agony cat is right (and The voice of experience when it comes to true stalls!)

If you're showing ketones, you're likely burning fat. But burning fat does not mean automatic scale changes. As we burn fat, our fat cells (which never go away) fill up the space with water, which weighs on the scale (as does undigested food). The only way to lose the water is to drink more water and wait for the body to give it up.

You show darker stix in the morning cuz you didn't drink water all night. Drinking water dilutes your urine. This is why we usually say, if you are showing dark purple stix, all that means is you're dehydrated. There is no "better" level of being in ketosis. It's like pregancy--you is or you ain't.

Otherwise, check your diet for typical stallers--too much processed meat, too much cheese, artificial sweeteners, hidden sugars. One bite of something off-program every four days could keep metabolically sensitive people from losing an ounce.

If you've yo-yo dieted a lot in the past, an average of 1 pound per week might well be the best loss you can expect. (I'm an old yo-yo er and get .5 pounds per week on average now) But in a year, at that rate, you'd be 52 pounds lighter--much better than 10 pounds heavier, eh? If you are a truly slow loser, switch to weighing only once every month--you'll be happier as a result of not having to confront the slow loss as often.

Every time you try LCing, it will work less well. The thing to do is commit to a lifetime change now so that each time you try in the future, the loss rate isn't slower still. Let this be the last time and your weight loss permanent. I suspect if we go on sufficient diets of various sorts, eventually we won't be able to budge an ounce, no matter what radical dietary changes we make.

I'm so sorry to hear about your having a sick child. Hang in there.

Many women get a woosh after TOM. (and most don't show ketosis then--if you're still showing color, you're rare!)

HTH