Losing weight and hair loss?

[glitterbug]

Hi all,

I have a interesting question about weight loss and its affect with hair loss.

I am 9.7 stones (135.6 lbs) and I am wanting to lose a stone (14 lbs) for personal reasons.

I know I will need to reduce a lot of what I eat and will have hunger pans, etc

Is this weight loss bad for the hair, will my body start to cause hair loss. Or is there a way I can prevent this? I plan to lose it over a month. In a healthy way through smaller portions of food.

To what point does the body start to shed hair when it comes to reducing food intake?

Thanks!

[oddelabop]

It depends entirely on how slowly you intend on losing weight and how much you decrease your calorific intake.
If you loose weight sensibly and don't put your body into starvation mode, then you probably won't have any issues but if however, you decide to go on a lower than 1000 calories a day diet you are putting yourself at risk.

At one time in my life I experienced a massive shed as I was going through a stressful period and had stopped eating properly.

Make sure you are sensible and you'll be fine!

[oddelabop]

Hang on .. I just re read your post. Losing 14 pounds r one stone in a month is seriously unhealthy. I lost a similar amount probably more which lead to hair loss.

Also if you look on the mane forum, there is a thread recently where someone has been experiencing hair loss from a low fat diet.

Really consider what is important to you before you start a crash diet !!!

p.s EDIT - the point at which you will lose hair varies from person to person, but it is at the point your body stops using up resources on your hair and giving them to your organs. It's a safety mechanism as we can live without hair but not without our organs.

[jasper]

I lost weight by reducing calories without losing hair. :shrug: just don't cut your calories below a reasonable level and eat health food. It seems a bit extreme to lose more that a couple of pounds a week, though.

[Firefox7275]

I am a lifestyle healthcare professional (physical activity and nutrition).

Why do you think you have to reduce the quantity of what you eat and you will have hunger pangs? That is a starvation or crash diet not healthy weight management, your body cannot tell the difference between a fad diet and a famine. It's quite possible to lose excess bodyfat slowly and steadily without being hungry, it is virtually impossible to lose fourteen pounds of pure fat in just one month given your current weight most likely you will lose water and muscle so becoming dehydrated, flabbier and risking a lower metabolism, half to one pound a week is a healthy weight loss no more.

Your body may start shedding hair at any stage if you: slash calories too much, lose weight too fast, miss out on essential macro or micronutrients, take your bodyfat percentage too low, take your weight too low. Even if you don't experience shedding any of these is harmful to health in other ways.

You should already be eating and continue to eat: seven to nine servings of non starchy vegetables and low sugar fruits in the full rainbow of colours a day, three servings of natural dairy (can be low fat if you wish) a day, oily fish at least twice a week ideally daily, other healthy whole fats (avocado, olives, coconut, nuts, seeds, cocoa), plenty of fibre and mineral rich foods (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds) each day, since you are cutting calories ideally no junk food or processed carbohydrates at all. Nine servings of produce is a huge amount of food and nutrients but not a huge amount of calories, your meals will not be small and your belly will not be empty if these are the foundation.

Be aware that 'standard' diet foods like chicken breast and egg whites are very low in nutrients so add little to your day, the easiest way to diet and eat healthily is to eat foods that multi-task and are nutrient dense. Nutrients like calcium from dairy and long chain omega-3s from oily fish can be beneficial in weight management.

[glitterbug]

I am a lifestyle healthcare professional (physical activity and nutrition).

Why do you think you have to reduce the quantity of what you eat and you will have hunger pangs? That is a starvation or crash diet not healthy weight management, your body cannot tell the difference between a fad diet and a famine. It's quite possible to lose excess bodyfat slowly and steadily without being hungry, it is virtually impossible to lose fourteen pounds of pure fat in just one month given your current weight most likely you will lose water and muscle so becoming dehydrated, flabbier and risking a lower metabolism, half to one pound a week is a healthy weight loss no more.

Your body may start shedding hair at any stage if you: slash calories too much, lose weight too fast, miss out on essential macro or micronutrients, take your bodyfat percentage too low, take your weight too low. Even if you don't experience shedding any of these is harmful to health in other ways.

You should already be eating and continue to eat: seven to nine servings of non starchy vegetables and low sugar fruits in the full rainbow of colours a day, three servings of natural dairy (can be low fat if you wish) a day, oily fish at least twice a week ideally daily, other healthy whole fats (avocado, olives, coconut, nuts, seeds, cocoa), plenty of fibre and mineral rich foods (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds) each day, since you are cutting calories ideally no junk food or processed carbohydrates at all. Nine servings of produce is a huge amount of food and nutrients but not a huge amount of calories, your meals will not be small and your belly will not be empty if these are the foundation.

