I'm new at this, too, so I don't know overly much about it, but I have juvenile diabetes and I drink a lot of no-carb sweetened teas, soft drinks, flavored waters, etc, and I know that the medical advice is not to substitute these for pure water. This is not to say that you shouldn't drink any of these things, but seeing as they don't provide you with the same health benefits of water, you should drink them sparingly in addition to water.

Good luck and I hope you have much success with this plan!