"Kimkins Scandal" via BamaGal in Google Reader

Dieter Overbored!

2008-07-19T04:38:00Z

There is a dedicated forum at Kimkins exclusively for those who are restarting the diet. I think it bears looking into. There are people who go on Weight Watchers and do the program for life. The same thing can be said of Protein Power, South Beach, Atkins, Overeaters Anonymous, and a plethora of other eating plans designed to take weight off and keep it off. There are testimonials from people who have lost weight, changed their way of eating for good, and maintained their weight loss. Heidi Diaz claimed to be one of those people, and it was all a big fat lie, but that’s a different post for another day.

The Kimkins re-starters are full of guilt. The site is peppered with posts of self-flagellation and confession of the sin of falling off the wagon. People blame themselves for having failed. At one time, they lost weight on the Kimkins program, a glowing testimonial to success by starvation. They are ashamed for their perceived failure. Someone needs to tell them they didn’t fail. Kimkins is a flawed program, and the main byproduct of that flaw is that people can’t stick to it. Some of them complain of the sick feeling (a.k.a. SNATT), becoming bored with the food choices, blame stress, pregnancies, and just plain emotional weakness. They blame everything but the real culprit: the Kimkins eating plan.

Kimkins to this day doesn’t have a maintenance plan, and is it any wonder? Who in their right mind would want to eat like that for the rest of their lives? Kimkins members are doling out vegetables to themselves in jello cups that would be better used in the recycling plant, eating carefully measured portions of romaine with a few squirts of salad spritzer, and poaching chicken breasts in fat free broth. It’s not exactly an enjoyable way of eating. Yes, it produces weight loss because of the deprivation [read very low calories], but it has an insidious effect on the body. Even those who have been fortunate enough to reach their goal weight using the program have found their metabolisms so damaged that attempting to eat normal quantities of food produces rapid weight gain. The lucky people are those who come out of it with their health intact, even if their metabolism is a train wreck.

So to all you restarters – NOW HEAR THIS!!! The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. What do you expect to accomplish by repetitively losing weight via Kimkins, only to regain it? Do not ever forget that Heidi Diaz has never lost a substantial amount of weight on Kimkins or any other plan. If you’ve managed to lose weight, you’ve accomplished more than she ever did. You are not to blame for gaining weight again, so dispense with the self-blaming. Her flawed diet plan is the culprit. Get yourself to a nutritionist who supports low carb eating and get advice on how to repair your metabolism. Repairing one’s metabolism after a bout with Kimkins is very difficult, but not impossible to do. However, you need counsel from someone who knows what they’re talking about.

There is another factor to following this plan, and I speak this from first-hand experience. For a certain group of people of which I am one, the deprivation of Kimkins causes binge eating once the individual has had enough of the starvation. This, of course, leads to rapid and excessive weight gain. Some people end up where they started, or worse. All-or-nothing personalities have no business even trying Kimkins. It is a train wreck waiting to happen. Do yourself a favor. Look into Atkins, Protein Power, South Beach, or some other low carb plan that actually allows you to EAT! Pick one you can stick with for the rest of your life. Avoid extreme plans. The deprivation and boredom of the Kimkins plan are must not worth it.

What does Colonix have to do with Lowcarb?

2008-07-18T23:23:00Z

I have no idea. I know that Kimmer was a big proponent of cleansing and had a fasting/cleansing forum on Kimkins until the Ducks started to report what was going on there.

Kimmer was of the opinion that "toxic waste" had to get out as soon as possible, as is evident from the laxative abuse she pushed. You can see examples of this at Truth's blog.

Colon cleanse works on the same principle; taking fiber capsules and laxatives to get the toxic waste out. Even worse, people also believe that our intestines are full of parasites and "plaque" and the only way to get rid of it is by a three months' cleansing regimen. Colonix and similar cleansing products are sold by use of graphic pictures of the "worms" expelled, which in my uneducated opinion are just congealed mass from the fiber in the cleansing product.

If we all had all these parasites inside us, how come the medical community knows nothing about it? How come our doctors don't tell us that we have a problem and suggest a cure for it? How come the pharmaceutical companies don't develop medicines that will address the issue? Probably because it doesn't exist.

But then again, what does this have to do with lowcarb? Yes, some people use Colonix to lose weight, which obviously is of interest on a lowcarb board. Yes, some lowcarbers complain about constipation, and colon cleanse will help with that also as it is a laxative. Any further connection escapes me.

So why is there an entire thread, with 69 pages and 1820 posts on Lowcarbfriends dedicated to Colonix? The particular thread any one tried colonix exhibits all the typical signs of being populated by a large number of sock puppets. With the agenda of selling Colonix.

What does a colon cleansing thread do on a lowcarb board? Why would anyone set up a new user account on a weight loss forum to discuss colon cleansing? Why would several? All at one time?

There are more than a dozen people who have posted one time and one time only and it was on that thread and it was usually positive. There are quite a few people who have posted on that thread and that thread only. Most of the newbies of late post only there.

It does not make any sense to me.

It also upsets me as I (and many others) buy products based on reviews on our home board, LCF. Are we being misled by hired sockpuppets?

Like they talk about in this article: I'm Evil.

And for your amusement, see how this blogger exposed "Dr." Suzanne Gudakunst.

Suzanne's marketing approach reminds me a lot about Kimkins:

Scare tactics; Suzanne with parasites and Kimmer with dangers of staying obese.
A pretty woman on the page. Suzanne may be Suzanne but Kimmer was a Russian bride.
A very generous affiliate program, making internet marketeers jumping on the chance of making a buck.
The promise to lose weight.

