This is an important question.

Did your hair start to fall out on this Very Low Fat, Low Carb and low Calorie diet called Kimkins?

I did lose some hair. I have to add that I also lost hair last time I did Atkins by the book. It took about 5 months to really get bad on Atkins and since I was only on Kimkins about 2 months and only dieting for less than 4 months now, I am afraid the hair loss may increase in the next few weeks even with the fat I'm adding. Strangely enough, I did Medifast at 400 calories in the past for 6 months with no hair loss that I noticed. I think some of us will lose some hair with any diet plan.

yes and I am still loosing hair

I agree that anytime you lose alot of weight, fast, you will lose hair. My hair was very thin on top and I started using Nioxin shampoo and scalp therapy for that years ago. It helped alot!! Well then I found out I had thyroid problems and that makes your hair thin. My hair had quit falling out when I started Kimkins. Then I did K/E for about 2 months and lost about 50 pounds and then started to transition into Atkins type eating. Well then it started falling out again and continues to!!! I was on vitamins the whole time. I have added extra biotin and folic acid. Now I am also starting Nioxin vitamins plus half of my other vitamins. I would rather be bald than fat!!!
Pam

Hi! I didn't lose hair, but then I ate more fat than was suggested.... Reading a lot of the posts got me sort of paranoid, so now I take biotin too.

I'm going to go out and buy the "Living the Low Carb Life" now, I must find a plan and stick to it..... Glad I found this website!

I have to say that my hair does seem thinner- not coming out in clumps but Im seeing it on bathroom surfaces....So what exactly are people doing to reverse this??

Bella

I'm like Pam. The falling out didn't occur until I started my transition back to Atkins, despite my supplements. I stayed strictly on KKs, mostly KE, for 3 months, never cheating. Lost 52#. I knew it was coming because my nails, basically, let me in on it. Nails and hair are "connected," so to speak. I noticed vertical ridges and lost of the little half moons. I had hoped in stopping the hair issue by starting high doses of Biotin. Well, it didn't stop it from occurring. The hair's life cycle had been interrupted. My nails have muched improved. The moons are back. It will be a couple of months down the road, but the hair will be back. I have to believe that.

Hi folks,
I lost some, too, in fact I began posting about it and warning others, mostly to no avail. I had lost some while on heavy meds for inflammatory arthritis, and I decided to take a different tack--and I'm much better now, thank you, even without it all. My dermatologist told me that stuff was deadly and had questionable use for my problem. Gradually, over several years it got better so that it wasn't as noticeable. Then with about 3 months on KK, I could see my scalp again in bright light, and I freaked!

I think maybe it's better, and although it's coming out more than before, it's not as bad as it was. I think the reduced fat is the culprit.

What I'm also troubled by is the muscle loss. I had done Pilates for about a year while losing weight before. I regained some of the weight and stopped working out. Yesterday I went back to my trainer to resume the Pilates, and even though I weigh a lot less now, I couldn't even do a situp, and I'd been doing pretty well before. I am definitely much weaker. I had heard others complain of muscle loss with low-fat rapid weight loss. That's my story.

Best to all,
Sunny

Yea, Im wondering when others say they are losing hair, how much?

Bella

Im on maintenance so Ive been eating more fat for about 5 months now, and today after reading all this I put a big Tb of almond butter on Ezekial bread!

Does anyone know how much fat per day will stop the loss?

Bella

Howdy!

Just wanted to add my voice to this topic.

I have PCOS (have had it for years), so my hair had been thinning to begin with. Not really noticable to anyone but me and family- only because I had a LOT of hair to begin with (esp. for a redhead).

When I started KK, I guess, hindsight being what it is, I never did it right to begin with. Let me explain.

I never cheated (my definition: never went above 20 carbs & never ate off plan), BUT, my DH and I ate red meat (lean) at least once a week and I suppose I had more fat in my diet than most others did. My calories ranged from 700-1200 while on KK- so again, I never starved myself. Also, I was on supplements from the beginning (including Biotin), so perhaps that is why instead of losing hair, my hair loss actually stopped.

I guess what I'm realizing is that since KK was my first experiment with LC, I'm glad for the experience. I'm still basically doing KK, but I've just got "Living the Low Carb Life" and Jimmy's book and a few others and I'm investigating what I want to do.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the idea that I can have more than 20 carbs as long as my net carbs are still low.

