Jachut

You're a brave girl, I think its a very sensible idea to be honest. If you've had a gutful of being obese and you're quite willing to modify your socialising then you've got the advantage - you're young, your skin will bounce back, your metabolism is good and you should be able to get fit very quickly. Your 20's and early 30's before you settle and have kids can be one of the best, most exciting times of your life and why waste it being fat and miserable?
Not that you wont be able to go out and have a drink with your friends. But 10 beers and a 2 am kebab probably wont work all that well, lol. And when everyone's eating Mcdonalds, you'll be the one buying salad. I like that though, I like being a 'small eater', I always admired the skinny chicks who nibbled on the fries whilst I couldnt resist downing a Big Mac with the guys.
You're past puberty, you've thought about this, if you're willing to make the sacrifices then I for one would only wish you the best of luck and applaud you for taking charge so early in life.

Hi, I get what you're saying. I had my band unfilled five months ago for cancer treatment, and I can tell you I am LOVING life without restriction. I managed my band very well, hardly ever puked, didnt have much trouble with it at all but I had gotten used to what a pain in the ass being unable to eat totally normally was. I can now eat anything, anywhere, without the pressure of worrying if it will go down, at the most what happened to me was "uncomfortable moments" when eating out etc, where I'd strive to hide the brief stuck/sliming from others I was eating with - I sure as eggs dont miss that one single bit. I'm enjoying bread again etc. Best of all, I havent regained any weight at all.
I wouldnt say we're all "food addicts" though, I think very few people are truly addicts. More often, certainly for me, we just plain like eating, we've gotten self indulgent, we never say no to ourselves, we develop bad habits and we dont exercise enough - its as simple as that. I've relearned those things and now practice them all and as a result, I need no restriction for the time being.

I'd never want to say there's one right way of parenting, its such a volatile area and its just not true anyway. Different things work for different families and different children and you have to find your own groove. I'm personally a little uneasy with sticker charts and other rewards when it comes to food, it strikes me as a little too close to "oh, hurt your knee? Here, have a cookie to make it better". Perhaps I need one for myself though, lol. Chemo has affected my taste buds. At the moment my entire diet revolves around vegemite on rice cakes, Tomato Soup, toasted ham cheese and pineapple sandwiches and very cold salad vegies and fruit. Maybe if I eat some steak I can have those true religion jeans I want? I already got a diamond ring, a new car and a new kittencourtesy of a very doting DH, lol, and I didnt even have to eat anything to get those!

Four days on liquids = fast weight loss that is NOT fat, its water! So the minute you eat again, you gain. Its the classic crash/fad diet scenario. Ok, so its prudent after a fill to take it easy, and you've done the right thing, just dont take the weight loss that results at face value. Its what you lose over say six weeks that counts.
It doesnt matter how much this message is told though, we just dont take it in. I'm really prone to Fluid loss (and weight loss) at the moment because I have an ileostomy and chronic diarrhoea from chemotherapy. I can drop down to under 125lb (I'm 5ft 10), which is scary skinny and which i absolutely KNOW indicates some major dehydration and signals the need to drink and force myself to eat, but I still feel great when I see that number on the scale - its really sick, it worries me how much I enjoy knowing i"m actually officially underweight at those times. Likewise, 3 days later and I've bounced back up 8lb,. and I should feel relieved that I'm in healthier shape - instead I feel fat and out of control.
I'm pretty sure the true secret is to stay off the damn scale and only take account of what it says once a month (for us maintainers) or once a week for those losing.

