For women losing weight, with or without a GLP-1.
There are 3 kinds of weight-loss hair loss. Only one is the kind everyone talks about.
The Weight Loss Hair Loss Pattern Map is an 8‑week plan for women losing weight on Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound, or with keto, fasting or a big calorie cut.
Find out which pattern your hair loss most looks like, what to do this week, and when to call your doctor. You shouldn’t have to choose between the weight and your hair.
Know your likely pattern tonight, what month you’re in, and what usually comes next.
Gavin Larsen, R.TCM.P., Dr. TCM Dip.
Registered TCM Practitioner, not a medical doctor. 10+ years and 1,000+ female hair-loss cases.
Verify my registration (license 7004333)
Which one sounds like you?
You did the hard thing.
If you’ve said any of these, you’re in the right place.
- “When does it end?”
- “I can see through my part to my scalp.”
- “I can’t even turn over in bed without hair on the pillow.”
- “I thought if I went really slow I might avoid it.”
- “My hair is already thin. I don’t have enough to risk it.”
- “My doctor says I’m fine.”
- “I’ve tried biotin, collagen and three serums.”
- “I need the weight off.”
Every one of those has an answer in here. Not a bottle. A page, and an order.
And caring about your hair doesn’t make you vain.
The trade-off nobody warned you about
You shouldn’t have to choose between the weight and your hair.
In the Zepbound trials, 7.1% of women reported hair loss, against 0.5% of men.
Zepbound prescribing information, Eli LillyIn one small 2026 survey, 39.7% of people who stopped their GLP-1 named hair loss as a reason.
Alharbi & Alkhalifah, Skin Appendage Disorders, 2026Most of it is a shed that follows fast weight loss. In some women, the shed brings an older pattern to the surface.
Gupta et al., Science Progress, 2026Stopping isn’t a simple fix either, and that’s a decision for you and your prescriber. What helps first is knowing which kind of shed you have.
It isn’t your fault
You weren’t failing. You were guessing.
You did what most women do. You bought the gummies. You bought the fancy bottle. You put rosemary oil on your scalp because a video said so. You tried to eat more protein when you could barely finish half a sandwich. Maybe you were told to wait it out. Maybe you thought about quitting the shot, or the diet.
None of that was dumb. Every one of those things was built for a different problem. A bottle is the same for every woman. A video is the same for every scalp. “Eat more protein” was written for people who are hungry.
There’s more than one kind of weight-loss hair loss, and each one needs a different first step.
Some is a short shed from eating less. Some is an old pattern the shed brought to the surface. And some is a shed that drags on because something is running low. Take the step for the wrong one, and it can feel like nothing works.
Pattern Mapping isn’t a new bottle. It’s an order of steps. First we look at which pattern your shed most looks like. Then you do what comes first, and let the rest wait. Your doctor stays your doctor. Your medication stays between you and your prescriber. You just stop guessing.
Gavin Larsen, R.TCM.P., Dr. TCM Dip.
Your hair isn’t failing. It’s the first budget cut.
When you eat a lot less, your body pays for the big things first. Hair is last in line.
Chinese medicine has a phrase for this: hair is the surplus of blood. It grows from what’s left over. The physician Hua Shou put it that way centuries ago, and Li Shizhen recorded it in the 1500s.
When less comes in, hair gets cut first.
The best research so far points to how fast and how much weight comes off, more than the drug itself. That makes the pace of your weight loss and how much you eat the two things worth talking through with your prescriber. The plan shows you how.
Neubauer et al., Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2025Pattern Mapping™
Three kinds of shed. Three different first steps.
Most plans give every woman the same bottle. Pattern Mapping looks at which shed yours most looks like first.
Tick what sounds like you.
Hair everywhere.
Shedding all over the head. It often starts about 2 to 4 months after the weight starts coming off or you start eating much less.
What comes first: nourish, set a realistic timeline, and stop panicking at the drain.
A wider part.
More scalp at the part or the crown. The shed brought an older pattern to the surface. It’s more common in perimenopause and menopause.
What comes first: a dermatologist, with a one-page summary in hand. Medication decisions are theirs.
It won’t let up.
Shedding that drags on past month 6, often with tiredness, feeling cold or heavy periods.
What comes first: labs you ask your own doctor for, and a closer look at what you’re eating.
