I'm not sure at all if there's any other section of the forum that would fit my question better, so let's hope, and here goes.
After having spent a good 2/3 of the past school year really not paying attention to what I was eating, I finally managed to get a grasp over myself again in April, and do as well as I could, on my student's budget, regarding healthy eating and exercising. Okay. Now my problem is that, since May, approximatively (my finals period), I've been steadily losing hair. I don't find big clumps of hair in my hands, it's just... well, more than the regular, daily loss of an 'average person', if this makes sense. And, evidently, I AM worried, given that we're almost in September now, and it's still going on.
A friend of mine told me today that it could be, all that simply, a result of all the changes I've brought to my eating patterns in the past months, and that my body is confused and, in the process of adapting, is doing good stuff (shedding pounds, being generally more energetic...) and less good stuff (the hair loss). Could this be true? Has any of you already been through something similar, and received similar confirmation from a doctor, or anyone with a trustworthy medical background?
To clarify some things:
- There's no way I can be deprived of nutrients. Before that, I would basically live on buttered pretzels, pizza, pasta and cookies (yeah, when I f*k up, I do it the grand way), so I seriously doubt that suddenly adding way more fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats would make me 'deprived of good nutrients'. Unless there's something I haven't understood in all that healthy eating stuff.
- I've gone through a complete blood checkup less than two months ago, and my numbers were normal, and even excellent, said the doctor. I haven't experienced any particular problems regarding losing weight, save when I'm not serious enough about it, of course, and if I'm more easily cold than before, I guess this is normal as well, given that it's not seldom that a formerly overweight. The doc ruled out hypothyroidism and the likes, that is.
- I don't exercise in a gym every day, but I go to work on my bike (2x35 minutes, with quite steep parts along the way, and on an old bike that isn't the easiest thing to operate), plus I do strength-training at least once a week, push-ups at home, and am generally quite active. For instance, I won't hesitate to bike 2x20 minutes over the border (and one steep bridge, whee) to buy groceries in Germany.
- I admit that there's still too much rice/pasta in my diet to my liking, but as mentioned above, I'm on student budget (and I take whole-wheat, whole-grain rice, quinoa, etc. versions--not the basic white-wheat stuff. Same goes for bread, when I eat some.) Of course, I add vegetables and fruits to that! It's not the only thing I eat.
- I try to get proteins/fat regularly. Mostly chicken, salmon, tuna & other fishes (depending on what isn't too expensive at the moment I buy it), tofu, soy steaks, eggs, cottage/other cheese. I've upped my protein intake from, uhh, something like twice a week to twice a day, sometimes three. (I can't do much more right now, though--again, a little bit of money woes, that stuff is expensive here. )
One bit of explanation I could find, though, would be that I've moved in July, in an apartment that hasn't any shutters, so I've had to get reacquainted with sleeping in a room in which the sun wakes me up between 5 and 6. I'm not feeling 'tired all the time' or whatever, and I've never been a big (8+ hours) sleeper anyway, but still, I assume that regularly having 5-6 hours long nights only doesn't help. I'm just not sure that it's all there could be to it? Just regular old tiredness? Could it be that simple?
Apart from the hair, I haven't noticed anything particular. As said, I'm feeling quite energetic (in spite of always running everywhere and doing summer homework to prepare for my last year of License degree ), no bouts of dizziness or any other worrying stuff. Just the hair. Which is nonetheless annoying, and not very aesthetic (I have short hair, plus I am used to having much more hair than that, so to me, at least, it now looks shocking... ).
So, well... I'll take any insight on that, on whether I just need to go on living healthily and it'll fix itself in a few months, or I'm doing something completely wrong. I take complements against hair loss, but of course these don't kick in right from the start. Let's say I'm going to go on hoping...
Anyway, thanks in advance, if only for having read that semi-novel. And sorry if this was just one big silly question.
I lost copious amounts of hair on a "no fat" diet in my college days. I also skipped a period the only time in my entire life during this phase. I eventually quit the low fat diet and the hair loss stopped as well.
I can only share my own experience, but getting enough fat seemed to really make a difference for me.
I agree with the fat issue. How do your finger nails look? If they are brittle and not growing, in combo with loosing your hair, you may want to be sure that you are getting enough of the healthy fats in your diet. I worked for a weightloss co. years ago and we had a cliet who reduced her fat intake to just about nothing. She had came in with the hair/nail issue and when we told her that you must have some fat in your diet in order to be healthy, she changed and everything went back to normal.
Ah, yes, the healthy fats! I knew I had forgotten something in my 'list'. I'm not sure of what is enough/not enough? I cook with olive oil (sometimes also with Isio 4), I think I normally get some as well in fish such as salmon, and even though I don't do that every day, I regularly eat almonds and other nuts supposed to contain some. And tofu should cover some as well. Well, I hope it's not too shabby... In any case, to answer the question, I haven't noticed any problem with my nails. They're not brittle... in fact they even grow too fast to my liking.