I had/have a very similar attitude and experience to Jodie.
Moderation and exercise were the keys. I vowed never ever ever to "diet" again and I havent and I truly believe giving up dieting has been a major factor in my success. Like Jodie, I weigh every day and that guides me on how to approach the current day - weight up a bit, I am a bit more mindful of what I eat, make sure I eat no Snacks and dont allow myself to miss my exercise session if something comes up like I might on another day. Weight down and I'm encouraged to keep up the good work.
Not dieting but learning to listen to my body - eat appropriate amounts (and that's where the band does its job), choosing healthy foods (not necessarily low carb ones for me!) and really analysing when, where and why I might feel like a treat (and this guides whether I will indulge or not), simply making the best of non healthy menus and situations where I'm not in control, planning for really big indulgences and simply working very hard to not think about calories, fat, carbs or whatever. I know this has worked for me because I lost about 130lb (which has taken me to a BMI of 19 which may be a bit TOO skinny), but because my band is now totally unfilled and i am having absolutely no trouble maintaining my loss and have no plans to fill my band again. I eat absolutely normally, my mind has been retrained in how I think about food and what sort of portions I consider normal, I have relegated sugar, alchohol and fat to an appropriate part of my eating habits and vigorous high calorie buerning exercise is an everyday part of my life, no willpower required. I basically eat what I want when I want but what I truly WANT is 3 healthy meals a day with the occasional indulgence and what I really WANT is to run or go to the gym every day. That to me is success, and I would never want to pretend that my definition of success is the only right one, but to me, living on a plan, journalling, counting calories, avoiding carbs - that would not be success to me, it would be a life sentence. I have what I consider success - I maintain my weight without really thinking about it. I dont need fill to do that, but if someone does,well, that's what the band is for.

In five years with a band and even longer on this forum, that's the first time I have EVER heard that advice. I wouldnt worry about it, fills may swell your stomach a bit but they dont affect your body overall and there's no reason why you shouldnt exercise unless you're so tight you cant drink properly. Oh - and exercising without the fuel to do so is how we burn fat! The whole point of this entire thing is providing your body with less calories than it needs.

Well, if its any consolation I love my vegies but also love my Pasta, and wholewheat bread and I lost over 120lb without ever giving up bread, pasta, rice or carbs in general and maintained it for three years. Furthermore, i had my band unfilled for a surgery which involved me having an ileostomy so now I am on a low residue diet which is based on WHITE bread, pasta and rice and even with an unfilled band I have not gained any weight at all. Truly, for most people calories in v calories out is the main determinant of weight loss even if we can argue all day about the health benefits of this diet vs that.
But we all need vegies - I love a packed of fresh spinach, wilted down with half a block of low fat cream cheese, a bit of nutmeg and some pinenuts as a pasta sauche - that's a good way to get in some vegies! tonight I varied that by adding a carton of pumpkin Soup. It was delish. That's vegies. Many pasta sauces can involve vegies, Soups are great, you can even make muffins with spinach, zucchini etc in them. I had a spinach and fetta muffin the other day when I was out, with some cream cheese as a spread, and a latte. Yum!

You know, I had to be completely unfilled four months ago for a surgery, and I cant be refilled until all my treatment and another surgery has occurred, several months to go still.
I just said to myself - 3 small meals a day NO Snacks. Not ever. Its worked. You can blame winter, you can think certain "diets" such as Protein Shakes will do the job, you can come at it from any angle and basically what it boils down to is that you have to just eat small and sensible and exercise every day. Its really simple, hard to do, but really simple.
You can do it ladies - consistency over the long haul is always going to show results more so than desperate measures. The trick is not panicking. So, you slipped up, you're only human but you CAN get back on the wagon.

In the end, its how much you eat.
You can be thin and eat a diet of only rubbish. But you wont be healthy. You know that.
I have lost weight eating pretty much what I ate before being banded, including some bread. But I didnt eat entirely rubbish - I ate a good healthy base diet and then shoved in a lot of sugary carb foods on top of that. I've personally never had much of a problem with junk foods like Mcdonalds and KFC, I've never overeaten them or craved them unduly. But muffins, cakes, biscuits, that's another story.
So yes, I cut out those foods for the most part, but I do still eat them on occasion. If I go out for dinner, I'm not going to piss fart around ordering sauces to the side and quizzing the staff about whether there's butter in something. I just have what I fancy, and I dont eat a lot of it.
But my basic, everyday diet, what I eat 90% of the time is healthy. Its healthy, but I really dont believe in low carb Atkins style diets. I do eat bread and cereals and I eat good amounts of Protein but not HIGH Protein. So again, the next person here will tell me diet contravenes all their rules and I'll never lose weight. But I did and kept it off - so it comes down to calories in/calories out, I think.
Post op, I did exactly what I was told to do and ate really healthy foods too. I actually find it really hard to understand how just after surgery you can not be so bouyed up by enthusiasm, hope and determination that you find this period difficult. I found it really very easy. The hard part of wanting bad foods again came a lot later on. But everyone's different I guess. After the post op period, my doc actually HAS no real rules, the m.o. here in Australia tends to be eating a very normal everyday diet but only a lot less of it. Its about integrating the band into normal life, not about a bunch of rules that really swaps overeating for a life of imposed rules.