Be aware that 'standard' diet foods like chicken breast and egg whites are very low in nutrients so add little to your day, the easiest way to diet and eat healthily is to eat foods that multi-task and are nutrient dense. Nutrients like calcium from dairy and long chain omega-3s from oily fish can be beneficial in weight management.


Thanks for the detailed reply- I guess I will aim for a 7 pounds instead over the month. Also, do you mean I should not reduce portion size but instead to replace with more veggies? What about fat content? Should I not reduce fat intake so that it wont affect my hair? How much carbs should I be eating? And what are the best carbs?

Thank you again.

[Magalo]

Losing 14 (or even 7) pounds in a month is crash dieting, and crash dieting WILL cause hair loss. Losing 7 pounds in a month is okay... if you're 250lbs, not 130. You should aim for 1 pound a week for healthy weight loss.

[kaydana]

You should already be eating and continue to eat: seven to nine servings of non starchy vegetables and low sugar fruits in the full rainbow of colours a day, three servings of natural dairy (can be low fat if you wish) a day, oily fish at least twice a week ideally daily, other healthy whole fats (avocado, olives, coconut, nuts, seeds, cocoa), plenty of fibre and mineral rich foods (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds) each day, since you are cutting calories ideally no junk food or processed carbohydrates at all. Nine servings of produce is a huge amount of food and nutrients but not a huge amount of calories, your meals will not be small and your belly will not be empty if these are the foundation.

Why do only low sugar fruits count? And what exactly do you mean by "low sugar fruits"? At what point does the sugar content of the fruit become too high to be counted in those seven to nine servings a day?

[Leeloo]

I'm pretty sure that lack of fats and protein (and of course vitamins and minerals) is what will cause hair fall. I'm not sure how little is enough to cause hair distress, but loosing weight without disturbing hair health would probably be much slower then 14 pounds a month, it might be something like 1 or 2 pounds a week (4 to 8 pounds a month).

[glitterbug]

I'm pretty sure that lack of fats and protein (and of course vitamins and minerals) is what will cause hair fall. I'm not sure how little is enough to cause hair distress, but loosing weight without disturbing hair health would probably be much slower then 14 pounds a month, it might be something like 1 or 2 pounds a week (4 to 8 pounds a month).


Right, well I take multivitamin and a msm vitamin everyday, I will also be adding a omega 3 vitamin too, so that I get my vitamins. I'm not sure how I should go about eating, is it just having the same portions but replace with healthier foods and veg?

Thanks

[leslissocool]

I lost a large amount of weight since joining LHC, 80lbs+ (I think is more around 90 now) . If you lose 4-8lbs in a month and don't go into a fad diet, just eat clean and get plenty of protein and fats you won't have shedding.

My pony circumference actually went up because I wasn't eating enough protein and fats, nor enough nutrients in general (too many grains which I actually do bad in). If you work out, even 20 minutes a day, better blood flow will help you grow hair actually.

Eating clean : fish, chicken, turkey lean protein, over 5 servings of veggies, the more colorful the better, 3-5 servings of fruit that's not in juice. No processed foods, complex carbs in the form of fruits or brown rice, I eat quinoa because I'm intolerant to rice. Limit potatoes and foods that are high GI, don't eat sugar (or it in moderation, I do really bad with sugar so I eliminate it and use honey to sweeten very moderately). Eat often, ever 2-3 hours.

You don't have to starve, you don't have to eat low calories, just create a deficit while eating clean.

[HumanBean]

I lost 40 lbs over 10 months (about 1 lb a week) in this past year, and my increased shedding started when I was about 15 lbs into the weight loss and persisted for about 6 months. You can read about how worried about it I was on my blog. But it's stopped now and my hair is regaining thickness.

[glitterbug]

I lost a large amount of weight since joining LHC, 80lbs+ (I think is more around 90 now) . If you lose 4-8lbs in a month and don't go into a fad diet, just eat clean and get plenty of protein and fats you won't have shedding.

My pony circumference actually went up because I wasn't eating enough protein and fats, nor enough nutrients in general (too many grains which I actually do bad in). If you work out, even 20 minutes a day, better blood flow will help you grow hair actually.

Eating clean : fish, chicken, turkey lean protein, over 5 servings of veggies, the more colorful the better, 3-5 servings of fruit that's not in juice. No processed foods, complex carbs in the form of fruits or brown rice, I eat quinoa because I'm intolerant to rice. Limit potatoes and foods that are high GI, don't eat sugar (or it in moderation, I do really bad with sugar so I eliminate it and use honey to sweeten very moderately). Eat often, ever 2-3 hours.

You don't have to starve, you don't have to eat low calories, just create a deficit while eating clean.

Thanks that was a lot of help, I guess I will aim for about losing 7 pounds over a month and a half. Its better to eat clean and avoid processed food. SO I will do that. Thanks!