Credits for links, ideas, material and discussions go to my fellow posters on fascinated.

ROBERT CHARLTON, THE PI WHO CAPTURED HEIDI DIAZ ON FILM, IS HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS!

2008-07-18T14:30:00Z

Photo of Heidi Diaz/Kimmer taken by Robert Charlton, PI

For those who were following the story of the deadly Kimkins diet and its founder Heidi Diaz aka Kimmer back in the fall of 2007, the day that the pictures and video of Heidi Diaz were released caused our jaws to collectively hit the floor.

Heidi, as captured on film by Robert Charlton, Private Investigator and owner of Alliance Investigative Services, was not the svelte woman she had led people to believe but a morbidly obese woman weighing over 300 pounds. Finally, there was the physical proof that Heidi Diaz/Kimmer was, indeed, a liar and a fraud.

Robert's photos and video were subsequently used by not only Chip Yost of KTLA but by The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet.

Although Robert was given credit by KTLA for a few seconds the first time their program aired, he was not given credit by KTLA in their follow-ups. And no credit was given to Robert by The Morning Show for their usage of his photos or video. So I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Robert for all his efforts in capturing Heidi Diaz on film.

I know you have questions you'd like to ask of Robert about his surveillance of Heidi Diaz and his capturing her on film. Please post your questions for Robert in the comment section of this blog post, and Robert will answer your questions there.

Kudos to Yust Yucky (Mimi) for this brilliant idea and for contacting Robert to arrange this Q & A. And many thanks to Robert for agreeing to participate.

Robert's waiting, so fire away :^)

And please take a moment to visit Robert's blog and website:

Blog:

The Alliance Report:

Out of the Loop RE: KimKins/Heidi Diaz

Private Investigator's Notes: The Surveillance of Southern California Diet Scammer Heidi Diaz of Kimkins

Company Website:

Alliance Investigative Services:

http://www.allianceagent.com/

Confusing Diet Study

2008-07-17T16:17:20Z

The results from a diet study comparing low carb, Mediterranean, and low fat diets made the news the other day. As always, the results are not easily interpreted. Just look at the headlines this particular study inspired:

Long-Term Diet Study Suggests Success Is Hard to Come By
Diet Plans Produce Similar Results
The Never-Ending Diet Wars
Diet Debate: 3 Top Plans Go Toe to Toe
Study: Low-carb diet best for weight, cholesterol
Low Carb Just as Good as Low Fat Diet
Low fat diets ‘not as effective for weight loss’
Low-Carb and Mediterranean Diets May Equal Watching Fat Intake
Healthy Fats May Increase Weight Loss
Low-carb, Mediterranean diets said to work
Unrestricted Low-Carb Diet Wins Hands Down
Best diet depends on desired reults
Similar weight loss on 3 different, popular diets
Med diets ‘as effective’ as low-fat diets
Diet Experiment Shows Dieting Not So Easy
Healthy Diets Have Advantages Despite Insignificant Weight Loss

If I hadn’t seen it, I would not have believed that all these headlines refer to the same study!

So what did the study accomplish? The weight loss was not significant over the two years the study covered so it’s not much of an inspiration to someone that has a lot of pounds to shed.

The “low calorie” groups (Mediterranean and low fat) were allowed 1500 (women) and 1800 (men) calories. This was not a starvation experiment. The low carb group had no calorie restriction.

The resulting weight loss was highest for the low carb group, but still modest (14 pounds after two years). To me this is not surprising as:

The low-carbohydrate, non–restricted-calorie diet aimed to provide 20 g of carbohydrates per day for the 2-month induction phase, with a gradual increase to a maximum of 120 g per day to maintain the weight loss.

Apparently, the intent was to maintain rather than lose more weight as 120 grams of carbohydrates is too high for most people for weight loss.

While this study may be helpful in improving the status of low carb diets, it will take a long time before the “experts” will stop pushing for “low fat/healthy grain/saturated fat is bad for you” diets.

Big news day for lowcarb diets!

2008-07-16T23:31:00Z

These are different interpretations of the same info. I think it's all good news! Will the world get it? I hope so!

OK, I think it'll take more than this, but still... I'll take good news where I can! Note that none of the articles says to starve yourself on a low-everything diet until you lose your menstrual cycle, muscle mass and hair.

Study: Low-carb diet best for weight, cholesterol
Low-carb and Mediterranean diets beat low-fat for weight-loss ...
Best Diet: Low-Fat, Low-Carb or Mediterranean?

Low Carb and High Minded, part II

2008-07-16T20:54:00Z

My, my how times have changed! Just this past spring, all the principles of this little brouhaha about stealing one person's post from a message board and blogging about it without the courtesy of asking the OP, were working in a little investigative group. The purpose? So we could discuss theories and share bits of information away from the prying eyes of any Kimkins spies. (I didn't mean for that rhyme, it just happened!)

Again, this problem is NOT about blogging to get the word out about Kimkins! It's about taking someone's else's research from a public, but relatively closed-off forum, and blogging about it without giving any thought that this might cause problems with the OP's inside source at Kimkins. This blogger claims to have her own inside source, so why steal the material?? In any case, co-owner of the board where this all started is the blogger known as Yust Yucky. But, when she was in the investigative group back in March 2008, she had an entirely different take on using material found by someone else.