You've got to try to turn it around so that you're the "normal" one. We just take for granted the way we use food at every celebration, to punctuate the day etc. An occasional indulgence is absolutely fine and you can and will do that again, but not right now on your pre op diet,, and you pick your occasions. Just coz everyone else eats that stuff at every occasion, doesnt make it fine - they're suffering from it - they're fat, bloated unhealthy, whatever. They ARE killing themselves eating like that, even if you cant see the evidence in their bodies. YOU are making another choice, its as simple as that. There's no "cant" about it and nothing to be sad about, you're better educated and are making better choices.

I'd hate to come on here and say well, I'm unfilled and I havent gained so you can do it too, its patronising and not helpful. But perhaps I can share my take on it and you can take or leave my opinion, but if it helps you at all then I'm glad.
I've been unfilled for a couple of months now because I had rectal cancer, and had to have chemo, radiation and a major surgery, which involved creating an ileostomy so I have a bag for now. I'm now having more chemo and will have the ileostomy reversed sometime in the next few months. Chemo hasnt made me the type of sick that means i dont want to eat so my appetite is quite normal. I was so devastated/angry/frustrated/terrified of being unfilled, I'd been so successful with my band. But I had no freaking choice. So I sat myself down and said to myself "you're a grown up and you know you have to face the consequences of your actions". I was also feeling so out of control with the whole disease that is cancer, my life was just taken out of my hands and I had a new schedule for the coming 12 months, my job, our travel plans, even our plans for a new house, I've just had to let them all go, so I was absolutely adamant that it would not take over my weight and self image too!
I have continued to exercise like always, I run daily, I do bootcamp, I circuit train with my son - exercise is your prime weapon, it is just so important. Do lots and lots of cardio. I follow what I call my no bullshit diet, but amazingly, the other day I found someone has put it up on the web, lol - google the NOS diet or the no "s" diet. No sweets, no seconds, no Snacks is all it is basically. I eat three meals a day - healthy meals, meals that satisfy - I dont even try to stick to bandster portions, because only bandsters can do that! I've been logging calories, weighing and measuring but I stopped, because I felt that despite not gaining, I was losing all I'd worked so hard for and starting to become obsessed with food and dieting again - so yeah, 3 healthy meals, no Snacks. That's only a couple of rules. No agonising over can I eat this, how much Protein does that have, how many calories do I have left for the day. I can eat enjoyable food, but not junk. Its really really worked for me, my weight has stayed pretty stable.
Now I've had a slight advantage in that I had a big surgery in there and lost a couple of kilos that I was able to gain back, and unfortunately my 3 healthy meals included LOTS of salad to fill the gaps. Salads and ostomates and chemotherapy dont mix - I've just come home from hospital following a bowel obstruction (painful, you dont want one!) and I am simply going to have to cave in and follow the recommended diet of lots of white bread, potato, rice and not too many fruits and vegies - and especially no skins. It freaks me out - all those white carbs - but I really believe with the no bullshit approach, I still wont gain weight!
You are the one in control of this, it is only you and you must make your choices. It is as plain as that. I wish there were a secret but there simply isnt. You're only human and you still might gain weight, statistically most unfilled or de-banded people do. But you dont have to absolutely pile it back on at lightening speed. You need to protect your self esteem, your sense of achievement and if you can contain the weight gain, you'll feel better than if you simply give up. Best of luck to you.

