Am I doing it backwards?

I think I might be getting this weight loss stuff all wrong.

Last week, I tuned my diet so that I was getting quite a bit less calories and I was trying to stay active after work despite my aching feet. The goal was to finally break through this plateau I've been experiencing where I'm stuck at 282 lbs. It was almost a sure thing that I'd have it beat by the end of the week. By Friday, the scale read back that I had gained 2 lbs. I've stayed at 284 through the weekend and it kept me a little dissuaded over my failed attempt.

Yesterday, I finally gave into my sugar cravings and had two different soft drinks and a large chocolate shake. This morning, the scale told me I had lost those 2 lbs again. I'm pretty sure I may have invented the greatest diet ever.

Today, I start the new program where I run one day and hit the pool or bike on the other days until my feet recover. I'm still very committed to finishing the marathon in February, but several runners that I have talked to say that I'm just too big to be trying to run so far. My plan is to keep attempting to run, but I will swap out different types of crosstraining until my feet heal up. Hopefully, as I lose weight, the pain will recede in my feet and I will be able to get more running in. Seems like a sound plan to me.