hairrrrr :(

i have had an ed (anorexia) for about 14 months noww.. and i am trying to recover.. however, my hair has been falling out like CRAZY ever since june.. like 100 a day =[ i had medium to thick hair to begin with, but now its SO thin.. i have like 1/6 the amount of hair i had before.. i cant do anything with it, its so dry, and it keeps falling out!

is this because of a lack of protein, fats, etcc? i am trying to eat at least 50 g of protein now (up from like 15) andd a handful of nuts and peanut butter every day.. i am also taking a multivitmin from gnc.

i am soo scared.. i feel like im going bald! i want my old hair backk :( any suggestions?

It is from the lack of calories in general, yes. The only thing to do is to continue in your recovery! If you are not getting help from parents, counselor, therapist etc at the moment, then you need to. CC can support you; the people here love to give encouragement and advice. But someone to talk to in person is invaluable!

I HAVE heard that good fats are good for healthy hair, so continue with the nuts. And keep your chin up.. it will grow back.

hey hun.. i know EXACTLY how you feel, and it is very scary. the same thing happened to me. i do have some good news--once i upped my calories to a healthy level (1800+), my hair completely stopped falling out. i also started taking prenatal vitamins (they are supposed to help strengthen hair and nails). my hair has already thickened out.

truth be told, my hair was the one thing that really got me started with recovery. i have long, thick, wavy hair, and every always commented on how beautiful it was. once it started falling out, i knew i had to get healthier.

please seek help for your anorexia! it's hard to do alone, trust me. recovery is such a beautiful thing, and you should be SO PROUD that you have decided to recover. However, you may want to seek the help of a nutritionist or therapist.

GOOD LUCK!

ah thanks for your replies! I was eating around 400-600 calories a day.. have increased to around 800-1000.. i am aiming for around 1400. i am tryin gto gradually increase thoughh.. will it be better to go straight to 1400? hmm this is so confusing!

nwoodrum, i am SO glad to hearr that my hair will grow back! i am even more encouraged to push through recovery noww. im curious thoughh, how long after you began eating 1800+ calories did your hair stop falling out? i seriously feel like im gna go bald if this continues for another month! ahh

Go straight to 1400 and then straight on to 1800... 2000.. and 2500 if you are underweight.  That's what you need to get back to full health.  1000 is still dangerously undereating.  Choose healthy, nutritious foods .... 80-100g protein a day.... 40-50g fats.... lots of fresh fruit & vegetables and wholegrains, nuts, cheeses, avocados, olive oils...   Have a small meal or snack every couple of hours so that you can get the full amount in.  And do take a daily multivitamin with iron until your diet is back in better shape.

There will be a time lag for your body to absorb the extra vitamins and minerals and your existing hair, if it's currently under a lot of stress, will fall out anyway.  It may take a month or two for new hair to grow back.

ah.. i am 5'7 and 96 lb right noww.. up from 93=/ i know i should increase, but it is so scary. im going to try to up my cals to at least 1200 by the end of this week. do you guys have any meal plans that i can follow? i am planning on seeing a nutritonist, butmy appointment isn't until mid-april...thanks for all your advice!:)

I should have thought it's a lot more scary watching your hair fall out.  The type of meal plan to aim for is 'little and often'..... a light meal or healthy snack every 2 hours or so.

Breakfast.... 2oz Wholegrain cereals with full-fat milk and some fresh fruit... 300 cals

Snack.... 2oz mixed nuts and raisins.... 250

Lunch...  A wholemeal bread roll filled with 3oz lean chicken, some mayonnaise and salad leaves....  a banana for dessert  400

Snack.... 3 oatcakes spread with 2 tablespoons peanut butter... 300

Supper...  A 5oz piece of grilled steak with 6oz new potatoes and some steamed green vegetables. ... 500

Snack.....  A mixed fruit salad dressed with 100 ml greek yoghurt and some honey.... 250

Total for the day... 2000 

cheergirl-- it was almost immediately after i upped my calories. the body is a very smart, interesting "machine." if it's not getting enough nutrients, it will begin to stop functioning, starting with the things that are least threatening (including hair). because your body is not getting enough nutrients, it is saving its energy by ceasing hair growth.

trust me, once you get your calories up, you will begin to see results. but this takes commitment! it's not just a day of eating a good intake and then back to restricting. you really need to commit yourself to recovery.

i hope this helps!

i had an ed to for about 5 months are 3 months AFTER upping me cals and getting back into a healthy weight range my hair started falling out.

