip Yost highlights the health risks associated with Kimkins as well as the looming legal problems facing Heidi K. Diaz (Kimmer) and Kimkins.

The series will continue, as more information surfaces and new developments occur.


Kimkins is winding down, and Kimmer is running out of time.

For any remaining Kimkins members, it is past time to be looking for a new forum to join. This cannot last much longer, and it will not end well.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

This just in . . . . . .

The KTLA website proclaims: KTLA Exclusive!!! Internet diet Scam Exposed



Part 1 of a series exposing Kimmer of the Kimkins diet aired Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 10 PM on KTLA television in Los Angeles.

Part 2 is due to air Wednesday, Oct. 3.
Chip Yost is the investigative reporter working on this story.

Watch the video of Part 1 here.

The voice heard is unmistakably that of Kimmer, heard on the phone interview podcast with Jimmy Moore. Others who have spoken to Kimmer on the phone confirm that it is definitely her voice.

Other recent information sheds even further confirmation on the fact that Kimmer of Kimkins definitely IS Heidi Diaz as seen on this video, and definitely is NOT the 'lady in the red dress' previously presented as Kimmer's 'after' photo.
Watch for further developments as this unfolds.

Robert Charlton of Alliance Investigative Services, the private investigator working on this case, describes the surveillance in more detail here.

This controversy has now spilled from internet diet sites out into the real world, and it will only spread from here. The end is near for Kimkins.

Once again, I plead with the few remaining Admins of Kimkins to walk away, far and fast, in case it is not too late.

I plead with the members remaining at the Kimkins site to really examine the evidence with an open mind and heart. Whatever you may think about the motives of those on 'the other side' and however poorly or hurtfully it may at times have been conveyed, please just be willing to examine the preponderance of evidence, and realize that there is even more that is not published here, but is in the hands of authorities even at this moment.

There is a reason this is newsworthy, and it is not a jealous business vendetta, or overly-dramatic bloggers or bored online posters, as Kimkins members have been told. It would not have gotten this far if it was just a smear campaign with no basis. This is making the news, and will continue to make bigger news, because Heidi K. Diaz is defrauding the public with reckless disregard for their health and safety.

Leave Kimkins and find an online home elsewhere now, where you can continue to lose weight in a supportive and healthy environment. Soon, you will have no choice anyway, because the Kimkins site as you knew is going, and will soon be gone.