Ahhh my hair is falling out!!
firegurl126
Posts: 16 Member
So I see in some discussions that hair loss is a known problem with rapid weight loss.
I lost 40 lbs from March to July (4 months). I thought I was doing it right. Cut out all the junk food, lean meats, veggies, fruits, nuts etc. I also started to exercise a lot. Running and elliptical to be exact. I took a multivitamin also. Then in August I notice my hair really started to fall out. Not clumps, but in the shower is the worst. I made a doctors apt and had my thyroid tested and other blood tests and everything came back normal. She told me be patient and she thinks the hair loss is due to rapid weight loss. From internet research, I do believe I have Telogen Effluvium which is temporary hair thinning over the scalp that occurs because of changes in the growth cycle of hair. A large number of hairs enter the resting phase at the same time, causing hair shedding and subsequent thinning. This being due to how much I restricted my calorie intake during my weight loss (about 1200 calories a day).
So my main question is how long will this last and when will my hair start growing back? I have been losing hair since Aug. Will I lose all my hair? My hair before was pretty thick. I am still taking a multivitamin and 5,000 Biotin every day. I am still exercising about 3 times a week and maintaining my weight but not loosing any more (on purpose). Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
I lost 40 lbs from March to July (4 months). I thought I was doing it right. Cut out all the junk food, lean meats, veggies, fruits, nuts etc. I also started to exercise a lot. Running and elliptical to be exact. I took a multivitamin also. Then in August I notice my hair really started to fall out. Not clumps, but in the shower is the worst. I made a doctors apt and had my thyroid tested and other blood tests and everything came back normal. She told me be patient and she thinks the hair loss is due to rapid weight loss. From internet research, I do believe I have Telogen Effluvium which is temporary hair thinning over the scalp that occurs because of changes in the growth cycle of hair. A large number of hairs enter the resting phase at the same time, causing hair shedding and subsequent thinning. This being due to how much I restricted my calorie intake during my weight loss (about 1200 calories a day).
So my main question is how long will this last and when will my hair start growing back? I have been losing hair since Aug. Will I lose all my hair? My hair before was pretty thick. I am still taking a multivitamin and 5,000 Biotin every day. I am still exercising about 3 times a week and maintaining my weight but not loosing any more (on purpose). Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
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Replies
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Have you been eating enough fat?0
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I do believe now I am eating enough fat. But I wasn't during my weight loss period.0
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With 3 pounds to go you would be looking for 1/2 pound a week loss. 1200 is MFP's lowest minimum default.....and that number is BEFORE exercise. So, yea you were very likely eating too little.
I'm not sure how long before you stop losing your hair. Are you eating your maintenance calories now? http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
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Yes I am now eating maintenance calories.0
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There's a ton of information and misinformation about hair loss on the internet. The bottom line is, most of it is genetic and probably unrelated to diet and nutrition unless you have a dramatic long-term nutritional deficiency. And hair changes 4-5 times in a lifetime naturally. If your family has a lot of bald men and thin-haired women as they get older, chances are it'll happen to you too. There are some things that can be done, e.g. Rogaine for women -- but if it's not serious then it's probably just a natural part of your hair's cycle and not linked to weight loss.
(Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor. Just a woman with thin hair who likes to treat most internet research with a healthy dose of skepticism. You should check with an actual medical professional if you're concerned.)0 -
Well, that kind of happens when you lose weight to fast. Slow steady is the way you should of done it. Good luck.0
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I lost my hair because of thyroid issues. Even though I KNEW they wouldn't work, I desperately tried all the advice out there, including biotin. Except for actual drugs and surgery, I tried ALL of it.
None of it helped. My thyroid was fixed and my hair didn't come back.
It's just gone. Sob, sniff, woe is me...I've learned to live with it. If a cure came out tomorrow, I'd be there! But there is no cure. That's why we have bald guys and women with with little hair.
If anything worked, you'd see it all over the news. It would be a HUGE deal. It wouldn't be a secret that nobody knew about.
It sucks.0 -
I lost my hair because of thyroid issues. Even though I KNEW they wouldn't work, I desperately tried all the advice out there, including biotin. Except for actual drugs and surgery, I tried ALL of it.
