Actually, I suppose that I am reminding myself right now. For years and years and years I have tried to drop weight fast. IT DOESN'T WORK!!!!! I know this, so why do I keep harboring unrealistic, even punishing, goals for myself??? I need to remember that this takes time. My goal is to lose 23 pounds by Christmas, as a present to myself! I figure that with all the exercise I do, that is a reasonable goal. HOWEVER I need to truly discipline my fingers and mouth. This weight loss will take time. I will not weigh 150 tomorrow, but I might weigh 151 and 9 oz. Every oz. counts!!!!!!

Of course you can do it - "I am woman hear me roar" before you know it you will see the 120's!

2piecegal...yes, this takes time. Most of us didn't gain all our weight in the space of a few months and it's not going to come off that fast, either.
23 pounds in less than 3 months might be a reasonable goal, but depending on how fast your body decides to shed the pounds it might not be either; that's about 2 pounds per week and the closer you get to your goal weight, the slower the pounds tend to come off.
Another goal you could consider is to stick with the plan until Christmas and increase your level of activity by so many minutes each week? Those are both things that you have direct control over...more so than how fast the numbers on the scale decrease.

The first step is to stop making weight loss goals. Your body has its own agenda on losing weight and the goals you set are likely to become sources of frustration rather than motivation.

So adopt a lifetime habit of eating that will help you lose weight and finally maintain it. Otherwise, you'll be yo-yo dieting. When you've made it a way of life, you'll lose weight. It doesn't become important how fast it happens. You just do it.

I agree with Nancy LC. Don't make goals. Sure any goal is achieveable but making goals , as you have said, have been hurtful to you. Instead of making weightloss goals, make way of eating goals. Perhaps you stick to a goal doing the phases with exercise. Stick to a goal of not putting chips or candy in the house. Make it a goal of eating more veggies. Make it a goal to not weigh until Christmas and be happy with the outcome so that you can continue succeeding.