I think loosening it for an overseas trip, where care may not be available is a valid option, but not one you should be doing thinking that you can eat heaps on the trip and really enjoy yourself - that is the kind of dysfunctional thinking that made us fat in the first place. You can actually indulge in unusual or out of the ordinary foods on holidays without loosening your band, and you can enjoy it thoroughly. I think yo'[d find most doctors are willing to unfill for travel becuase it ensures band safety.
To think you can unfill for one special occasion, that's not a very healthy way of thinking of life with the band. You need to be committed to a lifestyle change and that means your life no longer revolves around food - the whole point of a holiday or a wedding is not how much you can eat. And with a properly adjusted band, you can eat sensibly and enjoy special meals anyway- if you cant, you're too tight.
When you get to goal, you can unfill. I never did, I stayed the same weight for years with the same fill, but recently, I had to be completely unfilled for cancer treatment. Amazingly it has not caused weight gain, over time on maintenance, you do learn to eat your caloric needs one way or another - and in hindsight, I was doing a fair bit of eating around my band - sweet treats, alcohol, Snacks, they made up the gap between the caloric values of the size meals I was able to eat and what my body needed, and they were the "extras' that I wasnt eating during the losing phase. When I was unfilled, i got straight onto tracking calories and have moved onto a three meals but bigger meals and healthier foods (all the fruit, vegies and salad I couldnt eat in real quantity while restricted) and I've actually lost about 20lb more (that I really didnt need to lose). I'm finding my balance over time, but am amazed that I need well over 2000 calories a day to maintain my 135lb - so my metabolism, given all the running and circuit training I do, is definitely not shot, its actually very healthy. But I exercised vigorously all the way through my loss and never dipped below 1500 calories, I think very low calorie diets are going to set you up for having quite a deal of trouble in the longer term maintaining your weight loss.
Like the poster above me, I monitor my weight, and adjust if it goes up a little - had a big weekend away with a once in a lifetime gourmet dinner with wines matched to each course for our 20th anniversary. Ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in restaurants and cafes - yeah, got home with 3 extra pounds. So its back to 1400 calroies a day and right back on the exercise regime for the next week or so to shift it. If you remain aware, know what you're eating and are sensible, it is indeed possible to live unfilld once you've lost.

I've come to realise that fat is just fat, its just a symptom of an illness that a large percentage of the population suffers from. To me, body image and acceptance is not tied to being fat. I have as many issues now and I'm freaking skinny! My BMI has dropped to 19 and I *STILL* see fat on my body that I'd like gone. If I actually see a photo of myself, I'm shocked - I'm much thinner than I see in the mirror. I am tryign to gain a little weight, but its on a superficial level to please my surgeon and oncologist and not because I see how skinny I am and realise I'd look better with a few more pounds on. I look in the mirror and see 80% satisifcation at a normal weight body with a bit of flab at hips and thighs and, frankly, terrible tits, lol.
I think the thing about fat acceptance is the moral issues we attach to obesity - I personally am quite disciplined in my eating now, I think about what I eat, and I ignore impulses to eat rubbish most of the time. I exercise almost fanatically. I really take care of myself. So I do find myself passing judgement on people sitting in the food court pushing KFC down their gobs - see, I even say it in a derogatory way! That's why obese people feel judged, becuase truthfully, they are. I even feel disgust for my own kids and the way they will eat if I let them. But that's so not fair. I think the problem is people these days give into their every whim and desire becuase they can, they want instant gratification every seond of the day, becuase its available. That's what leads to fatness. But its human nature to want that! It makes evolutionary sense to take the easy road, to eat food when its there, to eat food that will sustain. Lettuce or KFC, which is going to keep you alive the longest?
Personally, i think dealing with that kind of stuff is what it takes to accept yourself as a fat person. But I dont believe you have to accept yourself AS fat, if that makes sense, you dont have to say "I'm a big person and I'm happy this way" (which none of us are or we wouldnt be here). I think it means "I've fallen prey to the dangers society presents, just like most other people have. This is the effect its had on my body, but I'm smart and I'm going to do something about it". That way, ANY weight loss, ANY improvement in lifestyle behavour is a triumph and it doenst all become about losing ALL your weigh tor fitting into a certain size, but more about your ability to choose your own path and stick to it.

