Hi, I am new. I am considering starting medifast but had two concerns and thought you kind folks might be able to help.

I've read in multiple locations that one of the potential side effects of Medifast is hair loss. I know not everyone experiences side effects, but am concerned about how common this side effect might be because I already suffer from a form of alopecia, so I can't afford much hair loss.

From your personal experience using medifast or those you know who have, have you experienced any hair loss while on the diet? (if so, did it grow back?).

Thank you all for your honest feedback.

OMG!! I had no idea hair loss was a potential side effect. I also suffer from alopecia and since starting medifast 2 months ago I have noticed an increase in my bald spots. I had no idea it may be related!

If that is the side effect I would never ever suggest using it. You should try a plan such as Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig or BistroMD where you eat real food, not just grains and oats and liquids.

Hair loss is a side effect of any diet where you lose weight quickly. I haven't experienced any hair loss with Medifast.

I didn't hear about any hair loss side effects with Medifast! I just started it yesterday and I too have alopecia. Actually, last year I was missing most of my hair from it. I really really don't want to lose any hair after just pretty recently getting all of my hair back. (

Hair loss CAN BE a side effect of ANY diet that produces quick, significant weight loss, or for that matter, it can be a side effect of an illness that causes a person to lose weight. It is the combination of the large amount of body weight and the rapidity of the loss that CAN contribute to hair loss.

It doesn't matter the composition of the diet (as one poster suggested). This is not a COMMON side effect, and if it does happen, the hair grows back when your weight levels off. My husband has a medical degree so he researched MediFast thoroughly before I began the diet. As a matter of fact, the lady on the cover of the MediFast book's husband is also a doc. So, that should give some comfort because I don't think our husbands would throw us to the wolves, lol!

Best wishes to all,
Wendy

Hair loss can be a symptom of any extremely low calorie / low fat diet. It's fairly common, in fact, to have hair loss weakened nails/hair from extremely low fat diets.

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Yup. I've never been on Medifast, but I started losing hair because my diet was too low in fat. It all grew back once I brought my fat levels up.

BTW, my calorie levels weren't that low either at 1500-1600 calories per day. It was my low fat levels that did it (15-20% fat at that point.)

That is why it is so good that Medifast makes sure that there is enough fat and other nutrition to maintain a body at such a low caloric intake. I feel good knowing that the program has been perfected over the past 30 years and so many doctors endorse it!

I would have to add my 2 cents in and tell you that since being on MF I feel so much better. I am eating better by way of my one Lean & Green meal each day. Plus the vitamins & protein that are in each MF meal are far more than I was getting prior to being on MF. MF is not just about having meal replacement shakes it is so much more.

I have not, but I will say I have never missed a healthy fat serving when needed and take the Omega 3 two times daily! Best of Luck to you, YOU might give NS a call too! Dan

I started using medifast about 2 weeks ago. I felt terrible the first week. Very ill, woozy/dizzy, headaches. I had to have some crackers after the shakes and it would take the dizziness away. I added chicken broth to the Medifast soup. Medifast recommended having some chicken broth if you felt dizzy - so I just added it to the soup instead of water. It helped. It was the sodium I was lacking. The second week I felt better. I was down appx 8 pounds. i was very excited. Was getting used to the food "taste" etc. Enjoyed my 1 lean green meal! About day 10 I started feeling tingling sensation in my scalp. it was continous and very annoying. I also felt my hair seemed very brittle and dry. Over the weekend (my last day on Medifast - day 12) I noticed my hair was thinning on the forehead and crown. By day 13, I had stopped medifast but my hair all over looked much thinner. Normally my hair is very full and curly (but very soft). The curl had started to droop out and straighten. the hair was about thinner by about half all over. No bald spots per se but just very brittle, much thinner and dull. I started taking Biotin, fish oil, olive oil and a multivitamin as I read up on what to do help thinning hair/hair loss. I stopped Medifast altogether. I had only ordered a 2 week supply and it was almost gone. I know others have said they would rather be thin and have thin hair then have nice hair and be large. Well I don't want thin hair. I loved my hair. I want to lose weight, but not at expense of my hair!! I hear it may takes a few weeks to a few months for my hair to recover once I resume a normal diet and continue taking vitamins, biotin, fish oil. I am very disappointed. If not for the hair thinning I would have stuck with Medifast until goal. It really worked, but I felt like if I was already experiencing hair thinning 2 weeks in then what would I be like in a month or two? Granted I did not take the biotin, fish oil, etc when I began the diet. I didn't know hair loss was a side effect until about a week in. Right now I have gained half of the 8 pounds I lost in 3 days AND have thinner hair. Totally stinks! I would be very very careful with this diet. it gives amazing results, but at a huge price (your hair ) for a suprising number of people. I was surprised how many lost their hair and kept right on the diet. I would rather have extra pounds and my hair. I will find another program which doesn't put so much stress on the body. Maybe good old calorie counting and exercise.

I agree

I did lose some hair during my 11 months on Medifast. I'm 3 months past goal now and it's starting to grow back. All rapid weight loss plans can cause hair loss. I have to say that for me it was much more important to lose the weight than keep my hair. I'd rather be healthy and running around with my kid with thin hair than dead of a heart attack and have beautiful hair. But I had 120 lbs to lose and was morbidly obese., For other people losing weight might not be a live or die situation. And we all have to pick the plan that is right for us. I truly believe that most plans will help you lose weight if you stick to them. You have to find the one that you can stick to and feel good about. MF saved my life and I can say that I enjoyed every day of being on the plan.

I have had NO hair issues in the 9 months I've been on Medifast. I do take a flax oil supplement every day, so maybe that has something to do with it. I know several people who have been on Medifast, and none of them had any hair loss, either.