I've already written one recent blog about fat, and I was determined not to write about the same subject again so soon. But there's no escaping it - this is just a fat week!

For one thing I have been craving ghee. I have no idea why, but if I didn't rein myself in, I could eat ghee out of a bowl with a spoon. Knowing that there could be some underlying need for extra essential fatty acids, I've used more ghee and olive oil than I normally would. But as is typical with craving - a little more makes me want more and more and more.

Then there were some posts on the Forum lamenting that one day of eating avoids can lead a weight gain that lasts the rest of the week. I have occasionally experienced that. Since the weight goes away after 3-4 days of consistency on the BTD, it is clearly water weight and not fat. I know that intellectually, nonetheless when the scale is up and the clothes are snug - I feel fat!

On top of that, my Bible study has me in the book of Leviticus. These are difficult chapters to read with their incredibly detailed descriptions of Old Testament sacrifices. Usually when I read this part of the Bible, I'm looking for the big picture - the broad application that Jesus fulfilled those sacrificial requirements when he died on the cross.

This week all I can see is fat! For every sacrifice that is described there is instruction about what to do with the fat. The bottom line was - burn it, don't eat it. Parts of the meat were to be eaten by the person offering the sacrifice. Parts of the meat were to be given to the priests. But over and over it says burn the fat. Leviticus 3:17 says, "You shall eat neither fat nor blood." Leviticus 7:23 says, "You shall not eat any fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat."

In contrast, the same chapters speak highly of using oil in cooking. Cakes made with oil, wafers made with fine flour and oil, grain baked with oil - I'm getting hungry as I type!

How to conclude such a disjointed blog? The week has underscored some basic principles:

Your body needs essential fatty acids - do not be lured into a low fat diet

You do not need globs of animal fat. Choose lean meats and trim the fat.

Do not be terrified by a brief weight gain after indulging in avoids, the quicker you get back to beneficials and neutrals, the quicker your scale will return to normal.