Patches, a sore or scaly scalp, or sudden round bald spots aren’t any of these. See your doctor first.
Many women have more than one. The plan shows you which one goes first. Want a quick first read? The free Shed Check takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
Your month
When does it end?
It’s the first thing almost every woman asks me. The honest answer: it depends on which shed you’re in, and what month you’re in now.
Most weight-loss shedding follows a calendar. It starts about 2 to 4 months after the weight starts coming off fast. It’s often heaviest from month 4 to 6. For many women, it eases once eating steadies. Then the new hair takes months to fill back in.
The Shed Calendar shows you where you are on it. It also shows the signs that mean it’s not a simple shed, and who to see if you have them.
Usually nothing yet. This is your planning window.
Shedding often starts. Full-length hairs, from all over.
Often the heaviest stretch. Many women notice it easing once eating steadies.
Still heavy? That’s the Depletion Drag question. Time to ask your doctor about labs.
You won’t be watching the calendar alone. I check in at week 4, and again at month 3 and month 6, so you know whether you’re on track.
Individual results vary. This is how the hair cycle usually works, not a promise about your hair.
Before day 1
Your pen arrived. You’re scared to use it.
If you’ve said “my hair is already thin” or “I don’t have enough hair to risk it,” you’re not being vain. You’re being careful. And careful is the right move.
Nobody gives you a hair plan before your first dose. You get the nausea talk and the injection talk. Hair usually doesn’t come up until month 3, when it’s already in the drain.
The Pattern Map starts before that. Here’s what you get for the two weeks before day 1:
- The Before You Start Plan. Six steps, including the baseline labs to ask your doctor about, and one daylight photo of your part.
- The Already-Thin Baseline. If your hair is already thin, see a dermatologist before day 1, so someone has a “before” to compare to. A one-page brief is included.
- Plan B. Your written “if shedding starts at month 3, here’s what I’ll do” page. You fill it in before you start, so you never have to decide in the shower.
- The Stomach Clock. How to eat when the shot turns your appetite off, set up before it happens.
- One question for your prescriber. “Is my starting pace right for my hair?”
Whether to start is your call, with your prescriber. This gives you a plan either way.
Before you decide
Thinking of stopping because of your hair?
A lot of women are tapering off right now because of shedding. That’s a fair choice, and it’s yours to make with your prescriber.
But here’s what nobody tells you. Stopping is a big change too. Appetite comes back. The scale creeps. Many women panic and crash-diet to stop the regain. And a crash diet in month 2 can become a new shed in month 5.
Some women stop, and the hair still doesn’t come back on its own. Usually that’s because something else was going on underneath.
- Find out which shed it is first. If it’s a Revealed Pattern or a Depletion Drag, stopping alone may not fix it.
- The Coming-Off Hair Plan. What usually happens to shedding and appetite after you stop, how to eat as hunger comes back, and how to avoid the panic cut.
- Questions for your prescriber about stepping down. Just the questions to bring. The decision stays with you and your prescriber.
Stop, stay or step down. Whatever you decide, decide with a plan, not from the shower drain.
No shot? Same three sheds.
Keto, fasting, Fast800 or a big calorie cut?
Weight-loss shedding was around long before GLP-1s. Very low-calorie diets, long daily fasts and meal-replacement plans can all set off the same three patterns.
The difference is you don’t have a prescriber checking in. So the Labs Conversation Kit and your One-Page Brief matter even more. They’re how you walk into your family doctor’s office with a plan.
The Stomach Clock has its own page for dieting without a GLP-1. And there’s one rule I’d ask you to follow while you’re shedding: pick one budget cut, not three.
The Stomach Clock Method
A way to eat when you’re never hungry.
“Eat 100 grams of protein” was written for people who are hungry. You need a plan for days when half a sandwich feels like a lot.
1
Front-load it
Eat most of your protein earlier in the day, when appetite tends to be better. Three to five small feeds of about 25 to 40 grams each.
2
No long fasts
Keep the overnight gap to about 12 to 14 hours. Skipping meals on top of weight loss gives your hair even less to work with.
3
Eat by the week
On a GLP-1, eat a little more on the days your appetite comes back, and keep it soft and simple after your shot. Not on one? You get your own page.