I hit the 3 month mark a few days ago and I've lost 75lbs, so I couldn't be happier!

I am in no way defending Kimmer/Heidi/woman with severe emotional problems, but I am glad for the good things that came out of it.

God Bless and have a great week!

Sunshine Karen

P.S. I usually post at the "200+ lbs to lose SUPPORT" thread. EVERYONE IS WELCOME AT THIS THREAD EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE NEAR THAT AMT. TO LOSE.

Just wanted to add that not everyone is going to get hair loss. Its a reflection on our nutritional status. Like a bank account some of us have more nutrients stored in the bank (our bodies) while others are nutritionally deficient. So when we go on a diet that is so nutritionally deficient our bodies will have to draw on the nutrients in storage and when they run out that is when we see symptoms. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms needs to build up their stores of nutrients by eating lots of nutrient dense food.

Keep in mind, the body when it undergoes a radical change in routine, will force some hair into hibernation state before it dies and falls out. Takes about 3-4 months from the inital shock of a change to your body....

And sure enough, 4 months into my first go-around with Kimkins, I started losing hair in handfulls.... enough to scare me... thankfully I have thick hair and it didn;t become noticeable to anyone but me... you can change how you style your hair to cover up any serious thinning.

I think it stopped when I freaked out enough and went off the diet completely. And to tell the truth, I've not been on a low carb diet long enough since then to see the same issue pop up.

I'll get serious again someday

Well, I wish I could say mine was thick enough that no one noticed, but my hair is thin to begin with. It is coming out fast, my hope is that with adding more fat and biotin into my WOE it will return (soon I hope). My hairdresser cut the layers shorter yesterday to add some volume and help prevent stress on the hair. Does anyone have any other suggestions for helping hair to grow?

I had to pick "not sure" because my hair has been noticibly thinning for several years now..especially in the front/bangs. I wasn't doing KK to a "T", so I was hoping that I wouldn't lose much hair at all. I haven't noticed clumps or anything. I suppose it could still happen as a result of the dieting over the last few months, huh? My hairdresser has mentioned biotin to me, too. Maybe I should look into it.

Yep, I did. I heard tell of some vitamin or mineral that was supposed to help with the hair thing...Anyone recollect what that was??

Kristi

Hrm. I voted "no", but started seeing some losses after I stopped doing KK. I was always a "shedder", but it seems to be worse lately, and more of the strands are coming with follicles... EEP!

I've heard several similar accounts - did anybody else start losing within a few weeks of giving it up?

Okay, this is weird. I had not voted. I clicked on the show results and it said I had voted. I backed up a page and tried to vote and it said I had already voted. What's up with the poll?

Yup, lost hair and still losing it. Thank God it was thick to begin with. My hair is ALL over the place. I've upped my fat and I'm taking a big dose of biotin with my good fats and a powerful multi (from my doctor). Hoping it'll slow down a little. I'm also using the Nioxin, but find it stings my scalp and I can't tell if it's helped.

I too have lost hair...at first it was just a little bit every time I brushed and then about a week ago my brush was very full of hair from one brushing....I didn't connect the diet to it until I read this...I started with a lot of hair so if it reverses itself soon I don't think anyone will notice but me...and anyone who looks in the bathroom sink while I'm brushing my hair

I am so very glad to have found this site...I just found out about the controversy 2 days ago and have been trying to figure out what is going on...Hey deb if your out there I'm over here now...don't know if you are here or not and if you have the same screen name so if you see this Hi

Hi all , yes I am losing hair also - I was on KE for 3 months- cheat free . I took my vitamins and supplements including biotin daily . After I left K a little over 4 weeks ago noticed my hair was starting to fall out . I have lost steadily for about 2 1/2 weeks now . I have switched to a high potency liquid vitamin w/ minerals and also "greens" in it . I take that 2x's a day now , plus lecithin , 5000 mcg biotin and some other water based supplements. I have been using only baby shampoo for it's mildness . I just ordered the Nioxin products - problem with that is , it works for some , not others . I'm hoping I'm in the former .
I massage my scalp daily also . Not knowing if that will help or not - but why not ?
Some days I lose less and think it's over . then the next it is slightly more .
Hopefully it will stop soon .....Patti

