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SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, so Im really picky about which types of carbs I eat, its from a food plan I did YEARS AGO which helped me to lose over 80 lbs in 8 months. II loved the results so I've incorporated it into how I eat now (mostly). I basically avoid white flour completely. I eat carbs like rye bread, corn tortillas, etc. On occasion I eat white bread but generally I avoid it and I keep my carb cals to around 100 cals per meal.. Now here's the thing. Most days I am on point with my macros (and over too) on everything EXCEPT carbs. And I am looking for ideas to boost my carb intake without changing my eating too terribly much. I really like how I eat. The problem is that I recently read that if you dont get enough carbs in your diet you can have side effects such as losing your hair. And I have been losing hair since I started MFP. Ive ruled out thyroid and some other factors, and the only thing thats really STANDING out in my diary is that I dont eat enough carbs. Should I start having less open faced sandwiches and opt for two slices of bread? Or is there a supplement I could take? I dont know what Im doing wrong to have such a low carb count. I eat carbs. Any tips?
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  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
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    bump for help
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
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    :(
  • applejuices
    applejuices Posts: 19 Member
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    Your diary does not seem to be open.
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    Carbs are not the enemy.

    But if you're happy with how you eat...why change it?

    What are you trying to ask? I'm confused.
  • camila_scl
    camila_scl Posts: 238 Member
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    I don't get what you are asking.

    If you need to increase your carbs, increase them, if you usually eat 1 slice of bread, eat 2, if you eat brown rice, eat a little more...
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
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    let me open my diary, thought it was..as for the other comments, it makes sense to just eat more carbs but then my other macros go up too, and those are always over already. Idk maybe it is confusing and Im so tired I dont even get it now lol. I guess I dont understand why my carbs are so low? I thought veggies were carbs too.
  • pamelak5
    pamelak5 Posts: 327 Member
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    Your carbs don't look *that* low to me...I have more carbs left over than you do at the end of the day (I checked over the past week) and I am not actively trying to reduce carbs. I would check in with your doc to see what's going on.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I don't understand. You eat over 100 carbs per meal from what I have read, Even if not, from what I have seen your carbs are well over enough to keep you out of ketosis.
    Carbs are 4 calories a gram. Things like oatmeal, rice, etc have carbs with very little from the other macros. If anything, carbs are the easiest to get. If you find your macros are off, you may need to focus on getting in your other macros once you up your carbs.
  • becajb
    becajb Posts: 50
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    i don't know about you but i go though phases where i lost alot of hair because of the seasons so if it more then that type of seasonal lose might be best to check with your doctor.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
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    You're carb count doesn't look all that low to me. Have you considered other possible causes for hair loss, such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies?
  • unoriginalusername007
    unoriginalusername007 Posts: 83 Member
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    Fruit and veggies are carbs, too, however, there's not as much carbs in them as something starchier like a couple slices of bread, that being why your carb value isn't being reached, most likely. I do suggest trying to have more carbs, and that I know of there's no supplement for that; you'll just need to reach that macro by eating actual food. Do what you usually do avoiding white breads etc. but just have more of the things you do eat that have carbs, like tortillas and anything else you normally eat. Foods like bread do have small amounts of protein in them, so if you reach your carb goal but then are -10 in protein, it's really not that big of a deal. MFP's setting for protein has always been a bit low anyway. Long story short, aim to get closer to that carb goal eating the carbs you like to eat. If in the meantime your other macros are exceeded just a bit, it shouldn't hurt you that much. Eventually you'll figure out how to get the carbs into your meal plan with exceeding the other macros. :)
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
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    You may want to consult a doctor about the hair loss, if it is extreme. It could represent a serious health problem. DH and I are using less carbs than usual, but haven't cut them out. We're not having symptoms like yours. We have gone on no carb diets for long periods of time in the past without hair loss. Good luck.
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
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    crap, Ive been looking and looking for causes. Its really disturbing, could just be my age (35). I see my doc aug 5th. I looked up hair loss in forums and someone suggested low carb and I noticed thats the one macro Im usually under on. I would say my diet is low carb. (100 cals per meal) But maybe thats not it. Thanks.
  • stephv38
    stephv38 Posts: 203 Member
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    I agree with these posts.... your carb count is not too low in my humble opinion. And you are right, mostly from good sources! If I were to critique anything in your diary it would be your coffeemate creamer! :) chemicals and empty calories! But your question had to do with the tie in to hair loss and carbs which I doubt is the source. Yep, check with doctor!
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
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    Fruit and veggies are carbs, too, however, there's not as much carbs in them as something starchier like a couple slices of bread, that being why your carb value isn't being reached, most likely. I do suggest trying to have more carbs, and that I know of there's no supplement for that; you'll just need to reach that macro by eating actual food. Do what you usually do avoiding white breads etc. but just have more of the things you do eat that have carbs, like tortillas and anything else you normally eat. Foods like bread do have small amounts of protein in them, so if you reach your carb goal but then are -10 in protein, it's really not that big of a deal. MFP's setting for protein has always been a bit low anyway. Long story short, aim to get closer to that carb goal eating the carbs you like to eat. If in the meantime your other macros are exceeded just a bit, it shouldn't hurt you that much. Eventually you'll figure out how to get the carbs into your meal plan with exceeding the other macros. :)

