Omg emergency!

[holyGuacamole]

So, my roommate is a swimsuit model, however recently she's gone through a period of depression consisting of reduced activity and self loathing resulting in a few extra pounds. She has things scheduled for D.C. Fashion week as it's a month away and she's intent on returning to her usual form in the most hardcore of senses for the sake of pride and finance. I suggested canceling these things and instead dropping the weight in a healthier less frantic fashion, but that's not going to happen. I'm moderately fitness oriented and work out a few days a week, so I've read a few things and there will always be conflicting opinions. I myself am someone who struggles to put on weight, but she's someone from the opposite side of the spectrum, so we have very opposed opinions on the issue. She intends to simply eat like a bird to lose weight (something I suggested that in my opinion would only lead to more weight retention). I suggested a crapload of cardio and a normal diet. We do ab workouts every night, which is well and good because it elevates heart rate and burns some fat, but I've always read that fat loss is systemic and it's not realistic to work out one part of the body to shed weight in one particular area. I'm by no means an expert, I've just read a few things and she's the same, just she's read the opposite. Ideally I'd like to get a few opinions on what is the best crash diet/workout solution for reducing a tummy in the span of a month. Hopefully she can attain the physique she's looking for and then we can work on the crazy. Some things to consider:

-She's 29 years old
-She's generally active and rode a bicycle everywhere until the hermitting
-We eat only Natural and organic food, no meat and no gluten. Lots of mexican food(she's now refusing to eat rice or sugar because of something she read or heard).
-She's convinced that she's going to lose the weight by barely eating and taking diarrhetic pills and that most of her weight is water-based.
-She's also convinced that corn tortillas are turning into sugar and making her gain weight.
-She does eat a lot more than usual and portion controlled will definitely be addressed
-She fasted for 7 days 3 weeks ago for spiritual reasons which may have wreaked havoc on her metabolism.

She's normally a size zero and estimates herself to be a 3-4 now, and we have 1 month for the super serious stuff. We're super dedicated and appreciate any input and I apologize if this will conjure up a lot of redundant answers, but I felt our situation was quirky enough to warrant it's own individualized input. Thank you and wish us luck

 

[AthalaRanger]

Well, chances are she WILL lose a good deal of fat (along with a good deal of water) if she eats like a bird long enough. But she'll also probably lose some muscle mass, have no energy, feel pretty bad, etc.

Two things;

* Aren't you counting calories? If you aren't, that may help her feel a bit more confident and 'in control' of what she eats, so she doesn't start cutting foods out. If you need to lose the weight fast, you could use a value like 10 calories x pound (this is already pretty low, But you have to make the compromise if you need to lose the weight fast. Also, I wouldn't suggest going any lower than that).

If she has been eating very little or fasting, she may gain a little bit of weight at first, but it isn't fat, so don't worry. Keep the calorie intake consistent and the weight will come back down.

* Doing cardio only isn't good. If you can, you should do resistance/strength training too (And yes, girls should do resistance training as well.). It'll help you burn a bit more calories, add more variety, and spare muscle mass as well.

If you can / want to do it, you could do something like a 2 days on / 1 day off split.

Day 1 you work upper body (Arms, Chest, Shoulders and Back) and do some cardio.
Day 2 you work lower body (Quads, Hamstrings and Calves) and abs.
Day 3 is your off day. You can add a cardio session (keep it low - moderate intensity) here if you'll like
Then repeat!

That should help you maximize your results. Note that you should attempt to stay at this level of calories and activity indefinitely. Do it for 1 month (or as long as you need to) and then move on to something more sensible.