Monday, January 7, 2008

New Year - NEW LIFE

As I write this post, I am lying in a hospital bed recovering from an auto accident that occurred on January 1 of this year. Praise the Lord, my injuries are the worst of my entire family and are minimal compared to what could have taken place. Here is a photo of my family’s vehicle after the accident (my husband was driving and my 2 young children, ages 2 and 4, were riding in the back seat).



My injuries involve an acute concussion, swelling and contusions in my brain, laceration to my right eye, and severe bruising over my entire body, that will all take time to heal.

These days in the hospital, however, have given me time to reflect over this last year. Over the course of 2007, I have lost 100 pounds. I have fallen prey to one of the most incredible diet scams of the internet community, I have been on the front cover of a magazine, and in national news, yet, for what cause?

As a formerly habitually overweight person, I too know the pain and turmoil that comes from living that lifestyle. As I have said in my testimony previously, I have yo-yo dieted my entire life. I never seemed to find “that one magic bullet.” I am here to tell you now, there IS NO MAGIC BULLET. I thought I had found it, I thought I found my one answer. I lost weight, but not until after my “success” did I realize the damage that I had done to my body through the diet. Here I am almost 1 year later and I am still struggling daily to maintain and keep a grasp on my weight. It is NOT EASY.

There are many timelines across the internet which will provide you with great detail into how this twisted story unfolded, so I will simply share a short synopsis from my experience:

The Kimkins diet program was started by Heidi Kimberly (Kimmer) Diaz several years ago during a dieting stint in an internet community called Low Carb Friends. Never actually having successfully completed the program, Ms Diaz gave the appearance of being her diet’s ‘leading lady,’ completing and maintaining her loss for at least 5 years. This led to Ms Diaz’ rising popularity as “one with answers” within the internet weight loss community.

Soon Ms Diaz took her program and created a new website. She touted her weight loss “success” and popularity as basis for creating her own pay-per-membership website. The rising popularity of her program reached its peak when it achieved national recognition on Woman’s World Magazine in June of 2007 with the byline “Better Than Gastric Bypass.” This title led to an explosion of Kimkins membership with led to an estimated $3 million in revenue for Ms Diaz. The hitch?

1)Ms Diaz never lost her claimed weight to begin with.















2)The diet program is unsafe and can cause severe damage beginning with slow, unrecognized starvation and malnutrition.



















Through the next few months, the dangers of this program became increasingly evident as more members began complaining of the same symptoms and side effects. Slow and steady starvation methods utilizing a caloric intake of significantly less than 1000 calories a day was the norm. The daily intake of less calories and less fat was not only encouraged, but praised as new members began to feel “snatty” (Slightly Nauseous All The Time), lightheaded, and generally weakened. Tips for controlling hunger varied but all were primarily synonymous with little to no caloric intake. All for the sake of losing weight fast. But at what cost to the individual’s physical and psychological condition?

Disguised eating disorders emerged; serious malnutrition indicators like hair loss, heart palpitations, electrolyte and potassium deficiencies were commonly reported. I did not learn of the potentially deadly side effects of my eating habits till after I completed the program. I had shrugged the symptoms that I had off as “typical” or short term.

Bottom line, starvation works to take off pounds – here, just like in Ethiopia or Dachau. The difference is that in those sad places, the people knew they were starving. Kimkins moderators are merely overweight peers with eating disorders of their own (speaking from personal experience), completely unqualified to assess what constitutes nutritional dangers.

Do not let the tantalizing beauty of rapid weight loss hinder the ultimate goal of a better life and good health.

There are many effective and safe weight loss programs out there today. Diet responsibly; do your research; always remember to speak with your physician regarding your plans. Do not desperately trade obesity for broken health.

28 comments:

Human Microbiome Search Engine said...

Wow. Great story. I've been following the Kimkins saga for a while, and I just don't know what to say. That whole Kimkins thing was was incredible, to say the least.
Jim

Morgan MacLeoid said...

Christin, praying for your speedy and complete recovery.. and for the healing of your entire family!

Thank you for again highlighting that the Kimkins plans are dangerous, not just the woman behind them!

God bless!

Mayberryfan said...

So glad to know that you are better and your family is well! God bless and I wish you a very speedy and full recovery!

Grizzy said...

Christin my prayers are with you and your family right now for a fast and full recovery. I have followed your story from LCF and been impressed by your honesty and compassion, the way you articulate so beautifully and by your sincerity. I hope 2008 turns into a much better year for you. Thank you for speaking out against Kimmer and Kimkins.

Ketosis

Admin said...

Christin,

I will definitely keep you and your family in my prayers. Looking at the picture of your van, it is apparent that God's hand was on you to limit your injuries.

Thank you for sharing your warning about the Kimkins Diet Scam. Hopefully, your shared experiences will prevent others from falling victim themselves.

I do hope that if anyone has been a victim of the scam, they will consider joining the Kimkins Class Action Lawsuit.

http://kimkinsclassactionlawsuit.blogspot.com/

Say NO to Kimkins!

Mirtika said...

Oh, I am so glad you're well enough to blog. We've been worried about you. Thanks to your mom for keeping us updated!

God bless you and heal you and have you back home with your family very, very soon.

Hugs,
The Princess

lil_red said...

Christin , Thank God you and your family are ok. I am so sorry to hear about your accident. I pray you recover quickly and safely. I hope to chat with you again soon. Miss ya . Love ya girl...

lil_red said...

Christin
Thank god you and your family are ok. I am sorry to hear about your accident. I pray you will have a safe and speedy recovery. Hope to chat with ya again soon
hugs to ya ...love ya girl...