Yust Yucky said: Let's all keep in mind that one of the fun
-- and motivating -- aspects of investigative blogging is "first dibs." If
you're the one who found something, you have the right to blog about it first
and break the story. Common courtesy. If there's something somebody else has
discovered, and you're eager totalk about it on the boards or blogs, please
let's all remember to discuss it with the person who made the discovery --
there've been times when somebody found something but in order to maintain
secrecy passed the "dibs" to somebody else. And a lot of times, more than one
person was working on the story, and found other aspects that are related but
unique -- each person has the right to blog or publicize the information they
themselves have found, but like I said, let's keep common courtesy in mind ahead
of the excitement in spreading the word about whatever's been found. I myself
have been guilty of blabbing because the news was so cool, and that's something
I'm ashamed of and hopefully have learned my lesson!

(Screenshot available at: http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg235/Mayberryfan/?action=view&current=Yucky_stolen_thunder.jpg )

Common courtesy. That's all we were asking for. Maybe you can understand why I assumed the rules Yucky promoted at one group would apply to another, similar group. Obviously, the groups are different because the group Yucky is speaking to here was entirely hidden, and by invitation only to join. Still, her message board is advertised only on a couple of blogs, but cannot be found by searching for it at Google. So, while it may be "public," it does not have the same visibilty that the anti-Kimkins blogs do. Case in point, the anti-KK blogs are regularly advertised on Low Carb Friends, but the blog posts announcing Yucky's new board a couple of months ago were not linked at LCF because it would have violated the TOS.

Co-owner of the message board, and also a member of the hidden investigative group, prominent blogger Medusa weighed in this past spring about using other people's information from one group and then blogging about it.

Medusa said: As with any sleuthing group, it is imperative
that any information discovered and reported here be kept within the strict
confines of this group and not disclosed or alluded to in our own personal
blogs, onLCF, or in personal e-mails to people outside the group without the
consent of the majority of the members here. If you have discovered something
independently and wish to blog about it, post it on LCF, or discuss it with
another party, that's fine, but if that information is discussed here, it should
remain here within the group until most agree that it's fine for you to release
the information. There are just too many unknowns and double-agents lurking
about to risk releasing sensitive information before its time. Put simply, "what
happens in Vegas stays in Vegas :^) Hope everyone understands my "hard line" on
this.~ Medusa (screenshot available at:

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg235/Mayberryfan/Medusa_stays.jpg )

Oh, I totally understood your 'hard line' then. But I'm at a total loss to understand it now. You obviously have sources helping you with your blog. You should understand the dangers of potentially burning one of those sources.

The most disappointing thing in all of this is that these people have tried to damage my reputation within the anti-KK group. Whatever disagreements we might have, I would never try to paint you as backstabbers, as you have done to me. It reminds me of when Kimmer called Amyb "fake nice." But who could expect any better from Heidi Diaz? I expect better from you. We can agree to disagree on the ethics of taking someone else's post, but you've made this personal against me. And what you've insinuated about me is untrue. Period. So I will offer this final quote from the investigative group where I make my intentions clear about why I continue to investigate, and Yucky has nothing but good things to say about me.

Mayberryfan- Just so there are NO
misunderstandings.... I am zealous about our pursuit of Xxxxx and the
xxxxx, but it has nothing to do with personal animous toward her. At this point,
we just don't know much about her. She's greedy. That much we know. But, we also
know that she doesn't seem to be nearly as aggressive as Heidi, based on her
lack of marketing of xxxx and her lack of activiity within her own forum.
Even if she is somehow in league with Heidi, she still doesn't appear to be
quite the landshark that Kimmer definitely is. So, I am motivated in this effort
by trying to educate people about the dangers of this type of eating. There are
many things about Xxxx that appear to be less than honest. I am hoping if
she realizes that we're on to her, she'll decide the risk to her in terms of
liability are too great and she close Xxxx, and refund Suzy's $$

Yust Yucky - {{{Celeste}}} That's because you're a NICE
person! :) So many times I feel so snippy (that's a nice word for it)
toward Xxxx and Xxxx, reading their crap and the weird stuff, and the emails
like between Xxxx and AmyB, and Xxxx and Suzy -- she's so snippy and
cold, for no apparent reason, and totally paranoid. So I do have feeling of
personal animosity toward her, and I've got to work on that, because a lot of
times that gets in the way of what the real goal is. So I wasn't criticizing you
and ANYBODY, definitely! {{hugs}} Just reflecting on my tendency to take
everything so personally andoveremotionalize everything. (screenshot available at:

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg235/Mayberryfan/Yucky_nice_Celeste.jpg

Special Note: To those who have taken the time to PM me, I truly appreciate it! One person even apologized for not speaking out publicly and supporting my position. That's absolutely OK! There is no need to choose sides. I'm choosing to speak out because a friend was wronged in this mess, and I have been personally maligned in the process. Believe me, Heidi Diaz was the last person to walk on me. No mas!

OLANZAPINE: DRUG HELPS ANOREXICS GAIN WEIGHT & CONTROL OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT FOOD...

2008-07-16T14:16:00Z

The anti-psychotic drug olanzapine, used to treat schizophrenia, may also help patients with anorexia.

Encouraging news on the research front...

From CTV.ca:

"Drug helps anorexia patients gain weight, feel happy

Updated Mon. Jul. 14 2008 3:35 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A drug used to treat schizophrenia may be a new tool to help patients with anorexia gain weight and control their obsessive thoughts about food.

New Canadian research has found that when anorexia patients take olanzapine, they gain weight, feel calmer and do not have the obsessive thoughts about weight and food that characterize the debilitating condition.

Dr. Hany Bissada

The research was led by Dr. Hany Bissada, a psychiatrist at and director of The Ottawa Hospital Regional Centre for the Treatment of Eating Disorders. The study included 34 women with anorexia who were enrolled in the centre's day program for anorexia treatment.

