Do We Have Seasonal Depression All Wrong?

Dark winter days didn’t give me SAD.

I suffered from seasonal depression most of my life, until last year.

I was also a fat kid, chubby teen and pudgy 20-something, so my big goal was always to lose weight.

And like every other American, the weight loss would never stick. I never connected my depression and anxiety, which always got worse in winter, to being overweight — but I do now.

Friends would say,

“You aren’t fat!”

I knew better. I was 5'4" and 140 eating a standard “healthy” diet of whole grains, fruits, and veggies. My weight see-sawed from 135 to 165. I wasn’t obese, but I was uncomfortable. Worse, it was always a battle.

When I solved the weight problem, I inadvertently fixed my seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

I now believe lack of sunlight and short winter days don’t cause SAD. They may contribute, but there is more to the story.

When it comes to mood, the benefits of changing my diet have been a surprise. Although I went from a stubborn 130 lbs to 107 lbs — without restricting how much I eat or doing intense workouts — beating depression was a bigger victory.

The truth is — I always thought I could lose weight, but I never believed I could be a non-depressed person.

Major (Winter) Depression

Most people with SAD get worse beginning in the fall, according to The Mayo Clinic.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) notes that SAD affects millions of Americans, and is more common in women and people with underlying conditions such as bipolar disease, ADHD, anxiety, or eating disorders.

Theories about what causes SAD abound, from low Vitamin D levels to genetic predisposition.

One randomized trial compared using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) versus exposure to light, concluding CBT was more effective by the second winter.

Some researchers have called for a new approach to treatment: looking at the problem holistically and suggesting it isn’t all about light and darkness.

My SAD pattern was typical:

— Early November

I lose motivation for work and school and prefer sleeping in.

— Christmas

I’m begging for the New Year to arrive, like a sunrise after a long, dark night.

— Mid-January

I feel slightly better. I keep telling myself: every day is getting longer.

— February

Nope, I still feel crappy, as I reminisce about the Fourth of July.

— Late March

The dogwoods began to bloom, and I start to snap out of it.

— June

I’m myself again.

Major Depression is characterized by difficulty getting out of bed, slow reaction time and slow movement, too much (or more rarely, too little) sleep, cravings for carbs and sugar, and mood fluctuations — among other signs and symptoms.

The standard story about what triggers SAD is lack of sunlight. Treatments include:

— Getting early morning light

— Going outside regularly to increase exposure to light

— Using a light box every day

— Keeping a regular sleep schedule

— Talk therapy, such as CBT

— Regular exercise

Some people who suffer from SAD also use meds, and those who have severe cases may resort to electric shock therapy (EST), or relocating to a different climate in winter.

What If Holiday Eating is the Problem?

Almost everyone eats more carbs, and particularly more sweets, in winter. My pattern was typical:

October

Halloween: gorged on candy for several days

November

My birthday (mid-November): special meal including a special dessert

Thanksgiving: lots of potatoes and dressing and pies, lasting several days

December

It’s the first of the month, and this means my parents put out a yuletide calendar with one piece of candy for every day of the month. Guess who always ate it?

Christmas: in the morning, we ate homemade coffee cake. With dinner, pie. The extra food and pies lasted several days.

January

New Year’s: as a teen, I would go out and get roaring drunk.

I consumed sugar, sugar, and more sugar during the height of the holiday season, like every other American (and many non-Americans).

Unless you are on a no-sugar diet, it’s nearly impossible to resist holiday treats. You might dodge candy at Halloween, only to succumb to pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.

Undiagnosed Sugar-holic

Growing up, I had a penchant to overeat on sugar whenever I could get it, and no one ever accused me of turning down seconds.

I’d always ask for a second pancake on the rare occasion my mother cooked them. If I could get away with two servings of cereal, I’d eat a second bowl of Rice Krispies.

I didn’t do well with doughnuts or bagels, even with supervision.

If extra money came my way, my best friend and rode to the convenience store for soda pop and penny candy.

In my twenties, I went on a very low-fat vegan diet called The McDougall Plan. No meat or dairy or oils, but plenty of grains and fruits. After six months I was living mainly on bagels (with fat-free jam), pasta, and potatoes (with fake powdered butter).

Sure, you can eat McDougall healthy but it’s a giant pain in the butt and most people begin eating a lot of carbs because they are convenient and filling.

I lost weight eating no-fat but it didn’t last.

I felt unwell, lost my period, overate on grains, and got really tired of vegetables. My seasonal depression didn’t lift, and my anxiety got worse.

Eating Like an American — on Meds

Episodes of Major Depression got so bad in my late thirties I finally resorted to psych meds (Le*apr*), which lasted for nearly three years. At first, they seemed to help even out my mood.

I stopped oversleeping. I felt less hopeless, despite having a stressful job as a high school Special Education teacher.

But I soon reached a whopping 160 pounds. My sex drive vanished, too. I was back to square one: now overweight, and even more anxious as I slogged through withdrawal from the drugs.