Its been falling out for about 5-6 months now like crazy, and ive lost way over half my hair. I used to have thick hair now it is THIN. it sucks, but its because of what i put my body through, now im paying for it.

liosa,

have you mentioned this to your doctor? you may still be lacking an essential nutrient. maybe you should get this checked out?

ive go to 3 differernt doctors and have been battling with it for months. Ive been tested and have been on vitamins, and minerals, and every kinda pill imaginable.
They all tell me its becuase of what i put my body through

Though the situations are different, I too went through a hair loss mode.  I lost 20 lbs in one month due to hyperthyroidism, had radiation treatment and gained 40 in 3 months.  That is when the hair loss began.  The endo I was seeing said it was because my body went through too many drastic changes too quickly.  Once my body was able to level off, it grew back...a little darker and wavier, but it grew back.  Be sure to get plenty of good oils into your diet plan.  For example, I use olive oil in my tuna instead of mayo or miracle whip.  It is good for hair and nails and provides good calories for those needing to increase.

i was losing alot of my hair too. :(  it took a few months for it to stop falling out.  that's actually one of the main reasons why i started to eat normally again...i looove my hair. 

 i think biotin is very important, as well as eating enough and getting enough nutrients in general.  luna bars (180 cals, 10 g protein), have alot of biotin in them, as well as other essential nutrients.  oh also, faxseed oil or other things with omega-3's (like fish, which i don't eat) is great for your hair.   when it was happening to me i was so worried.  i'd say i lost at least 1/3 of my thick hair.  but don't worry...it'll stop falling out and it will grow back and one day you'll be like, hey...my hair is thick again!! 

Hey cheergirl. I'm sorry that you're going through this :(  but am sooo happy that you want to make a change and that is GREAT.  I think thats a smart start eating 800-1000 calories a day.  I wouldnt consume more than that right now since your body is used to such a low intake of calories, but for a couple of weeks (maybe 2-3) thats perfect.  Then once you start feeling a little more comfortable about that, add some more calories with eggs, fish, proteins in general, but make sure to get some fats too.  The nuts are perfect for both :)  Keep up the good work and your hair will be back :)

thank you everyone!

i forgot to mention that i'm vegetarian.. i eat fish thoughh.. and eggs, dairy, etcc of course:)

i seriously dont feel like i can wait another few months.. i seriously feel like ihave 10 strands of hair on my head.. every time i take a shower and brush my hair, likee 60 strands come out ! :O ahhh.. i can tell that i look bald.. and prom is in a little more than a month! :(

i just created a little meal plan that i'm going to try to followw.. can you guys see if this is okaay and will help bring my hair back..?=[

breakfast- steel cut oatmeal, apple, 3 egg whites

snack- some almonds

lunch- pb sandwich, banana

snack- apple and some cashews

dinner- 6 egg whites, tofu, broccoli, cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms,

snack- soy milk and oatmeal

any suggestionss?

Losing 60 strands a day is considered normal.  Up to 100 I believe.  Is it 60 hairs several times a day or just once?  I have recently been losing hair because of my BC and I was losing over 100 hairs a day.  It has slowed down to about 40 a day, but I am still kinda depressed.

Eat the whole eggs.... they're a great source of iron.

its not 60 hairs several times a day, but when i take a shower like 60 hairs fall out at ONCE.. and then throughout the day, whenever i run my hands thru my hair, another like 10- 20 fall out.. ah =[