if you are really careful about what you eat you can do it. you can lose 24 pounds by the 8th if you start in the beginning of next week and lose 3 pounds a week. do heavey arobics, such as tae-bo or jogging, or even speed walking for a set time every day and eat less calories and tons of veggies. brocoli and other veggies are awesome for weight loss because they have a lot of fiber and not only will they make you go uh-#2 more, they are also negative calorie foods because your body burns more calories digesting them then they have in them! so eat those first during a meal so it'll fill you up. also eat slowly, your brain takes about20 minutes to tell your body you're not hungry anymore. and, if you eat a lot of salads cool down on the salad dressing, just dip your fork before every bit instead of dousing your meal in it! i really hope i helped! good luck, and i plan to lose about that much in that time, maybe a little less- but definately before christmas...