When I was in high school I eliminated all soda from my diet, which was mostly diet sodas, and lost 20 pounds in two months. That was it, didn't change anything else. A friend of mine was on the Atkins diet with his parents around the same time and lost over 100 pounds but couldn't lose the final 10 that was his goal. He was like you Hurl, he would drink (diet) sodas out of boredom and it was okay on Atkins because they are all 0 calorie.