I started this journey a month ago and am finally getting some encouragement with a 5 lb. loss . I know 5 lbs. in a month isn't that great, but hey it's something.

My first week I lost 2 lbs., second week 2 lbs., and then my third week I gained 3 lbs . This just wasn't fair . But, this weeks weigh in I am down 5 lbs. from my beggining weight and am excited about continuing so that I can get down to my goal by Christmas. I'll keep counting those calories cause I think it's gonna be worth it!

Congratulations!!!! It is hard when you don't see the scale moving but exhilarating when it does! I need to feel that exhilarating feeling again
Good luck on reaching your goal!!!

Actually 5 pounds a month is a little over a pound per week, which is a fantastic! 1-2 pounds per week is recommended, so you are right in the recommended range. Don't be misled by those shows that feature people losing ridiculous amounts of weight per week; that isn't realistic unless you are in some kind of special program with a doctor's supervision, a personal trainer, and a nutitritionist, and several hours a day to focus on losing weight. I started at about your starting weight and the most I ever lost in a month was five pounds (and towards the end there were a lot of months where I lost less than five pounds, sometimes a lot less). So you probably shouldn't expect to lose weight much faster than this.

The 3 pound gain in week 3 was probably just water, esp. since you lost it quickly the following week. (This does illustrate why its good to take your measurements once a month so you have another way to measure your progress besides the fickle scale).

Congratulations! You are doing great!