So...I have this goal, i really really wanna reach, as its my beginning step to prove to myself I can reach my ultimate goal (which isnt all that dramatic, and that makes it even more frustrating that i havent been able to reach it)

I want to lose 5lbs before my 24th bday, in Jan 18.

Is that possible? if i eat healthy and exercise ofcourse.

How much i should be exercising if I want to reach that goal?

Sure it's possible. I went from 187 to 178 within seven days when I first started eating healthy and working out daily for half an hour.

Course, initially, most of the weight you lose will be water weight and you'll probably gain a bit back as you put on muscle and the water thing evens out. Your weight loss will slow down a bit as your body adjusts to the flux in metabolism.

But 5 pounds in 2.5 weeks? You bet.

I personally think you'll go a lot further with this weight loss thang if you set some goals that are unrelated to the number of pounds you lose because I can tell you, since being on a plateau for months despite several good periods of great effort and several backslides, that you dont have any control over the scale. However, you can resolve to exercise X days per week, and keep your calories under X, or not eat XYZ, or eat more of X (e.g. fruits and veggies). Wouldn't your being successful in actually sticking to the things that promote weight loss get you further in the long run than some arbitrary weight loss goal within a prescribed period of time?

*agrees wholeheartedly*

I'm with Blancita.

I know some people have great water weight losses at the beginning - my sister lost 11 pounds the first week she started low-carb. And 5 pounds in 2.5 weeks isn't unreasonable as true weight loss, not just water fluctuation.

But the scale might not be your friend for those particular 2.5 weeks, even if you do everything right. I know it took me several weeks of improved diet to see any movement on the scale. Even now, I could pick 17-day periods when my end weight by the scale was very close to my start weight, and I lose pretty steadily.

Very true...in fact i was thinking about that too. When i went to bootcamp for the AF a few years back, I worked out SO much, ate the right food (ofcourse, had no choice really) and at the end i had lost only about 3 lbs..3 LBS IN 2 MONTHS! I was irritated, but then i noticed I was still a looooot leaner than when i got there...so i guess you are right. But in that case how do u measure weight loss specially if the weight ur losing isnt all that drastic?

If you were in boot camp, I'm sure you put on HELLA muscle, too.