A little knowledge is truly a dangerous thing

Have you ever questioned conventional wisdom? I'm beginning to think it's an oxy-moron. Of course, truth, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder...or is that beer holder?

Like most everyone else, I'm a busy person. So, when hearing about the Kimkins diet, I thought - hey, sounds good to me. I didn't really think about it. I just did it. Big mistake?

Huge mistake.

Did I lose weight? Yes! As so many people involved in this controversy have pointed out, starvation does work. But, the arguments Heidi "Kimmer" Diaz made for her diet sounded soooooo good, so logical, so almost-true-enough, I believed them.

Here's a quick refresher or a Kimkins 101 for those who need it:

1. Fat people cannot starve. You can live off your stored fat until you are no longer overweight.

Wouldn't it be nice if this were true? The problem is, it's easier for your body to convert protein to fuel than fat, so guess what? You will lose fat, but you'll lose more muscle and damage your bodily processes that convert food to fuel making it harder and harder and harder to lose.

2. Nausea and dizziness are normal by-products of using your body fat stores for fuel.

Uh...no. Nausea and dizziness are normal by-products of starving yourself, just ask your nearest supermodel. Just eating a low-carb diet should not make you feel sick. In fact, it makes me more alert, more energized, and less hungry than I've ever, ever been. Just remember, healthy feels good. No pain, no gain is outdated.

3. Low fat combined with low carb is the perfect weightloss formula.

Before I knew better, this sounded so logical to me. We've been literally fed the low-fat nonsense for so long, it's ingrained in our freakin' DNA. I constantly catch myself thinking - oooo, I don't want that - too much fat! Bleh. The trouble with the Kimkins low-carb, low-fat mantra is that you cannot possibly get enough calories in your system by eating this way. Of course, Kimmer thinks 500-800 calories a day is okay for all us lard-asses out there. But, this is actually something known as "Rabbit Starvation" and you can Google it for some eye-opening reading. And really, who wants the rabbit to die, am I right?

4. Eat only when you are really hungry.

Maybe it's just me, but if I let my appetite guide me on when and how much to eat, I'd be as lost as Jessica Simpson taking an advanced Calculus course. Some days, I could eat non-stop. Other days, now that I'm low-carbing, I have to make myself eat. That's what made Kimkins so seductive. Having control over my appetite for the first time ever, was so thrilling. And addictive.

5. There's no such thing as starvation mode.

This is just plain wrong. Not eating enough to meet your body's basic metabolic needs will eventually cause your metabolism to shut down, hold on to your fat stores and do harm, possibly irrepairable harm, to your body. People who starve themselves, or who starve because of famine or other disasters get to a point where they cannot process food. Their bodies can't handle it. Doing a diet like Kimkins can cause this kind of reaction in a person.

6. No pills and no exercise are required to lose weight on Kimkins.

Okay, so Heidi and I can agree on the no pills part. And, who COULD exercise while consuming only 500-800 calories per day? Not me, that's for sure. In this case, Kimmer was really telling me what I wanted to hear. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I don't like exercising all that much. Truthfully, I hate it. But, I'm getting better at doing some strength and toning exercises so I can have a satisfying weightloss success story. Do you have to run marathons? No. But, just starving yourself won't work either. It's not about just getting skinny. It's about gettng healthy!

Thanks to a great number of dieting pro's, I saw the light about Kimkins before I did real damage to myself. Eating and losing weight by following a low-carb eating plan requires you to educate yourself in order to stay healthy. Dr. Atkins, Dr.'s Eades, and so many other sound, safe low-carb programs are out there to offer you real weightloss success. Don't fall for quick, easy and painless weightloss.

Kimkins is like winning a foreign lottery or finding out you have a long-lost relative in Nigeria that died and left you millions. Don't believe the hype!

Putting the die in diet

To the girl whose posts are featured right now on Medusa's blog, I just want you to know...

You are not alone!

Any woman who has ever been overweight knows what you're feeling. Alone. Sad. Self-hatred. Desperation. Helplessness.

But, you are none of those things. None of us are.

Reading your posts at Kimkins, the underlying message is clear: You are willing to risk your health, you very life, for a shot at being skinny. You are playing a dangerous mind-game with yourself all orchestrated by an evil, cruel and phoney harpy known as Kimmer.

Please, don't do this to yourself! It isn't worth it. I was at your weight just a few months ago. So, I when I say I know how you feel - I KNOW. I know. The messages are all around us. The supermodels and the size 0-2 actresses that seem like the summit of beauty.

But, you know what? Beauty really comes in all sizes, and all shapes. You need to believe that and understand it because it's true.

Life can beat us all up, especially when you are overweight. It feels horrible to be ignored when you go somewhere, not be able to find pretty clothes, to never feel attractive. It wrecks the self-esteem.

But, and this is the important part, you CAN boost your self-esteem which will help you lose weight the right, healthy way. Doing things for others is a wonderful way to find your own self-worth, and anyone can do something. Read stories to children at school or residents at a retirement home. Volunteer at the Boys and Girls club. Give blood. You have the ability to make a positive difference in someone's life, which in turn, will make a positive change in your own life. It all starts with taking care of yourself. Reach out. We're here!

Starving yourself to death for the desire to fit someone else's idea of beautiful isn't worth it, dear. You have value, whether you weigh 240-something, 140-something, or 940-something. Don't let this diet - Kimkins - steal your life. Use your life for good.

Someone as rich and famous as Karen Carpenter literally starved herself to death trying to be thinner and thinner. DON'T DO THAT TO YOURSELF. Losing weight is very possible without starvation.

Please reach out for help. Many, many people in the low-carb community are here for you. What can we do to help you?

Keep on learning to lose weight

Over the past 4-5 months I've been on a serious, and successful quest to lose weight. I've taken off close to 50 lbs. and have about 50 more to lose. What I've learned may help you. That is what I hope to do here.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that I foolishly began losing weight using the Kimkin's diet plan. Please, DO NOT make the same mistake! It is nutritionally bankrupt, can harm your health, and bring on the symptoms of starvation and eating disorders before you know what is happening to you.

Kimkins is a scam. Pure. And. Simple.

The so-called creator of this plan, a.k.a. Heidi Kimberly "Kimmer" Diaz is a con artist and a fraud. Please. Research this online and don't just accept my words for this. This woman is an obese person who made up her own weightloss success story and others to sell memberships to her website. If nothing else, search for the blog of her "poster girl" Christin whose blog is called "The Journey" and see what first-hand information she has on the Kimkins diet scam, er, plan.

So, I did Kimkins for about 3 months, give or take a week. As I began experiencing hairloss and dizzy spells, I wanted to understand what was happening to me and if these were just temporary or if my body was trying to tell me something. I now know I was starving myself. I was eating far less than 1000 calories per day, and about 10-12 grams each of carbs and fats. All of this was encouraged at Kimkins.

Can you safely low-carb diet? You betcha! Protein Power is now my program of choice because it is doctor-created and has the science to back up their claims. Unlike Kimkins! Atkins is another good choice. Just make sure whatever plan you use has medical backing and encourages healthy weightloss!

The sad truth behind Kimkins is that, while you DO lose quickly at first, the loss usually slows or stops altogether at about 2 months in. It's called starvation mode and your body is hanging on to every ounce it can. Quick weightloss isn't worth permanently damaging your health. It just isn't. If you kill your thyroid, losing weight will be virtually impossible.

Diet safely! Educate yourself. Never give up!