Welcome to the TDC! Congratulations on the weight you have lost so far, too. This way of eating really does work and it's great to get the feedback from others.

I think many of us start out just eating low carb without paying any attention to the calories and/or eating healthy. We come into this way of eating just trying to use a "diet" to lose the fat. I've learned that this way of eating works much better if I focus on eating healthy foods, so I would encourage you consider that in your food plan as well.

I used to drink more than a case of diet soda per week. My father worked for the local 7up bottler and I was raised drinking as much soda as I wanted. He got it free and brought home several cases per week. Of course, back when I was a kid I was drinking the soda with all the sugar. Once I started coming to this forum and learned that drinking the water is so beneficial, I started drinking water occassionally. Over time I just started drinking the water all day long instead of the soda. My skin is softer and I just plain feel better. I do still have the occasional can of pop, but it's not very often. A case lasts a long time these days, and I'm glad to save that little bit of money too.

Good luck in your journey!