In a 2025 study in Cell, fasting slowed hair regrowth a lot in mice. A small human trial in the same paper found a milder effect: hair still grew, just more slowly. That’s early evidence, and it’s enough for me to avoid stacking long fasts on top of weight loss. The Stomach Clock Method is my own clinical approach. It hasn’t been tested in a trial.
Chen et al., Cell, 2025One page, on your fridge. What to eat the day before your shot, on shot day, and on the two low days after. Each day has a small minimum, so “I couldn’t eat” still counts as a win when you hit it.
And it’s not only protein. If you’re barely eating anything at all, total food matters too. Your hair is paid for out of everything that comes in.
Do, don’t and wait.
If you’ve spent money on biotin, collagen, gummies and serums and still feel like you’re guessing, it’s not because you didn’t try hard enough. You didn’t have an order.
The Do-Not-Take List now has three parts:
- Don’t: what I won’t use for weight-loss shedding, and why. Big doses of biotin before blood work, which the FDA warns can throw off lab results. Iron without a lab that shows you need it. A gummy on top of a multivitamin on top of a hair formula.
- Wait: what can wait until you know your pattern, or until your labs are back.
- Do: the short list that fits your pattern, from Your Matched List.
Plus the Old Bottle Audit, so you can stop paying for what you don’t need.
A note on He Shou Wu, the classic hair herb: there are hundreds of published reports of liver injury linked to it. Use it only if a qualified TCM practitioner recommends it for you.
FDA safety communication on biotin, 2019. Lei et al., Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015.Your doctor stays your doctor.
I’m not here to replace anyone. I work in the space between your prescriber and your dermatologist.
I’ll never tell you to stop or switch your medication.
Normal labs are good news. They’re usually enough for hair to grow on. But “normal” isn’t the end of the conversation. It just changes the question. Next, we look at whether your body can use what it has.
The Labs Conversation Kit gives you the markers to ask about, how to ask for your actual numbers, and what to ask next if everything comes back normal.
In Canada, the average wait to see a dermatologist is 5 to 6 months. That can be longer than the shed itself. The plan gives you something to do while you wait, and a one-page brief for when you get in.
Dr. Mark Kirchhof, Canadian Dermatology Association, in Medscape News Canada, 2026
Who’s behind this
Gavin Larsen, R.TCM.P., Dr. TCM Dip.
I’m a Registered TCM Practitioner, not a medical doctor. I’ve worked with female hair loss for more than ten years, across over 1,000 cases.
More and more of the women I see are losing weight and losing hair at the same time. I built the Pattern Map for them.
I work alongside your prescriber and your dermatologist. I don’t prescribe, order labs, or give medication advice.
It’s the same framework I use in my $497 Custom Pattern Protocol.
Verify my registration (CCHPBC license 7004333)
See for yourself
See the pages before you buy.
I don’t use client stories or before-and-after photos. Here’s the work itself, so you can judge it.
Sample pages. Names and details are fictional. Tap a page to see all of it.
You probably have a reason this won’t work for you.
“I’ve tried the supplements. Nothing works.”
The bottle was built for a different problem. This isn’t a bottle. It’s an order of steps, starting with which shed you have. The Old Bottle Audit helps you see what’s worth keeping.
“My doctor says it will get better.”
Your doctor may be right. Many sheds settle. This helps you know which kind you have, and what to bring to your next visit.
“Should I just quit the shot?”
That’s a conversation for you and your prescriber. Before you decide, read Thinking of stopping? above. The Coming-Off Hair Plan gives you the questions to bring.
“I’m not on a GLP-1. Is this for me?”
Yes. Keto, fasting and big calorie cuts can cause the same three patterns. Every part of the plan has a page for you.
“Is a TCM practitioner the right person for this?”
I’m a Registered TCM Practitioner with more than ten years and over 1,000 female hair-loss cases. I’m not a medical doctor. I work alongside your prescriber, and I send Revealed Pattern cases to dermatology.
“I don’t have time.”
You need about 25 pages tonight. The rest is reference for when you need it.
Tomorrow morning
You still have to show up looking like yourself.
A plan takes weeks. Work is tomorrow. So the Pattern Map includes the Bad Hair Day Kit. It covers how to shift your part, loose styles that don’t pull, root powder and fibers, and toppers versus extensions on thin hair. There’s also the Stylist Script, the exact words to use in the chair.
