Brenda Bennett - Naturally Keto: Over 125 Low-Carb, Sugar-Free Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Will Love

The author claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the information presented herein. Cover design by Justin-Aaron Velasco
Author photos by Shawon Davis Photography
Interior design and illustrations by Yordan Terziev and Boryana Yordanova Printed in Canada
TC 0119

I had been a dancer and an ice skater since the age of four, and as I got older, I became aware that other teens were growing taller and leaner than I was. That observation might have triggered my obsession, at least a bit. I chose to seek comfort in sugar and carbs. By age fifteen, I had quit dance and skating and become bulimic. Its difficult to think about today, but at the time, I wanted to control something, and I chose my body. I was able to eat everything I wanted and then get rid of it to keep my weight down and avoid the consequences of my binges.

My period stopped for a year. I had popped blood vessels around my eyes, but I was thin and received accolades from my family and friends, which spurred me on. I dont know how my parents discovered my secret. I was a proor so I thoughtat muffling the sounds by saying I was in the shower or brushing my teeth. They found me a support group, and I did eventually stop purging, but the bingeing and obsessing about my weight continued. At my highest weight, I was 159 pounds.

Being just 5-foot-2, I thought that was enormous. I hated being in my own skin. I hated how much I needed sugar to kick-start my day. I remember running to the vending machine in my college dormin the early mornings, of course, when everyone else was sleepingso I could get my fix: a packaged cinnamon bun. After graduating from college, I started attending Overeaters Anonymous meetings. I learned to manage my weight by abstaining from eating between meals.

After about six months, my weight stabilized at 124 pounds, and I was content with that. I didnt have to struggle to maintain that weight. I no longer felt that I had to work out for two hours every day. Plus, I got to enjoy the foods I loved; nothing was off-limits as long as I fasted between planned meals. This approach worked for me for quite a few years. I got married and stopped going to OA because I was fixed.

While I was pregnant with my first child, I gained 70 pounds, but I was able to lose it all within six months. Unfortunately, after I had my second child in 2003, the last 20 pounds of weight gain would not come off no matter what I did. In 2004, I started following a Christian weight loss program called Prism that included food journaling, calorie counting, and one-on-one weekly support calls for six weeks. It also eliminated all white sugar, white flour, white rice, and white potatoes. It was my worst nightmare. I never thought I could do it, let alone be happy about it, even if the weight was coming off.

I thought, How in the world could anyone live a happy life without enjoying cake or chocolate ever again? Inconceivable! But the weight came off, and my sugar cravings subsided. I began creating sugarfree recipes and teaching classes at my church, sharing my breakthrough with everyone who would listen. I felt I had finally overcome my cravings; sugar wasnt an obsession anymore. Then I got pregnant again, once more eating for two. I took just one bite of a sugary treat at a party, and my obsession came back with a vengeance. I wasnt too concerned, though, because I knew what I needed to do this time.

After the baby was born, I thought, Id cut out sugar again and everything would be fine. I was wrong. To say that the struggle to lose the baby weight was worse than any I had ever known is an understatement. After my third child was born in 2006, I was like a ravenous lion. I could not go even one day without sugar. I prayed and prayed to God to help me get back to the joy and freedom I had known before.

I begged and pleaded for Him to help me regain my strength. It took me two years to break free, but I did it, and my lips have not touched white sugar since 2008. But I wasnt on the road to keto yet. Until 2012, I cooked with honey and maple syrup and enjoyed sweet potatoes and brown rice. I followed a Paleo-type approach, which helped me maintain my weight until the age of forty-two. After starting my blog, SugarFree Mom, in 2011 and creating and taste-testing all those recipes, my weight began to creep up, and I knew I needed to try something different.

I began using a lower-carb approach and saw some success from keeping my carb intake between 50 and 70 grams a day, mostly from vegetables. Even so, it took me another few years to try keto. Ten pounds had crept back on, but worse, I started losing some hair on the back of my head, and my eyebrows seemed to be thinning. My primary care doctor shrugged off these symptoms, saying they were probably nothing to worry aboutperhaps just hormones. He told me to eat less and exercise more. I thought I could do a little better than that, so I began eating keto, but with a very loose approach.

I did not track my macros, but I thought I could eat as much fat as I wanted. I did not lose weight, but my hair started to grow back, and I felt better because I was no longer depriving myself of fat. In 2016, with no weight loss to show from what I thought was a keto diet, I hired a trainer for strength training twice a week. I did lose those 10 pounds, but I wasnt seeing the body composition changes I wanted. I thought I just wasnt being diligent enough, so I continued to muddle along until January 2018, when I decided to go strict keto. I cut out all dairy and nuts and tracked my macros for six weeks.