hair loss and stall out

cindyjoesousa

Im a 54 year old female. Started mfp Jan 2012. I've lost 85 pounds. I was losing a pound a week. It suddenly stopped 8 weeks ago. haven't lost anything. Im 36 pounds from goal. I tried upping my calories as suggested. That didn't make a difference. Im up and down with a pound or two but I can't seem to get the losing process going again. I exercise everyday. Aerobics and walking/treadmill.
The hair loss is very concerning. Does anyone have any answers? And yes, Ive been to my doctor and a dietitian. They don't seem to know either.

barbara4599

I'm 43. When I had my 20 pound weight loss last summer, I too lost a lot of hair. Other members suggested biotin supplements. I've been taking them and my hair is growing back. Give it a shot!

getup25

I'm 51 and I find that limiting carbs helps when I need to kick start the loss again. So cut out breads, pasta, etc. and then gradually add them back in.

Regarding the hair loss, since you've seen your doctor, I'm assuming you are getting enough vitamins and minerals so I am at a loss there. That was my problem a few years back when I had other medical issues.

Good luck!

cindyjoesousa

Ive been taking Biotin for a couple weeks now..so far, no change..hopefully this is just a temporary thing and it will grow back..

cindyjoesousa

Thanks for the tip about carbs.. Ive tried that..didn't help..also regarding the hair loss..some people suggested Biotin so Ive been taking that for a couple of weeks but haven't noticed a difference yet..I do have a thyroid disorder and take medication for it..my levels are normal..I take a multivitamin and calcium plus vitamin d supplement daily..
Thanks for your response.

Azhei

I take 5,000mcg of Biotin daily. I have fine thin hair and after GB surgery I lost a lot, and now with reduced calories, it didn't come back very well... since I started taking the Biotin 6 months after surgery until now it is a lot better.. It will never be thick and wavy but at least it isnt' as sparce as it was... bonus that my nails are a lot harder and don't break/crack any more.

You have to be taking biotin for a few months before you will see a big change in your hair... if you don't absorb as well as you once did it takes a bit longer, but I find it works for me.

Good luck! Hang in there thru a stall - it happens - but the bonus is you usually go down inches-wise.

redwolf6

I was losing my hair as well and I increased my protein intake to about 100g per day. The hair is growing back.

bobbijodmb

My nutritionist said that when you lose weight too rapidly that hair loss is a symptom of that. You see if a lot sometimes when someone has gastric bypass as well. I would recheck with your doctor/nutritionist again because they should be able to find something.

Brie4me

Regarding the hair loss, do you track your sodium intake? I realized when I joined MFP that my sodium was intake very high (and that didn't even account for my table salt use). I began tracking sodium here on MFP and stopped using table salt. About a month later I realized an unexpected side effect was that I wasn't having the hair issue any longer. I can't say for sure that that is the reason, but with the timing ~ I feel it had something to do with it. Good luck!

LoraF83

I lost a lot of hair when I was eating under my BMR. As soon as I went above my BMR again, it stopped and eventually grew back.

deksgrl

Im a 54 year old female. Started mfp Jan 2012. I've lost 85 pounds. I was losing a pound a week. It suddenly stopped 8 weeks ago. haven't lost anything. Im 36 pounds from goal. I tried upping my calories as suggested. That didn't make a difference. Im up and down with a pound or two but I can't seem to get the losing process going again. I exercise everyday. Aerobics and walking/treadmill.
The hair loss is very concerning. Does anyone have any answers? And yes, Ive been to my doctor and a dietitian. They don't seem to know either.

What was your calorie goal before? What did you up it to? How long have you been eating at the new higher goal? What is your height, weight and goal weight? What is your TDEE and BMR?

Maybe you are still not eating enough. Maybe you have not given your body enough time to adjust to the new higher level of calories. Obviously there was quite a bit of stress on your body to cause the hair loss, your body needs time to recover.

mahanaibu

Frustrating! But you might need to give this quite a bit more time. Plateaus can be stubborn, but eventually, burning more calories than you consume will work. Interval training can be helpful for this. I saw one woman on MFP who had a yearlong plateau before she started going down again, after a very big weight loss like yours.

Not sure where you are regarding menopause, but that's also a cause of hair loss. It might have little or nothing to do with weight loss.

patty43ck

Hair loss: Have you been under a highly stressful situation lately? I had that happen to me about 2 years ago. I was going through a very stressful situation and started losing my hair like crazy. It was scary!! Good news was once the stress went away the hair started growing back. Hopefully that is not the case with you because it was not fun!