Anyway, thanks for the input. Maybe I can tie a scarf on my eyes in the hopes that I won't be woken up too early by Mr. Sun. Hmmr...
You didn't mention whether you take a vitamin supplement of any kind. Do you? It also sounds like you don't eat beef. It can sometimes be difficult to get enough of certain vitamins that way. So, perhaps consider a B-vitamin supplement?
You mentioned that you eat eggs, and I hope you eat the whole egg. The yolk contains some very good nutrients.
This is just anecdotal information for you, nothing that I ever verified with a doctor. When I first started losing weight, I was seeing more hair everywhere: in the drain, on my pillow, on my shirt. It just seemed to be coming out in greater amounts. (I have very, very thick hair, so I couldn't see anything from looking at my head.) I was eating plenty of fats - much higher than what I eat now, I was eating close to 45% of my calories from fat. After several months, it seemed to stabilize on its own and went back to its pre-weight loss hair loss amounts.
Last year, my daughter had to have two surgeries. She experienced the same thing. She even had a silver dollar sized patch on the back of her head that was bald for a few weeks. I mentioned it to her pediatrician who felt it was from the shock her body had been through from the surgeries. Again, after several months, it went back to the way it had been before the surgeries. Now it is thicker than ever, even thicker than before, although I suspect that has to do with her age.
In both cases, I always felt like it was just from the shock both of us went through. Hers from the surgery, and mine just from the weight loss. Like I said, nothing really revealing for you, just some "it happened to me too".
I've had the same thing happening. Both this time around and the last time I lost a significant amount of weight. Last time was low-fat, this time, I'm really balanced with fat and eat a variety of healthy foods. Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal that talks about it (sorry for not just posting the link, it was on a web page that had some strange formatting). As always, talking to your doctor would probably result in the best answer in your case.
Changes in diet can sometimes lead to hair loss
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
By Tara Parker-Pope, The Wall Street Journal
Dieters hoping to lose weight are discovering they're losing something else -- their hair.
The little-talked-about secret of the dieting industry is that a successful diet can also trigger hair loss. As Americans struggle with obesity and tackle countless fad diets, some dermatologists say they are increasingly hearing complaints from perplexed dieters about thinning hair.
After Esther Sokol, a New York City records manager, lost nine pounds on the Atkins diet a few years ago, her hairdresser noticed her usually thick hair was beginning to thin. It was only after talking with doctors and hair experts that she learned her diet was the likely culprit.
"Diet was the only major change I'd made," says Ms. Sokol.
Hair loss can be triggered by a variety of factors including pregnancy, stress, surgery and age-related hormonal changes, to name a few. But few people realize that weight loss can also cause hair to shed, likely due to a nutritional deficiency. Although iron deficiency is often associated with diet-related hair loss, a range of nutrient deficiencies can result in thinning hair, dermatologists say. Changes in levels of zinc, magnesium, protein, essential fatty acids and vitamins D, B and A can all trigger episodes of shedding hair. The problem affects both men and women, but women are more likely to notice it and seek treatment, say doctors.
The fact that so many different nutrients can be the culprit in hair loss means any diet can take a toll on the tresses.
The threat of thinning hair shouldn't discourage patients from losing weight, but it should convince them to avoid fad, quick-reduction diets, says Wilma Bergfeld, head of clinical research for the department of dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic. Such diets often lack proper nutrition, and rapid weight loss in itself is a stress on the body and can also trigger metabolism changes that affect hair growth.
For hair health, doctors say the best weight-loss plans are reduced-calorie diets that promote gradual weight loss with healthful foods from all of the food groups. Diets low in protein and iron, such as vegetarian diets and very-low-fat diets, often result in deficiencies. But high-protein diets like Atkins that initially discourage fruits and vegetables can also trigger hair loss, says Dr. Bergfeld. The typical patient complains of thinning hair after losing about 20 pounds in a relatively short period of time, she says.
"We see it all the time," says Dr. Bergfeld. "If you start eating only one thing and you're not well balanced, you get into trouble."
A spokesman for Atkins referred questions to the company's Web site, which addresses hair loss in its frequently asked questions section, noting that any weight-loss plan can trigger hair loss. The site contends the Atkins diet is the "least likely" to cause hair loss. However, dermatologists say no scientific study has ever determined whether certain diets are more or less likely to cause hair loss.
In a healthy person, hair typically grows about an inch every two months. Hair has a three-phase life cycle -- the growing phase can last two to five years. A second, less-active phase lasts only about six weeks. A final resting phase lasts three to five months, before the hair falls out and new hair grows in. About 15 percent of hair follicles are in the resting phase at a time.
Abrupt changes in nutrition can disrupt the hair-growth cycle, causing hair follicles in the growing phase to convert to the resting phase too soon. This can mean a 20 percent to 30 percent or more increase in the number of daily hairs shed.
For many people, diet-related hair loss is temporary and may last only about two to six months. Once a person starts eating a more balanced diet, hair eventually comes back. In some people it may take one to two years to regain a full head of hair, dermatologists say.