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry to hear of this terrible accident and pray that you will recover quickly.

OhYeahBabe said...

Christin, my thoughts are with you and your family. God certainly had you guys in his care - I can't believe your car!
OYB


Say no to Kimkins!
The Rise and Fall of the Kimkins Diet

Pam said...

Christin,

Continuing to offer prayers on behalf of you and your family....

Take time to heal completely... Hope you and your family continue to imrpove daily....

Amy Dungan said...

It's so good to know you are improving Christin! We are praying for you and your family through this difficult time! (((HUGS))

Mjr said...

Christin,
My prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time. Take care of yourself and feel better soon. 2008 will be a better year - I just know it!!
I look forward to seeing you back on the forums real soon.
Hugs to you

2BIG4MYSIZE said...

after seeing the pictures of your car I thank God you andyour family are alive and doing well. I hope your recovery from the accident will be complete and you and yours can resume your hectic life once more.

being victimized by Kimkins.com and Kimmer shouldn't happen to anybody else. please folk join the lawsuit read the linked blogs and just say no to kimkins

Amy B said...

I have prayed for you and your family daily. I have been really worried about you. You are such a beautiful person on the inside and out. Take this time to heal and get stronger. I look forward to hearing how you are doing.

Jimmy Moore said...

We love you, Christin, and continue to pray for a full recovery from your injuries. I'll be blogging about how people can help you financially with your medical bills soon. You guys hang in there and get better!

Ami said...

Hey Christin,

WOW!! and Praise GOD for HIS grace and mercy that HE has on us. We know we don't deserve a bit of it. You gotta know that HE has bigger plans for you and your family pulling you through this horrible mess. I also have been lifting you up in prayer for a quick recovery. I hope the rest of your family is doing fine too! I am sure glad your feeling up to blogging, it was nice to come here and read words from you.
Take care and know that I'm only down the highway if you should need anything, for real.
Ami aka "Esmi"

Sue said...

Christin, I'm so glad you are okay.

Askazombiehousewife said...

(((HUG))))

Barbara B said...

Christin, we have all been praying for your swift recovery and healing for you and your family. Thank you for continuing the exposure of the diabolical Kimmer - Heidi Diaz ... even from your hospital bed! Take good care of yourself. There are many, many who care.

Barbara B

MomToEli said...

Cristin, PTL that you are healing and will soon be able to return home with your family. We will continue praying.

Also, thank you for reminding people that weight loss at the expense of your health is not a worthy goal, and that it is very dangerous to go into something like this believing YOU will be the exception and come out of it unscathed.

Paul said...

Sorry to hear about your close call hope for a swift recovery. I like your blog I think it will save many from going down the wrong diet path.
Paul

GillianIvy said...

Christin, wow, what a horrible start to the new year. I'm glad that your family is unscathed, that accident looks like it was really bad. I hope the best for you and a speedy recovery, both from the accident and Kimkins.

I'm Deni's cousin and wanted to stop by and hear your story. I was real concerned when I learned of my family members all on this diet plan, practically all the women in my family. I must admit it was rather enticing to me to check it out. I did some internet research before looking into it and was appalled by what I found.

So I started discussing it with Deni as the Kimkin's controversy was in it's full force. I've been unable to convince my mother and sister to steer clear of the diet, they claim they aren't sticking to it strictly and that their doctor is keeping an eye on the progress.

That seems to be the safety net all Kimkin's devotees fall back on. But the doctor only knows what you tell them. If you're (dieter, not you...) not complaining about side effects or showing them your daily fitday plan, then the Doctor is as ignorant to your health as you are.

So, I worry about my mom and sister as they live in another state than I, so I can't very well track their dieting myself. They aren't counting their calories, but that doesn't mean they're getting the right nutrition...

Thank you for sharing your story. Hopefully my family will come to their senses and listen to Deni.

Unknown said...

Christin,

I, too, am praying for your speedy recovery. God Bless you!

I read about Kimkins in Women's World as did many other people. I was not impressed with the site. However, I can see why people would be attracted to the structure of the Kimkins "Diet". It is unfortunate you and your family were exploited by yet another manipulative and greedy woman. I'm sure you've heard about Gwen Shamblin's Weigh-Down?

The best advice I can give you is to get better, get well, and keep us informed!

Thank you!

Unknown said...

Wait a second here. You had devastating car wreck - with your children in the car, and in the hospital you took the time to reflect on KIMKINS!? Not your life, your loves, not your children, not your family or your faith but HEIDI?? That is so sad.

Christin, I give all the glory to God (as I am sure you do) that you are ok, but you REALLY might want to step away from this for a moment. You might want to think about what is truly important in life, and where your blessings come from.

While I know everyone wants to jump on the lynch Heidi bandwagon (with good reason) and that makes you very popular for the timing being....... I get it, really I do..... but you might want to reevaluate your priorities. What good does it a man to gain the world but lose his soul?

PS I know I am come off sounding harsh and I am sorry.
That is honestly not my intentions AT ALL so I hope you will at least take a moment to consider what I written and know that it came from a place of love.

leaveme alone said...

I am so sorry to hear about your accident, but I am very happy to hear that you and your family are recovering. Take good care and wishing you the best for health and healing this new year!

Human Microbiome Search Engine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
enithhernandez said...

Hi Christin! You and your family are in my prayers. Me and my family were involved in a car accident this past Sat. (Jan 26) and I have an idea how you and your family feel. I too was in the passenger seat and suffer the most injuries. I just wish there was a time machine to back and change everything... God bless you and your family...