Patients were given either a placebo or the anti-psychotic drug olanzapine, one of the side effects of which is weight gain.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The researchers caution that the drug is not a cure for the disease. Patients with anorexia need counselling and often have to work with a dietitian or nutritionist.

However, the medication allows patients to be more open to getting treatment.

"It is an important finding because, for the first time, it gives us hope to say there is a medication because even though it is not a cure, it can help facilitate treatment for anorexia nervosa," Bissada told CTV News.

Anorexia nervosa affects about 0.5 per cent of women between the ages of 15 and 24.

Patients become obsessed with being thin and have a fear of being overweight. They become emaciated, which can lead to a number of health problems. Patients often don't believe they have a problem.

"Denial is a big part of the illness," Dr. Wendy Spettigue of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario told CTV News. "So patients often don't recognize it and, if they do, they are often too afraid to get treatment."

Anorexia is the most fatal of all psychiatric disorders.

Debbie Wiseman (see her video interview below)

Debbie Wiseman was one of the study participants. Before enrolling she weighed 69 pounds. She felt fat, unpopular and was afraid that anything she ate would make her gain weight.

"It came to a point where I wanted to die because I was not happy with myself," Wiseman told CTV News.

After she started taking olanzapine, she began to gain weight and feel happier. And she noticed that she was no longer afraid to have a piece of pizza or a chocolate bar.

Now she is a healthy 115 pounds, and she believes the drug is directly responsible for her improvement.

"If I didn't take it I don't know that I'd be here today," Wiseman said.

With a report from CTV medical specialist Avis Favaro and senior producer Elizabeth St. Philip"

Watch the full interview as Dr. Hany Bissada discusses the drug's new use:

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/new-anorexia-treatment/#clip66508

Debbie Wiseman talks about treating her anorexia. Watch the full interview:

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/new-anorexia-treatment/#clip66509

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abstract:

Olanzapine in the Treatment of Low Body Weight and Obsessive Thinking in Women With Anorexia Nervosa: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Hany Bissada, M.D., Giorgio A. Tasca, Ph.D., Ann Marie Barber, M.A., and Jacques Bradwejn, M.D.

OBJECTIVE: Anorexia nervosa is associated with high mortality, morbidity, and treatment costs. Olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic, is known to result in weight gain in other patient populations. The objective of this trial was to assess the efficacy of olanzapine in promoting weight gain and in reducing obsessive symptoms among adult women with anorexia nervosa.

METHOD: The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 10-week flexible dose trial in which patients with anorexia nervosa (N=34) were randomly assigned to either olanzapine plus day hospital treatment or placebo plus day hospital treatment.

RESULTS: Compared with placebo, olanzapine resulted in a greater rate of increase in weight, earlier achievement of target body mass index, and a greater rate of decrease in obsessive symptoms. No differences in adverse effects were observed between the two treatment conditions.

CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that olanzapine may be safely used in achieving more rapid weight gain and improvement in obsessive symptoms among women with anorexia nervosa. Replication, in the form of a large multicenter trial, is recommended.

Link to Full Study (requires registration)

LINKS:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080714/anorexia_study_080714/20080714?hub=Health

Some Recent Health News

2008-07-16T13:39:00Z

I found these articles interesting and thought I'd share them here.

_______________________________________________________

This one supports the importance of essential fatty acids for mental health.

Eating Healthy Food Can Keep Mental Disorders At Bay!
_______________________________________________________

The title on this one explains itself. Don't think that supplements can take the place of food.

Vitamin-rich foods always trump a bottle of supplements, nutrition experts say
_______________________________________________________

This one talks about how extreme diets can damage fertility. Kimkins members, if you start missing periods, please stop the diet. You don't have to be down to skin & bones to be harmed this way. Sorry about that annoying Citibank ad - I can't figure out how to make it go away but if you copy the text of the story into notepad or something, you can read the words blocked by the ad.

Excessive weight loss can affect women’s ability to conceive
_______________________________________________________

The title explains itself on this one, too.

Seek lifelong health over short-term weight loss

Weighing the Facts: Fighting Disordered Thoughts: Anorexia

2008-07-16T12:47:00Z

I thank MrsMenopausal (Weighing the Facts) for pointing out this video on her blog. She has a great and informative blog - please be sure to check it out. (Hi Mrs!)

Fighting Disordered Thoughts: Anorexia

2008-07-16T11:23:00Z

Another wonderful video by Holdingon. See also: USING AFFIRMATIONS: Eating Disorder Recovery source:http://youtube.com/watch?v=372REIhk_Bk

Death and Taxes

2008-07-16T11:41:00Z

My momma is gone. She's just gone! If you've been there, you know how I feel, but if you haven't, this is truly weird. It's like somebody took their finger and smudged my perception of reality. I knew she was dying, but the difference between having a momma who is dying and a momma who is dead is huge.

My momma suffered from mental illness (paranoid schizophrenia), alcoholism and a tobacco addiction. In the end, the last two were her downfall. Still, with all these vices and all those struggles, she managed to be an excellent mother. Yes, on numerous occasions she worked my last nerve, but nobody ever came close to making me feel as loved and accepted as that woman did.

She raised me, got me hooked on fried chicken, dressed me in pretty clothes, talked to me for hours and hours (in person and over the phone), she took care of me when I was sick, she told me all of her crazy dreams and fantasies, she taught me how to paint my nails, she dragged me kicking and screaming to church, she kept me in check when I thought I was all that, she ignored me when I was being a brat, she spoiled me rotten. I was her baby girl and I, guess, I am going to have to figure out how I can still be her baby girl even though she is not here anymore.