Stress can also affect weight loss as well. Cortisol builds up and makes it difficult to lose weight.

HeidiSnow

Cindy, I went to the doc for hair loss and they did some tests on me. Turns out my vitamin D was very low. I would definitely go to the doc and make sure you don't have something health wise causing this!

deksgrl

Hair loss: Have you been under a highly stressful situation lately? I had that happen to me about 2 years ago. I was going through a very stressful situation and started losing my hair like crazy. It was scary!! Good news was once the stress went away the hair started growing back. Hopefully that is not the case with you because it was not fun!

Stress can also affect weight loss as well. Cortisol builds up and makes it difficult to lose weight.

And diet and exercise also causes stress and cortisol, it is not only emotional stress that releases cortisol.

cindyjoesousa

You might be right..I have allowed this 8 week stallout and my hair loss to stress me out almost to obsessive levels..Im trying to destress a little..thanks for your feedback

cindyjoesousa

Ive been post menopausal for several years now..I really think it has something to do with weight loss or something I'm missing in my diet..its probably missing all the fat and sugar I used to give it: )

Bettyeditor

When you say you "upped your calories" have you calculated your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and are you now eating only 10% or 15% below that amount?

The reason I ask is because most people who here who have symptoms like hair loss, chipping nails, cessation/irregularities in TOM, etc. have an extended period of eating very low calories. So for example if you are like the typical/average woman and burn at least 2200 calories a day, then eating 10% below is 1980 calories a day. So if for example you dieted on 1200 calories then "upped" your calories to only 1500 a day, your body doesn't see much difference between 1200 and 1500 in the sense that they are both inadequate and will cause health problems and they are going to cause the body to prioritize things like feeding your vital organs over lower priorities such as feeding your hair and nails.

baileysmom4

Menopause was just what I was going to say. I was talking with a few ladies in my office and they were telling me that their hair was getting finer and they even lost eyelashes due to menopause! I'm only 48 so that is just freaking me out now!

DebbieLyn63

I was losing my hair as well and I increased my protein intake to about 100g per day. The hair is growing back.

^^This. Low protein levels is one of the biggest causes of hair loss. When you cut calories, too many people cut their proteins down too low.

lilmissymoo90

i seen you have a thyroid problem that can cause problems with your hair ect my mum had to get her meds checked and given a different amount which helped her

JMJ1983

At the beginning I was losing hair quite a bit and I used Garnier Fructise Fall Fight shampoo and coniditoner and it really seemed to help...

I didn't know about the protein, thing and I do get an adequate amount of protein, so maybe doing the two things together really helped.

I have not had loose/fall out hair in several months.

I'd give it a try and see if it helps.

cindyjoesousa

I am very confused about this TDEE/BMR..I read a reponse on here re: TDEE/BMR that was so lengthy and confusing I was totally lost by the time I got to the end..Im 5'6 196 pounds light activity level..I was on 1440 calories/ day for quite awhile..then increased to 1530 a day for a few weeks..then went to 1780 a day for 2 weeks.no weight loss no matter what I do...as of today I went back to 1530 a day which is whats recommended to lose 1 pound a week for my height and weight..If you can show me an easy to understand way to calculate this TDEE/BMR AND I can still lose 1 pound a week, please tell me how?

cindyjoesousa

My weight loss has not been rapid..It has taken me 16 months to lose 85 pounds..thanks for your response

rowanwood

2 weeks isn't long enough to decide if something works.

Also, if you are on thyroid meds and lost 85 lbs, your dosage is probably wrong. You need to see an endo to have your levels checked.

deksgrl

I am very confused about this TDEE/BMR..I read a reponse on here re: TDEE/BMR that was so lengthy and confusing I was totally lost by the time I got to the end..Im 5'6 196 pounds light activity level..I was on 1440 calories/ day for quite awhile..then increased to 1530 a day for a few weeks..then went to 1780 a day for 2 weeks.no weight loss no matter what I do...as of today I went back to 1530 a day which is whats recommended to lose 1 pound a week for my height and weight..If you can show me an easy to understand way to calculate this TDEE/BMR AND I can still lose 1 pound a week, please tell me how?