None of it helped. My thyroid was fixed and my hair didn't come back.
It's just gone. Sob, sniff, woe is me...I've learned to live with it. If a cure came out tomorrow, I'd be there! But there is no cure. That's why we have bald guys and women with with little hair.
If anything worked, you'd see it all over the news. It would be a HUGE deal. It wouldn't be a secret that nobody knew about.
It sucks.
My thyroid is normal....I had it tested.0 -
Hair is made of excess protein. when you lose weight you body uses more protein so if you do not have enough protein then you lose hair. Biotin does not help with this. Try adding more protein and the hair loss should stop.0
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I encountered the same problem when I lost 56 pounds in just a few months. The hair loss could have been from something else, and unfortunately, it has not grown back even six months later. I now use a volumizer -- which I strongly recommend -- to add body and texture to my hair. It gives the appearance of fuller hair and most of the products are pretty cheap.0
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PicoBoulevard wrote: »I encountered the same problem when I lost 56 pounds in just a few months. The hair loss could have been from something else, and unfortunately, it has not grown back even six months later. I now use a volumizer -- which I strongly recommend -- to add body and texture to my hair. It gives the appearance of fuller hair and most of the products are pretty cheap.
Did your hair at least stop falling out?0 -
Your protein intake was most likely not high enough - My hair has thinned out so much, it doesn't seem to get any thicker, but when I increased my protein it did stop falling out. You look great...
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This happend to me in 2011. I was eating under 1K calories (didn't help that I was bleaching my hair, too) though and doing like 2 hours of cardio a day. Keep eating your leafy greens, add more avacado, eggs, and nut butters into your diet to keep full of fats, and of course more protein never hurts. I'm growing my hair out waist length and an extra protein shake here or there will help, too.0
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I had gastric bypass surgery in 2009 and about 6 months after my hair was thinning a lot. I made sure I had enough protein and I also took Hair, Skin, & Nails which I found at WalMart. Unfortunately I cannot tell you how long it took to come back because I don't remember. If I had to guess I would say at leat 8 months. Today my hair is as thick as it was prior to my surgery.0
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I had a VSG in 2012 & I lost a bunch of hair right after the surgery when my calories were extremely restricted--it just came out in clumps in the shower. I also made sure to meet my protein goal for the day (80 grams for me). I took biotin, a multi-vitamin, zinc, calcium, vitamin C, & B12 every day. I can't remember how long it lasted, but my hair did grow back & is as thick as ever. I would just make sure you are netting a proper amount of calories from now on.0
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Hi, there. I know this is an old post but just curious if your hair grew back. Your story sounds exactly like mine. I lost about 40 lbs from may to Sept and in Oct my hair started falling out in clumps. I have a pixie cut now and even that looks pitiful. Is your hair healthy and beautiful now??0
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Hi, there. I know this is an old post but just curious if your hair grew back. Your story sounds exactly like mine. I lost about 40 lbs from may to Sept and in Oct my hair started falling out in clumps. I have a pixie cut now and even that looks pitiful. Is your hair healthy and beautiful now??
Forget it.0 -
A friend of mine lost her beautiful long hair, very much as you describe. I suggest cutting it short, short (maybe do it for a cancer fundraiser!) so the new hair will look more natural growing in.
It looks like you have gone back to a reasonable calorie level, so your new hair will be fine.
My nails are softer because of extreme weight loss. I take all my multivitamins. I do what I can.0 -
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Hey guys just wanted to take the time to update my post. Yes my hair has started growing back!! Woooohoo! It just takes time once you get back to eating normal. So now I am paying closer attention to what I eat and make sure I get all or most the nutrients I need. Thank you all for you advice!0
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Glad to hear it all worked out
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How old are you? Have you recently given birth? Have you had a recent Tubal Ligation or Hysterectomy? Are you in Perimenopause, Menopause, or Post-Menopause? On you on Birth Control or HRT, (Hormone Replacement Therapy)? Have you checked all your meds for a possible link to hair loss?