I am okay, but deep down in the very center of me, I am lost without my momma. I guess I always will be.

Best damn chicken, ever!

2008-07-16T03:19:00Z

I've mentioned a time or two that this is the first time Dancing in Socks Guy and I have ever lived with a romantic partner. We've both had roommates in the past, but the obvious aside, there's a world of difference between living with the love of your life and with someone you found on Craigslist.

One minor area of concern for me was cooking. For a variety of reasons, mainly our love of eating out, up until now neither of us has ever truly cooked an entire meal for the other. Breakfast, quick stuff, yes. A main dish and sides? No.

I adore cooking, and I was a little worried that he'd basically hate the way I cook. Food preferences are so highly individual, and while neither of us is particularly fussy, I'm pretty adventurous and I was afraid he might not appreciate some of my more ambitious flights of culinary fancy.

So far, so good. He liked my spaghetti sauce, though it's more subtly flavored and a lot more labor intensive than the way he makes it. As an added bonus, I introduced him to the joys of Dreamfields Pasta, which he now loves. He was a little leery of my steak marinade, based on the Eades recipe of an overnight bath in a marinade of olive oil and red wine, but raved about it for days.

Tonight was the biggest test -- whether or not he would like my brined chicken. Brining, for those who don't know, is a technique in which you place poultry in a brine solution for a period of time (how long depends on what you're making). Via osmosis, the brine solution permeates the meat, flavoring it and making it incredibly juicy. The basic brine is about 1 1/2 cups of kosher salt per gallon of water (one gallon is plenty for a small chicken) and you can add whatever you like to the brine to flavor it -- with the caveat that your flavoring needs to be water-soluble to work.

Dancing in Socks Guy loves me, but he did look at me cross-eyed when I soaked a perfectly good chicken in a salt water bath, then proceeded to cut up some oranges and lemons, combined it with grapes, scallions, a garlic clove or two, seasoned it with cracked black pepper and shoved it all up the chicken's cavity. This is based on a method of cooking chicken my grandfather used to do, which he called Pollo al' culo, which, very loosely translated, means "Chicken up the butt." Because you're stuffing fruit into the chicken's ... well, you get it. Giada De Laurentiis has a recipe called Garlic and Citrus Chicken, which is very much like how Grampie used to make it except it has a much more polite name. But the secret to my chicken is the brining.

Anyway, he though I'd lost my mind until he took his first bite and damned if he didn't pick that thing clean, all while mumbling about possible recipe variations. He LOVED it. I think you will too. Here's the recipe, in case you want to try it

Pollo al' culo

Brining Process

1 chicken, guts removed and reserved for broth or cats later
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
15 cups cold water
1 cup vegetable broth
Juice of one lemon

Combine water, broth, lemon juice and salt in large pan or bowl. Submerge chicken in brine, cover and place in refrigerator. Allow to brine for at least one hour. I usually do two to four hours. Do not brine the chicken at room temperature, there is not enough salt in there to prevent bacterial growth.

After chicken has brined, removed and rinse with cold water. Pat dry, place in pan.

Stuffing

1 Orange
1 Lemon
5-10 green grapes (optional)
3 Scallions
2 cloves fresh garlic
1/4 cup chicken broth
Black pepper, parsley

Cut oranges and lemons into small wedges. Crush garlic cloves lightly, chop scallions. Combine, sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper. Combine, stuff as much as you can into the chicken cavity. Place whatever is left in pan around chicken. Add chicken broth to pan, sprinkle chicken with parsley and more black pepper, if you like. Cover pan with tin foil and place in a 350 F preheated oven. Approximately half way though cooking time, remove foil and allow chicken to brown. You may want to remove some of the pan liquid at this point (it's quite salty, though the chicken itself will not be) to prevent the bottom of the chicken from macerating. Test chicken for doneness -- when clear liquid runs out of a hole poked between the wing and breast and in the thigh, or when a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 170 F -- takes about 20 minutes per lb of chicken plus 20 minutes, so 100 minutes for a four lb bird -- let rest for 10-15 minutes, and serve.

Happy eating!

Elle

Laundry and other indoor sports

2008-07-15T03:01:00Z

Dancing in Socks Guy said last night that living with me has been good for him in many ways, aside from having an enthusiastic foodie who likes sports, indoors and otherwise. Meaning, when you live with someone, you have to live up to certain responsibilities, like cleaning the house and taking out the garbage. Things that are easy to let slide when it's just you and the cats.

For me, the thing that living with Dancing in Socks Guy has really improved is how I do the laundry. By "improved" I mean getting it done before I'm down to the point where my clothing choices are limited to a sports bra, that last, really uncomfortable pair of underpants, leopard print palazzo pants four sizes too big that I kept to remind me of why I low carb, and my Maxwell Equations t-shir t.

Now, in fairness to me, I did not have access to laundry facilities in my last place. To do laundry meant hauling the basket down two flights of stairs, down a steep driveway, into my car and then into the laundromat. Which was expensive. So, I did laundry only when I absolutely had to.

Here, it's right outside my door, and while it's coin-op, it's incredibly cheap so I don't have to shove forty pounds of clothes into a ten pound washer any longer. And now, I actually do it once a week like a normal person would. Oh, I haven't reformed completely, I don't bother separating darks and whites and I use way too much detergent, but, you know ... baby steps.

