I had an aha! Moment last night and I blogged about it today. My "failures" are almost completely correlated to the dark months of the year. I simply do not care about what I eat and how much I eat when it's dark outside. The saying, "Food doesn't taste as good as skinny feels." Totally leaves me and I quite honestly said to myself as I was stuffing crap in my mouth this winter. "No, food does taste better than skinny feels." For now... for when I'm feeling totally like I'm slogging through mud, I need those foods to make it through. And then starts the downward spiral to sugar/carb addiction and rapid weight gain.

SAD affects a lot of people. Does it affect others here in similar ways? Read the blog for more "stuff" on this for me, but my history of weight gain and loss is so tied to SAD it's not even possible to say it's coincidental! And why haven't I figured that out before????

This definitely happens to me! Especially this past winter that was so harsh where I live (near Boston). I definitely eat more in the dark winter months...I just don't seem to care as much. And it's not just that I can hide in bulky sweaters, I really just don't seem to care. But as soon as the some comes out I want to be healthy, exercise and eat better again. You are so not alone in this!

Welcome back!

Yes, yes, yes, this is so true. I deal with SAD every fall to varying degrees and it is SO EASY to give in to the darkness (literal and in my mind) and just sit on the couch. Even when I know that eating better and being active will lift some of that darkness.

Last year I bought myself a "sunlight lamp" for my desk at work. I used it every morning for an hour or so. I don't know if it was the lamp, a change in birth control, or the fact that I had lost a lot of weight by that point, but this was the best season I've ever had in terms of dealing with my symptoms. I had a few bad weeks, but overall did not have a long season of depression like I usually experience. And I even continued to lose weight!

I think the most important thing is knowing to expect it and then creating a plan for how you will deal with it (especially in relation to your physical health). This is a great time of year to be talking about it so that you can start making a plan. Get yourself into a workout routine now and figure out a way to maintain that through the winter months. Get yourself into good eating habits now so that it will be easier to stick with it come November.

You've got this!