Hey Everyone - I’ve been Ketoing (if that’s even a word, lol) for about a month. I didn’t know much about it except to get into a state of Ketosis, cut to 25 carbs a day. That’s the only thing I new and it has work. I don’t weigh myself because I know my thinking and if I step on a scale one day and don’t see a loss or maybe even a small gain, I will quit. But, I have definitely lost weight, I was a full size 8, now I’m back to fitting in my size 6’s. I did learn the hard way on some things like headaches (at first but not now) and the Keto rash (still have). But as I’ve read there is so many other aspects, like monitoring your ketones with test strips, breath test, or blood test…who knew??? I would love some tips, like which is the best ketone tester for someone one a budget. What is macro’s and should I worry about it? Should I count carbs and it there a easy way to do it. Big do’s and don’ts. Any suggestion or links will be greatly appreciated. Thanks - Denise!!!
Jumped head first into Keto but
Best budget way is to not test them at all! Testing ketones gets expensive real quick and ultimately tells you very little unless you’re troubleshooting or you’re trying to see what certain foods do and how you react to things. Yes, count carbs. Many track their net carbs (minus sugar alcohols and fiber) and others track total. Your macros are the macronutrient groups which is Carbs, Fats and proteins. Some track them all, some don’t. I do but most of my fat loss was done fine without having to. 2.5yrs later trying to troubleshoot stalled weight loss and inability to gain muscle anymore got me tracking everything which is telling me a lot about how my body is reacting to things now vs when I started. Really depends on your goals and what you think would help you.
I stopped tracking macros after the first month or so. No need to. If you are looking at information on your macros, what they are and how to calculate (most importantly your carbs), I would suggest the website ketokarma.com. You can calculate your personal macros and get some tips, however, after four months now, I have learned to just go with the flow. This forum is one of the premier sites for information on how to approach this. If you like to watch podcasts, check out 2ketodudes.com.
Seconding the “Keto is this easy” post. For sure read it! I’m new and my head was spinning from trying to sort out all the info and cross-info…what was right and not? That post really helped me relax. Welcome and good luck 
Welcome to the forum Denise =).
The guide that Beccs posted is really all you need to begin. It is not very complicated, no sugars at all (some people even have issues with artificial sweeteners, I have eliminated them all completely atm myself because they were causing me not to lose weight). Aim for 20 grams of carbs a day or less if you can; eat enough proteins and fats, and lots of water, and get enough Electrolytes.
Try eating half a cup of raspberries daily for a few days, it should take care of keto rash. I hope it helps, I have never had keto rash but this is the solution that I have seen here on the forum. 