This is just one of the many differences between me and Dancing in Socks Guy. Now, I like a neat house. A place for everything and everything in its place. He basically never unpacked from his last move, happily living amongst what I affectionately call his cardboard box collection, moving from room to room via tiny little aisles between boxes.

As noted above, I have a very casual, laissez-faire attitude towards laundry. He, despite his complete disregard for clutter and clean dishes, takes laundry very seriously. Not only does he separate darks and lights, he has a process for washing the latter which he refers to as his "sure-fire method for getting whites really white" and which I just call "Byzantine."

It involves a pre-soak step with bleach and hot water in the mop bucket (yeah, really), followed by a double wash cycle in the machine, soap and bleach for the first go-round and just hot water! Don't use soap in the second cycle, sweetie, just hot water! for the second. I mean, hell -- I'd do all that for a friend. And I do understand why you are supposed to wash lights and darks separately, even if I don't actually do it myself. But all this? For underpants and towels?

This is why we do our laundry separately, and why he does the towels and the sheets. Because I won't do them right. But that's okay, it's why I'm in charge of the grocery shopping, because he'll come home with nothing but cereal, Red Bull and beer. But that's okay. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

Elle

Low Carb and High Minded

2008-07-15T02:29:00Z

Just over a year ago, I began a new lifestyle. A low-carb lifestyle. So far, I've learned quite a bit about myself and about others. Even though some of the lessons have been tough, I am realizing those tough lessons have made me a stronger person. A person who is willing to stand up for herself and do what I see as the right thing, no matter what the cost.

By examining all the lies, cons and the overwhelming level of narcissism displayed by Heidi Diaz of Kimkins diet infamy, I am reminded how important it is to be above-board and play by the rules. True, it is easy to pretend to be something you are not on the Internet, Heidi is a prime example. She's a 300+lbs. bald woman who used bits and pieces of various low-carb diet programs to create a dangerous, starvation diet plan she calls Kimkins. It is well-documented that she did so by pretending to be a svelte 118 lbs. woman who claimed to have lost close to 200 lbs. in about 11 months using her own program.

It may be easy to pretend to be something you're not on the Internet, but it's also easy to get caught. And, while Heidi or Kimmer as she calls herself is being sued, we don't know yet whether or not she'll pay for her crimes. One thing is certain, Kimkins will NEVER again be the thriving diet website it was this time last year.

I was one of the many who signed up for Kimkins and blindly followed her advice. Fortunately, I kept searching for answers to my long struggle with weight and found a lot of people who were already on to Heidi's games. I read the message boards; I read their blogs, and I learned. I not only learned to face that I had been conned, I learned to forgive myself, be strong, and walk away from Kimkins.

I've now had to walk away from one of the anti-Kimkins groups. See, it is more important to me to stand up for what I believe is right, than to knuckle under to popular opinion. I never have been one to follow the crowd.

A little background: I don't fully understand it myself, but one of this group I've chosen to remove myself from, I now know to be one of the anti-KK bloggers. Several months ago, she took a few swipes at me and was quite ugly to me. Why? I haven't the foggiest clue. Later, when she got duped by one of the minor villains in the Heidi saga, I defended her. Not so she'd be my bud, but because I felt it was the right thing to do. I had been duped by Heidi (which this blogger wasn't and was never a KK member) so I knew how it felt to get suckered. Nothing more was said between us and I quit trying to learn who this blogger is or why she disliked me so much. I had NO clue this person was masquerading at LCF since F.W.Kimmer #14 and another anti-KK message board and being quite friendly to me. Oh and we also belonged to a small Yahoo! group together as well.

Anyway, flash forward to a few days ago. This blogger did something I found to be distasteful and unethical. First, I went to her blog and made a comment about it. Secondly, as the information she placed on her blog was lifted verbatim from the alternate anti-KK board, I placed a few messages there saying I thought it was wrong. The information in question was found and placed there by a dear friend of mine IRL who was and is quite upset about this. Long story short: Two other prominent bloggers who started this board turned on me like a pack of she-wolves. We couldn't even agree to disagree. And, I have irrefutable proof that the post was stolen verbatim. Still they say I am wrong to call her on it and that I need to drop it.

Just because I chose to stand up for what I believe in my heart to be right, people I thought were friends have turned on me in a vicious and ugly manner. They have gone so far as to insinuate that I am a back-stabber and frequently talk about other Ducks behind their backs. This is not true. I am a good person, loyal, and will stand up for what I believe in no matter what. It is how I want to be treated and how I treat others. Period.

During this whole scene straight out of " Jr. High School Musical" one of these prominent bloggers accidentally revealed to me the identity of the original blogger who attacked me months ago. I promised her before she completely turned on me that I would not reveal this blogger's true identity. No matter what this person and her friend have said about me, I won't reveal this person's secret. Two wrongs really can't ever make a right.

I'm going to do the right thing, keep fighting to shut down Kimkins, and stay true to the strong, decent person that I truly am. I didn't let the likes of Heidi Diaz shake my faith in myself, and I won't let ANYONE else do so either.

I am Mayberryfan, and I approve this message!

We now resume our original posting schedule ...

2008-07-14T04:15:00Z

ETA: I just looked at my counter stats -- what in the hell precipitated nearly 1000 hits last Wednesday (July 9th)? Was I mentioned somewhere?

At last, a few quiet moments.

It's week #2 here in beautiful Albuquerque, and I feel like I should write a whole bunch of posts about the trip out and all the myriad adventures we've had. Actually, I feel like I should have been writing said posts all along, but you know how it is. Now that we have our own internet -- instead of having to go to Flying Star to use theirs -- I can start posting on a more regular basis.