So this was/is my experience:
I lost some hair after the birth of each of my children, but it grew back. I lost some hair after my tubal ligation, and more after perimenopause. Then post-menopause, HRT, and one of my new medications came at me all at once and I lost a LOT of my hair. I now have about 1/8th of the hair I had in my 20s, (i'm 54). This year I made the decision to go short, it's too thin to keep it long anymore. I quit taking the one medication, "Gabapentin", otherwise known as "Neurontin" after eighteen months. It was very necessary for pain, but I lost most of my hair on it. I've been on vitamins/minerals for decades. For the last couple of years I have taken 10,000mcg of Biotin twice a day, I see some hair growth in some areas of my scalp and my eyelashes and eyebrows grew back in. But other than that no real come back. I suspect that once hair is gone after perimenopause, it's pretty much gone.
I suggest talking with your own doctor.0 -
firegurl126 wrote: »I lost my hair because of thyroid issues. Even though I KNEW they wouldn't work, I desperately tried all the advice out there, including biotin. Except for actual drugs and surgery, I tried ALL of it.
None of it helped. My thyroid was fixed and my hair didn't come back.
It's just gone. Sob, sniff, woe is me...I've learned to live with it. If a cure came out tomorrow, I'd be there! But there is no cure. That's why we have bald guys and women with with little hair.
If anything worked, you'd see it all over the news. It would be a HUGE deal. It wouldn't be a secret that nobody knew about.
It sucks.
My thyroid is normal....I had it tested.
I had mine tested too. TSH was normal. Yet other thyroid markers are off. Waiting currently to find out if a growth on my thyroid is cancer. Keep a check on it.
More protein sometimes helps. I have heard prenatal vitamins help.0 -
I lost hair about 2 weeks before my first daughter was born. I was in the shower washing my hair, and ended up with a bunch in my hand. I was weirded out, until I realized that my hair used to shed all the time before I got pregnant. The pregnancy stopped my cyclical hair-shedding, until it was almost over. Hormones - go figure. My hair started out pretty thick, though, so it was hard to tell. It's getting a little thinner now, which makes it easier to brush through. If you Dr. isn't worried, it will probably be all right. I will get slammed for saying this, but have you ever tried an olive oil soak at the roots? Just let olive oil sit on your scalp for a few minutes, and shampoo well. My grandma swears by it.0
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I had this happen during college because I was eating 1200 calories a day too (I too took a multivitamin and biotin)- I met with my doctor and she gave me several pieces of advice that have helped a ton!
- eats fats
- always meet protein goals
- take a vitamin with iron
I'm not sure which of these helped most (I didn't make a scientific study of it because I was just desperate to get my hair back to it's previous thickness) - but I do know that after 3 years of meticulously taking a pre-natal vitamin (just because they typically have iron), and upping my proportions of protein and fat in my diet, my hair has returned to normal. Good luck! I know it can be worrisome - especially when you're getting happy with how you're looking physically, just to have another appearance issue begin.
As a side note - I now also now eat a lot more than 1200 calories a day - I don't know how I used to do it and would never attempt to eat that little again. Eating more makes it easier to meet my nutritional goals too!0 -
I know exactly how you feel!
I trimmed down 101 in 2014 and yes, my hair fell out. By the handfuls actually. I visited my doctor to find out what was wrong, we scanned my food logs and he looked me in the eye and explained to me the shock I was putting my body through. I still worried, which of course didn't help my cause.
Then I went to my stylist for my 5-week cut and color touch up and she commented too. But her comments were what saved my sanity. She laughed and said, yes, your hair is falling out and thinning but look out, you have hundreds of tiny hairs all over your head.
I started out with a full head of thick hair that went down to the middle of my back. I tried and tried to salvage it and the efforts were for not. Two days before Christmas I took the plunge and cut it all off into a bob. It's just below my ears and what a difference!
It's healthy looking again, it's shiny and thickening up. It's all growing back and I have more body than before. Monitor your food balances, check with your stylist and make sure you have new growth and start cruising Pinterest for new hairstyles. I feel like I finally closed the chapter on the old me when I cut my hair and tried a new look.
I'm growing it back out now and I'm so very glad I cut it and started over.
Good luck!0
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