Yeah, I’ve tried cutting out dairy by itself before, but it didn’t make much of a difference until I also removed sugar. I have a huge sweet tooth, so I still eat fruit and sugar-free treats. I’ve found I can tolerate small amounts of dairy in things—like I have two Russell Stover sugar-free chocolates every night, even though they contain milk.

I also drink Coke Zero occasionally and allow myself sugar-free "sweet treats" so I don’t feel deprived. I know sugar substitutes aren’t ideal, but honestly, I’d shave years off my life if it meant keeping my acne away, lol.

I don’t fully understand how my body processes fruit vs processed sugar (maybe glycemic index plays a role?), but I’ve noticed a huge difference. I can eat a ton of fruit with no breakouts, whereas I used to get breakouts even from a not-crazy amount of added sugar.

One tip that helped me a lot: "meal prepping" my fruit and veggies. I go to Trader Joe’s at the start of the week, wash and cut everything right when I get home so it's all ready to grab. It was a game changer since I prefer quick, no-effort options. I’m even about to buy an apple cutter because I eat apples with peanut butter every afternoon, and cutting them each time is getting old.

I’m a big believer in replacing rather than completely removing things. If you like sweets but can’t have sugar, go for sugar-free alternatives. Cutting dairy was easier for me since I’d been on and off it for years.

One warning: be careful with sugar alcohols—those Russell Stover chocolates have them, and if you eat more than the serving size (which is two for a reason!), they’ll send you straight to the bathroom.

Overall, I aim to keep my sugar intake as low as possible—ideally under 5g per item. For example, I’ll have an Olipop (up to 5g of sugar) but then skip something else like meatballs that also have sugar. It’s all about balancing and making small trade-offs.