But for tonight, a collection of random stuff:

- My cats did very well on the drive. Minx was a bit mouthy at times, but for the most part, just meowed for a bit before settling down and sleeping the whole way, like the other cats

- United Airlines sucks. They canceled Dancing in Socks Guy's connecting flight out of Chicago -- which had already been seriously delayed -- at the last possible minute. The plan was that he would fly to Manchester, NH where I would pick him up. I'd then drive most of the night while he slept, then he would take over and we'd switch off until we got to our stop in Fenton, Missouri. As it happens, our best option turned out to be for me to drive seventeen frigging hours to Chicago, pick him up, and then let him drive to Fenton.

- Speaking of Fenton, if you ever need to stop there for any length of time, and if you have pets, stay here. They let us keep all four cats in the room! Yeah, there was a cleaning fee, but it beats trying to sneak them in. It was well kept, clean, and judging by the number of "pet in room" signs on the doors, very pet friendly.

- The new job is going well so far, though not much is going on since it's such a new company. That will change this week. Everyone has been very nice and friendly, and I'm really looking forward to the work.

- Living with Dancing in Socks Guy has been fine. I always assumed that issues would crop up, since we've both lived alone for so long, and this is the first time either of us has lived with a romantic partner. But, I also had faith we'd be able to adjust. So far we have. No huge issues have cropped up, just the minor shit you'd expect. Like all my copper kitchen decorations. Despite what he says it does not look like TGI Friday's in here. As I tell him, he's living with a woman now. It's shelf paper and guest towels from here on out, baby!

- The corollary to that is that I live with a man now, and it's all DIY with no respect to aesthetics now, baby! Oh, I worried a bit at first when we went to Lowe's and he'd eye the big foam panels and start yapping about making inserts for the big living room windows for the winter. But, I've learned to just tune him out when he says stuff like, "You know, I'd just need to get a reciprocating saw and ..."

- That said, we probably will do the panels. Fuck aesthetics, they're single pane glass and this is an older complex and while we have natural gas, heating costs will be through the roof. But otherwise, our new place is nice and roomy, a necessity when you have six cats.

- Speaking of cats, his two and my four are getting along a whole lot better than we dared hope. Thundercat and Morsel were smart enough to be submissive to Slinky and Ed, since we were in "their" space. My girls were not so smart. But, aside from a bit of hissing and all the first day or so, things have settled down, especially since we moved into the new place which was a no-man's land, in terms of feline territory. The four boys are all to the point where they will sleep on the same bed/sofa, and all six eat in the same space.

- If you have six cats you'd better be damn sure to clean the litter boxes and vacuum every single day.

Elle

Another thought about those model pictures...

2008-07-13T17:36:00Z

SingingLass keeps referring to what Heidi Diaz did as using 'model photos' to represent her diet plan, and says that everyone does it. I still think that's completely irrelevant, but one more problem with that argument is that companies that use models to promote their products HIRE those models. They don't steal them without consent.

I need a great ribs recipe!

2008-07-12T21:16:00Z

It's my husband's birthday weekend and he wants baby back ribs (pork) for our barbecue with his family tomorrow. I'm also making broccoli salad, an enormous cut fruit bowl, and grilled asparagus.

I'd love to hear your favorite ways to make ribs! I plan to cook them however makes tender ribs first (ideas?), then toward the end I'll sauce most of them up for the high-carb crowd and eat mine sauce-free.

I have some sugar free bbq sauce recipes but they don't caramelize like the sugary stuff, so if I go that route it will only be for my portion - what do you like?

GERMAN FASHION INDUSTRY STEPS UP TO THE PLATE: NO MORE ULTRA-THIN MODELS

2008-07-12T03:21:00Z

Following the lead of Italy, France, Spain, and the UK, the fashion industry in Germany has signed an agreement that models appearing in ads and on runways must be 16 years old and have a BMI of 18.5.

Let's hope the German fashion industry abides by this agreement. Unfortunately, the fashion industries in the UK, Italy, and France have turned a blind eye to the agreements they signed and continue to use ultra-thin models on the runways.

Here's the news report from Germany:

"German fashion industry says 'no' to anorexic models

July 11, 2008

Underfed models will have no place on the runways or in ads of German fashion houses, according to a voluntary agreement signed on Friday by German fashion industry representatives and sponsored by Germany’s health minister.

The charter requires that models at fashion shows or appearing in advertisements have a body-mass-index of at least 18.5 – a European dress size 36 – and be 16 years old.

"We want to take a clear stand against an unhealthy body image,“ said Health Minister Ulla Schmidt.

The agreement was signed by fashion trade fair organizer Igedo, the industry federation German Fashion, the German Fashion Institute and the Velma federation of licenced modelling agencies.

While the agreement in Germany does not require a doctor’s certificate, as a similar charter in the UK does, Schmidt called it a "milestone“ in the fight against eating disorders. She said she hopes other sectors, such as the advertising industry, will sign on to the agreement, and that it could be the foundation for a Europe-wide charter.

Ana Carolina Reston

Frank Hartmann, director of the fashion trade fair organizer Igedo, called on the industry to show "that dying of hunger is not part of the job.“ The case of Brazilian supermodel Ana Carolina Reston, who died of anorexia two years ago at the age of 21, was a wake-up call to the industry.

Gerd Müller-Thomkins, director of the German Fashion Institute, criticized the "distorted aesthetic ideas“ of designers, who tend to prefer very thin models.

