My Weight Loss History in a Nutshell: At 16, I lost 30 lbs in 4 months on Atkins. At 5'4"ish I went from 165 to 135 lbs. I was done with Atkins (FOREVER!) and switched to low calorie, started to exercise, and got down to 125 lbs. I'm now 21, and have been up and down (settling between 135 and 145) for a few years. I'd like to get back to 130 lbs, tone up a bit, and improve my confidence and energy level before swimsuit season.

My Stats:
Hieght: 5'5"
Weight: 143 lbs.
Pants Size: Between a 7 and a 9, depending on the brand (US sizes)

My Goals:
Goal 1: 138 lbs by 3/18/11 (4 weeks)
Goal 2: 133 lbs by 4/25/11 (8 weeks)
Goal 3: 130 lbs by 5/23/11 (12 weeks)

Food/Exercise Habits: Awful, awful, awful. I love to eat. It's what I do when I'm happy, sad, and bored. And I don't turn to celery sticks, to say the least. And if I'm in a dieting phase (which usually lasts less than a week), I'll force myself to exercise, but it rarely happens otherwise.

My Lifestyle: I work from 10 to 5 and go to school from 6 to 9 Mon-Thurs. I work 10 to 6 with no school on Fri. I am off of work and school on weekends. I also have to fit in homework, studying, and, of course, sleeping in order to function.

Note: Please cut me some slack on this one. I have a very busy schedule and I know if I'm not realistic in my plan, I'll fail once again. I know some of the things I mention won't be perfect or ideal, which is why I set my goals far apart with little weight loss. I'd like to lose it, keep it off, and learn to eat better for good.

My Food Plan
- 1200-1400 calories per day, 5+ bottles of water daily
Breakfast Example [around 400 cal]: 2 pieces whole grain bread (100 cal each) with almond butter (190 per 2 tbsp) and a yoplait light yogurn (100 cal)
Lunch Example [around 340 cal]: DiGiorno 200 calorie frozen pizza (200 cal) OR Lean Cuisine meal (250-360 cal), Mandarin Orange Fruit Cup w/ No Sugar Added (40 cal)
Dinner Example [around 550 cal]: 1 cup pasta dish with tuna and/or spinach (400 cal), handful of baby carrots dipped in light ranch (150 cal)

My Exercise Plan
- A more structured plan (below) along with staying more active on weekends, ie. taking more walks, outdoor activities, etc.
1 mile power walk on treadmill w/ 1lb weights [M-F]
100 crunches [M-F]
Combination of squats, lunges, and arm workouts with dumbells [M,W,F]

I have long, tiring weeks, so on weekends I generally allow myself to relax and not be so strict on my diet. I won't be going crazy, but I may have a meal or two out or something cooked at home that will exceed my 1400 calorie allowance.

I'm looking at 1 lb a week for 8 weeks and less than that (anticipated) for 4 weeks. If I stick to this plan, are my goals realistic? Any input would be great.

I think your food, exercise, and goals seem pretty reasonable. Only you know if you can stick with the food and exercise part; or only time will tell on those. But if you can then I think your goals are not unreasonable.

For your pasta dinner you can have tuna *and* spinach. More veggies are always a good thing. I make a very easy carbonna that is under 400 calories (http://www.3fatchicks.com/diet-blogs...ads-carbonara/) and is mostly veggies - the way I make it is about 2 cups broccoli and another cup of other stuff and only a little pasta. It is very filling in the moment plus it sticks with you so you aren't hungry for ages afterwards. I often make it for lunch on weekends because then I'm not even hungry for dinner (or snacks) later. If I do eat later it's probably just some red peppers dipped in hummus. (and speaking of hummus... if you can find one you like (I'm currently addicted to Sabra's greek olive version) it's a much healthier substitute for ranch dressing...)

Good luck!

Your overall caloric goal looks good, but there isn't a lot of protein in the meals you describe. They're pretty carb-heavy; only you know if that affects you negatively or not, but a lot of people do find that carbs don't "stick to the ribs" and leave them feeling hungry sooner. Of course, other people find that low-carb meals don't satiate them, so you know you best.

Do consider adding in more lean protein where you can; no matter how you handle carbs, protein will help you stay fuller longer.

I totally understand a time crunch, so it's unreasonable to expect you to whip up a three-course meal each day. Swap out the Yoplait for Greek yogurt (same calories, more protein) and add a hard-boiled egg here and there as a snack; they're a nice wallop of protein for under 100 calories. If you do have free time to cook, it is an awesome idea to make extra food so that you can bag up leftovers and enjoy them all week. Stuff like chili is easy and extremely diet-friendly.

Adding more veggies is also a good thing, as Vladadog mentioned.

A pound a week is certainly within the realm of possibility and it's definitely within the healthy range. How will you handle it if your body decides not to cooperate for a week, though? Be prepared for it, because it may happen to you; bodies are notoriously difficult like that. Be ready to stay with your plan no matter what and focus on behavior-related goals rather than loss-related goals (for example, "I will eat on plan every day this week" rather than "I will lose a pound this week").

Seems like you have a good plan together overall. Best of luck, and I look forward to hearing about your successes over the coming weeks.