Hair thinning from cutting calories?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone else’s hair start thinning after only 3-4 weeks of running a caloric deficit?

[Anonymous]

This absolutely can happen. It has happened to me, but not with less than a month of weight loss, only after months of it.

[Anonymous]

Just to add for parents of adolescents: Thinning hair and hair loss can be a sign of an eating disorder.

[Anonymous]

Yes - telogen effluvium.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Lost soooo much hair.

[Anonymous]

did keto+if precovid and lost a ton but decided it's not worth. even after regained all the weight hair's not back.

[Anonymous]

OP here. It could also be that I cut caffeine on December 25th and a blood pressure med a few weeks later. Appatently, I’m really sensitiveto caffeine. After I went off I no longer needed Metroprolol (which is also known to thin hair). It could be that after ditching the daily prolonged cortisol spikes my hair just shed a bit before a growth stage - fingers crossed!

[Anonymous]

I lost 50 lbs ~1.5 yrs ago and lost a lot of hair, I want to say 30-50%. I feel like I've gained it back now (the hair, not the weight!). I used biotin, but I think just eating more/healthier helped.

[Anonymous]

Yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lost 50 lbs ~1.5 yrs ago and lost a lot of hair, I want to say 30-50%. I feel like I've gained it back now (the hair, not the weight!). I used biotin, but I think just eating more/healthier helped.

What kind of biotin did you use? Like Nutrfoil?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. It could also be that I cut caffeine on December 25th and a blood pressure med a few weeks later. Appatently, I’m really sensitiveto caffeine. After I went off I no longer needed Metroprolol (which is also known to thin hair). It could be that after ditching the daily prolonged cortisol spikes my hair just shed a bit before a growth stage - fingers crossed!

What blood pressure medication were you on? Both oral minoxidil and spironolactone are blood pressure medication that are prescribed off label to combat hair loss/maintain hair growth, so if you were on one of those and it was keeping your hair in the anagen phase for longer, then absolutely you would start losing hair within a few weeks of stopping them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lost 50 lbs ~1.5 yrs ago and lost a lot of hair, I want to say 30-50%. I feel like I've gained it back now (the hair, not the weight!). I used biotin, but I think just eating more/healthier helped.

Biotin does nothing for you unless you are in a deficit, which very few people are. I have no idea where this "take biotin for hair loss" fad came from, LOL! I'm sure it was your diet.

[Anonymous]

It could be diet, but have your Vitamin D and thyroid levels checked. My Vitamin D is 11.4, so I'm taking 50,000 once a week for 8 weeks. That can cause hair loss. I also checked my iron and ferritin, but those were normal. I was taking a medication for migraines which many users on Reddit experienced hair loss. I stopped that medication. I eat once a day and feel great. I don't know if calorie deficit is a factor. I lost a lot of hair!

[Anonymous]

Yes, I lost so much on zepbound and I know it’s a side effect but I don’t care. I’ll take the hair loss with the weight loss. It’s worth it to me. The rate of hair loss definitely slowed down and I didn’t do anything, I’m 6 months in. It was really bad for the first 4 months. It seems to be coming back now but my weight loss has slowed to a pound a week or less now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. It could also be that I cut caffeine on December 25th and a blood pressure med a few weeks later. Appatently, I’m really sensitiveto caffeine. After I went off I no longer needed Metroprolol (which is also known to thin hair). It could be that after ditching the daily prolonged cortisol spikes my hair just shed a bit before a growth stage - fingers crossed!

What blood pressure medication were you on? Both oral minoxidil and spironolactone are blood pressure medication that are prescribed off label to combat hair loss/maintain hair growth, so if you were on one of those and it was keeping your hair in the anagen phase for longer, then absolutely you would start losing hair within a few weeks of stopping them.

I 2nd this, I'm on spironolactane and it keeps my hair thick.