    Thank you :)
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    crap, Ive been looking and looking for causes. Its really disturbing, could just be my age (35). I see my doc aug 5th. I looked up hair loss in forums and someone suggested low carb and I noticed thats the one macro Im usually under on. I would say my diet is low carb. (100 cals per meal) But maybe thats not it. Thanks.

    Low carb is below 100 grams of carbs per day. From what I've seen, you are over that.
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
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    You may want to consult a doctor about the hair loss, if it is extreme. It could represent a serious health problem. DH and I are using less carbs than usual, but haven't cut them out. We're not having symptoms like yours. We have gone on no carb diets for long periods of time in the past without hair loss. Good luck.

    Ok. Its weird, because I noticed its a side effect for many who have gastric bypass surg, which I havent had. The solution for those people was to increase fat and protein. I have NO Problem there lol. I am giving my body what it needs to make hair, its just...not there. I will try upping my carbs and see if this works. If my choices are obese or bald, I guess Im going wig shopping :)
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
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    I agree with these posts.... your carb count is not too low in my humble opinion. And you are right, mostly from good sources! If I were to critique anything in your diary it would be your coffeemate creamer! :) chemicals and empty calories! But your question had to do with the tie in to hair loss and carbs which I doubt is the source. Yep, check with doctor!

    ha ha you spotted my major weakness :P
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
    Options
    crap, Ive been looking and looking for causes. Its really disturbing, could just be my age (35). I see my doc aug 5th. I looked up hair loss in forums and someone suggested low carb and I noticed thats the one macro Im usually under on. I would say my diet is low carb. (100 cals per meal) But maybe thats not it. Thanks.

    Low carb is below 100 grams of carbs per day. From what I've seen, you are over that.

    Ok you're stating whats healthy right? MFP is saying to eat 335 carb and Im at 150. so thats half of what MFP is telling me to eat. Thats from yesterday. Thats my real question I guess, why is MFP saying to eat 335? is it a problem Im at half? is that why im losing hair? you see my question? :)
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Options
    crap, Ive been looking and looking for causes. Its really disturbing, could just be my age (35). I see my doc aug 5th. I looked up hair loss in forums and someone suggested low carb and I noticed thats the one macro Im usually under on. I would say my diet is low carb. (100 cals per meal) But maybe thats not it. Thanks.

    Low carb is below 100 grams of carbs per day. From what I've seen, you are over that.

    Ok you're stating whats healthy right? MFP is saying to eat 335 carb and Im at 150. so thats half of what MFP is telling me to eat. Thats from yesterday. Thats my real question I guess, why is MFP saying to eat 335? is it a problem Im at half? is that why im losing hair? you see my question? :)

    MFP tends to be low on protein and high on carbs. I've personally changed my protein goals to almost twice what MFP recommends and same fat, which would put carbs at around the same as what you get

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