Kimkins Controversy - Kimkins Scam

An Open Letter to Kimmer

The following is excerpted from Kimkins Dangers’ Open Letter to Kimmer:

I would ask you to consider this for a moment, quite sincerely. You are steaming ahead, forging this diet empire, advertising, recruiting, challenging. You are utterly convinced that you are correct and everyone else is wrong. You have success stories! You have others on your plan that have success stories! You cannot possibly be wrong! You’ll show everyone who is right in the end! They’ll thank you for it.

But Kimmer, there are those that are not thanking you for it. There are those who are currently suffering from your plan. There are those who know, without doubt, that you are not correct. Can you not simply consider that they may have a point?

Kimkins Sells Potentially Deadly Low Very Calorie Diet

Kimkins Exposed takes a critical look at Kimkins’ too-good-to-be-true sales pitch.

Kimkins Manipulation at Kimkins Exposed

A close look at the manipulative Kimkins diet sales pitch — lots of promises, but where’s the evidence?

Another Laxative Addiction Story From a Former Kimkins Member

A former Kimkins member (she was banned for discussing the Kimkins controversy on another site!) writes on Kimkins Survivors about her problems with Kimkins and the laxative abuse that was encouraged there:

I have all my life had problems with bowel elimination but now it was non-existant. I tried the Epsom Salt drink that Kimmer recomended to get things going and that didn’t work for me. Realistically in my head I said - nothing in = nothing out.. but I didn’t get it. I bought into the “laxatives aren’t addicting” advice that was freely given on kimkins.com. When I went on vacation early August of last year - I got so constipated I resorted to taking EX-LAX - there it started. I was using EX-LAX almost daily and realized that it couldn’t be good, so I went to Smooth Move tea, a natural alternative LOL… Daily… sometimes twice - from August 2006 until last Monday July 23 - I drank the tea almost every day and a few times would take an EX-LAX or two in addition if things weren’t moving. I was ADDICTED… a member of LCF started a post about her addiction to laxatives and I knew I had to do something about it.

New Home for Banned Kimkins Shortgirls Support Group

This is an excerpt from banned Kimkins Shortgirl Melodiegale’s articulate parting post. Kimkins Shortgirls can find a new home here at her site. Her last post at Kimkins.com reads, in part:

Then the little red flags began to jump up in front of me. Blinding really, because I continued on without really seeing the big picture. Of course the Kimmer controversy took place, and you know the pro-Kimmer position I took on that. But thoughts began to take root in my mind and I began to look back at some of the posts I remember. One member posted she was eating 300-400 calories a day and no longer losing. Her pants were not getting any smaller and her body was getting flabbier. And then she disappeared. Since then we’ve had bleeding kidneys, constipation, and ailments that could very easily be related to gallbladder disease. While I do not know of this first hand, one woman claims to have been hospitalized for severe pelvic pain. And the cause, overuse of Epsom salts. Much to her credit, she fully accepts the blame for her illness. Just a lot of things have happened, but the most troubling for me is the starvation and the freaking out over gaining a ½ a pound of weight and the frustration over not making the “gold standard” of a pound a day, or 20 pounds month, month after month. Please don’t get me wrong, I am in no way denigrating your miraculous accomplishments here, and I applaud you, but at the same time I worry for you. Especially those of you who have been the most successful. For the majority of you, I pray that you “cheat” or “tweak” enough to keep yourselves safe.

After Experiencing Kimkins Nausea, a Switch to Atkins

Luna switches to Atkins after experiencing overwhelming nausea on the Kimkins diet.  This is what Kimmer likes to call SNATT or “slightly nauseous all the time.”  Is this how anyone wants to live?
 

A Kimkins Survivor’s Laxative Addiction

A woman identified only as “elliotsmom” shares her Kimkins story at Kimkins Survivors:

I believed Kimmer when she said new information shows that laxatives are not addictive, so I started taking ex-lax, much as she said her sister did. I took it for almost 5 months, morning and night, and it worked. After hearing the upset on the lowcarbfriends board, I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t “go” without them. I am still trying to undo the harm they have caused.

Michele, A Kimkins Survivor

Kimkins Survivors has the story of Michele and her Kimkins experience:

You start to see how everyone else is doing “the plan” and you follow by example. You think it is normal, even though in the back of your mind there is a nagging feeling that it is not normal. You ignore it. You ignore the feelings of nausea, and dizziness for months on end because you know that is part of the plan. You begin to accept the feeling of SNATT (Semi Nauseous All The Time) as a badge of honor for this new way of eating. You start using laxatives as directed to by other members because of “potty issues”. You’re armed with Epsom salt, Milk of Magnesia and Smooth Move Tea.

Warning Signs of Kimkins Complications

Kimkins Dangers lists some of the warning signs of the very serious medical complications some people suffer when they follow low calorie diets such as Kimkins.   The post warns that symptoms such as light-headedness or heart palpitations mean you should get medical assistance immediately.  Find out more at Kimkins Dangers.