hair loss (panic)

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petcrazy18
petcrazy18 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'll try to sum this up smoothly: I've been doing keto for months and I love it. For a few weeks now I've also been doing 24 hour water fast for 3 days out of the week and I've also been loving the ease of it. However I've been shedding hair like crazy and I'm concerned I'm not getting enough calories/possibly deficient (even with a multivitamin).
I've been fasting Mon/Wed/Fri. Then I eat 8oz wild salmon (503 cal, 25 fat, 62 protein) and 3.5oz goat milk (770 cal, 85 fat) Total: (1273 cal, 110 fat, 62 protein) on 4 non-fasting days.
So if I ate my BMR everyday I would be eating 8365 cals a week. Instead I eat 5092 cals a week (total for 4 days not counting light exercise). So how much more should I raise my calories yet keep losing weight?

Stats: 5 feet 0 inches tall, 110 pounds, 30 minutes yoga/1 hour Pilates on fasting days, swimming 1 hour on non-fasting days, goal weight: 100 pounds, BMR: 1195. TDEE: 1500.

Replies

  • sweetilemon
    sweetilemon Posts: 122 Member
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    Are you ONLY consuming water 3 days a week? I did the 5:2 fast diet but on the 2 fast days I still ate 500cals plus 2 fruit and 100cal yoghurt/milk. I don't know anything about the keto diet but it does sound like you need to eat a variety of foods to increase your vitamins.

    Incidentally I can sympathise with your hair loss as I have the same although this is from stress rather than diet.
  • minniemoo1972
    minniemoo1972 Posts: 295 Member
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    Looking at your weekly calories no wonder your losing hair....
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    You are seriously under eating and not getting the nutrition your body needs. There is no reason to water fast for 3 days out of the week. The hair is the least of your worries at this point. My hair shed badly near the end of my weight loss, and I was consuming 1350 or more calories daily. I also had to go to the ER when my blood pressure, pulse, and HR dropped significantly. Your body will start breaking down muscle if you do not fuel it properly, and your heart is a muscle. Please start eating at least 1200 calories a day and incorporate more than just fish and milk, there are 4 food groups.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    why are you fasting a few days out of the week? when people here fast its only for certain amount of hrs or they eat lower calories on the fasting days and maintenance on the others.
  • LokiGrrl
    LokiGrrl Posts: 156 Member
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    Is that literally all you eat, salmon and goat's milk? That's bound to give you some deficiencies, even with a multivitamin.

    Your numbers are not accurate at all. USDA gives a value for 3.5 oz goat's milk as 74 cals, 3.8 protein, and 4.42 fat. Wild atlantic salmon (raw) has 322 cals, 44.97 protein, and 14.37 fat per 8 oz. There are a zillion kinds of salmon but the numbers for coho, chinook, and sockeye look similar. This actually adds up to about 400 calories which is nowhere near enough.

    My suggestion would be to eat more, add variety for better nutrition, and get all your vitamin levels checked at the doctor's office ASAP.
  • petcrazy18
    petcrazy18 Posts: 3 Member
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    Whoops, I apologize guys. I mean goat milk butter. Not just goat milk. And yes, I have become aware of the fact that I'm under-eating and am trying to fix it. For my stats, what would you say is my TDEE (since I thought that was correct)? I'm planning to fix the problem by eating up to my TDEE on my non-fasting days and on the days I fast I'll be consuming a low carb protein shake (80 grams) that's about 500 calories instead of just water fasting. So if you guys could help me out with my TDEE so I could eat the appropriate amount of calories that would be so helpful
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    Go to the doctor.
    Even carrying on with your fast but a higher calorie level overall will likely not repair the damage you have already done.

    Eat at full maintenance until you see a doctor.

    Check out Fitnessfrog for your maintenance TDEE.

    Cheers, h.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    Your body is screaming at you by losing hair. It is diverting vital nutrients to your organs because you are not eating enough to sustain yourself. The hair is a sign, nails and skin are next.

    You're at a healthy weight--what are your goals? I'm concerned about you and your health.

    I'd go see your doctor and ask for blood tests to determine vitamin D, B vitamins/biotin, calcium and iron/ferritin levels. My guess is you're low on iron, among other things. Iron and protein are critical to hair growth, but if you're not taking enough in to provide for vital functions in the rest of your body, those nutrients will never make it to your hair. Too much iron can be as bad as too little--don't self-supplement.

