weight loss and hair loss

JACKIELAN
JACKIELAN Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, Ive read on line that some people suffer with hair loss whilst dieting, has this happened to anyone here ?

Ive noticed every time I wash or brush my hair that Im getting more than usual loss, but it could be down to the change of seasons.

Thanks


Jackie
«1

Replies

  • swagner73
    swagner73 Posts: 43 Member
    My hair loss in increasing as well but my thyroid medications have just been increased so I'm attributing mine to the thyroid meds.
  • joann1948
    joann1948 Posts: 161 Member
    I have had hair loss, but I was contributing it to stress, and I also had thyroid problems which are resolved......
  • mallorycutting
    mallorycutting Posts: 18
    If you haven`t changed anything except how much you are eating in a day it might be due to diet. Hair loss is associated with not enough nutrients and too low calorie consumption.

    How much are you eating in a day? You may not be eating enough.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    If you haven`t changed anything except how much you are eating in a day it might be due to diet. Hair loss is associated with not enough nutrients and too low calorie consumption.

    How much are you eating in a day? You may not be eating enough.

    This. If you lose hair because of you diet, you really have to re evaluate what you are doing to yourself.
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    Make sure you are eating enough. Chronic undereating can lead to hair loss and malnutrition. Don't be afraid to eat a little more, and also make sure you're getting enough nutrition.
  • NikkiSmo
    NikkiSmo Posts: 180 Member
    I posted a simular question a few weeks ago. I have lost 53lbs and a somewhat short amount of time, however I am very strict with my 1200 cal diet and I exercise regulary. My hair dresser said it never fails when a client looses a bunch of weight they also start loosing hair. She believes it is a hormone thing that comes with a changing body / diet. She didn't feel it was anything to be concerned with most people go through a "sheading" period every once in a while anyway. I will warn you that a lot of people on here are going to tell you to have your thyroid checked and if you have other symptoms that I would agree. I didn't have any other issues, I'm still loosing hair but not as much, I'm starting a vitiman suppliment to help counter some of the nutrients I may be missing due to my new eating habits. Good luck and I hope my experience can help.
  • hollowheart95
    hollowheart95 Posts: 3
    Generally if you lose hair due to weight loss, you're doing something wrong. It means you're not getting adequate nutrition and are harming your body, but I would double check with your doctor. Check over your intake / net.
  • Hmrjmr1
    Hmrjmr1 Posts: 1,106 Member
    Look hard at your protein levels (probably too low ) and water consumption, 8 cups per day is really a minimum,
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Hi, Ive read on line that some people suffer with hair loss whilst dieting, has this happened to anyone here ?

    Ive noticed every time I wash or brush my hair that Im getting more than usual loss, but it could be down to the change of seasons.

    Thanks


    Jackie

    My first advice would be to see a doctor rather than speculate on the cause. I do know however that too severe calorie deficit and lack of nutrients can cause hair loss.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    I posted a simular question a few weeks ago. I have lost 53lbs and a somewhat short amount of time, however I am very strict with my 1200 cal diet and I exercise regulary. My hair dresser said it never fails when a client looses a bunch of weight they also start loosing hair. She believes it is a hormone thing that comes with a changing body / diet. She didn't feel it was anything to be concerned with most people go through a "sheading" period every once in a while anyway. I will warn you that a lot of people on here are going to tell you to have your thyroid checked and if you have other symptoms that I would agree. I didn't have any other issues, I'm still loosing hair but not as much, I'm starting a vitiman suppliment to help counter some of the nutrients I may be missing due to my new eating habits. Good luck and I hope my experience can help.

    I'd rather go with a Doctor's opinion rather than a hair dresser. 1200 is below most peoples BMR, so lack of sufficient nutrition could be the culprit. But once again....a Doctor's opinion is the best.
  • MelodyinGa
    MelodyinGa Posts: 202 Member
    I've had weight loss surgery so I'm losing a lot of hair!
  • kandi_apples
    kandi_apples Posts: 35 Member
    While I have been losing weight for the last couple of years my hair started falling out. I was told it was lack of fats in my diet. The loss has slowed down but still hasn't completely stopped. My hair is much much thinner.
  • BrunetteRunner87
    BrunetteRunner87 Posts: 591 Member
    Oh yeah when I first started clumps were coming out of my head! But then I was just severely restricting calories to get into a healthier weight range, and still eating a lot of unhealthy things (lots of carbs, whatever I wanted as long as it fit into my calorie goal). Now that my diet is back to normal and I'm getting all the nutrients I need my hair is getting better again, and my nails are stronger.
  • danafoxx
    danafoxx Posts: 24
    i lost hair, but only when i was severely restricting and getting hardly any nutrients out of what i ate.
    it's definitely not normal or "healthy".
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    I shed a lot of hair every day. My thyroid is fine, it's been check recently. I take all the reccomend vitamin supplements my doctor has suggested. I'm not severly restricting my calories. My hair is very healthy.
  • beaches222
    beaches222 Posts: 437 Member
    I did have hair loss and the nutrition at work told me I needed more protein. I was not getting enough good fats in my foods. this was prior to doing myfitnesspal. Since doing this I have had no issues
  • pigeonhugger
    pigeonhugger Posts: 81 Member
    in the past i went to a doctors over this issue and other than almost laughing at me, she very rudely said that hair loss goes in cycles so it shoudl be fine in a month or two and go back to shedding a ''normal'' amount. But obviously could be a sign of something serious so- doctor
  • Clcleeds2012
    Clcleeds2012 Posts: 41
    I went on a really restrictive diet about five/six months ago and my hair started falling out very badly. I went to the doctor and they did blood tests for thyroid, vitamin deficiency etc... They wanted to know if I was under any stress, or if any major thing had happened in my life. They found nothing wrong with me. The doctor said that the diet along with the exercise I was doing must have been a huge shock to my system and had disrupted the cycle of my hair.

