Many Kimkins members post their daily menus on our member forum to share with other members and to stay accountable for their eating plans. The other day a new member posted an observation that these menus showed a lot of repetition and asked wouldn't it be better if there was more variety?

Here's my reply:

Welcome to the board! The purpose of Kimkins, and maybe more directly KE (Kimmer Experiment) is very rapid weight loss.

Why? There's a host of reasons; most importantly is to avoid an impending health crisis. Is everyone aware, for example, that obesity (which isn't that many pounds over your ideal weight by the way) leads to Type 2 diabetes? And once you are diabetic, it's for life! You don't cure diabetes. Once your cells have lost their ability to process sugar, it's gone for life.

I'll skip the complications of diabetes because we've all seen the photos of leg amputations, kidney dialysis and heart failure -- and wouldn't those unfortunate folks give just about anything to "do it over" and lose weight?

It's depressing to lose two pounds a week. When you're a size 24, it takes a good 20 pounds to lose just one size. That's almost three months! What's the reward? Size 22?  Take it from me, it's not that much different than a size 24. Now I'd need another 3 months to make size 20. Six months for two sizes?

Meanwhile, I'm foregoing my favorite snacks like cheese enchiladas, Entemann's cheese pastry and nacho cheese Doritos (do you sense my weakness is cheese, which is why I keep it out of the house?).

Could I have snuck five Doritos and still lost? Sure. But if I could stop at five Doritos I wouldn't have weighed 318 pounds.

I don't know how strong your willpower is, but feeling deprived (and maybe having carb cravings since I'd have to eat more to only lose two pounds a week) for six months wouldn't have worked for me.

And that's not to say that doing what's necessary for quick weight loss is for everyone. It isn't. But, for those who want it, need it, are willing to work for fast weight loss, then we have Kimkins.

Many of the sample menus you'll notice from other members are from exactly those people who want it gone. NOW! Does it lead to them regaining later? Not any more so than those who have tried Nutrisystem, Atkins, Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers ... multiple times. Personally, I think Kimkins has an advantage because there's instant gratification in seeing the scale drop like a rock.

Is Kimkins a fad diet? You bet! So is Atkins, Pritikin, Scarsdale, South Beach and a gaggle of other rapid weight loss diets. Pretty much anything that produces more than one to two a week!

Let's say you don't want to lose that quickly. You don't have to. Pick the basic Kimkins plan and add what you desire. Perhaps you'd prefer something more in line with Atkins Induction and more fat? I'm glad you brought that up because that is exactly why there isn't a specific fat quantity mentioned! "As much fat as needed for your menu" leaves the gate wide open for those who prefer slower loss in exchange for veggie dishes with cream and cheese, cheeseburgers, chicken wings ... you get the picture.

I think it would be valuable for other members if you were post your menus in the Daily Menu thread -- open a dialogue.

I'm so glad you're here! A fresh opinion is always welcome!

Can fat raise your blood sugar?

No. Fat contains no sugars (carbs) and doesn't affect blood sugar levels. While this may sound like a low carb dream, we must keep in mind that fat has more than twice as many calories as protein or carbs (9 per gram compared to 4 for protein/carbs).

How much do I need to exercise on Kimkins?

Surprisingly, you don't need to exercise at all! Some Kimkins members prefer to include some exercise or cardio activity as part of their commitment to wellness, but you'll lose just as quickly without it.

Why? Because you need to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound. If a 200 lb woman walks 30 minutes a day burning 175 calories each session it will take 3 weeks to lose just 1 pound. As she continues this activity her body will become more efficient and actually burn less calories each session!

Yes, you do build muscle which burns more calories, but not to a great degree unless you're training with substantial weight for long periods. You also need to challenge yourself to build additional muscle or your body will remain the same.

Do you have a question for me? Come and ask in Questions & Advice on the Member Forum.

Beef Roulade

The spectacular presentation makes this a “Company's Coming” favorite!

• 2 lb flank steak, trimmed
• 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped fine (jarred roasted OK)
• 1 bag spinach, frozen & drained
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 Tbsp garlic, minced (jarred OK)
• 4 Tbsp onion, caramelized (optional)
• black pepper, salt, garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

On a large cutting board, pound out the flank steak until 1/4” thick rectangle. You butcher will gladly do this for you, or you can do it yourself with a heavy can of veggies (cover can with Saran plastic wrap for cleanliness).

Sprinkle meat generously with black pepper, garlic powder and salt. Evenly spread chopped spinach over meat area within 1” of borders. Next, evenly sprinkle parmesan cheese, chopped garlic, roasted bell peppers and onions. Sprinkle lightly with black pepper & garlic powder.

Starting at the short end begin rolling the meat, jelly roll style. Sprinkle jelly roll with black pepper. You may wish to tie the roll in 4-5 places with butcher's twine. Spray baking dish with nonstick spray and place meat seam side down.

Bake for 1 hour, remove from heat, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes so juices can redistribute. Slice into 1” servings, arranging slices to show the beautiful pinwheel design!

If you snack on 12 almonds instead of a Snickers bar 3 times a week for a year, you'll save 30,576 calories and 780 grams of saturated fat – that's roughly the equivalent of 54 Big Macs! Los Angeles nutritionist Philip Goglia

A quick thought for anyone who drinks alcohol. As delicious as a mai tai is on a hot summer day, rum, vodka or any distilled alcohol is technically a poison. During times of war, it's even used an emergency sterilizer for surgical tools! A dangerous byproduct of alcohol metabolism is forming acetaldehyde. If there's too much acetaldehyde in your blood stream you die -- more commonly known as alcohol poisoning.

What does this mean to a dieter? Each alcoholic drink causes some damage to the liver. Fortunately, the liver can withstand a fair amount of abuse before it shuts down it's wondrous array of metabolic functions. But years of enjoying alcohol (or being obese) can result in a medical condition known as fatty liver. What this means is that the liver literally becomes congested with fat globules and can't do its job. Your cholesterol levels will be very high because the liver can't metabolize fat.

What does the liver do? It has many functions including filtering everything we eat, drink or breathe. For a dieter, it's the furnace of the body. As body fat is burned, it's metabolized by the liver and expelled. However, for a liver congested with fat there's no room so to speak for the liver to do this vital work. It's pretty much as fruitless as trying to race your car to work while stuck in a traffic jam. Nothing's happening.

If you lose weight more slowly than you think you should and you've been a fan of alcohol for a number of years, you owe your liver a favor. Ask your doctor for liver function blood tests. Discuss the results and your alcohol consumption with him. Promise yourself to start a new path to health including losing extra body fat.

Your liver is your friend. Give it a break.