Some dieters aren't even that lucky. A hair-shedding episode triggered by dieting may become a chronic problem if the dieter has a genetic predisposition for thinning hair, says Dr. Bergfeld and other doctors. In addition, hair loss triggered by dieting can be exacerbated by hormonal changes, stress or medications -- sending patients into a chronic cycle of hair shedding.
Ms. Sokol says she stopped the diet and has since regained the weight -- but her hair has never recovered. She says that if she had been aware of the link between weight loss and hair loss she probably wouldn't have tried the diet.
Dermatologists say they often advise dieters to take a multivitamin with iron and keep weight loss to a pace of one to two pounds a week. Dieters with a family history of thinning hair or baldness should be especially careful about proper nutrition and slow weight loss. Patients considering obesity surgery, which often results in rapid weight loss, should also talk to their doctor about ways to protect their hair.
In addition to nutrition supplements, patients who experience thinning hair after dieting or for other reasons are advised to avoid chemical treatments like bleach or permanents that weaken hair. Minoxidil, the active ingredient in the topical treatment Rogaine, is often recommended for chronic hair loss, although it doesn't work for everyone and has to be used consistently or the hair shedding will return, notes Brooklyn dermatologist Morris Westfried, medical director of the New York Hair Loss Center who published one of the first reports on minoxidil. For men, the oral medication Propecia may also help improve thinning hair. Hair extensions and transplants are also an option, but they can be expensive.
JayEll - You're right, no vitamin supplement. I guess that means I need one! I thought all those fruits/veggies would be way enough, especially compared to my previous ways of eating when I'd get close to no vitamins... And I'll remember to put more beef in my diet. It's true I don't eat it often, both because of the price and out of personal taste. But next month, I'm getting tickets (through my job) that I can use in some nearby food stores here, so this will likely be an incentive for me to buy more stuff. I'll put beef in that.
jtammy - So I guess I can assume that changing my eating patterns + exams + moving + generally being tired do count as stress. If this is all it takes to explain such a phenomenon, then indeed maybe it's simply the same thing....'Only' body stress?
CLCSC145 - Thank you for the article, that was an interesting read.
I think it's important to take a vitamin supplement during weight loss even if one is careful to eat enough fruits and vegetables, etc. The reason is that if one is restricting food, it's easy to get not quite enough vitamins, added to the stress of losing weight. That article confirms my suspicions.
I also think that calcium/magnesium supplements are very important. Once I started using the FitDay calculator, I could see how much of the recommended daily allowance of calcium I was getting, and it was under half! And that's with eating lots of milk products.
Yes, the article does make a lot of sense. I was just surprised, because knowing how little vitamins I would get through my former diet (close to none), what I'm having now, even with lessened quantities of food, is necessarily more. And I didn't take supplements before either, so it feels weird. But it doesn't matter. I have to go back to the doc for my regular visits before the school year begins, so I'll ask about a prescription then, unless I can get such things over the counter.
i have long hair, and my brush is always full. i shed everywhere, but always have, regardless of diet. The hair on my head isn't thinning, though, which is good.
There are many good over-the-counter vitamin supplements. You shouldn't need a prescription, I would think. But it never hurts to check with your doctor. The easiest is just a multivitamin combination. I take a doctor-formulated OTC multi and a separate calcium supplement.
It's hair loss following major stressors, such as illness, weight loss, some meds (including ibuprofen), and well, stress.
I've always had coarse, abundant hair, but have always shed a lot. I've always had fast-growing nails of steel as well. I noticed an increase in my shedding maybe 6 weeks ago, but it seems to be slowing down now. I eat almonds, walnuts, etc. every day, olive oil several times a week, keep my fat at about 30%, and eat a healthy amount of protein. BUT, in March I cleaned up my diet drastically, and 30% is definitely lower than the amount of fat I was eating. Plus, I had some major emotional/overwork stress in April-June. Hair loss can be a sign of PCOS and some other conditions, but I'm feeling that the combination of everything is what brought this on in me.
I went through this after the birth of each of my kids, and knew that that was normal then. But this time I've actually saved and counted my hairs for a while to get a rough estimate of the trend and see if I was losing my mind.
I think that it's possible that a drastic change of diet could do it. I agree that a good multivitamin is a good thing to be doing, too, even if you are eating healthier than before.
You didn't say if you're on birth control. Hair loss is a possible side effect of Depo Provera (I was on it for awhile) and it may apply to other types as well (you would have to check the listed "possible side effects" of whatever type you were on).
Losing hair and body adaptation?...
)
), no bouts of dizziness or any other worrying stuff. Just the hair. Which is nonetheless annoying, and not very aesthetic (I have short hair, plus I am used to having much more hair than that, so to me, at least, it now looks shocking... 
And that's with eating lots of milk products. 
Plus, I had some major emotional/overwork stress in April-June. Hair loss can be a sign of PCOS and some other conditions, but I'm feeling that the combination of everything is what brought this on in me.
