Being newly banded I a sure I am going to touch on things that have already been discussed, so forgive me if I am beating a dead horse.

I have only been banded 3 weeks and I am totally enjoying the honeymoon phase. Even without a fill I am "tight" and have not had severe hunger issues, I am conquering the very infrequent head hunger and I feel pretty good overall. Now, that being said, I am most likely right up there with the world's best "dieters" and can probably sustain this, without the band, for at least a month or two more. Then the real struggles come and that is when I have, in the past, failed miserably.

I have been reading posts about the stuck issues, the left shoulder pain, hiccups, burping....all the things that signal to someone that they may have eaten too much. Is this whole process not akin to Behavior Modification? Now I know all types of "diets" can likely be lumped into that category, but this is even more extreme. Is it not similar to Pavlov's bell ringing where his dogs knew they were going to be fed? Perhaps even the zap of an electric shock on a shock collar of a dog that gets too close to the invisible fence? Let's not forget the mice and cheese types of scientific experiments. Does anyone think that those types of thought processes went into the creation of this band?

Even more so then the fills, which are intended to of course promote restriction, does anyone else feel a bit like they are forced to comply due to the other factors involved with the band?

My disclaimer of course is that it doesn't bother me to get those "signals" that I just can't seem to recognize on my own. I had this surgery in an attempt to give me a more permanent and sustainable weight loss.

One poster wrote that those signals became chronic with her and became a health issue. That is a huge concern for me. I'm almost afraid to get a fill not knowing for sure how my body is going to react. Heck, I've never been here before. I tend to look at the bandsters that hate their bands or have had them removed, as integral a part of this process as those who have had no problems and have done wonderfully. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly if you would.

Just some deep thoughts on a Saturday morning :)

Donna

Good Morning!!  I don't think the band was designed to create an aversion to overeating...it is supposed to keep you from feeling hungry between meals and that is it.  If a person is continually relying on "restriction" to keep them from overeating, it isn't going to happen and they will cause themselves problems and potentially serious complications.  That is one reason for the diligent screening and psych exam, pre-op.  It is so important to learn to recognize when we have eaten enough, through "soft stop" signals; a hiccup, burp, runny nose, etc, rather than relying on our band to signal when you are "full".
I measure my food, most of the time and only put one cup of food total on my plate...if I eat too fast, don't chew enough...I can pb.  It seems to happen about once per week with me and always when I eat something I shouldn't or I eat too fast (get distracted). 
You may not need a fill for some time...I went 3 months and still have only 3.5cc in my band after two fills and don't feel I am too tight or too loose.  I don't get hungry between meals, so my band is working the way it is intended for now....
Good luck to you...you sound like you have your head on straight and will do well with your band. 
Steph

I actually think that my band has very much worked like classical conditioning so you are very perceptive early on. I certainly didn't recognize it until 2 years in when I had to be unfilled. I have been without restriction for two months and some foods I just don't have a desire to touch like most breads. I just have an aversion to them now. I find myself drawn to all the foods I was "comfortable" with while at restriction even though I can eat the others and used to love them. I can't say that I mind though. If not for the conditioning that occured while I was restricted I would be struggling really bad right now.

For me -- it started out with the 'strong' signals -- most of which are physically uncomfortable -- if I ate too much.

Those helped me to slow down my eating, take smaller bites --- chew and swallow and have my mouth empty before I take the next bite.

By working through those steps, I was able to listen to my body's other 'soft stops' ---- when I have had enough food, I get
1.  a small hiccup
2.  a deep sigh
3.  a runny nose

Those are my 'soft' stops -- if I keep eating, then I get a 'hard' stop like you are talking about.
I believe that if we ignore the soft stops long enough, we risk chronic problems (I am not blaming the user ---- some people may not get these soft stops, or might not recognize them) -- but if we 'pu****' too often, it can't be good for us.

For me, this goes hand in hand with the old 'just because you can eat something, does not mean you should' --- for me, that goes with quantity of food as well as quality.
Some people think that it means, just because I can eat bread, doesn't mean I should eat it.
I think it also means, 'just because I can eat 3 oz of tortillia chips does not mean I should'.

I'm working on head-hunger/cravings with my therapist right now.  I record everything I am consuming plus the date/time and mood.  Its been tedious but I hope in the long run I will adoptsome self-discipline and be able to take that with me post surgery.

You will...YOU WILL!!!  I am a therapy success story (still see her 1x month actually).  Glad to hear you are also working through your issues with food.  I wish I could encorage everyone to give therapy a chance post-op...a REAL chance.  Keep up with it...it will change your life! :)