Around 600,000 people between 15 and 35 years of age in Germany suffer from anorexia or bulemia. According to research carried out by the Robert Koch Institute, about 22 percent of young people between the ages of 11 and 17 have some kind of eating disorder. Among 17-year-old girls, the number is 30 percent. One in ten people suffering from anorexia dies from it.

The advertising industry has been strongly critical of Health Minister Schmidt. The Federation of the German Advertising Industry (ZAV) has accused the industry of using populist and misleading arguments and refused to take part in the initiative."

~~~~~~~~~~
To read my previous posts on the fashion industry and their use of ultra-thin models, please click these links:

BONES OF CONTENTION ON THE CATWALK...

ANA CAROLINA RESTON: SHE WAS YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL & STARVED TO DEATH

HOW MANY MODELS HAVE TO DIE ?

ARE THINNESS LAWS TOO HEAVY-HANDED?

FRANCE TABLES NEW "ANOREXIA" LAW

ABC NEWS FLASH !!! GOOD MORNING AMERICA and 20/20 REPORT ON THE DEADLY KIMKINS DIET SCAM, HEIDI DIAZ/KIMMER and ANOREXIA NERVOSA

The Guardian also has an excellent article about Ana Carolina Reston here:

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/fashion/story/0,,1987945,00.html

LINK:
http://www.thelocal.de/13023/20080711/

Laxative Abuse for Weight Loss

2008-07-12T00:40:00Z

Many with Eating Disorders abuse laxatives (a medication used, in several forms, to bring about a bowel movement) in a misguided attempt to rid the body of the food they've eaten before calories can be absorbed. This is impossible as laxatives are designed to artificially stimulate nerve endings in the colon, the last part of the digestive tract, where indigestible fiber resides after food has

I'll Answer the Refund Question that Heidi Diaz/Kimmer and SingingLass Are Avoiding

2008-07-12T12:53:00Z

A Kimkins member has asked for a refund on the Kimkins message boards, after being ignored by Heidi Diaz in email requests. Note: Singinglass, an admin, claims the member never tried to contact Heidi, so either Singinglass reads Heidi's emails (and as culpable than we thought!) or she believes a known liar. Neither look good for her.

The member said (quoted from multiple posts - you can tell she's getting arguments based on her responses):

How the hell can I get a refund?
I want a refund of my money after watching Kimmer's video deposition and reading the news reports on all of the lies regarding Kimmer and her allegations of tremendous weightloss.
My desire is based on THE LIES!!!!! The pic she posted as her "after picture" was of some Russian woman on a dating site. We joined the site because of the press - which was all based on lies! If you don't eat carbs, surely you will lose lbs, but that is not at issue. What is at issue is people who flocked to this site and joined because of the article in Womens World, which included the big false story about Kimmer and the bogus photographs!!!
My lbs lost have been from following a healthy plan of eating, not starving and losing my hair because of malnutrition. I had to go to the dr and was then told about the big Kimmer fraud and how basically what I was advised to do is starve myself and that's why I got sick.
I've not said anything about $80. Another poster stated taht amount. I paid $59.99 in June. That's good that things are working for you, but I got sick, not unline many others who was starving themselves attempting to obtain the same results that Kimmer received - based on her before and after pictures and her story. Of course it is so now public that she never lost any lbs at all. Customer Service will not contact me.
I joined in June of last year and got pg right thereafter. I got back on after my son was born and started doing the diet and did lose a little lbs. I told my friend what diet was doing and she told me I should check it out because it's not supposed to be a healthy diet and that the creator had been sued several times for fraud, etc. I looked into and was able to read all about the fraud, etc. that had gone on about the Kimkins site - all of which I had no knowledge of prior to that. I also watched Kimmer's video deposition. Have any of you ever looked at that? Or looked at the REAL pictures of her.
Further, I have sent several messages to the site but no one will respond to me and that's why I started the thread.
It may have come out over a year ago, but I just learned about it.

Rather than answer the question about the refund, she got arguments. Her comment about health issues was ignored. Here is Singinglass's logic about why it was OK for Heidi Diaz to lie and lie and lie to get customers:

Really, this is old news for everyone here. In reality, model representation pictures are used for most everything....from diets, to tooth paste, shampoo. Could you imagine what the court rooms would look like if every product was sued or investigated for that? Do you buy shampoo when you see a beautiful model with
sleek shiny hair on a commercial or in an ad? Most likely, she is not using cheap drug store products, and it was doctored to erase any fly aways and to give it more of a gleam. A common before and after picture thing diet pills do, is take a model.....and take the "after" picture first. They then have her gain weight over the course of a couple months, and take another picture, and sell that as the "before". It may not be right, but it is a common practice basically. Mistakes were made, but have been rectified. Have you looked at all the real people who have lost weight on kimkins and have submitted their stories and pictures? My pictures are in my signature, I have lost well over 100 pounds.
I obviously am not a model. So...where as you may not end up with sleek model hair if you buy that shampoo, losing a lot of weight with kimkins is something that actually is possible.

Personally, I don't think models promoting shampoo is the same thing as swearing over and over and over that you have created a healthy diet that you have lost 200 pounds in a year on. It isn't the same as fabricating hundreds of success stories and photonapping from Russian bride websites. They weren't mistakes, they were lies. Fraud. She still hasn't stopped. Nobody believes Heidi, except maybe SingingLass, and frankly nobody believes SingingLass either!

So the answer to the original person's question is - take a stand against fraudulent maketing and join the Kimkins Class Action lawsuit. Here is a video that explains how easy it is to join the Kimkins lawsuit. The attorney for the case is John Tiedt.

(Image source: Honeybee)

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Note: Thank you, to the person who found & shared the posts mentioned here.