Weight Loss:
Everyone knows there is no magic formula for weight loss, yet it is major burden for so many people. Weight gain often accompanies mood disorders, and it is often a winter problem even without the blue mood. Even binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa, psychiatric conditions that can be distinguished from mood disorders, often become worse in winter. Often, winter appetite turns to carb-rich foods, which combined with lower activity levels constitutes a formula for weight gain.
People with SAD, who are gaining anywhere from 5 to 30 pounds each winter (and losing all or most of it each summer), find that light therapy reduces their carb-cravings. Even patients with winter worsening of bulimia have been able to cut their binge eating by as much as half, using light therapy. With SAD, the turnaround in food cravings and weight gain is slower than the turnaround in mood - it may take several weeks to see a difference - but it works.
We do not know yet whether light therapy can assist with nonseasonal weight loss, but for someone living under conditions of light deprivation, in our opinion, it is worth a try!