    Please take care of yourself. Vanity pounds are not worth your health. Coming from someone at a healthy weight with lean muscle who really struggle with self-image at times.
  • petcrazy18
    petcrazy18 Posts: 3 Member
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    Yikes, I don't want to continue a bad cycle. I'm really short so at the moment I'm just trying to lean out. I've chosen a goal weight of 100 pounds since that's when I'm guessing my tone will be more noticeable. I definitely don't believe I'm taking in enough weekly protein or daily iron (though I have the supplement). I'll keep asking around to gain more opinions on how many calories a girl my size should be taking in
  • LokiGrrl
    LokiGrrl Posts: 156 Member
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    I'm a bit taller than you, but my goal weight is 120 and the TDEE I got for maintenance of that was 1500 or so.
  • heartofplastic
    heartofplastic Posts: 68 Member
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    Why are you fasting? I am similar to you: 5'1" and 104 lbs. Goal weight around 98 lbs. I never fast, I just eat at a deficit every day. I make sure I get all my protein, fat and carbs etc and do cardio workouts 3-5 times a week. I don't see why fasting is necessary?
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
    edited August 2016
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    DELETED
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
    edited August 2016
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    petcrazy18 wrote: »
    I'll try to sum this up smoothly: I've been doing keto for months and I love it. For a few weeks now I've also been doing 24 hour water fast for 3 days out of the week and I've also been loving the ease of it. However I've been shedding hair like crazy and I'm concerned I'm not getting enough calories/possibly deficient (even with a multivitamin).
    I've been fasting Mon/Wed/Fri. Then I eat 8oz wild salmon (503 cal, 25 fat, 62 protein) and 3.5oz goat milk (770 cal, 85 fat) Total: (1273 cal, 110 fat, 62 protein) on 4 non-fasting days.
    So if I ate my BMR everyday I would be eating 8365 cals a week. Instead I eat 5092 cals a week (total for 4 days not counting light exercise). So how much more should I raise my calories yet keep losing weight?

    Stats: 5 feet 0 inches tall, 110 pounds, 30 minutes yoga/1 hour Pilates on fasting days, swimming 1 hour on non-fasting days, goal weight: 100 pounds, BMR: 1195. TDEE: 1500.

    I would highly question where you got your TDEE number considering you exercise you do. If anything the multiple against your BMR should be a 1.55 factor (active).

    Second, average daily intake (5092/7) =727.4 . This would be a starvation diet. It would be impossible to get adequate nutrition at this level and this is one reason your hair is falling out. At these levels, you would also be increase the amount of muscle lost (which means a flabbier body since muscle is lean).

    Third, if you want a lean body, you need to do a few things; 1. small deficit (roughly 1600 calories a day), 2. adequate protein (around 90g for you) and 3. a progressive resistance/weight training program.

    Also, if you fast, you have to make up those calories on non fasting days. But just be aware, neither fasting nor keto will increase fat loss.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,912 Member
    edited August 2016
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    petcrazy18 wrote: »
    Yikes, I don't want to continue a bad cycle. I'm really short so at the moment I'm just trying to lean out. I've chosen a goal weight of 100 pounds since that's when I'm guessing my tone will be more noticeable. I definitely don't believe I'm taking in enough weekly protein or daily iron (though I have the supplement). I'll keep asking around to gain more opinions on how many calories a girl my size should be taking in

    So many people have said you should see a doctor - why are you not responding to this advice?

    See your doctor for bloodwork to check for deficiencies and ask for a referral to a dietitian.

    Meanwhile, please change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings so you can get better advice from us (which is not a substitute for advice from medical professionals.)

    Also, I've had hair loss from low iron and took many different forms of iron before I found a supplement that worked for me. Getting my iron levels tested regularly by my doctor was crucial to finding what worked.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
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    If that's all you are eating, and you are not losing weight? You may actually be the example everyone claims doesn't exist - a person who has abused their metabolism so much that they really do hit the point where metabolic slowdown means you can subsist on very little. I ran the numbers once during a "starvation mode" argument, using a very short woman like yourself, and yeah, you've done what I used as a theoretical proof that starvation mode could cause a woman to stop losing while eating very little.

    Your body thinks you are a prison camp victim being marched to your doom. This isn't good.

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