The Kruse Missile Defense System

I'm hoping this will be the last post I'll have make addressing the phenomenon that is Jack Kruse MD,DDS aka Leptin Man, Dr. Duvet, Quack Frost, Quilt, Digisurgeon etc.etc.   According to Melissa McEwen over on Paleo Hacks, there are some bigwigs in the community who are concerned enough about this that they are planning to address it in concert publicly soon.  I say, the sooner the better.   Kurt Harris recently informed us of the severing of any ties that may have  existed between Jack and Mark Sisson.  This is encouraging to learn.   However until then there are those who are inferring motive on some of his more outspoken detractors such as Melissa and myself and countless others who haven't devoted entire blog posts to the matter.   

One of the more common defenses of Kruse I've seen lately, particularly following PaleoFX, is that Kruse is a genius and those who don't get him simply don't understand his brilliant ideas.  They are often accused of not reading Jack's genius manifestos.  Sound familiar?  I've coined/spoken of this "baffling with bullshit" (BWBS) phenomenon here before.  Use enough big words, sound knowledgeable/comfortable enough using them, and for good measure have a few letters after your name, and bingo!

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In a Nutshell ...

A comment on another post by SJ pretty much nails the starch angst pervading the low carb webosphere on the head:

A couple of paleo/primal dieters mention that they're eating potatoes and it's the g*****mn carbocalypse.  Why is it so upsetting to these people that some people feel better when they eat a bit of starch?

Let's presume that is not a rhetorical question and answer it.  This behavior is explained by the fact that somehow carbohydrate restriction has become a religious cult, with all the trappings thereof.  All the lost suffering souls who found solace and redemption after reading Good Calories, Bad Calories in the Church of Taubes.   It makes me very glad that in 2007 when I decided to try one last time to shed the weight I did it on my own, telling nobody but my immediate family that I was even doing it, and just going from memory doing a pretty clean Atkins induction.  The Church of Taubes sucks you in.  For all their knocking of Weight Watchers, the Church is a virtual group where your voice is heard, you are accepted unconditionally and you find all the love and support you've been missing from your conventional-wisdom-steeped doctors, friends and family.  In 2009, after losing the weight, I found LLVLC forum.  There are a lot of very nice people there supporting one another in their weight loss efforts, extolling the virtues of low carbing, assuring one another that carbs are like rat poison, insulin is the devil hormone and Taubes is a genius.  When you leave the cult, you lose a lot of support and friendship you've come to lean on and it's hard to find that on the outside.  Cults are famous for targeting the disenfranchised.

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