Mirror Days covers the other part, the day the mirror wins. Because caring about your hair isn’t vanity. It’s a real loss.
You’re not doing this alone
A place to ask “is this normal?”
Public forums can be brutal. “Stop the jab.” “What’s more important, skinny or hair?” You don’t need that.
Pattern Map buyers get Pattern Mappers Notes, a private weekly email just for buyers. What month 4 usually looks like. What to do on a nausea week. Answers to the questions buyers send me, with names removed.
No lectures. No judgment. Just what’s normal, and what’s next.
What you actually want.
Keep the body you worked for.
Keep the hair that makes you feel like you.
Wear it down at work without checking it first.
Be in the photos.
You shouldn’t have to pick one.
I can’t promise anyone hair. What I can give you is the end of guessing: which shed you’re most likely in, what to do this week, and when to call your doctor.
You’re just one pattern away…
Everything in one plan
The Weight Loss Hair Loss Pattern Map
The 8-week plan for women losing weight, with or without a GLP-1, who want to keep the results and stop guessing about their hair.
Tonight, you’ll know your likely pattern. In 8 weeks, you’ll stop guessing. You’ll have a way to eat when you’re not hungry, and one page to hand your doctor.
About 25 pages tonight. The rest is reference for when you need it. Self-paced over 8 weeks, and yours to keep.
Everything you get
The 3-Pattern Shed Check and your Personal Pattern Read
Score which pattern your shed most looks like, plus whether it’s shedding, thinning or both. Email me your result within 60 days and I’ll write you a short note on it myself.
The Four-System Test and Your Matched List
40 questions show which of your four body systems is the weak link, and the short list of herbs, food and supplements that fits it.
The Stomach Clock Method
A front-loaded way to eat with no long fasts, built for low appetite. Now with the printable Shot Week page, and a page for dieting without a GLP-1.
Your Week 4 Pattern Re-Check
At week 4, send me an updated check. I’ll confirm or adjust your likely pattern and your next four weeks.
The Prescriber and Derm Bridge
Who to see for what, a one-page brief, and the questions to ask about prescription hair options.
The Labs Conversation Kit
The markers to ask your own doctor about, and what to ask next if everything comes back normal.
The Shed Calendar
Your month, what usually comes next, and the signs that mean it’s time to see someone.
The Do-Not-Take List
Do, don’t and wait. What to skip, what can wait, and what fits your pattern.
The Scalp Routine
Gentle scalp care timed so it doesn’t add stress to a shedding scalp.
The Strength Floor
Two or three 20 to 30 minute sessions a week, built on five moves.
The Shed Tracker and 8-Week Roadmap
A two-minute weekly log, the order for all 8 weeks, and my check-ins at month 3 and month 6.
Bonuses
The Old Bottle Audit
What to pause, keep, check or take out of your cabinet.
For when you’re thinking: “I’ve already spent so much on supplements.”
15 Low-Appetite Plates
Small, soft, high-protein plates you can make in about five minutes.
For when you’re thinking: “I can barely eat.”
The Nausea Toolkit
Ginger, P6 acupressure, what to eat on queasy days, and when to call your prescriber.
For when you’re thinking: “Protein makes me feel sick.”
The Midlife Pattern Primer
How the Revealed Pattern often shows up in perimenopause and menopause, and who to talk to.
For when you’re thinking: “Is this the shot or menopause?”
The Coming-Off Hair Plan
What usually happens to your hair and appetite if you taper or stop, and how to avoid the panic cut.
For when you’re thinking: “What happens when I stop?”
The Staying-the-Course Guide
The early shed, how long to give a treatment, and how to track without spiraling.
For when you’re thinking: “I’m scared to start, or keep going with, a hair treatment.”
The Stylist Script
What to ask your stylist for, and what to ask them to go easy on.
For when you’re thinking: “I hate how it looks right now.”
Mirror Days: This Is Not Vanity
The Bad Hair Day Kit, plus the pages for the day the mirror wins.
For when you’re thinking: “I feel vain and alone.”
The Before You Start Plan
The two weeks before day 1, the already-thin baseline, and your Plan B.
For when you’re thinking: “My hair is already thin. I can’t risk it.”
Included: Pattern Mappers Notes, my private weekly email for buyers.
