Hello El -

Congrats on your losses so far, and yes, fluctuations are bound to be water weight loss. The averaging of your weekly loss is a great idea. A pound off your scale is approx. 3500 calories....did you really eat 7000 extra calories to gain those two pounds....I doubt it

8-10 glasses of water a day is a great start......don't know how big your glasses are, but I would aim for 100 - 130 ounces of water a day. I use an empty soda bottle (64 oz) and fill it up twice a day, then I use a smaller bottle or glass to drink from.

Diet coke is one of those items that affects people differently. Regular Diet Coke contains caffeine and for me, for example, caffeine gives me that "eat something to go with it" feeling, and of course, that "something" is usually NOT salad, but sweets! Some people don't handle aspartame well, their bodies treat it like sugar and their insulin spikes and drops like it was sugar. Citric acid - often fond in sodas, can affect people too.

I would not count the soda as your water intake. If you can, switch to a caffeine free diet coke, and then maybe to one every other day. It took me about a month to wean off of sodas, but I noticed that I now rarely will think of them....the only time I do think of them is when I go to a restaurant.

Keep asking questions....keep doing the food....you're doing great!