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MyFitnessPal Community

Help hair loss

Beachlady228

Hi,

I have been keto since Jan 15th, 2016. I am a 5' 7", 57 year old women. Starting weight 217, current weight 181, goal weight 160. My hair starting falling about about 2 months ago. I remembered seeing a post when I joined that it was related to fast weight loss and not the diet per se. I thought it would abate when my weight loss slowed. Well I have lost a lot of hair, I would guess about half and it is still coming out. And I have been losing about a pound a week for the last month or more.

I am starting to freak out and wondered if anyone knew what, if anything, I could be doing that would help. I am so happy to have lost the weight and I feel better than I have in years. I know it isn't this WOE, but would love any advice.

I have gotten so much from being a part of this community, so thank you to everyone, especially the kind and patient moderators.

Replies

Deena_Bean

I have heard the same, that losing weight relatively quickly can cause hair loss. I don't know whether or not it's a legitimate statement, though, so I'm afraid I'm not much help. On the bright side, I also heard that it will grow back if it's weight loss related (also not sure of the validity there, just something I read or heard at some point). Good luck, though, hopefully it'll slow soon and you can get some answers.

Sunny_Bunny_

I've been Keto for 13 months now and it was just a couple months ago that I finally noticed my hair wasn't falling out like it had been prior. My weight loss pretty much stopped over 6 months ago, though I've continued getting smaller.
There have been several discussions about this here over the past year. I've also listened to many podcasts it has been talked about. It does always seem to be described as being caused by the weight loss and also theories on detoxing from a major diet change.
Anyway, mine has finally seemed to stop and is definitely thickening back up again. But probably from about 3 to 10 or 11 months it was falling out quite heavily.

petunia773

I had gastric bypass surgery in 2008 and lost a ton of hair and it was due to how rapidly I lost the weight, plus the fact that I had surgery, etc. I was totally freaking out back then. We had hard wood floors and there would be dust bunnies everywhere of MY HAIR!! It was nasty. It did take a while, but it has now grown back. Oddly, when it grew back it had a little bit of natural wave/curl to it. It's now stick straight again. There was nothing to do to prevent it once it started. Good luck!

Dragonwolf

If my math is right, you've lost an average of about 2lbs per week, which means you might not be eating enough.

Log all of your food, consistently, for a week or two and see where your numbers fall. Try not to let the logging dictate your actions. The goal here is to see what you're doing naturally.

From the spattering of entries I'm finding, it looks like both your protein and your calories are, on average, too low. Remember -- carbs are a limit, protein is a goal, and fat is just to satiety. It's usually not necessary to sacrifice protein for the sake of fat.

According to http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/, you should only be eating 1400 if you're completely sedentary. If you do any activity at all, that number should go up. If you're not eating at least 1400, that's probably the prime culprit in your problems.

RowdysLady

petunia773 wrote: »

I had gastric bypass surgery in 2008 and lost a ton of hair and it was due to how rapidly I lost the weight, plus the fact that I had surgery, etc. I was totally freaking out back then. We had hard wood floors and there would be dust bunnies everywhere of MY HAIR!! It was nasty. It did take a while, but it has now grown back. Oddly, when it grew back it had a little bit of natural wave/curl to it. It's now stick straight again. There was nothing to do to prevent it once it started. Good luck!

Ditto. My surgery was in 2003 and because the way I took my nutrients in changed so much my hair loss was epic. I had thick, curly massive amounts of hair. So much I couldn't put it up in a regular pony tail holder...I'd break them. After surgery it thinned a lot. It did grow back in but will never be as thick as it was and now it's just a little wavy and no more messy unruly curls. Because of the surgery I have to take vitamins to ensure I get enough of what I need but it took a while for my body to adjust to a new way of getting them. I would say Keto is akin to that.

KnitOrMiss

It also does not hurt to get your thyroid check (not just your TSH - you can have thyroid issues for a over a decade before it shows up in the TSH), as losing weight can sometimes uncover hidden thyroid issues. I'd get it checked at your next appointment.

Beachlady228

Thanks. My calorie goal is 1400 because I am sedentary (although I am always planning to start exercising). And my weight loss has been around a pound a week for a while. My macros are 5/20/75 and I hit them pretty much every day. I tracked every day except the last 4 when I took a break from logging (not keto) while out of town.

RowdysLady

@dmedoff I was where you were with the "I'm always planning to start exercising" place. I asked my family for a fitness tracker for Mother's Day a month ahead of the occasion and told myself every day that when I got the tracker I was going to move. It worked for me. I got up and started walking. The tracker is a personal coach in that I want to do better than I did the day before....Although I live in East Texas and the rain/flooding has stopped a lot of my walking. I was up to at least 5 miles about every other day or so.

KnitOrMiss

Also @dmedoff - this was posted in another recent thread about hair losses by @dietbepsi...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x55jNuCIbo

I posted this recently (a few minutes ago) on another topic. I really recommend looking into food grade diatomaceous earth. The stuff is amazing and helpful with so many things! For hair and nails, intestinal health, cleansing, skin, it's anti-aging, it's truly amazing.... I have definitely seen improvement in my hair which my hair dresser had told me a couple of months ago that my hair was thinning! I can't afford to lose hair! It's so much healthier. I really feel like the stuff is the all natural fountain of youth. Google it!

@baconslave - I don't know if we want to add this and @dasher602014 's link to the I Breathe I'm Hungry post about it under the supplements or somesuch?

ladipoet

Another factor to consider is the amount of protein you are eating on a daily basis. If you restrict protein too severely, this may also negatively impact the hair loss / hair thinning issue because fingernails and hair are made up of keratin which is all protein-based fibers.

Beachlady228

I was wondering why extreme weight loss (38 pounds in 5 months is great, but hardly seems extreme) would cause hair to fall out. When I read the following paragraph from Prevention Magazine, I had an aha moment. I take all 3 of the medications listed and have been under a high level of stress (5 family members moved in with me in the last 3 months and we submitted 5 federal grants at work). I feel better at least having a good idea about what is happening (it has a name!). And I feel like there are some steps to take. I am going to try the silica supplements @knitormiss. Thanks for the suggestion! Panic level lowered! Stress is making it worse!

Telogen effluvium
Telogen effluvium is a phenomenon that occurs after pregnancy, major surgery, drastic weight loss, or extreme stress, in which you shed large amounts of hair every day, usually when shampooing, styling, or brushing. It can also be a side effect of certain medications, such as antidepressants, beta-blockers, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. During telogen effluvium, hair shifts faster than normal from its growing phase into the "resting" phase before moving quickly into the shedding, or telogen, phase.

The symptoms: Women with telogen effluvium typically notice hair loss 6 weeks to 3 months after a stressful event. At its peak, you may lose handfuls of hair.

The tests: There are no tests for telogen effluvium, but your doctor may ask you about recent life events and look for small "club- shaped" bulbs on the fallen hair’s roots. The bulbs mean the hair has gone through a complete cycle of growth, suggesting that the cycle may have sped up due to stress.

What you can do: In some cases, such as pregnancy or major surgery, you may have to bide your time until the hair loss slows. If medication is the culprit, talk to your doctor about lowering your dosage or switching drugs. If it’s stress-related, do your best to reduce anxiety