Everything here is valued at $1,570. Your launch price:
The launch price ends Monday, November 30 at 11:59 pm Pacific. Then it goes up to $197.
I write every Pattern Read myself, so I take 20 new women a week.
One month of the shot can cost $299 to $449. A hair supplement can be $79 a month. A first dermatologist visit can be $150 to $300, if you can get in.
One payment. Instant access. Covered by the 30-Day Clarity Refund. Individual results vary. This is about clarity, not a promise about hair growth.
What I won’t do.
- Promise your hair will grow back. Nobody honest can.
- Tell you to stop or switch your medication.
- Order or read your labs. I’ll tell you what to ask your doctor for.
- Sell you a shelf of bottles.
- Use client stories or before-and-after photos to sell this.
- Hide the evidence. Every study on this page is listed at the bottom, limits included.
Easy to try. Easy to undo.
You’ve paid for things before and watched nothing change. So here’s what I can promise, because it’s the part I control.
The 30-Day Clarity Refund
If you’ve done the Shed Check and you still can’t tell which shed you’re in or what to do first, email me within 30 days for a full refund.
Individual results vary. This refund is about clarity, not hair growth.
The Second-Read Guarantee
If your result doesn’t sound like you, email me your answers. I’ll read them a second time within 48 hours, and we’ll go back and forth until it’s clear.
30-Day Clarity Refund, plus a second read within 48 hours.
Three months from now.
If you wait
Another bottle, another late night in the forums, and the same question about whether to stop.
If you start today
You know which shed you’re most likely in and what comes first. You’re eating on a schedule your appetite can handle, and your doctor has your one-page brief.
Many women notice more shedding around month 3 or 4. If you’re in month 2, this is a good time to get a plan.
You did the hard part. The weight is finally moving. Now stop guessing about your hair. The launch price of $97 ends Monday, November 30 at 11:59 pm Pacific. Then it goes up to $197.
Self-paced over 8 weeks. Yours to keep.
The Weight Loss Hair Loss Pattern Map
For women losing weight, with or without a GLP-1. Find your likely pattern, eat on low-appetite days, and know what to bring to your doctor.
The 3-Pattern Shed Check and your Pattern Read, the Four-System Test, the Stomach Clock Method, your Week 4 Re-Check, the Prescriber and Derm Bridge, the Labs Conversation Kit, the Shed Calendar, the Do-Not-Take List, the Scalp Routine, the Strength Floor and the Shed Tracker, plus 9 bonuses and Pattern Mappers Notes.
Launch price. It ends Monday, November 30 at 11:59 pm Pacific, then goes up to $197.
- Know which shed you’re most likely in.
- Eat on low-appetite days without guessing.
- Walk into your next appointment with one page.
You’re just one pattern away…
Join the Pattern Mappers. I write every Pattern Read myself, so I take 20 new women a week.
One payment. 30-Day Clarity Refund. Instant access.
Questions before you buy? Email gavin@functionalholistic.com. I read these myself.
Questions
The things women ask me most.
What are the three patterns?
A Budget Shed is shedding all over the head that follows fast weight loss or eating much less. It’s the one everyone talks about, and it usually settles once things even out.
A Revealed Pattern is when the shed brings an older pattern to the surface, like a wider part or more scalp at the crown. It’s more common in perimenopause and menopause, and it needs a dermatologist.
A Depletion Drag is shedding that keeps going past month 6, often with tiredness, feeling cold or heavy periods. It’s a sign to ask your doctor about labs.
How do I know which one I have?
The 3-Pattern Shed Check in the plan walks you through it with signs you can already see, like where the hair is coming from and when it started. Then the Four-System Test shows which body system is the weak link. Email me your result and I’ll write you a short note on it.
Not ready to buy? The free 3-Pattern Shed Check gives you a quick first read in about 2 to 3 minutes.
My hair is already thin. Should I even start?
That’s a decision for you and your prescriber. What I can tell you is that you don’t have to go in blind.
If your hair is already thin, see a dermatologist before day 1 so someone has a baseline. The Before You Start Plan walks you through it, and Plan B tells you what you’ll do if shedding starts.
Is it the drug or the weight loss?
The best research so far points mostly to how fast and how much weight comes off. Whether the drug also plays a direct part is still being studied.
