I started keto almost 3 weeks ago. I bought the urine strips to start out to track my progress but now i bought a keto blood monitor . Last week when I first got the monitor the readings would say I’m in or close to the moderate range. I would get readings like 1.5 and 1.8 but now a week later my readings stick between 0.8 and 1.2 . I have noticed I’ll do the urine strips and it will say high (every time) but the blood test won’t match the results because it will be lower so what the heck?! I am feeling discouraged because im eating the same foods as before for the most part . It’s hard to hit my macros because I feel like I never eat because I’m never hungry. I do however make a point to make sure I’m at or under 20 carbs a day. I recently started drinking coffee again but I like sugar with it but of course I use stevia . I wondering if the coffee and even the stevia could be yielding lower results and I should cut out sugar and coffee all together ( by sugar I mean stevia ). Initially I started dieting April 2. I was just on a eat healthy kinda diet lol I lost 6 pounds from April 2-April 16 on my normal diet (NOT KETO) I started keto April 16 and from April 16 to May 7 I lost a total of 5 pounds. Total weight loss from April 2- May 7 is 11 pounds total. I weigh myself every week on Monday so my next weigh in is may 14. I know I have progress but Iv seen so many like " 10 pounds lost in a week " keto stories and I lost only 3 my first week. I feel discouraged yet I know I’ll keep going , I just wish my damn blood monitor would register higher numbers. Please shed some light on the situation
New to keto and need helllppp
Are you discouraged because you feel different? Have your results slowed down? Or are you discouraged because of the number?
If you are- don’t be. Your body overproduced ketones initially as it doesn’t really know what you’ll need. Lots of newbies are super proud of high readings and then lose heart when those numbers fall. If your results haven’t changed, the numbers falling just mean your body is getting smart about knowing how many ketones to produce.
Also remember what the meter is reading is ‘excess’ ketones in your system. Surplus to your needs. You are very likely becoming a more efficient fat burning machine!
So don’t lose heart. KCKO 
I only started gettingreadings at three weeks and they started out at trace. Now a few days later, light pink. So apparently it takes some people longer to get rolling than others. And I was well under 20 carbs every day and eating a lot of fat. So don’t worry, but keep us posted.
The urine sticks only test ketones you waste. You don’t want wasted ketones, you want to use them. Trace is more of a goal than the darkest color as long as carbs are under 20g. I don’t know who first decided urine strips were a good measure for ketosis.
We have a few sayings here, “keep calm, keto on” and “trust the process.” Keto isn’t a quick weight loss diet. It’s a health gaining way of eating with fat loss as a side effect. If the scale is an unhealthy obsession, put it away for a couple of months or give it to a neighbor you don’t like. People like the idea of numbers because it feels like control. That’s an illusion. The only number that can potentially provide actionable information for most people is a blood glucose reading. While numbers might be interesting data to track, they aren’t something to chase. Everyone’s numbers are different, everyone changes in different ways.
There are two phases to ketosis and a ketogenic lifestyle.
Nutritional ketosis is phase one. Your body begins to produce and uptake some ketones while dumping the rest. It will still search for glucose to use as fuel. In this phase it’s not an efficient process. It has to work actively to get rid of stored glycogen, clean up excess blood sugar, and turn on the ability to use ketones.
Fat adaptation is phase two. Your body is efficiently producing ketones from intake and stored body fat and is also using them efficiently for energy. It takes around 6-8 weeks of strict keto to achieve for many but not all.
The basic “rules” I go by and many others can agree with especially for beginners are:
*20g net carbs max (you might tolerate more but, starting out, 20g net carbs or less will get you into ketosis.)
*Moderate protein (Moderate means eating different meats and eggs. Preferably meats with their own fat or meats you will add fat to. We aren’t trying to eat protein to be full, we want to add enough fat to our meals to be full with. If you are searching for a number, 1g-1.5g per kg of lean bodyweight is a good goal based on the 2 Dudes recommendations.)
*Fat to satiety (add fat to every meal and, if you are hungry, eat more fat. Don’t be afraid of fat. It is energy.)
*Do not restrict calories
*Do not exercise excessively in an effort to lose weight
*Drink plenty of water
*Get plenty of sodium and other electrolytes (Try homemade ketoaide)