alright, my name is Dan.
I'm 18, have a relatively slow metabolism(using xenadrine efx to help boost that up a bit), weigh 170, and am 5' 9.5", and have a pretty medium build. I'd like to drop 10 pounds in the next five weeks. I've started weight training a little bit, running, and eating healthier, but what are some tips to thin out. Would you people recommend lots of distance running to burn the fat off and thin out a bit before i keep putting muscle on, or what would you guys suggest. My daily meals go a little something like this.

8 am
total cereal w/ skim milk
banana

10 am
1 serving of protein total

noon
turkey sandwich on whole grain wheat bread

3 pm
50 gram whey protein meal replacement(ansi total lean meal)

5:30 pm
8 0z of chicken breast
3/4 cup assorted vegetables(sometimes not always)

8 pm
1 cup of lowfat cottage cheese

anything i can do to improve this?

i drink a lot of water too.

Breakfast
Get rid of the total, and the milk, and the banana
replace it with EGGS and canadian bacon
alternate days 1/2 cup oatmeal use splenda for sweetner not brown sugar and use just a smidg of milk. I like to add one spoonful of bran when I cook the oatmeal.

Lunch
Get rid of the wheat bread and try the low carb wraps or nothing at all.

isn't that too few carbs and dietary fiber then?

I think your diet looks good, and i assume you have also calculated the balance between carbs proteins and fat. You´ll probably loose more then 10 lb in 5 weeks if you maintain a calorie deficit and do your running due to water loss (doesn´t help that you drink more water, you´ll just flush your system). However i think 2lb/week is a maximum recomendation.

If you can stick to your plan without too many cheat meals ( dieting food tends to become pretty booring in the long run :d_confuse )
I think you´ll make great progress. Keep posting your progress and we´ll see.

Whats the total calories of that?

Metron9- I'm curious why you recommend alternating between oats and eggs/ bacon for breakfast...And, do you mean whole eggs, or just egg whites?

Dan- I think with your diet now losing 10 pounds in 5 weeks isn't impossible. What is your goal for this program? To lose your belly?

If so, a possible program could be lifting 3x per week and cardio 3x per week. As long as you're consistent and keep up with your diet you should see some great fat loss results. (especially considering your age! An 18 year old body is a fat burning/ muscle building machine!)

And I think your lunch is fine. How many calories are you eating per day?

i have 5 meal plan days and i switch off between them, each one is between 1370 calories - 1800 calories.

i try to get about 40 grams good fat, 200 grams protein, 170 grams carbs a day.

i lift 5 days a week, and everyday i have tennis practice after school, though it's not great exercise.

i started eating healthy for lent, and had some cheat meals, and about 1/2 way through started religiously working out. i lost 12 pounds for lent, and just want to take off 10 pounds more.

I am thinking of doing 12 minutes of HIIT cardio on a stationary bike everyday. that would help, right?

Lifting 5 days a week is probably too much.

well, i do it like this.

monday - chest
tuesday - back
wednesday - legs
thursday - biceps, triceps, shoulders
friday - more chest

i really want to get a defined chest fast so i am doing that one twice a week.

is this over-doing it?

how many crunches/how often/what type should i do to effectively slim my waist and get rid of my love handles.

As is often said, you cannot spot reduce. You'll lose the lovehandles and gain a slim waist from burning fat, not from crunches. However, you'll burn fat from all over your body - with men, the belly is main fat storage area so that will be the last to go.

Keep your diet.

When I was 18 this kind of thing wasn't even close to being on my mind. Got my workout from chasing girls.

Maybe just play some basketball with some friends for an hour each day. It's just like HIIT and it's fun and you get a workout in even if you suck at it.