KTLA-TV breaks Kimkins "Internet Diet Scam" Story

October 3: The story of the Kimkins diet scam has reached the world outside the Internet. Part one of a two-part story aired on KTLA-TV in Los Angeles last night and this morning. Part two will air tonight. Happily for us, the video is available for all to see.

The story contains footage of Kimmer/Heidi Diaz, who, when questioned, merely said, "no comment". A former Kimkins dieter was interviewed, as well as the private investigator on the case, who confirmed the identity of Kimmer and Heidi Diaz as being one and the same. A spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau said that Heidi had declined to meet with them because she is "a bit shy".

Tonight, it sounds as though they will be focusing on the health effects of the Kimkins diet. This is especially important since more people have been coming forward with health problems, including Christin, the ex-public relations person at Kimkins. Last week, this 28 year old woman had to go to the hospital with chest pains. She was found to have a heart rate that kept going under 40. Although it thankfully doesn't appear that Christin is in immediate danger, slow heart rate can be a result of a anorexia, due to the very low calorie diet. This type of diet is similar to the Kimkins variant which Christin was on. Our community here wishes Christin all the best - she is in the thoughts and prayers of many.

Update October 4: Last night, the show focused on the health risks of the Kimkins diet. A doctor was interviewed, who confirmed that it is a "starvation" diet. Christin was also interviewed, and she did a great job.

Also, yesterday it was revealed in the Kimkins Exposed Blog that many of the photos used for the "success" stories on Kimkins.com, including the "after" photo of Kimmer in Woman's World were stolen from "Russian Bride" Web sites (links below). (No, I'm not kidding, it's absolutely true.)

Part 2 of KTLA's Kimkins Expose'

It's important to note that these health problems can often happen weeks or months after the diet is stopped, as in Christin's case. Morals of the story: 1) Don't risk your health with extreme diets. 2) Be careful to check out health claims carefully before participating in any unfamiliar health regimen.

Update October 7: The last few days have seen even more Kimkins developments. The news coverage apparently spurred a "purge" of the Kimkins site, including removing many of the false success stories with the photos from the "Russian Brides sites" So far, over 30 of these photos have been located by a hard-working team at Low Carb Friends. Two of the photos are different "After" photos of Kimmer, including the famous "woman in the red dress" photo.

In other Kimkins news, Kimmer sent out an email to members saying that the site is under new ownership. Since then, some of the diet advice on the Kimkins site is starting to change, including advising people to eat at least 800 calories.

Important Links to Find Out More:

• KTLA "Internet Diet Scam" Video, Part 1


• Transcript of Video on "Kimkins Exposed" Blog


• Notes from the Private Investigator


• Christin's Video About Kimkins and Her Heart Issues


• My Kimkins Review (more links on second and third pages)


• Three blog posts about the photos: Kimmer, Success Stories One, Success Stories Two.


• An Open Message to Kimkins Members