You need to give it longer than two weeks at the new calorie level. You should be able to eat the 1780 and lose weight, after your body adjusts. This can take 6 weeks sometimes.

The thyroid issue complicates things.

AbsoluteNG

Losing hair is normal and a sign that you have a healthy scalp. It's only bad if your hair doesn't grow back. Take for example, dogs and cats shed a lot of hair in a day but they're not bald because it grows back.

Bettyeditor

I am very confused about this TDEE/BMR..I read a reponse on here re: TDEE/BMR that was so lengthy and confusing I was totally lost by the time I got to the end..Im 5'6 196 pounds light activity level..I was on 1440 calories/ day for quite awhile..then increased to 1530 a day for a few weeks..then went to 1780 a day for 2 weeks.no weight loss no matter what I do...as of today I went back to 1530 a day which is whats recommended to lose 1 pound a week for my height and weight..If you can show me an easy to understand way to calculate this TDEE/BMR AND I can still lose 1 pound a week, please tell me how?

It takes some time to understand these concepts, but don't give up! It's worth it! :flowerforyou:

Also, realize that there is a difference between online estimations based on formulas and actual data. For example, I can run the numbers to estimate your BMR. But you can also get it tested and know for sure. I had my RMR tested on Wednesday. Most gyms do an RMR test. Also, when it comes to your "daily living calories" you can do estimates or get real data by wearing a device like a Fitbit or a BodyMedia Fit. So..... if you don't get results with the estimates, then go after hard data. Everyone is unique you know!

Here is the TDEE/BMR thing as simple as I can make it.

The calories that your body burns in a day is made up of BMR + Daily Living + Exercise calories.
1) BMR -- this is what you burn lying in bed all day not eating (sustains vital organs, etc.)
2) Daily Living -- this is what you burn walking around, getting the mail, eating, doing laundry, etc.
3) Exercise -- this is what you burn working out

BMR + Daily Living + Exercise = TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)

To lose weight, eat 15% below your TDEE. So to do this, you need to know your TDEE. However, since #2 and #3 can vary every day (depending on how much you sit in front of TV/computer and whether you worked out or didn't exercise), your TDEE varies each day too. So, there are two approaches:
1) You can estimate your average TDEE (i.e., "lightly active and work out 3x per week")
2) You can track your TDEE variations each day (by wearing a Fitbit/BMF for Daily Living and by logging and eating back exercise calories) and vary the calories that you eat to match (I use this approach -- its more accurate)

Since I assume that you don't have a Fitbit, we'll go with the first option.

Also, knowing your bodyfat percentage will make this calculation a LOT more accurate. Muscle burns more calories than fat and increases your BMR dramatically.

~*~*~*~*~*~
54 years old female, 5'6" 196 lbs (bodyfat unknown):
For "lightly active" your BMR estimate is 1511, TDEE is 2078, and 15% cut target calories a day is 1766
For "moderately active" estimates are BMR 1511, TDEE 2342, and 15% cut target calories a day is 1990

I got the above calculations from this calculator (you can use it for yourself): http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

NOTE: I seriously doubt that the "lightly active" category will work for you. I am 39 years old, 70 lbs overweight, and when I got ZERO exercise, my TDEE (as measured by my Fitbit) was consistently around 2300 calories a day. So I strongly recommend you go with the "moderately active" estimate.

So if you need to be eating 1990-2000 to lose weight but you have been only eating 1700, that would explain the stall. Also keep in mind that it takes several weeks for the body to adjust to a change so stick with it. If you keep changing calories around, the body will just be confused.

Bettyeditor

My weight loss has not been rapid..It has taken me 16 months to lose 85 pounds..thanks for your response

Just so you know, your weight loss has been right on track for what is healthy and sustainable. If you lose 1-2 pounds a week, studies show a strong likelihood of keeping it off permanently. If you lose "fast" (3-5 pounds a week), studies show that you are almost guaranteed to regain it. :noway:

So "slow" is GOOD! :flowerforyou:

cindyjoesousa

How do you determine body fat?

Bettyeditor

How do you determine body fat?

You can buy calipers at a fitness supply store (I've never tried that but I've heard other people have).

Or you can buy a scale that measures bodyfat. I have a Fitbit ARIA scale. When I step on it with bare feet, it uses a small electrical pulse to measure the resistance and gives me a bodyfat %. This is the same technology used by doctors and gyms. I find it to be pretty accurate and convenient.