Anyone want to do a recap of all this?

[coffeeaddict]

Hello! I have been a member for years and am back to restart this year! I posted long ago when Kimmer was the queen around here and am stunned to see all this. I don't know about anyone else stumbling across all this in 2008, but I don't think I could read through these 'fascination' posts if I wanted to! Anyone want to recap it all? I've read bits and it seems one thing I don't know is, did anyone find ownership of the picture of her in the chair? The entire thing is amazing. And what is her status now? Still taking money? And I'd love to hear about how much fun it was around here the day you all found the russian bride pictures!! I think that was here, right? How did that happen? Wow!

Well, to anyone who might agree to post a recap, I really appreciate it!

[NeonJungle]

I'm new to LCF, but have been a lurker for a while and followed the threads. What I recall is:

Her business partner figured out the scam and hired a PI to track her. Around that same time, several folks (Christin, Deni, Becky) also became aware of the scam, none of them ever having met KK in person, only relating by phone, e-mail, and PM. Briefly, she also treated them badly when they asked legitimate questions, and she summarily dismissed Christin, the woman who was on teh cover of the Woman's World magazine and who worked for her as a PR person, after Christin posed those questions. Subsequently, and not without difficulty, all three left KK's association/website and are trying to help those why may suffer health problems as a result of following the plan as it was originally represented as an extremely low-cal plan where laxatives were advised (I have read this on this website and by posts here so KK's website rep was incorrect when she said laxatives are "absolutely not" recommended on the Fox Morning Show).

KK continued to skirt the truth until forced to do so in deposition via a class action lawsuit, many of whom are LCF members, from reading the threads.

It was discovered that she was not the woman in the red dress on her website. That led to a lot of digging, and it was discovered that she was pulling those pics from other websites. On one of the KK threads, a press release was posted quoting an "Amanda Hollbrook," and a LCFriender thought the name sounded familiar, and came up with a Tastefully Simple website by a consultant named "Amanda Hollbrook."

It's now thought that KK involved her son(s?) in the scam by having him/them answer e-mails when they came flooding in.

Her assets have been seized.

The Morning Show on the Fox Network did a lengthy segment with Christin, Deni, a registered dietician, an MD, a current proponent of the plan, and KK's new PR person. The plan came across as lackluster on the show, and KK and her PR person (in my opinion) came across as frauds. The PR person, in my humble alleged opinion, allegedly skirted the issues and tried to blame Christin and Deni and turn the argument on them, in my humble alleged opinion, rather than answering allegedly legitimate questions.

I read a lot today (thank goodness for vacation!), and that's about what I can remember.

HTH.

[cleochatra]

There once was a woman named Kimmer
Who opined to make the world slimmer
Though so filled with depravity
And buttocksy gravity
None denied she had ever missed dinner.

[ixtapacheryl]

Originally Posted by cleochatra

There once was a woman named Kimmer
Who opined to make the world slimmer
Though so filled with depravity
And buttocksy gravity
None denied she had ever missed dinner.

I love it !!!!

[coffeeaddict]

Thanks for the recap! My Mom brought that magazine to me and I proudly said 'oh I used to post on the same website as her' and thought it was great that she was doing so well but also confused at how a version of so many legitimate low carb plans was a legitimate thing to sell as her own. I didn't realize it was so drastic--scary.

Love the poem too!

For anyone else who is interested in a quick recap, I did find another question near mine that was called something like 'sorry if this is a dumb question' or something like that with lots of great links. And I was slightly obsessed with finding the day that someone on here found the red dress picture as I had read somewhere that it was someone here. So I searched and read a LOT and found it on the fascination threads, number 6 at the end of the day on I think October 5th? It was a fun read and I imagine how exciting it was for all those hunting for it!

Glad to be back! Thanks!

[cleochatra]

There is a recap at the mad housewife blog as it pertains to LCF Kimmer timeline (or thereabouts), but it doesn't expand beyond that. It's not a short recap, however.

Heidi Diaz AKA “Kimmer” Diary of a Mad Housewife

[WildAngel6]

You may find these links to be helpful in trying to get caught up:

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/b/2008/03/15/march-2008-update-on-kimkins-diet-scam.htm

http://www.insiderexclusive.com/firm_cohen2.htm

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/02/kimkins.html

3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Official Website for Weight Loss Support - Kimkins: Ana

Woman's World Magazine

[Melle]

Thanks Coffeeaddict, for asking the question I was afraid to ask...and to the rest of you for the links, for info. I've been seeing bits and pieces of "Kimmer" in here, and wondered who in the world she was. I guess I'll try to read some of these links. Sounds like it could be a novel.

[junkfoodmonkey]

I had the same reaction. I was active around here back in 2004, going into 2005 when she was the queen, as coffeeaddict says. Then I wasn't around for a while. And when I came back at the start of this year I was like "whoa... what did I miss?"

[TerryC]

Here is my synopsis of the events that have occurred in the last year:

A woman (heidi) who was overweight (see PI pics for proof) cultivated a large following here on this support board for her special way of eating by LYING to those followers that she lost 200 lbs doing it and kept it off when she had never lost the weight at all (see conversations with family members which can be found in the back threads). She also told those people that she was a foster mother, helped the blind, worked in a homeless shelter and taught english to underpriviledged women in order to garner more adulation. You just have to read the Ask Kimmer thread to see all "oh kimmer you are so wonderful" posts.

While she helped the people who agreed with her or fawned over her, the people that disagreed with her here were censored, warned, had posts deleted and generally bullied by her and her followers until they just left. Even if you were a supporter, she would still say nasty things to you if you weren't doing her plan right (ask ixtapacheryl about that). So she took her ball and went to her own site, with the help of a follower here. Soon that person saw that things were not quite right with "kimmer" and got out.

Fast forward a year in her web business - she made over a million dollars in the one month after her fake magazine article came out, all the while living on disability and claiming she had foster children (if you don't know about the foster children situation - that can be found somewhere in the past here too).

Then a dedicated group of people who had been searching for the truth finally started finding it. Her pictures were fake, her success stories were fake, her weight loss was fake, her niceness was fake. All over the message boards are proof of that (Ask AmyB and JustKim what happens to friends that start to question her).

A few people had been banned from kk for questioning either in PMs or on other boards (like here) whether heidi had lost the weight (ask Cutie, Kiki, and Ixtapacheryl about that). Then when the PI pictures came out - the bannings began in full force. People who had joined KK after the magazine article (like me) who had no background from here with her were caught unaware and asked questions. Guess what happened? We were banned from our lifetime membership at KK. I asked about maintenance because I was worried that my weight loss would not be sustainable. I felt betrayed because I could see that heidi had not been able to maintain her loss (which later it turned out there was no loss) and there had been no maintenance plan given to us yet. I have since found my answer - it can't be maintained (just ask me, MissMerize, Deni, and even Tippy is struggling, I'm sure there are others too).

In the end, a very brave person (Jeanessa) decided enough lies had been told and people scammed that she was going to do something about it. A great lawyer was found to take the case and as everyone knows it is ongoing today. If not for her and the other principals, a woman who is a known scam artist who has done jail time for her scams (you will have to search the back threads here, but the story is there straight from the mouth of her family) would not be answering for her fraud. It is not about the money because I frankly don't know if I will get my money back from this lawsuit or not, but I am in it anyway.

That in so many words is what this is all about.

[sophie44]

wowie...I had been gone from here for a while too...I am not shocked though, I never thought she was telling the truth, the pics and facts just never added up for me