Maybe the strips are old and not reading accurately.... I dont know? I know lots of things affect the readings and most people ditch them in frustration.

You could do a search in the newbie's section, as there are many threads on this, to see if there is any answers why they are dark purple....

On Atkins induction your carb level should be close to 20g per day. Less is not better in this case. In fact some people loose more weight on more carbs as time goes on.

Akiwican