I am almost 9 months out and I can pretty much eat anything I want. I choose to stay low carb, low fat, low sugar in order to continue with my weight loss. I've treated myself to potatoes and bread a couple of times and have no problems with them except that bread sits heavy in my tummy. I drink water through a straw. I find that I don't want to drink water until at least 30 minutes after a meal because I feel too full to drink any. For me, the changes that the sleeve brought about are all good. It's the best thing I've ever done for myself. I've gone from a size 22 pants to a size 10 and I'm loving it! My only regret is I'm 49 and I wish I'd done it sooner.