Either way, the things worth talking through with your prescriber are the same: how fast you’re losing, and how much you’re able to eat. The plan helps you get ready for that conversation.
Will my hair grow back?
I can’t promise that, and anyone who does is guessing.
What I can tell you is that most weight-loss shedding is a stress shed, which usually doesn’t destroy the follicle. New short hairs often show 3 to 6 months after things even out, and it can take 6 to 12 months or more to look like your hair again. Some patterns, like a Revealed Pattern, need a dermatologist.
The Shed Check helps you find out which one you’re likely in, so you know who to see and what to do first.
Should I lower my dose, or stop?
That’s a decision for you and your prescriber.
The Prescriber and Derm Bridge gives you the questions to bring, so the conversation is about your hair and your plan, not just the scale.
I’m thinking of stopping because of my hair. Is this still for me?
Yes. Stopping is its own big change, and it can bring a second wave of shedding if a crash diet follows.
The Coming-Off Hair Plan covers what usually happens and how to eat as your appetite comes back. That decision stays with you and your prescriber.
I’m in my 40s. Is it the shot or menopause?
Often it’s both. The shed can bring out a pattern that the hormone shift started. That’s a Revealed Pattern, and it’s common at this age.
The Midlife Pattern Primer explains how it often shows up and who to talk to. Hormone questions and any hormone treatment stay with your doctor.
What about minoxidil?
Minoxidil is a medication, so whether it fits you is a decision for you and your dermatologist or prescriber. I don’t push it, and I don’t talk you out of it.
The Scalp Routine works alongside whatever you and your doctor decide.
Do I need to stop the supplements I’m taking now?
Not on your own. The Old Bottle Audit helps you sort what to pause, keep or check, so you can go over it with your doctor before you change anything.
One thing to know now: big doses of biotin can throw off some blood tests. If you take biotin, tell your doctor before any blood work.
Which labs should I ask for?
The Labs Conversation Kit lists the markers to ask your own doctor about, like ferritin, folate and thyroid, and what each one can and can’t tell you.
I don’t order labs or read them for you. Your doctor does that. The kit helps you ask clearly.
My doctor says my labs are normal. Is this still for me?
Yes. Normal labs are good news, and they’re usually enough for hair to grow on.
Then the question becomes whether your body can use what it has, which is what the Four-System Test looks at. The Labs Conversation Kit also covers what to ask next if everything comes back normal.
Is there anything live?
No live calls. Instead, I write your Pattern Read and your Week 4 Re-Check myself, and I check in again at month 3 and month 6. Questions along the way? Email me. I read every one.
Is there a group or community?
Buyers get Pattern Mappers Notes, a private weekly email. I write about what’s normal at each stage and answer the questions buyers send me most, with names removed.
There’s no public group, so nobody tells you to just stop the jab.
How much time does it take?
About 25 pages tonight. After that, a two-minute log each week, two or three short strength sessions, and the 8-Week Roadmap to tell you what comes next.
I’m not on a GLP-1. Is this for me?
Yes. Keto, fasting and big calorie cuts can cause the same three patterns. Every part of the plan has a page for you.
Why $97?
One month of the shot can cost $299 to $449. A hair supplement can be $79 a month. A first dermatologist visit can be $150 to $300, if you can get in.
Everything in the plan is valued at $1,570. The launch price is $97, one payment. On Monday, November 30 at 11:59 pm Pacific, it goes up to $197. If the Shed Check doesn’t make it clear which shed you’re in or what to do first, email me within 30 days for a full refund.
I’m in the US. Does that matter?
No. The Pattern Map is online education, so it works the same in the US and Canada. One-on-one clinical work, like the Custom Pattern Protocol, follows the rules of where you live.
P.S.
If you scrolled straight down here, here’s the short version.
There are three kinds of weight-loss hair loss, and each one needs a different first step. The Pattern Map shows you which one you’re most likely in, how to eat when you’re not hungry, and what to bring to your doctor.
It’s $97 at launch. On Monday, November 30 at 11:59 pm Pacific, the price goes up to $197. If the Shed Check doesn’t make it clear which shed you’re in or what to do first, email me within 30 days for a full refund.
You’re just one pattern away…
Gavin
30-Day Clarity Refund. Instant access.




