goal weight by my birthday!

I would suggest you don't try to lose 5 ounces a day. It doesn't sound like much, but it really is a lot to lose in a day when you only have 10 pounds to lose. And you don't really cut foods out of your diet, you keep the foods you like in, but in small amounts and as a treat. I do think ditching white bread is good though since it has little to no satiety, but that is just because staying hungry usually means eating more, it's not because bread has no nutritional value at all, it's probably ok once in awhile if you eat it with other things that will make you full and keep you from being hungry til next meal time. If you really want to change the way you look try lifting to change your body composition, though a little over a month might not be enough time to see amazing results, that can take up to 2 months, maybe 6 weeks if you are really dedicated.