Thinning hair - help!

WanderlustIR
WanderlustIR Posts: 2 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, as it's my first, but I need advice. I'm a 20 year old, 6'3" guy who has been dieting since April. To date I've lost 70 pounds (290 down to 220) and I've been feeling pretty good. However, I've noticed extreme hair loss since last week - I've always been known for my "afro, but now my hair looks lifeless and there are bald spots all over my head. There is absolutely no history of hair loss in my family, so I don't think that's what it is (though I do have an appointment scheduled with a dermatologist soon to find out), and all the research I've done points to my diet. I usually eat anywhere between 1200-1500 calories a day. Has anyone experienced this before? Any advice?

Thanks!

Austin

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Alopecia? Anyway, too extreme a deficit can attribute to hair loss.

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    The minimum a man should eat is 1500 a day, plus exercise calories. THIS is a prime example of why not to "extreme diet". Your body is not getting the nutrients it needs.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    6'3" guy eating 1200-1500?

    My first guess would be malnutrition - you're not eating enough!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Yes, it sounds like you're losing your hair because you haven't been eating enough. I put your stats into MFP and it said someone your size should have been eating 2,020 calories per day to lose two pounds per week back at 290 pounds.

    To stay at 220 pounds, you should be eating 2,620 calories per day, and to get down to 183 by losing one pound per week, you should be eating 2,120 calories per day.

    All of the above assumes you are sedentary and not exercising, so if you are more active, you should be eating more.

    See http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
  • jadams1650
    jadams1650 Posts: 139 Member
    You're hair is falling out because you are starving yourself. You have lost 70 lbs in 3 months, roughly 5 lbs a week. This means you are running a weekly deficit of about 17,500 calories. You need to immediately increase your intake by at least 1200 calories per day. I would suggest a multi-vitamin regimen starting today, and a long talk with your doctor about healthy nutrition and realistic goals. Your long term health is in danger right now, don't ignore the warning signs.
  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
    Patchy hair loss sounds more like alopecia which can occur without a history. Weight loss induced hair loss generally isn't patchy. How do your finger nails look? While losing weight can cause hair loss, if it was from malnourishment your nails would also most likely have some degree of deformity as well. You also generally feel pretty damn *kitten* if you are malnourished and you say feel good otherwise. Regardless seeing a doctor is a good idea.
  • WanderlustIR
    WanderlustIR Posts: 2 Member
    Sorry, I should clarify. I've been eating healthier and walking around the city every day since January, but I only started this "crash diet" since April. So really I've lost 70 pounds since January, but I didn't have a hair loss problem until I started dieting in the extreme. Thanks for opening my eyes about depriving my body of nutrients - I really should have done more research into it before I started. (I just saw the warning on MFP about not consuming less than 1200, and so I thought anything above 1200 was the number to shoot for.) I'll have a chat with my doctor about a healthy diet plan. I've started taking vitamins every day, and I'm upping my caloric intake to the MFP's recommendation. Regarding the hair loss...my nails are fine, skin is fine, and I feel pretty good, so I don't know if the diet is causing the hair loss.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Good luck and do come back and update us with what the doctor said.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    WanderlustIR wrote: »
    Sorry, I should clarify. I've been eating healthier and walking around the city every day since January, but I only started this "crash diet" since April. So really I've lost 70 pounds since January, but I didn't have a hair loss problem until I started dieting in the extreme. Thanks for opening my eyes about depriving my body of nutrients - I really should have done more research into it before I started. (I just saw the warning on MFP about not consuming less than 1200, and so I thought anything above 1200 was the number to shoot for.) I'll have a chat with my doctor about a healthy diet plan. I've started taking vitamins every day, and I'm upping my caloric intake to the MFP's recommendation. Regarding the hair loss...my nails are fine, skin is fine, and I feel pretty good, so I don't know if the diet is causing the hair loss.

    My nails were ravaged. I experienced hair loss for several months--it started a couple of months after I ended my extreme deficit. I am lucky my hair is thick, but I can tell it's thinner.

    BTW, the minimum is a moving target. If you're active, you could be creating a larger deficit than is safe--and it sounds like 2+ pounds a week is too large.
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