Hair Loss and LCHF

JessicaLCHF

So I started losing my hair a lot about a month ago - at the same time I started eating very low carb again (under 40 net carbs a day, sometimes under 20). I thought it was my thyroid but all my levels are good and my endocrinologist thinks it's my diet (which he likes for the weight loss and blood sugar numbers).

He wants me to take a multivitamin. Anyone else ever experience this? He said I can expect it to possibly continue until I'm goal weight. I told him that was 100 pounds away! So I'll be slim, trim, and bald?

FIT_Goat

What is your protein average, calorie average, and predicted TDEE?

I almost always find this symptom associated with excessive calorie and/or protein restriction. I know people who have experienced this symptom doing calorie restricted keto, but have thick and strong hair eating unrestricted zero-carb. So, I doubt it is the lack of carbs that cause the issue.

Hair is mostly protein. If your body doesn't have enough, it isn't going to be able to make healthy hair.

FIT_Goat

I have looked at your diary.

Your goal is listed as 2,000 calories but you're eating 1,200 or lower almost all the time. Your protein goal is ~125g but you're often eating less than half of that.

You say you need to lose another 100 pounds. Using some ball-park estimates, your listed protein goal seems reasonable to me. Even the listed calorie goal seems reasonable. I know that 1200 calories a day gives you the "best" time-frame for losing the weight, but it may not be best for your health.

Sunny_Bunny_

I also lost lots of hair while counting calories around the 1200 range. Only stopped as I raised calories in response to my increased hunger as I got closer to goal.

JessicaLCHF

I don't limit my calories. I eat until satisfied. I put my goal at 2000 precisely so I won't fret about going over the 1400 I believe MFP set for me.

Protein, yes I always have a hard time hitting it. However, my last visit to the doc showed protein in my urine she's worried about, so I am loathe to increase that just for the sake of increasing it. That said, I eat a lot more protein on LCHF than I did on the SAD a month ago before I started losing my hair. But. I'm sure I ate a lot more calories.

JessicaLCHF

Just checked my diary. I ate over 1600 cals twice last week. I'd say my avg is closer to 1300.

I ignore the calories as much as possible. If I could, I wouldn't even have MFP count them.

auntstephie321

I had hair loss about four months in. I learned a bit during that time period because I was freaking out that I would be bald too. I find that your body naturally has times of new hair growth and times on no new hair growth so it goes in cycles anyway. You'll always be losing hair as well. The two things that I found that affected this they most were caloric intake and protein intake. When you eat at a deficit to lose weight your body uses the calories you do eat to fuel essential functions like organs and body temperature stuff, hair growth is not essential so it doesn't allocate allot towards that. Also your hair is made of protein so if you aren't eating enough it's going to use everything it can to prevent muscle loss as much as possible.

So is possible though you've only been back to lc for a month, the other previous strains on your body recently if I recall correctly, and the low calorie eating are catching up now and you are in a period where you are not growing as much new hair. Don't stress though it'll stay growing again, some people recommended biotin supplements, I didn't take anything and increased my calories since I was closer to goal. I grew a bunch back about 3 months after I noticed it thinning and even more is growing in now.

auntstephie321

JessicaLCHF wrote: »

I don't limit my calories. I eat until satisfied. I put my goal at 2000 precisely so I won't fret about going over the 1400 I believe MFP set for me.

Protein, yes I always have a hard time hitting it. However, my last visit to the doc showed protein in my urine she's worried about, so I am loathe to increase that just for the sake of increasing it. That said, I eat a lot more protein on LCHF than I did on the SAD a month ago before I started losing my hair. But. I'm sure I ate a lot more calories.

Your hair loss isn't from just one month, it takes a good 3-6 months of something to affect it, I honestly think it's more to do with your surgeries than anything, your body had to do a lot of healing so most resources headed to that and not hair.

Sunny_Bunny_

You can wait it out too. I'm never a fan of eating when not hungry.
My hair filled right back in once the fallout stopped. You'd never know it ever seemed to be thinning. And it never got really thin for me.

RowdysLady

After my gastric bypass this happened and it's happening now too. I've been Keto since April. After my body fully adapted to the process of my surgery my hair stopped falling out so much. I expect the same this time. It never became so thin that anyone else would have truly noticed it.

FIT_Goat

As has been said, it takes more than a month to effect hair growth. It could be 3-4 months back. If you're eating to hunger, things should sort themselves out. It does tend to self-correct long before you end up bald.

You may very well be eating as much as your body wants, if you have excess to lose. But, just because you have access to the "calories" doesn't mean your body has access to all the protein it needs. Your body doesn't really store excess protein. So, focus on protein as a primary goal. It is hard, and often not really appetizing, but it could help reduce the hair loss.