    My doc told me it was called "telogen effluvium" and you can find out more about it on google. I immediately stopped dieting and exercising and began eating as well as I possibly could. I put back on all the weight I lost plus half a stone to try and convince my body to regrow the hair! My hair has only recently stopped falling out and begun to regrow. I am now cautiously exercising and dieting. I don't know why this happens to some people and not others. See your doctor if it gets bad because hair loss can have a number of causes.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
    If you are eating a good healthy balance and are losing hair, then I would contact your doctor?

    If you are under eating, then you can all sort of problems skin/hair/nails but these problems would take time to show even over a few months.

    For instance dry skin/hair breakage/brittle nails.

    If you are actually losing hair then it is a sign that you need to visit your doctor x
  • Fantasy2
    Fantasy2 Posts: 1
    I have gone thru the same thing and added Biotin (5,000 mcg) per day. It has taken about 6 months but my hair is getting fuller. I must add that I had recently gotten divorced and relocated so the stress of the entire process didn't help.
  • HairDivaAlisa
    HairDivaAlisa Posts: 50 Member
    I would definitely say that getting too few calories could be a major reason for hair loss. I see it all the time in my clients (I am a hairstylist). Diet affects the hair for sure. So making sure you are getting the right amount of calories as well as feeing your body the right food is important. Hair grows in 3 stages so if you have changed your diet in a time where you are already experiencing hair loss/shedding then it can look like a lot more than usual. I typically tell my clients if they haven't had their blood work done in 6 months to a year, that they should make an appointment to have it done. Just to make sure nothing is going on. If it all comes back good, then I usually will recommend a hair, skin and nail vitamin or something with marine proteins. Hair can only continue to grow if your scalp is healthy as well. I could go into more depth on this but it would get long. If anyone has questions you can feel free to email me. But I wouldn't worry too much. Hair loss/shedding usually slows within a month or so. Just make sure you are getting enough calories and making those calories count.
  • Restybaby2012
    Restybaby2012 Posts: 568 Member
    When I started this journey the end of July I had just gotten out of the hospital after a nasty infection. I wasnt eating even near 1000 cals a day much less the 1800 recommended. I was losing a lot of weight and would've told anyone that would listen that I felt great. OF COURSE I felt great on the heels of a horrible infection......

    .....but it wasnt long and I noticed my long hair falling out. OMG it was in and on everything...hair brush and drain...table...floor...desk et al. It was nasty. It took me awhile to put it together because, like others here, I have major thyroid issues. (it's like saying because I have thyroid issues I gained 100 lbs....which is seldom EVER the case)

    But at what point do you quit looking for excuses and face the inevitable? EAT RIGHT and the hair loss will lessen or stop. Shedding is one thing,..we all do that all the time. But when you arent ingesting the right nutrients, vitamins etc......YOUR HAIR WILL FALL OUT.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    Biotin and 3-6-9 essential fatty oils are a good help. It comes back.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    I had a problem with hairloss on two occasions:
    After the birth of my children. (This is normal, and it is temporary)
    Once when I used cheap shampoo. My hair fell out like crazy, and it took me a while to figure it out. My scalp also itched a bit. As soon as I switched shampoos, the hairloss ceased.
  • JACKIELAN
    JACKIELAN Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks all for the advice, I actually had all my bloods checked out 2 months ago, and the only thing wrong was that my cholesterol was too low ! So the Dr told me to each more omega 3 foods to raise the good cholesterol and then fight the bad cholesterol better. Perhaps the lack of the omega 3 fats has something to do with it. In any case I will speak with the doctor about it again.

    Jackie
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    Hair loss isn't a good sign with weight loss. It means you probably aren't getting sufficient nutrients. Try taking multivitamins and make sure you are eating enough.
  • SarginsonPamela
    SarginsonPamela Posts: 1 Member
    YES YES YES...I LOST 30 pounds on the Dr.Berstein Diet last year and kept noticing my hair was thinning...it was aweful...our calorie intake was about 800 calories per day...Im know using myfitnesspal with my calories a day of 1200 and I have not experienced hair loss....I just knew it was due to diet....grrrrrrrrr.:sad:
  • karenwill2
    karenwill2 Posts: 604 Member
    If you haven`t changed anything except how much you are eating in a day it might be due to diet. Hair loss is associated with not enough nutrients and too low calorie consumption.

    How much are you eating in a day? You may not be eating enough.


    This is it! If you are missing certain vitamins and nutrients, you will lose your hair.
  • whererwerunning
    whererwerunning Posts: 2
    BIOTIN :) it will help with other things too - Make sure you are getting all the nutrients to your body that you are missing with supplements or vitamins, including this one!
  • dirtbikegirl5
    dirtbikegirl5 Posts: 391 Member
    I am going through the same thing. We have a hair catcher drain in our shower and I pick up clumps of hair after my shower every day.

    I am under 1200 calories because I am restricted from gluten and dairy. I am starting how to eat all over again so that is a big part of my problem. I started taking biotin. That, along with learning how to get my nutrients to fit in with my new plan, is helping a little.

    Really, I just think I need some bread and all will be fine. :wink:

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