Nutrition & Hairloss

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christiantripodi
christiantripodi Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I've lost about 30 pounds in the last 4 months. My hair has thinned out a lot, especially on the corners of my hairline. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, has anyone found solutions? I've done some research and found it could be nutrition related but nothing has helped so far - I think it's just getting worse.

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Could simply be calories...hair requires energy (calories) to grow. When you cut calories, your body will slow down some "non-essential" functions for efficiency.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    How low have your calories and protein been?
  • christiantripodi
    christiantripodi Posts: 13 Member
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    I eat about 1200-1400 calories on average. As for protein, I usually meet my minimum for my macros.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    christiantripodi wrote: »
    I eat about 1200-1400 calories on average. As for protein, I usually meet my minimum for my macros.

    You're vastly undereating. Males need a bare minimum of 1500 calories, PLUS whatever you're burning in exercise.

    What calorie goal did MFP give you? What is your height and current weight?

    ~Lyssa
  • christiantripodi
    christiantripodi Posts: 13 Member
    edited March 2017
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    My name is misleading - I'm actually a female, haha. I'm 5'6 and my current weight is 160. And my calorie goal is 1200.
  • christiantripodi
    christiantripodi Posts: 13 Member
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    However, besides the last week due to knee injury, i exercise 5-6 times a week while eating about 1400 calories a day
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    edited March 2017
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    christiantripodi wrote: »
    However, besides the last week due to knee injury, i exercise 5-6 times a week while eating about 1400 calories a day

    Oh - was going by your profile on that one!

    Do you eat back any exercise calories? If not, you should start doing so - MFP figures your calorie intake goal without deliberate exercise. If you've been eating back a portion, consider eating back more.

    Also, if you've been eating low fat, that could be contributing; I believe the recommended minimum is 0.3 grams of fat per pound of body weight.

    Might be worthwhile to schedule a doctor appointment about this - I think thyroid issues can contribute to hair loss.

    ~Lyssa
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,987 Member
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    I experienced some hair loss despite eating at a sensible deficit, with plenty of fat and protein. My doctor ran blood work and everything was normal. She told me that even when you lose at a healthy rate, you can still have some hair loss. Your body wants to maintain the status quo, so, for some people, it rebels a little bit when you make changes.

    The good news is that it is not permanent. Mine grew back after being in maintenance for about 6 months. But best to check with your doctor to make sure it's not a more serious problem.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    You might want to bump up calories. You are over 1.5lbs per week loss current. How are your protein and fat levels?
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I have been losing hair. Found out I'm quite vitamin D deficient. If it persists, see a doctor.
  • jennieskoolaid
    jennieskoolaid Posts: 17 Member
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    This happened to me a year ago and the doctor determined that I was low on iron. So I had to take iron pills to level it out. Also, because I lost so much hair I had to have extentions put in and now my hair is finally growing back. Losing hair really sucks especially for women, just know you're not alone and definitely see the doc.
  • V_Faery
    V_Faery Posts: 26 Member
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    christiantripodi wrote: »
    So I've lost about 30 pounds in the last 4 months. My hair has thinned out a lot, especially on the corners of my hairline. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, has anyone found solutions? I've done some research and found it could be nutrition related but nothing has helped so far - I think it's just getting worse.

    Take a biotin supplement, your nails and hair will thank you
  • Carbkiller1970
    Carbkiller1970 Posts: 3,289 Member
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    Keto did a number on my hair, so I just took some supplements and it's on it's way back to beautiful
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    How's your iron level?
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    Well considering you've been in a 1250 daily caloric deficit it could definitely be nutrition related. What about stress? That along with poor nutrition and lack of rest can definitely influence hair loss. I have Alopecia which is an auto immune disorder that results in hair loss and it's quite often due to cases of extreme stress.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    i shed hair like a boss during the undiagnosed year of having active r.a. for whatever that's worth.

    the weirdest part was a few years later, when i was back to normal and realised half my hair was now curly while the other half was still straight.

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