Hi! I'm Lynda and I totally understand your frustration! The last time I did Atkins (a couple of years ago) I quit because of my frustration with those Keto sticks...I mean they're great when they turn dark purple, but when you know you've been SO good and you get NOTHING it's very discouraging! For that reason, I paid special attention to the section the the New DR that says that even though the sticks may not turn, you could still be burning fat. He talks about things that can affect the color. SOOOOO, this time around I'm not even using the sticks. I'm not having a problem with the diet when I just focus on the great food and trust that it will work, and FORGET ABOUT THE STICKS