Well, I lost 120% of my excess weight, I have a BMI of 19, I eat whatever I want and am effortlessly maintaining weight loss without any fill in my band and I would NEVER do a high Protein low carb diet. I have eaten bread, rice and Pasta - in small qunatities - and i have never supplemented Protein with shakes or bars- all the way through - with the blessing of my doctor as well - we just dont get told to do that high protein stuff here.
If I had such a risk of kidney stones, i wouldnt touch a really high protein diet with a bargepole personally. I'd eat normally from all food groups, smaller quantities, balance calories in/calories out and weight loss will follow.

You must feel wretched about this. I suppose at the end of the day, its only weight. It can come on and come off, the same way it has always done. Its just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and regaining control.
You can do this. You need to remind yourself every time you got to eat inappropriately about what matters more.
Easier said than done, I need to remind myself of this today as well. Home from work, lack of routine and lots of junk has gone into my face. But if you succeed more often than you give in, then the weight will come off again.

I dont find it to be true.
Water intake has never affected my rate of weight loss, but Water is important for general health. Fat cannot be "flushed away', it has be comverted and used for energy. They byproducts of this process can be flushed away, but overhydrating beyond what your body needs isnt of any particular health value. You jsut pee it out, and that's all that'[s happening when you drink gallons of water. 2L a day is plenty for the average adult.
But is cheap and nboody is likely to serioulsy drink too much, so if it has a positive impact on YOUR weight loss, follow your own body's leads.

Well..... this should be encouraging.
Got banded in 2005. Lost 120lb - first 90 within a year, another 10 over the folliowing year (then 20lb last year due to illness). Maintained a great BMI of 21 for 3 solid years, never gained an ounce, lost that 20 I mentioned and had to get unfilled for a major surgery. Realised that over time, all the work I did on lifestyle (healthy eating, exercise, not eating just for the sake of it) has stuck and have now maintained a BMI of 19 for several months without a fill -easily. So after my hard work with the band, I get to be thin and fit but eat "whatever I want". That means I get to enjoy bread, salads, red meat and fresh fruit - all the things that were hard for me with fill in my band and thus, not so enjoyable. AND get this - due to my fitness and exercise levels which I worked so hard to create, if I make my meals fresh, healthy and low fat I can easily afford the odd splurge - had lunch at the pancake Parlour today - dont have to worry about a glass of wine at night, or the odd cookie here and there. In fact, my maintenance level of calories is about 2400 with my running and with mainly healthy intake, my biggest problem is eating enough. The band has totally re-educated my mind about portion sizes, so my 3 meals and a healthy snack generally add up to about 1400, 1500 calories a day. I usually dont eat more than about 1800 in any given day, so a nice dinner out once a week when I might splurge 800 to 1000 calories with some wine and dessert as well as a main, no problem whatsoever, my weight stays steady.
I never though being unfilled would be so good, but its been a very big lesson in just how much my band has done for me. Its there if I need it in future, but for now, its done its job and it can just bide unless I suddenly begin to gain. I can always fill again. Life really couldnt get much better than that - I'm now a normal, "naturally thin" person!

Well..... this should be encouraging.
Got banded in 2005. Lost 120lb - first 90 within a year, another 10 over the folliowing year (then 20lb last year due to illness). Maintained a great BMI of 21 for 3 solid years, never gained an ounce, lost that 20 I mentioned and had to get unfilled for a major surgery. Realised that over time, all the work I did on lifestyle (healthy eating, exercise, not eating just for the sake of it) has stuck and have now maintained a BMI of 19 for several months without a fill -easily. So after my hard work with the band, I get to be thin and fit but eat "whatever I want". That means I get to enjoy bread, salads, red meat and fresh fruit - all the things that were hard for me with fill in my band and thus, not so enjoyable. AND get this - due to my fitness and exercise levels which I worked so hard to create, if I make my meals fresh, healthy and low fat I can easily afford the odd splurge - had lunch at the pancake Parlour today - dont have to worry about a glass of wine at night, or the odd cookie here and there. In fact, my maintenance level of calories is about 2400 with my running and with mainly healthy intake, my biggest problem is eating enough. The band has totally re-educated my mind about portion sizes, so my 3 meals and a healthy snack generally add up to about 1400, 1500 calories a day. I usually dont eat more than about 1800 in any given day, so a nice dinner out once a week when I might splurge 800 to 1000 calories with some wine and dessert as well as a main, no problem whatsoever, my weight stays steady.
I never though being unfilled would be so good, but its been a very big lesson in just how much my band has done for me. Its there if I need it in future, but for now, its done its job and it can just bide unless I suddenly begin to gain. I can always fill again. Life really couldnt get much better than that - I'm now a normal, "naturally thin" person!