A funny thing happened a couple of years later: After being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I finally got serious about regaining my health.

In 2005, my doctor prescribed standard meds to treat Hashimoto’s. She said I would be on them for life, and I was still depressed — especially from November to February — but the Sy*throid helped me shed the newly gained weight.

Just like the psych meds, thyroid meds worked briefly but ultimately failed.

Fast forward to 2017. I got fed up with the meds not working because I still had so many thyroid symptoms. I was still moody, oversleeping, and generally unmotivated during Winter.

And yes, my Vitamin D levels weren’t great: about 30. This, despite living in one of the sunniest places on earth, southern Arizona.

The Massive Benefits of an Extreme Diet

I decided to try an “extreme” dietary approach again, and went on the AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) diet, similar to Whole30 but somewhat more restrictive.

No grains, sugar, dairy, or nightshades — for starters.

I lost some weight , down to 120 pounds. The last time I weighed that much I was 10 years old. My mood somewhat improved, as well.

AIP is very strict, so I began the process of reintroducing foods: eggs and butter and decaf coffee. Chocolate and tea gave me headaches. Potatoes made me crave more potatoes, and that went double for rice.

Had I cured my Hashimoto’s disease? No! So aside from maintaining a healthy weight, I had little reason to continue the strict diet.

Sure enough, when I started eating moderate portions of potatoes or rice, my weight began to creep up.

Despite having moved from sunny, mild southern Arizona to drizzly, gray Arkansas, AIP did somewhat improve SAD.

Hmmm. Maybe my winter doldrums weren’t caused by weather and light?

Those Crazy Keto Kids

People who eat very low carb, defined as less than 5% of calories from carbs each day, rave about how much better they feel.

I was skeptical. What about vitamins and minerals, not to mention fiber?

Out of desperation, I began researching keto. I discovered a treasure trove of scientific articles showing that not only was very low carb eating much more effective for weight loss (compared with low-fat diets), but plenty of people got big health benefits.

Keto was ideal for lowering insulin levels and reversing diabetes! Keto was the best way to lose weight!

Keto was great for depression!

I told my husband I was nixing rice and potatoes for good. Obviously, I couldn’t eat them “in moderation” and I was tired of being jerked around by food.

Surprisingly, he got on board and said he wanted to “go keto,” too.

Within three days, I abandoned him for a carnivore diet.

The Carnivore Diet and Mood

It sounds bonkers to eat only meat, but hear me out.

A high-fat, moderate protein way of eating is the ultimate elimination diet — and for those of us who have autoimmune issues and mood disorders, this can be a godsend. It was for me.

The diet provides necessary vitamins and mineals.

My TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) went from 11 to 6 within a month, and my Vitamin D shot up to 51. The rest of my labs were excellent, including an HDL of 93 and triglycerides of 91.

I am sailing through this holiday season without low moods, anxiety, or sleeping in. I don’t eat anything but beef, lamb, pasture-raised pork, and water. (I can have salt but I tend to limit it because it makes me crave water.)

No spices, no carbs, and definitely no sugar.

It’s been 14 weeks. I don’t have headaches, which have plagued me for decades, anymore. My sleep has improved. I never argue with my spouse (!), who has stayed on a keto diet.

My weight is 107 and I have good muscle mass (about 75%). I’m back at the gym lifting weights. I am not taking any meds, including for my thyroid.

As far as I can tell, getting 100% off sugar has cured my seasonal depression. I was very close to being sugar-free when I ate AIP, but I did have fruit and sometimes honey and on holidays, sugary, gluten-free, AIP-approved treats.

Others who have stayed carnivore have had similar results, making for an enthusiastic — if small — tribe of adherents.

Final Meaty Thoughts

What if seasonal winter depression is triggered by sugar?

What if instead of eating more sugar as a balm for mood, people eat more of it simply because they started eating some Halloween candy and now can’t stop?

Plenty of evidence reveals sugar is as addictive as cocaine.

I urge anyone who struggles with depression, seasonal or not, to consider taking an “extreme” measure and try a new diet, before going on meds.

Again, I’m no doctor — just a much happier, formerly depressed person.

Looking for resources on eating keto or carnivore? Check out Dr. Jason Fung, author of The Diabetes Code and The Obesity Code, or Dr. Ken Berry, author of Lies My Doctor Told me, or the FB group World Carnivore Tribe. For an overview, check out The Carnivore Diet, by Dr. Shawn Baker.

If you are looking for medical supervision when switching to a carnivore diet, go to Paleomedicina (ICMNI) for an online program. They have supervised over 10,000 individuals seeking help with autoimmune and other serious illnesses.

Jean Campbell is a 4x top writer in food, humor, fitness, and psychology. She went carnivore October 1, 2021, and hasn’t looked back.

Researcher Amber O’Hearn has written a great deal about eating carnivore.