I've weened myself off carbonated drinks.. i wad never a huge sugar fan so the switch to sweetener was a breeze.. I've been trying out baby foods and eating less food in one sitting.. im also working on slower eating

That is really smart. I might do something similar. I know when I did my pre op liquid diet for my lap band (I'm getting a revision) I had massive headaches and felt awful for the first few days.

Getting rid of sugar, caffeine, etc. first should make for a smoother transition.

I've been replacing one or two meals with a protein shake. Also "trying" to follow a diet that I set up in my fitness pal. Im still over 70 days out, so as the time gets closer, I will become more stringent. At 60days out, I will be totally weaned from diet soda

A good suggestion is to try to puree some foods like beef stew and chili (depending on your NUT's orders that is) to see if you'd like the consistency and taste during the pureed stage. Also be mindful not to buy protein in bulk because you may not like the way it tastes after surgery. It's weird but during the middle of week two the smell of my protein shakes made me sick to my stomach. You guys are going to do fantastic!