In answer to your question about the strips - the colour often depends on when you test. If you test after eating fatty foods, the strips may show darker than you normally see.

About not losing - the journey down to your goal weight is not a straight downward journey. Many things affect weight loss. The body has a natural tendancy to rest along the way, showing no loss of inches or pounds. Sometimes a few pounds will creep back on. Those pounds could just be a bit of extra water from something you ate.

Hang in there. If you stick to it, you will lose in the long run. Patience is a virtue when it comes to weight loss - whether you are LCing or on ANY weight loss program.