Sunny_Bunny_

FIT_Goat wrote: »

As has been said, it takes more than a month to effect hair growth. It could be 3-4 months back. If you're eating to hunger, things should sort themselves out. It does tend to self-correct long before you end up bald.

You may very well be eating as much as your body wants, if you have excess to lose. But, just because you have access to the "calories" doesn't mean your body has access to all the protein it needs. Your body doesn't really store excess protein. So, focus on protein as a primary goal. It is hard, and often not really appetizing, but it could help reduce the hair loss.

This sounds like fantastic advice to me.

JessicaLCHF

auntstephie321 wrote: »

I had hair loss about four months in. I learned a bit during that time period because I was freaking out that I would be bald too. I find that your body naturally has times of new hair growth and times on no new hair growth so it goes in cycles anyway. You'll always be losing hair as well. The two things that I found that affected this they most were caloric intake and protein intake. When you eat at a deficit to lose weight your body uses the calories you do eat to fuel essential functions like organs and body temperature stuff, hair growth is not essential so it doesn't allocate allot towards that. Also your hair is made of protein so if you aren't eating enough it's going to use everything it can to prevent muscle loss as much as possible.

So is possible though you've only been back to lc for a month, the other previous strains on your body recently if I recall correctly, and the low calorie eating are catching up now and you are in a period where you are not growing as much new hair. Don't stress though it'll stay growing again, some people recommended biotin supplements, I didn't take anything and increased my calories since I was closer to goal. I grew a bunch back about 3 months after I noticed it thinning and even more is growing in now.

Yes! Lots of strains on my body (three surgeries in a year's time). Thanks! Could be it.

JessicaLCHF

Thanks all. I'm still worried about eating too much protein, based on doctor advice, so I think I'll just stay the course for now and wait. It makes sense this is related more to my crazy summer and not to the 5-6 weeks of eating different.

Doc wants to but me on ACE inhibitors (and statins) due to the protein in my urine (she said the ACE inhibitors are to protect my kidneys and the statins to protect my heart since they go hand in hand), but for now I'm taking a wait and see attitude on that, too.

See if losing weight and getting my diabetes under control clears some things up before I add even more meds to my already too long list. It's only been one bad test so far. I'm retesting in another two months or so. Then I'll look at it again.

GaleHawkins

As I transition from disordered eating to ordered eating the body reacted in strange ways so I think that's normal for some of us.

KnitOrMiss

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10372587/Biotin-/-hair-loss#Latest

From what I remember of this thread, there were some other supplement types suggested there...

Collagen is also a supplement that can be added to shakes. It is protein, but it's typically absorbed in a different way that some proteins...so it might not bother whatever is going on with the protein in your urine... It's probably worth putting on the "to try later" list...

kpk54

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10452223/hair-loss#latest
And another.

CaliforniaAJ

I had this too, but I had also experienced it 2 years ago 3 months after my dog passed away. 6 months later my hair has started filling in again, but my new growth is mostly gray (I am 46). I don't care what colour it is, as long as I have it!
My husband also suffered some hair loss after 3 months on low carb, and he has always had the thickest hair.
Don't stress, wait it out, and your body will rebalance.

JessicaLCHF

Lol. Well. It might come back grey. Or as hubby calls it, "silver". He actually loves grey hair, so... I guess that's a win?! Lol.

I already have a lot of streaking grey in the front around my face (I'm 45). A random guy at church no less commented to me the other day that I should highlight the back of my hair, too, and not just the front. SHM

KnitOrMiss

So, I'm listening to the keto summit replays today, and I'm listening to Maria Emmerich...

Hair loss can be a sign of zinc deficiency.



Maria mentioned specifically that craving sweets after a meal can be a sign of zinc deficiency. Having white dots on your nails can be a huge waving red flag of a long term deficiency. Getting nauseated when taking a multi-vitamin is often indicative of it, too. Apparently you have to start supplementing at really low levels. She said her first question is always, are you eating red meat? If yes, then do you have an absorption issue.

https://draxe.com/zinc-deficiency/ Read the parts at the end about risk factors.

Apparently iron deficiency can also cause hair loss. Both of these are related to bad gut health. As are most mental conditions like depression and anxiety. Serotonin is created/formed in the gut. If your gut is bad, the rest will never get to the best it can be...

http://ketosummit.com/encore-video-maria-emmerich/

Definitely worth some tests, IMO. I'm going to dig into her site and see if serum blood tests are sufficient to show a proper deficiency...