[Firefox7275]

Thanks for the detailed reply- I guess I will aim for a 7 pounds instead over the month. Also, do you mean I should not reduce portion size but instead to replace with more veggies? What about fat content? Should I not reduce fat intake so that it wont affect my hair? How much carbs should I be eating? And what are the best carbs?

Thank you again.

As I said half to one pound a week at your weight/ amount you have to lose, anything more is crash dieting. Deficiencies of a whole raft of nutrients can affect hair not just fat intake, as I said "our body may start shedding hair at any stage if you: slash calories too much, lose weight too fast, miss out on essential macro or micronutrients, take your bodyfat percentage too low, take your weight too low. Even if you don't experience shedding any of these is harmful to health in other ways."

We can't say exactly what you should reduce because we don't know how much fat you are eating at present, nor how much carbohydrate you 'should' be eating because that depends on multiple factors from your activity level to what macro split (protein fat carbs) you settle on. I already suggested which types of fats and carbs are best eat in my last post. You will note that three of the items in the 'fats' group are also fruit and veggies, and two are also in the 'fibre and mineral rich' group so nutrient dense foods can hit more than one target.

It's a lot easier for you to focus on number of servings than macro grams, because macros only don't take into account the need for a balance of minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, fibre or antioxidants - servings from different food groups does. Supplements are called that because they are supposed to supplement a healthy diet not replace it: they should be an insurance policy for most of us. Oily fish supplies long chain omega-3s but also bioavailable vitamin D, various B vitamins, selenium, complete protein, some are a great source of other minerals: many multis don't contain the full range of nutrients or not the most bioavailable (can be absorbed and used) form.

The only food group you should cut out completely without professional guidance are processed or low nutrient junk - cakes, biscuits (cookies), crisps (chips), French fries, table sugar, sweets (candy), white or milk chocolate etc. But also think carefully about the other processed foods you eat with hidden excess fats and sugars or added salt - deli meats, breakfast cereals, jars of sauces, honey, vegetable oil, bread and so on. Eat as much as possible that has one or two ingredients and looks very similar to what it looked like when it came off the plant or animal. Also be sure you eat a wide variety of different foods, concentrate on adding 'new' healthy foods to your diet not simply taking out 'unhealthy' foods or you will risk feeling bored, deprived or not getting all the nutrients you need.



Why do only low sugar fruits count? And what exactly do you mean by "low sugar fruits"? At what point does the sugar content of the fruit become too high to be counted in those seven to nine servings a day?

I didn't say only low sugar fruits count, I suggested to have those for someone who is dieting so wants to maximise nutrients whilst minimising calories and sugar. Low sugar fruits include raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, rhubarb (no added sugar, can use a natural sweetener depending how 'clean' you are eating), pure unsweetened canned pumpkin, sour cherries, fresh coconut, some plums. I don't generally put a number on it because forums tend to be international and serving sizes vary from country to country. How strict you are can partly depend how easy or difficult you are finding it to hit calorie/ carbohydrate/ sugar/ fibre targets, if you set them for yourself.

I don't buy into the 'no fruit' thing because it's pretty difficult for many of us to get the nutrients found in the blue/ purple group of produce without some fruit. Pretty much leaves you with purple cabbage, beetroot (beets) and aubergine (eggplant) which is obviously quite limiting; if you are lucky you might source purple root veggies (but many limit those due to starchy carbs). Eating a wide variety of different foods each day is a key part of the healthy eating guidelines as is eating the full rainbow (blue/ purple, red, dark green, yellow/ orange).

[kaydana]

I didn't say only low sugar fruits count, I suggested to have those for someone who is dieting so wants to maximise nutrients whilst minimising calories and sugar. Low sugar fruits include raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, rhubarb (no added sugar, can use a natural sweetener depending how 'clean' you are eating), pure unsweetened canned pumpkin, sour cherries, fresh coconut, some plums. I don't generally put a number on it because forums tend to be international and serving sizes vary from country to country. How strict you are can partly depend how easy or difficult you are finding it to hit calorie/ carbohydrate/ sugar/ fibre targets, if you set them for yourself.

I don't buy into the 'no fruit' thing because it's pretty difficult for many of us to get the nutrients found in the blue/ purple group of produce without some fruit. Pretty much leaves you with purple cabbage, beetroot (beets) and aubergine (eggplant) which is obviously quite limiting; if you are lucky you might source purple root veggies (but many limit those due to starchy carbs). Eating a wide variety of different foods each day is a key part of the healthy eating guidelines as is eating the full rainbow (blue/ purple, red, dark green, yellow/ orange).

Thank you for your clarification.

[woolyleprechaun]

I'm a little worried about your original diet plan; I'm happy you have opted for a more gradual weight loss. Any dramatic change can affect your hair, and changing what you eat can have the biggest impact of all. To lose 14lbs when you are only 9st 7lbs sounds rather excessive, but hey, we've all had those days where we think we need to.