DIET | DETECTIVE^®

Awhile back, I wrote a blog called “Is Kimkins the new Atkins?” At the time, it seemed like everyone was raving about Kimkins despite its (many) red flags. It was soon revealed that the celebrity testimonials were fake, the founder was obese, and the diet was insanely unhealthy. (Let’s put it this way: If there was a patent on anorexia, Kimkins would probably be in violation.) Kimkins buzz was quickly replaced by 5-Factor mania, so let’s compare the two.

The founders
KIMKINS: Founded by the mysterious “Kimmer,” who turned out to be an obese woman named Heidi Diaz. When her identity was revealed, she backpedaled, claiming she lost 100 pounds in six months and then regained it thanks to the stress of running a super-successful diet plan.  
5-FACTOR: Score one for this diet—it's founded by Harley Pasternak, trainer to the stars (and legit dude with a degree in nutrition).

The followers  
KIMKINS: Fraudulently claimed Jessica Alba, Paris Hilton, Beyonce, and Lindsay Lohan as followers.
5-FACTOR: Jessica Simpson is probably the most well-known devotee, along with less-skinny stars like John Mayer, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, and Eva Mendes. But I’m rubbed the wrong way by Perez Hilton’s sudden support. For starters, it doesn’t seem like he’s lost an ounce. Also, he’ll hawk anything as long as there’s something in it for him. (Any Perez devotees on here? Let’s discuss some of the awful new music he raves about on a near-daily basis.

The diets
KIMKINS: In a nutshell, stop eating and lose up to 25 pounds in a month!
5-FACTOR: Eat five small, healthy meals a day instead of three big ones. Smart strategy, but needless to say, this isn’t the easiest thing to follow at home—most people have a hard enough time controlling their intake over the course of three meals. Tell them they can eat two more meals each day, and some of them are bound to get confused. (Jessica had the benefit of Harley, in the flesh, planning out her meals.)

The verdict
5-Factor definitely isn’t the new Kimkins—despite some questionable spokescelebs, the diet is founded on a good theory. But it’s likely that Jessica Simpson’s speedy weight loss resulted from a very restrictive version of the plan, and the typical person’s results will be more slow-and-steady. But that’s not a bad thing—after all, being “the new Kimkins” isn’t exactly something to strive for. Just ask Kimmer’s lawyer.

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written by Nonny, January 25, 2008

My favorite part of the Kimkins scandal was how all the testimonials were fake. Some of them were SO obviously not the same woman in the befores as the afters, even before it came out that all the "after" pictures were stolen from various Russian mail-order-bride sites!
haaaa. I love it...

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written by Irene, December 21, 2007

Perez Hilton is getting PAID to promote everything that's on his site...from the music to the few actors that he's nice about