There's a difference between delivering a reality check and being totally self righteous as well though. Some people are early on in the process, full of enthusiasm and determination and are blind to the fact that reality eventually settles in, novelty fades and the hard slog of it all gets quite wearing. They speak as though they'll never slip up. That really gets my goat.
Personally, I cant understand how anybody finds the first six to eight weeks difficult! I dont see how if you've made the decision to have surgery that your enthusiasm and anticipation of your new life doesnt carry you through that period, bandster hell or no. But it simply isnt the same for everyone so i dont go around lecturing about how people should deal with it, I support and commiserate instead. Over the years I've seen many people start out with such difficulty and eventually find their groove and go onto success. So I dont really think people in the first couple of weeks need a reality check, especially from others in that same stage who really know two parts of stuff all regarding what they're talking about.
Unless your talking silly silly people who dont follow their liquid to mushy to solids instructions! That calls for a swift kick up the clacker. As does the I ate McDonalds, why arent I losing weight questions.

There's a difference between delivering a reality check and being totally self righteous as well though. Some people are early on in the process, full of enthusiasm and determination and are blind to the fact that reality eventually settles in, novelty fades and the hard slog of it all gets quite wearing. They speak as though they'll never slip up. That really gets my goat.
Personally, I cant understand how anybody finds the first six to eight weeks difficult! I dont see how if you've made the decision to have surgery that your enthusiasm and anticipation of your new life doesnt carry you through that period, bandster hell or no. But it simply isnt the same for everyone so i dont go around lecturing about how people should deal with it, I support and commiserate instead. Over the years I've seen many people start out with such difficulty and eventually find their groove and go onto success. So I dont really think people in the first couple of weeks need a reality check, especially from others in that same stage who really know two parts of stuff all regarding what they're talking about.
Unless your talking silly silly people who dont follow their liquid to mushy to solids instructions! That calls for a swift kick up the clacker. As does the I ate McDonalds, why arent I losing weight questions.

There's a difference between delivering a reality check and being totally self righteous as well though. Some people are early on in the process, full of enthusiasm and determination and are blind to the fact that reality eventually settles in, novelty fades and the hard slog of it all gets quite wearing. They speak as though they'll never slip up. That really gets my goat.
Personally, I cant understand how anybody finds the first six to eight weeks difficult! I dont see how if you've made the decision to have surgery that your enthusiasm and anticipation of your new life doesnt carry you through that period, bandster hell or no. But it simply isnt the same for everyone so i dont go around lecturing about how people should deal with it, I support and commiserate instead. Over the years I've seen many people start out with such difficulty and eventually find their groove and go onto success. So I dont really think people in the first couple of weeks need a reality check, especially from others in that same stage who really know two parts of stuff all regarding what they're talking about.
Unless your talking silly silly people who dont follow their liquid to mushy to solids instructions! That calls for a swift kick up the clacker. As does the I ate McDonalds, why arent I losing weight questions.

