I had the sleeve surgery July 12. I am 5'4" but with a small build. I started at about 189 pounds and was at 178 at the time of surgery. I am now at 147, 2 months after surgery, for a total weight loss of over 40 pounds. I am thrilled with my progress and feel so much better - more energy, no out-of-breath when I walk up the stairs, and fewer back problems. I have no visible scars and have no problems with gas, bloating, mood-swings, etc. I have to be careful to eat slowly and chew a lot. If I eat too fast or a bit too much, there is considerable discomfort and occoasional "sliming" but it generally goes away in an hour or so. Eating has been a bit of a learning process of listening to my body instead of my mind. But there do not seem to be any forbidden foods -- just forbidden amounts. I take a multivitamin with iron, B12, and calcium, but they are all in pill form. When I was still on liquids, I'd break them up into little pieces. My typically daily diet is oatmneal for breakfast, yogurt or cottage cheese for lunch and mid-day snack, and fish or poultry for dinner. I occasionally snack on a couple of raw almonds or sugar-free popsicles/fudgesicles. I work out at least 3 times a week, often 4 or 5 times. All in all, this has been an extremely positive experience. I am already down to a weight where I feel good and look good in clothes, and the weight continues to come off.
I hope this answers many of your questions. Let me know if you have any others; I'd be glad to answer any that I can.
Lisa