Hello Everyone,
I have been in maintenance phase for almost 3 weeks now and I am shedding like a dog. I have read that the hair loss will occur in Phase 1 or Phase 2 but for me it started during Phase 3 and still going on.
Did this happen to anyone? Please help.

Hi hope: Perhaps you have a long hair-growth period. Everyone's is different... If your hair stopped growing (new hairs not coming in) during IP early phases... you may just now be losing the others that had stopped growth a while ago and since no new hair while on this strict diet you might just be noticing it now that they are at the end of their growth & rest cycle. If you have always had long hair or have been able to grow it very long, it probably has a longer growth cycle than most people so you are just seeing it now. Sounds kind of wordy, sorry. I hope you know what I mean?
Hugs, and how's it going in Maintenance?? Haven't seen your posts for a while and wondered how you were doing.

Liana

Is there supposed to be hair loss with the IP diet?

Hi Hope! I also started losing hair in Phase 3 and into maintenance. I started taking Biotin twice a day and with that and some time (about 4-5 months) my hair started coming back to it's natural thick state. I did have to cut it shorter to get rid of the thin ends but I usually wear it longer so no one really noticed but me. I used to pull out clumps in the shower and it was very upsetting but temporary. I am almost a year into maintenance and my hair is fine now. It will get better!!!!!!!!

Hi Ariel! Temporary hair loss can happen with any calorie and carb restricted diet. The problem isn't specific to IP, it can occur with fast and large weight loss. You may or may not lose a lot of hair. I have a friend who started taking Biotin around the time she started IP and she did experience some hair loss but not too bad. Good luck!!!!

I started IP March 24th and started losing lots and lots of hair around the 4-month mark. It is still coming out in clumps every time I shower or style it. It has thinned considerably. I take Biotin but that does not seem to be helping. Not everyone loses it, but it is common side effect of low-carb/low-calorie diets. I am trying to just push through and get to goal before I go bald!

I never had hair loss, but I only had just over 30 lbs to lose and was only on IP early phases for a few months. Not everyone loses hair at a greater rate than normal. Hang in there, it's not permanent. The next hairs are just waiting in the follicles to sprout, lol.

Liana

I lost a ton of hair on HCG which is also calorie restricted and I can't say that it all came back. It started after I stopped the main diet and began maintenance and I lost about 38 lbs. or so, it's been years now so I can't remember.

Fat cells produce estrogen. Estrogen protects hair follicles on your head from the destructive effects of androgens. If you lose a lot of weight, especially if you lose it quickly, your estrogen levels can fall and that can cause hair loss. It has happened to me and many others on 3fc.

The best thing I found for my thinning hair Nizoral shampoo. When I switched to Nizoral, my hair started to come back pretty quickly!

Here's a bit from wikipedia on ketoconazole, the active ingredient:

"Limited clinical studies suggest that ketoconazole shampoo used either alone[19][20] or in combination with other treatments[21] may be useful in reducing hair loss."

Now, that doesn't sound very dramatic, but my experience was!

Thanks Jelliehel! I was concerned, so I asked my coach, she also lost weight with IP, and she told me there wasn't any hair loss, on the contrary, our hair, nails and skin become healthier and look better.

That's what I hope it happens, that if hairs fall they sprout!

lol.. I am hoping the same too like Ariel that new hair will grow. I got my blood work done for insurance thing and all my stats are perfect colestrol,calcim,blood percentage,glucose all are perfect.

So I am just hoping this hair loss is temporary

@Liana, I am not posting now a days in maintenance phase as I tried to do the fat meal and carb meal and I was feeling sick, something is not right with that so I started taking 2 small rotu or bread with curry for lunch and dinner. I feel fine and I don't think I gained any weight as my clothes fit the same. Today is my first appointment after I started maintenance. So moment of truth to come in 2 hrs.

If I haven't gone off too much in weight, fat.water ratios then I will start posting in the maintenance threads. I didn't want to mislead other mainteners so hopefully I will join you guys soon.

The wife and I are in our 5th month of IP and she has started to lose hair by the handful. I will pass on some of the comments. Thanks.

I had lots of hair loss around the 4-5 month mark which is fairly common at that time for low cal/low carb diets. It is hard to see it coming out in the shower and on your brush! It stopped after I phased off after about a month or so. It's thickening up now and I'm hoping I don't have this again on my second go round now on IP.
I read a lot about this and also went to my dr about it. It's the hormones and "shock" to your system that your body goes through at the start of the diet that can show up after a couple months as hair loss. Not everybody gets this thankfully!

I had a LOT of hair loss about the time i phased off. It all grew back in a few months. I didn't use any vitamin or hair care products. Hang in there!