fat or carbs

Question
I am a 28 yr female who weigh 166 lbs, I am 5-61/4. I would like to lose 12-15 lbs.
I am going on vacation in 4wks and would like to lose around 10 lbs  by then.
I do not know if I should be watching  my carbs or fat intake, My biggest problem are is my stomach, also what should my calorie intake be, I do minimal exercising.
Please help. I am trying that special k, 2 wk challenge (replace 2 meals with a bowl of special k) but I am worried that I may not be getting sufficient calories, and my metabolism would not accelerate because of this.


Answer
Laura,

Honestly, I think that trying to lose 10 pounds of fat in 4 wks (and keep it off) is an unrealistic expectation.  To lose one pound of fat, you have to burn 3500 calories more than you eat.  That works out to about 8750 calories over 1 week, or 1250 calories a day.  Without exercise, that's next to impossible (no matter what the hype of low carb diets says), and most certainly not healthy, in my opinion.  You could severely restrict your calories under 1200, but I think that could potentially work against you for the reason you stated.

You could probably lose 10 pounds by eating low carbs, but most of the initial loss is water weight, and when you return to your regular eating habits, you'll no doubt gain the weight back (as many do).

My suggestion would be to limit the total amount of calorie intake to about 1600. Shoot for about 30% or less of those calories from fat. The rest should be carbs and proteins.  The more fresh fruit and vegetables the better, and the leaner the meats/protein sources the better.  Start walking every day, adding time and speed to your routine.  You may not lose 10 pounds by your deadline, but you'll be on your way to a more reasonable and sustainable weight loss over the next several months.  In my opinion, the this is a gradual process and one that needs to continue for the rest of your life.  

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