I just started noticing my hair coming out a lot. I notice it mostly in the shower because I have it all stuck to my hands after lathering the shampoo. It is very noticable and disgusting. I don't think it is a concidence that I started losing after I quit Kimkins and that all of a sudden I noticed lots of hair on my hands in the shower (How could you mss that?). The back of my couch now has it's own hairdo, so to speak, from all the strays that have come out while sitting watching TV.
I am lucky, though, because I have thick hair and it isn't coming out in clumps. It is just annoying. And the weird thing is that I didn't do Kimkins strict. I would do it strict for a few weeks and then I would cheat for a day or a weekend and then go back and be strict and then cheat. I know it could be a lot worse so I will be happy when I stop having to brush my hair before I wash it. Has anyone else started losing hair AFTER they stopped the diet? I stopped in the middle of August and just started noticing the hair problem 2 weeks ago. I did start an anti-yeast diet that is similar to Kimkins but includes lots more fats and fatty meats.
Is that normal?

Joy~ Massage your scalp at least once a day (twice if you can remember). Do it in the morning and at night and when you shower take extra time to massage your scalp. You can massage you r scalp while watching T.V. driving in the car etc... It stimulates the blood flow to the hair folicles.
I also heard or read somewhere that your hair is most brittle when it is wet so it might help to let it air dry and to scrunch it with the towel after you get out of the shower instead of rubbing it. If that makes sense.
There are also a lot of home remedies you can do to help the health of your hair using things like olive oil, egg yolk, mayo etc... You could probably find some on line.

Good luck with the hair issues to everyone. I know it is difficult to deal with, especially for those that have more loss or have thin hair to begin with. So I hope that the biotin and other remedies help you get back to normal soon. My thoughts are with you all.

Thanks Dragonfly. I am having some noticable spots where a lot of hair has come out UGH!!!!!
I will try the massage along with the biotin and fish oil. I am trying not to use heat products any more than I have to. Like Christin, I have been using thickening mouse and scrunching. It is so fustrating.

Yes, since doing Kimkins I'm losing my hair. I've noticed that in the last month or so my hair brush is full of hair ... kinda freaked me out a bit. My hair is very thick so the loss isn't noticeable. When I'm in the shower the hair really falls out and I had to buy a hair thingy for the drain to stop the hair from clogging it). Hopefully this will stop soon.

Ms. Moneypenny

i had a visit with my doctor yesterday regarding my hair loss. after a full battery of blood tests, etc to eliminate problems like thyroid, anemia, etc. he said it was quite simply due to malnutrition. that following the KK program set my body into a serious state of malnutrition and my body was compensating for whta it was missing. in his words, when the body feels it is in survival mode (like if it's malnurished) then it will not waste resources on things that are not vital to maintain....like hair. and once that cycle starts, it can take a few months to reverse it, once you begin eating healthier again.

My hairstylist cut mine shorter today. I told her I wasn't going to have any permanent coloring or highlights until it fills back in with new growth. I do use the foam mousse coloring prior to drying, but it is not harsh and washes out with each shampoo. I do continue to dry and use hot curlers to add body and hide the obvious areas. I use those heat protection products, which helps.

Several girls (5) at my hospital where I work had the gastric bypass. They lost lots of hair, too. One told me the other day that it took her 8 months before it turned around.

as you can see by my picture, i had my stylist cut it all off really short too. it's less stress on my scalp, i can use less product ( i am only using nioxin thickening gel) and i can throw a hat on when i am just feeling too blue about the thinness. i am learning to love hats

i've heard, too, that it can 6 months or longer to turn around the effects of hair loss due to malnutrition. i wont have any hair left at this rate, if it lasts that long. ((sigh))

My hairloss was slightly more than "normal" while doing Kimkins. After being off the plan for a few months, both my husband and I noticed I was losing a LOT of hair. Mostly in the shower, when I was handling it with shampoo/conditioner. I am still losing more than "normal", but after 2 months of rapid loss, it's slowed way down. I'm really hoping the higher fat will keep this from happening again.

It was really wierd to me that most of the hairloss happened AFTER doing KK, not during.

Roni