How many net & total grams of carbs a day are we talking here?
> I do, however, like sweet stuff, so I use artificial sweeteners. Lots of them, every day. A mix of stevia, aspartame, sugar alcohols like erythritol, and so on.
Another point of keto is to also remove the carb/sweets addiction over time(I know it's hard, am addicted/recovering myself).
Total grams doesn't matter. The point is the glycemic impact. Some people are very sensitive to carbs and can't eat a banana without throwing off ketosis, and others can have upwards of 30g of net carbs a day and still stay in ketosis. My goal is 20g or less, and my ketones still stay in the 1.5-2.0 range unless I overdo protein instead of fat.
For most people, the starting point is around 15g net carbs a day. If you're serious about keto (and staying healthy while doing so) you'll want a ketone testing mechanism as well as guidance from your doctor about adjusting medications since ketosis mimics a fasting state for a bunch of your metabolic processes.
I aim for >=2 mmol/l for ketones and <=4.5mmol/l for glucose (blood tests).
Plus there are different "levels of ketosis" and I'm not sure there's much research on it. E.g. my Non-24 is in remission even when I eat more of a VLCD. My ketones aren't as high but it works just as good for my purpose. I don't know if that level would be enough for an epileptic, for example, or someone who gets other benefits from keto.