Keto and hair loss

Makingmyselfover

4.5 monts in keto and IF (4-6 window) with amazing results. I am down 54 (30 to go) but in the last 4 weeks my hair has started to fall like crazy. I dont understand.... i am eating helthy, lot of greens and vitamins.... this did not happy when i survive just on cake.... any advise? Has this happened to anyone?

FIT_Goat

Female?

Drop the IF. The stress is a major component for hair loss and women handle IF poorly with few (if any) benefits.

It is also likely related to the rapid weight loss. Averaging 3 lbs a week is likely faster than your body can healthily sustain. Eat more, especially protien.

Once this starts, it tends to take several weeks to correct, and it usually is a result of what you were doing several weeks ago.

baconslave

As Goat said, stress can cause hair loss (IF), and fast weight loss can cause hair loss.
You have both going. In most cases, the hair loss will level off soon and stop. Google "telogen effluvium" if nerdy explanations of biological details will help you.

nvmomketo

My guess was the weight loss. I've experienced that when losing quickly (2-3 lbs / week) at about 3 or 4 months in. It resolved when my losses slowed . I also have hypothyroidism which tends to cause hair loss.

KetoZandra

I've done some research on this. The 1st time I did keto with IF (16/8 every day) the same thing happened to me, I don't have a lot of hair so it was very distressing. From what I read the body can take 3 months to react to a trauma and I think for me the trauma of suddenly doing keto and IF and losing weight was why. I had to stop both due to an injury and my hair over about 6 months came back.
This time around on Keto I did low carb for a month and moved into Keto from there. I am losing weight at a slower rate but that's fine, I'm 55 this month. I'm now at 90 days tracking and this past week I started to introduce 16/8 IF (2 days IF, one day regular, repeat.)
I am also keeping my food protein heavy.
I have not lost any hair and I think it has a lot to do with the plan this time.

I hope this helps.

qweck3

My take after reading a nutritional science course chapter on this: Not enough protein intake --> Doing ill timed IF ---> Body in starvation mode ---> Protein starts breaking down muscles to fuel the body energy needs ---> Limited protein left for essential body functions which can mess with hair, nails, skin on and on. Not having adequate protein is like trying to stand on one leg (fat) almost all the time on a LC diet. It works but is not efficient.

canadjineh

RE: IFing for women: https://idmprogram.com/losing-weight-for-women-and-men-women-and-fasting-part-2/ Dr. Fung - Part 2 of 10 on Women & Fasting

FIT_Goat

In my experience, a 42 hour fast done three times a week has been the most successful fasting protocol for women looking to lose weight.

What the kitten is that? Women don't get to eat for 75% of the week. Would that be a 6-hour feeding window every other day, with a non-fasting day each week? I also note that this is focused just on the weight loss aspect. On the bright side, at least more IF proponents are admitting that women tend to do worse with IF, even if they are then trying to find plans to make IF work for women. Oddly enough, much of the IF advice for women is contradictory. I found pages saying 16:8 is a good IF plan for women who have problems with IF while others said it wasn't.

http://paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/

This is an older article, but it sums up most of the research I am aware of. I haven't seen anything that shows benefits for women from IF. What I have seen is research that shows a large percentage of women have negative side-effects from it (including the hair loss OP mentioned).

kpk54

She did talk about how body composition changes with fasting indicating she was 34% body fat at 97 pounds and considerably less (body fat) at a higher 112 pounds due to fasting. But still...I'm with you @FIT_Goat. I was reading "Three, 36 to 42 hour fasts per week" and thinking what the heck?

'Bout the same as eating carnivore to me but people do that too. Both carnivores and people who fast do it in the good name of personal health. Something good for them. Yes?

FIT_Goat

Well, we both know I would argue that carnivorous eating is more natural than IF. But, my main focus is on the issue that the OP is experiencing. Hair thinning/loss is a very common complaint for women that is associated with IF, as well as fast weight loss. OP is currently doing both, and I think it would be best to stop the IF and slow the weight loss while including more protein.

If other people find that IF works for them, great. But, if they experience negative side effects associated with IFing, they should reconsider doing it.