Not sure if this is a good place for this - I had posted something on this under Dieting With Obstacles/PCOS before - but am thinking now it may be weight loss related.
I have always had really thick hair. A couple of months ago I noticed it had dramatically thinned - some places more than others. I recently was correctly diagnosed with Bi-polar II and have come out of - what I can only describe - as a very long coma. I have NO idea when this thinning began or when it stopped (doesn't seem to be shedding now"). I had thought it may be PCOS related since this is a common symptom - however - in the last three weeks I have had several doctors and nurse practitioners tell me it is common with large weight loss and will most likely regrow. I have a friend at work who had gastric bypass and she has had dramatic thinning - she has lost roughly the same amount as I have in about the same time frame. SO - do any of you LARGE LOSERS (LOL) have any experience with this ??? I will say that I had TWO different hairdressers (?) tell me they see regrowth so I am HOPEFULLY on the upward swing with this - but it has been causing me MAJOR stress. Another theory IS stress (based on the weight loss, bi polar etc).
Witchy, I know it's a common problem with a large weight loss, especially if it's rapid. I was lucky, though, and didn't have any problem with hair loss when I lost the weight. The odd thing is that I had major hair loss in the past on other diets, like Weight Watchers.
The only difference I can attribute it to is the large amount of protein I ate on the last diet (still do)! I got somewhere around 40 - 45% of my calories from protein, between 120 - 150 grams per day. I can't say for sure that protein made the difference, but I had no hair loss this time around.
It's totally unscientific, of course, I just can't think of any other reason why I didn't lose hair.
Thank you Meg - you know I don't actually track what I eat. I generally have oatmeal and skim milk for breakfast - a WW or LC for lunch and the same for dinner with veggies - OR chicken, fish or turkey with veggies. I just added lowfat cottage cheese for a protein boost but maybe I need to look at what I am actually consuming - carbs - proteins and fat breakdown. Could be I am not getting enough fat as well. I hate to mess with success - but if I log what I eat for a week and rearrange to add more protein without messing with calories - hopefully I won't be messing with whats working ????
Some people swear by good fats to prevent hair loss, I've heard that too. Why not track what you're eating for a week just to see where you are? Not changing anything, just a typical week. Something may pop out at you.
Thanks - I thought the actual LOSING of the weight would be the hard part. Turns out that is the EASY part - what it does to my body is way harder to deal with.
I also know that it is common with large weight losses, and it did happen to me (despite eating over 100 g protein per day, and about 20% calories from fat). My hair was really thick to begin with (actually, I think thats common in people who are overweight, having really thick hair), so while it felt WAY thinner to me, my stylist says she always forgets how much is there, so its not obviously thin to other people. I was just shocked at the reduction of thickness in my ponytails.
Nearly the second I got under 180, it started regrowing, and I went through an annoying period where I had little 1 inch long wispy bits all over. Now it has grown enough that they blend in just fine.
I lost it fairly evenly all over, with no obvious spots that I could see.
I also lost hair but it did return. Someone told me that dieting is a shock to your body's system and thus it preserves essential things (not hair) until it is sure there isn't a problem. That did happen to me. Last year I actually had patches of hair missing but now it really is back to normal.
I will tell you something funny. I always had rather a large part when I was larger and I honestly think I lost fat on the top of my head and my part has become smaller (looking like I have more hair).
I lost weight very slow so I think don't know if that is part of it.
Everytime in my life I have lost weight, I have lost hair. Though, with my heredity, any excuse to lose hair is a good one..going on the pill, pregnancy, and losing weight, all great reasons to shed hair...and in a pattern, like male pattern baldness.
Do consider Rogaine for women, it has helped me a lot. I will never have the thick head of hair I had at 18, but I do noticably have more now after a year and a a half of Minoxidil..I buy the cheap stuff!
The other thing I believe in to my core is omega 3 fatty acid. I have had noticably better skin and hair since taking high grade fish oil capsules...it is documented to help with depression as well........perhaps your doctors have already encouraged that...good luck!
My weight loss wasn't a large one, but it seems it can happen to anyone who's lost weight--the amount doesn't matter. I had even had to ask about it here on the forums a few weeks ago, because I was so worried about it. It could very well just be the 'shock' of dieting--and, if you were like me, of completely overturning your way of eating, as per opposed to eating less of good foods you were already eating before. (Somehow, I refuse to consider that I would get enough nutrients on a diet of cookies and pretzels, but not on one of veggies, meat, fish and dairy!) I'm so frigging annoyed about it, myself. I have short hair, and I'm under the impression that the whole world can notice how much hair I've lost, that I'm half bald already, etc. (Not true, but when you used to have thick hair... well, you all know that, from what I've seen in this thread.)
I was at the doctor this past week for my annual check up. My doctor actually asked me if I had experienced any hair loss. I have very thin hair to begin with, so luckily I have not had any hair loss.
The doctor told me that it's not actual hair loss that happens with weight loss (if it were to occur). She said we all lose hair every day and that that's not what changes with weight loss. What happens is, we stop GROWING hair for a while, so as we're losing our hair every single day, since it's not growing back, the hair is much thinner. She said it's a temporary thing and could last several months.
When I rapidly lost 75 lbs in 5 months, my hair started thinning at month 3. There was visably more hair in the shower drain (I have a hair catch in it). I knew rapid weight loss would cause it. My doc said something about all the hormones being released as the fat was utilized had contributed to all the hair loss. I'm sure if the body wasn't replacing the hairs it was losing would contribute to thinning as well. My intake of protein was about 40-50% of my calories, but did not add the good fats (I've read that helps).
Sure enough, at 9 months (when my weight loss dramatically slowed) my hair grew back to it's prior thickness. Don't worry, it'll come back!!
As an aside, I lost hair when my thyroid went south (prior to my rapid weight loss in 2004). When that was stabilized, my hair loss problem disappeared. I do believe changes in the thickness of hair is the body's response to stress in general. The good part is that your hair will recover! yay!
Robin - great to know the doc's thoughts on the matter. Matches up with my experience for sure.
If you seem to be losing MORE hair than you normally did (ie, hair coming out in clumps, rather than just hair not growing back in as quickly or a slight increase in loss, but all over rather than in patches or a lot at once), you may want to check with a doctor, just to be sure. There are some nutritional and thyroid issues, as well as other medical problems, that can cause hair loss, but its not the same kind of loss that occurs with normal weight loss (what Robin described - hair falling out at the same rate as before, but not growing new hairs as quickly).
My problem is I don't remember when exactly I lost it - I really just noticed a month or so ago - bizarre I know. My son remembers last year there was TONS of hair in the drain - and I did start my new lifestyle in July or August. I also had a REALLY bad bout with my bipolar - started rapid cycling so that alone is major stress.
I hope it comes back - its hard enough not having self esteem and now the loose skin issues and all - but hair loss is soooo traumatic. Its all I think about now and I think everyone can see it. Hopefully by the spring I'll see a major improvement (also started Flutamide in case its testosterone from the PCOS). Thank you for the replies - nice to know others have had this as well and it has come back.
Witchy, this isn't about hair loss, but I have to tell you that I am in awe of you being able to manage your weight loss so well at the same time you had to deal with your mental health issues. Most of us struggle with weight loss even on the best of days and it sounds like you went through a very, very bad patch without losing focus. I just have to commend you for your strength and courage.
I did an extremely low fat diet in college (my goal was basically - no fat grams per day). I lost hair by the handful in the shower and skipped a period (the only time in my life). I didn't notice any additional hair loss this time around!
Large weight loss = hair loss ???????
