There are risks with getting the surgery, and I think that not being able to eat certain foods EVER is probably the most common one (I can't do scrambled eggs, or broccoli)
The band has really helped me become less food centeric -- I'm not hungry all the time, I don't spend all day thinking about what I'm going to eat next, I don't have to worry about making myself stop eating before I feel satisfied. For the first time in my life I think that I'm eating like a normal person is supposed to eat.
But there are times when it is hard -- when I'm full but I want to taste just a little more, or when my head really wants popcorn or something, and I just can't do it. It's totally worth it for those few times, though.