So I’m only about a week in and I don’t know if I’m on track. So far I’m down 5 pounds all water. This wasn’t normal with the way I ate before. I’ve tried test strips and I don’t see a big color change. Today I started getting dry mouth real bad with a metallic taste. Is this normal? I do have a crutch that’s hard to shake. Diet Dr. pepper. 1 to 2 cans a day, it is my caffeine…or my coffee 
I’m I maybe on track, and not to worrie about test strips just yet?
Welcome.
Even though pee sticks are not very accurate you should be getting some positive colours there.
I’m afraid the 1 or 2 cans of Dr Pepper contain more than just caffeine. I really enjoyed my coffee from the cafe at work, I thought it just had 10% milk, a bit on top, but it’s more like 95% milk, with a bit of coffee at the bottom. It threw me out of ketosis.
If you go 1g over your personal limit - then it is literally like a switch. Insulin takes over, stops all fat burning. No negotiation, just bye bye. Took 3 days to recover.
Sorry to say it but you’ll have to find an alternative to Dr Pepper. Usually anything “diet” contains more sugar. Out of the frying pan into the fire.
The benefits of keto far outweigh the negatives. If you’re like most people trying to eat healthy “low fat” and “low calories” then you were already depriving yourself, keto should now be opening doors which were previously closed. Gain more than you lose. : - )
This is for Phase One - the starter phase. It’s still not complicated later, but this is the really easy to explain version which will help you no end.
Eat under 20g of carbs a day
Don’t worry about the scale. All it tells you is weight, it tells you nothing about body composition, even the “smart” scales.
Eat plenty of good food - fat and protein - while adhering to 20g/carbs/day. Don’t worry too much about macros and calories EXCEPT carbs. Keep them below 20g/day. (Prioritize the animal protein (i.e. not protein powder) - always start with protein in every meal, but don’t panic about it.) Your job is to get fat-adapted, so give your body the fuel you want it to use. Also, your appetite will vary - it’ll disappear, then it’ll come roaring back. Happens to most people, don’t sweat it.
ELECTROLYTES/SALT - KEEP THEM UP
Buy the meat you can afford - don’t stress about grass-fed, organic (con), etc… The worst meat is better than the best bread.
Fasting is a tool. Nothing more, nothing less. Works for lots, not for others. Don’t let tools tell you to use it before you’re fat-adapted and it makes sense.
This site has a search function (magnifying glass at the top of the page) and a newbies section - use them both, you’ll get a better variety of answers to your questions far more quickly that way. SERIOUSLY, THIS IS VERY USEFUL.[1]
That’s as difficult as it needs to be for a couple of months.
My good friend Terence (being friends with a Kiwi feels kinda dirty, but there you have it, keto makes for strange bedfellows) tells me this thing I have described above is called “dirty keto.” So yeah, do dirty keto, kids! 
Lots of Love, THE JUICE
[1]If you can’t find a useful answer after searching and reading for a while, we can help you a lot more if you tell us relevant data about yourself such as your reasons for doing keto, your weight/height/age/gender, a sample menu plan & any relevant health conditions.
Diet Dr. Pepper is sweetened with aspertame and does not contain sugar. Some people find that their body responds unfavorably to diet sodas, others can get away with them. Sometimes it can curb cravings for REAL sugary sweets by letting you have a zero carb sweet, or it can lead to more sweet cravings. Only time will tell if you can get the results you want AND have the Dt. Dr. Pepper. Is water better for you? Yes.
Good luck! I have a problem with Diet Mt. Dew that I’m currently working through. I understand the struggle.
I thought giving up my daily coca cola was going to be the hardest thing to do when I started Keto. I started having an afternoon cup of coffee instead of the coke and it took all of 4 days before I was cured of this vice. Since my taste buds have reawakened it doesn’t even tempt me any more.
Now I don’t see anything wrong with an occasional canned indulgence if you are otherwise really dedicated to staying low carb and eating plenty of fat… but I believe if you stick with the latter, the day will probably come when you don’t want/need it anymore. 
Hmm, OK, I googled regular Dr Pepper, its carbs were sky high, I should’ve looked at the Diet version.
I stand corrected. I think? But I still don’t trust anything out of a can like that … hmm, yeah, ok, maybe, sorta, I dunno …)
( I got kicked out of keto by coffee with milk recently. And then by berries from what I can tell so my anti-carb trigger finger is rather twitchy … )
That’s why a lot of ppl recommend removing your scale from somewhere easy to access. There will be plenty of ups and downs on this journey. I personally weigh myself every day, but I also dont get psychologically affected if it shows weight gain. I just like tracking.
Try checking your weight every few weeks, if it’s going to make you feel bad.
Blame water retention instead of something you ate at one meal. Your weight will go up and down daily, but with a downward trend over time. Don’t stress about the scale, weight in weekly if you must. But pay attention to how your clothing is fitting, how you feel energy wise, and any inflammation in your body reducing. These will be your first signs of changes after the rapid water weight loss.
FWIW, the other day my weight jumped up 1.2kg over the day before.
I think I was a little dehydrated on the first day because it was hot and I was doing a lot of work and couldn’t drink as much as I wanted as I was out for a lot of it.
Then the following day my body was busy reclaiming that hydration, so I was drinking a fair bit.
And 1.2kg is only two Camelbak bottles worth of fluid. That’s how easy it is to get a decent weight fluctuation going.
The trend is your friend!
(I might make a graphic for this
I just recently started too and I admit I am still drinking diet soda here and there daily. At least I’m still losing weight, but I’m hoping to eventually taper off as I go along.
So 3/4 day report. No soda drank coffee this morning and water all day. I’m at around 8 carbs for the day. Tacos for dinner then bed