Or how I found out fasting and her is a complicated story

Okay, I'm just gonna be honest. When I was in the shower last week and there was another handful of hair left in my hand, I really thought: Shit, what did I do?

Three months ago, I started intermittent fasting. Not because I wanted to lose weight (although that was a nice side effect), but mainly because everyone kept moaning about it. Colleagues, friends, that one aunt on Facebook who always knows what's best they all swore on the 16:8 schedule. "You get so much energy!" "It's so easy!" "All you got to do is skip with breakfast!"

Well, spoiler alert: It wasn't as simple as they claimed.

My first world problems with fasting

The first few weeks were actually pretty good. I skipped breakfast, drank a lot of coffee (perhaps too much coffee), and ate from noon noon just normal. I did feel more energetic, slept better, and my jeans were looser. Win-win-win, right?

But somewhere around week six, it started. At first, I only noticed it during the showers. I thought, "Yeah, it's autumn, animals are rowing too." But when my hairdresser Lisa (who has been cutting my hair for 15 years and knows me through and through) said: "Hey, your hair looks a little thinner... everything okay?" . Then I knew something was going on.

And of course I did what every normal person does: I Google the shit out. "Hair loss intermittent fasting" . And what did I find? A jungle of conflicting information. Some sites claimed that IF makes you better, others warned for complete baldness. Great.

Down the rabbit hole

So there I was, late at night on the Internet, driving myself completely crazy with forums and blog posts. Women who swore IF had ruined their hair. Others who said it was the best decision of their lives. And in between, a lot of "experts" all said otherwise.

The point is: Nobody gave me an honest, nuanced story. It was always either totally fantastic or totally terrible. And I sat there with my little hair and thought, "What's the real deal?"

So I decided to figure out what was going on myself. Not because I suddenly wanted to become a hair expert, but just because I wanted to know if I wanted to be my 16:8 schedule could keep without becoming bald.

What actually happens in your head (literally)

I'm not a scientist, but after weeks of reading, I get the picture. Your hair grows in phases, a kind of cycle that lasts a few years. It needs several things to grow well: proteins (logically, because hair is actually a kind of protein), iron, zinc, vitamins. All the things you get out of dinner.

Now the problem with intermittent fasting is not so much that you fast, but how to eat during those 8 hours that you can eat. And honestly? At first I did that pretty clumsy.

My typical first meal was often just everything I could find in the fridge. Leftover pasta, some bread and cheese, maybe a banana. Not exactly what you call "nutrientproof." I was so focused on not being hungry that I forgot to give my body what it needed.

And then there's the stress. Because, yes, fasting is stress to your body, even if it feels good. Your body thinks, "Oh shit, there's no food, we're gonna die!" And when your body's stressed, it stops things that aren't super important. Like... grow your hair.

The plot twist

But this is where it gets interesting. 'Cause after two months of panic and adjustment, my hair was actually getting better. Thicker, shinier, less outage. Huh?

Apparently there's some sort of cover. The first period is getting used to your body, and then you can actually temporarily drop her out. But if you're doing well, eat enough good food during your eating periods.

Something cool happens during fasting: Your body is going to clean up old broken cells (fancy name: autophagy). Also in your hair follicles. So after the adjustment phase, you actually get new, stronger hair.

At least that's what happened to me. But I should have learned some tricks.

What I do differently now

Okay, this is where it gets practical. 'Cause I didn't feel like quitting IF. I felt really good. But I didn't want to go bald either. So I had to get smarter.

First of all: I'm planning my food now. Sounds boring, but whatever. My first meal is always something with lots of protein. Eggs, Greek yogurt, sometimes a protein shake when I'm in a hurry. No more random grazing in the fridge.

Second, supplements. Yeah, I became one of those people. I'm taking a multivitamin and extra biotin. Not because I think pills are magical, but just as backup for the days when my food isn't perfect.

Thirdly, I'm watching for signals. When I feel broken, my hair falls out more, or I become super hangry, I take a step back. Sometimes I do 14:10 instead of 16:8. No big deal.

And fourth, water. So much water. Lent is easy to forget to drink, but your hair needs moisture. I'm drinking really ridiculous amounts of tea and water right now.

Why everyone reacts differently

Here's something that really frustrated me during my research: Everyone has a different story. My friend Emma started with IF at the same time and had no hair loss at all. In fact, her hair got better. Why?

After a lot of reading, I think it has to do with a few things:

Your body is just different. Some people are more sensitive to stress, others naturally have stronger hairs. Some people ate perfectly before they started, others (like me) lived mainly on coffee and convenience food.

Age also plays a part. I'm early 30s, and apparently that's an age when your hormones are getting a little wobbly. Younger people often recover faster from the stress of a new diet.

And then there's the rest of your life. If you're already stressed out by work, relationships, lack of sleep, then IF might be the drop that's spilling the bucket.

The things that aren't true

There's so much bullshit about IF and her. Let me just drill a few myths into the ground:

"If your hair falls out by IF, it never grows back." Bullshit. Unless you're really starving (what you shouldn't do), it just grows back when you eat better.

"Men don't have this problem." Bullshit, too. My friend tried IF for a while and also suffered hair loss. Men only talk less about it.

"You got to stop as soon as you get hair loss." Not necessarily. Often you can just make some adjustments.

"Supplements solve everything." No. You can't compensate a brackish diet with pills.

When to stop (or seek help)

Look, I'm not a doctor. But there are red flags. If you break hair with bushes, get bald spots, or it still doesn't get better after 4 months of adjustments, then you have to go to a professional. Maybe there's something else under there.

Even if you get other nasty side effects, extreme fatigue, your menstruation stops, you feel bad all the time, then IF may just not be for you. And that's okay.

My current situation

It's about 8 months later now, and my hair is actually thicker than when I started. The breakdown at first was indeed a temporary thing. I'm still doing some sort of IF, but not as rigid as before. Sometimes 16:8, sometimes 14:10, sometimes just eat normal when I feel like it.

The most important thing I've learned? Listen to your body. If something doesn't feel right, change it. There are no points to be won with perseverance if it makes you miserable.

And also: there are no perfect schematics. All those influencers and gurus who claim their method works for everyone lie. You need to figure out what works for you.

The reality check

Look, IF can be really nice. I still feel good about it. But it's not a miracle cure, and it's not without risk derivatives. If you're thinking about getting started, be sensible:

Start slowly. Not immediately 16:8, but first 12:12 and then build. Watch what you eat during your eating periods . It must be nutritious. Drink enough. And if it doesn't feel good, then stop or pass.

You don't have to do everything perfectly. You don't have to push it if it doesn't work. There are plenty of other ways to be healthy.

What if your hair falls out? Don't panic right away. For most people, it's temporary. But keep an eye on it and be honest with yourself about how you feel.

Finally

I didn't think I'd ever write a blog post about my hair. But here we are. If you're struggling with the same problem, I hope this helps. And if not, at least you got an insight into my life over the past few months.

The most important thing? Be nice to yourself. Your body does its best, even if it sometimes seems like everything is going wrong. Give it time, give it what it needs, and trust it adapts.

And if you're in doubt, ask for help. There's no shame in admitting you can't figure it out alone.

Now I'm gonna have a big bowl of water and maybe have some extra eggs. 'Cause apparently my hair needs that.

Do you recognize this story? Let me know in the comments how it went for you. I'm always curious about other experiences.