My doctor didnt set me a goal weight, but did record a weight that was a BMI of 25 for me - 78kg. I know that I spend many years as a teenager and adult at around that weight and frankly, I consider it fat. Its nowhere near the fashionably thin I wanted to be and I always struggled to lose. I guess I had a BMI of about 25 to 27 for most of my adult life until my mid 30's and if you asked me, I'd say I've been fat all my life, so obviously my goal was going to be somewhat lower.
I'd dieted down to about 72 kgs once or twice and I knew that even then I wasnt very happy with that - I'm 5ft 10, so I still felt "big" rather than tall and slim. So I sort of said 67kg to myself. The idiot nutritionist scoffed at that as unrealistic, I hate how they do that without even knowing you, or your strength or determination. Anyhow, I got there easily. I'd had a sort of secret in my dreams goal of 64kg, but could never manage it, I maintained between 67 and 70 very happily for 3 years. Anyway, if there's one good thing about cancer treatment, you lose a bit of weigh. I saw 64kg come, saw 64 kg go as I plummeted to 60, eeek. Back to 63 now, but overall, I think my original goal of 67 was perfect. I do look better just a little bit heavier. I've realised supermodels are supermodels because they can be incredibly skinny and still look good and not bony and ill. Unlike us mere mortals.
anyway, you dont want my life story, but I say pick a weight you know you loved being and go for it, dont let anyone tell you otherwise. And if you've never had the experience of being a normal weight, go by the charts but simply plan to adjust along the way. its your body, your life and you can stop where you're happy to.

Truly, I think its headwork, not bodywork. We all have those spots on our bodies, and with little pockets of fat, the ONLY solution to them is to lose fat overall. You cant spot reduce, so that means less calories, a lot of cardio and some strength training to increase your overall metabolism. That's the only workout plan you need.
However, even then your body will lose from where it chooses. I got down to a BMI of 22, felt and looked great, but still had a muffin top and some flubber. I just came to accept it, as I held that weight for 3 years and I could see that my upper body was very thin already, so its just my pear shaped body type. Other health issues have seen me shrink to a BMI of 19 and yep, the muffin top's gone, but I also look like a concentration camp victim (I'm not kidding) above the waist. So do be realistic in your goals.

What worked for me was following a very normal, but portion controlled diet - that's foods from all food groups - Protein, carbs, fruit, vegies. Three healthy meals a day exactly as I would have done when trying to lose pre band. Limited Snacks and treats, but sure, occasionally you can have a treat. Limit alcohol, fatty foods and sugar. So I might eat Cereal and fruit for Breakfast, a salad with Protein for lunch and more protein and salad for dinner, with the occasional Pasta or rice dish.
I worked up to it, but pretty much run for 40 minutes five days a week and go to a couple of bootcamp sessions (which are pretty brutal).
I lost easily but slowly (if you consider 100lb in 2 years slow, I dont) and maintained effortlessly ever since, EVEN with an unfilled band.
My band was a tool. It meant I stuck with my plans through the endless challenges such as meals out, holidays, parties and just bad weeks but it made me satisfied with much smaller portions. It never stopped me wanting bad foods, it didnt even stop me overeating, since when I had a mind to I could graze on chocolate and Cookies all day. I worked on that bad habit.
Looking back, i think the band worked on my mind as well as my body. I really did finally say 'grow up and accept what you have to do" and I just got on with it. I find people nowadays just gratify their every whim and I've really become a person who thinks before she acts in terms of not only eating, but spending money too!

I have no fill anymore, so I'm back on normal sorts of portions of bread, cereals and such. But I found with restriction (which was never that tight for me) I really truly needed some carbs in my day to bulk up what I ate and give me lasting satiation.
I loved a salad with Protein lunch, for sure. But it didnt last past 2 hours for me before I felt peckish. Put that salad and Protein on a piece of wholegrain bread and I was right till dinner time.
That's only if you can eat bread and if you choose to eat bread though. if you're low carbing, that advice isnt going to help. In that case, small protein Snacks regularly seems to be the general advice, but I always find I'll keep prowling until I eat more balance and include the carby foods,.
I've been slightly too tight once in five years and what I found was that I could only eat a little but was constantly starving because I couldnt eat enough at a time to sustain me for more than an hour or two. YOu dont have to be vomiting up your own saliva to be too tight. however, you've just had that fill, give it a while to settle, a bit of weight loss perhaps and you might find this problem disappears.