For years I have suffered from bouts of depression. Anti-depressants were prescribed to me from my 20s, and at 30 I finally seemed to have found a "winning" formula. After all, a combination of two pills seemed to drive away the depressive feelings. However, I noticed after a couple of years that my memory was deteriorating sharply and came to the conclusion that the anti-depressants might have been the cause of that. Anno 2020 I therefore swore off the pills again, but ended up feeling depressed again. I needed something new.
When I first got started with the carnivore diet, I didn't know what hit me. After several days of eating only animal-derived products, I first experienced a huge energy dip. I felt miserable and listless as a result of switching from a carbohydrate-rich diet to one that consisted mostly of protein and some fat. Entire days I lay in my couch, wondering at times what I had gotten myself into. Was this the diet that was supposed to get me back on track? After about 10 days, however, the sky suddenly began to clear. Suddenly I felt tremendously energetic. The contrast with the previous days was huge. My depressive feelings disappeared like sneeze before the sun, I could concentrate better and organize my thoughts. I was optimistic, more creative and my short-term memory was greatly improved. All the stories I had heard about the carnivore diet were not a lie! Of course, the doctor pressed me to stop this diet that was causing strong cholesterol spikes in my blood. I also lost weight, which in my case was not really desirable. But how could I say no to a diet that made me feel so much better?
After a few months I then started a new job. After all, I was unemployed at the start of my new diet so I was also in a state of relative calm. I didn't have much stress. Did not have to wake up early in the morning. My experiences at work were largely positive. The same positive effects I had previously experienced at home continued in my new position; I couldn't believe my luck. Life was smiling at me. However, I also noticed that I became tired more often in the afternoon. I attributed this to a lack of energy, an inadequate intake of fats as well that could not fully replace the high-energy/carbohydrate diet of before. At night, I slept like a baby. What I hadn't been able to do for a long time was now happening: around 9 o'clock I could go to bed and fall asleep immediately instead of laying awake for hours on end. But the fact that I was getting tired at my job was still a concern, and so after a few months I decided to add some more carbs again to perhaps find a balance that way: the concentration of the meat diet combined with the energy of the carbs that were added on a limited basis. However, in the (6) months that followed, things went downhill more and more. I increasingly lost concentration, couldn't organize my thoughts properly, forgot a lot and often, and often had trouble listening to colleagues. I also felt tired during the day, yet I found it hard to fall asleep at night. Eventually I had to quit work another 9 months later because of burnout. Meanwhile, I had also been adding more and more carbohydrates because I had become disappointed and somewhat demotivated.
I thought the time had come to once again adhere to the carnivore diet in a strict manner. However, where the first time it was almost magical how quickly I made progress and started to feel better, now the diet seemed to have little effect on my mood or cognitive abilities. After 4 months I began to regain some more energy and suffer less from depressive feelings but the latter had not disappeared and other positive effects such as better memory and inspiration were also completely absent. I felt strongly that I felt better as a result of having more rest again (I went from full-time work to 50%), than that the carnivore diet was at the root of this. Today I still have this feeling, and strongly doubt continuing the diet. At the same time, I am rather pessimistic toward the future. Without the positive effects of the carnivore diet, it is not entirely clear to me how I can hold down a full-time job. I no longer want to be on anti-depressants, so which options are left? Working less is possible but not desirable for obvious reasons.
Are there people who have had similar experiences with the meat diet? Could someone please explain why it was so much less virtuous for my mood the second time around?
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Alla dvice is greatly appreciated.
