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I Went Sugar, Gluten, and Dairy Free for 60 Days and Here Is What Happened

Brandon William reveals the pros and cons of ditching some of the most addictive foods.
FACT CHECKED BY Christopher Roback

Are you considering quitting sugar, dairy, and gluten? Brandon William is a social media influencer with over 1.7 million YouTube subscribers whose "goal is to motivate people to become the best possible versions of themselves," he writes in his bio. In a recent viral YouTube video he documents his experience of going sugar, gluten, and dairy-free for 60 days, revealing some of the benefits – and negatives – of the experiment.

His Journey Was Motivated by Skin Problems

"No dairy, no gluten, no sugar for 60 days. You might be wondering, why would you do such a thing?" he says at the start of the clip. "I've been struggling with acne and skin problems for the last four years. I've cleared it before using antibiotics, but that was only the bandaid of the problem. I know that the real cause of my skin problems is the food that I eat. I would notice after eating too much sugar, dairy, or gluten that my skin problems would flare up."

He Decided to Give Up the Good That He Loves Most

"After researching further into it, my hypothesis seemed to be confirmed. But even though I knew the food I ate was the cause, the only issue is that it's the exact food that I love most, and I have never been able to cut it out for good. But now I'm a YouTuber, and my goal is to help motivate all of you to become the best possible versions of yourselves. I can't preach until I conquer this challenge," he says.

The First Few Days Were "Pretty Tough," and He Experienced Headaches

"The first few days were pretty tough," he admits."I ate super clean but was starting to feel one of the many side effects of this new diet. Headaches. Every time a strong craving hit, I had to fight it off mentally, which would often cause a headache that just wouldn't go away."

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Most of the Food Was Bland, So He Ate Out A Lot

"It was especially tough to be only drinking water as I normally would drink a sweet beverage with every meal," he added. "Considering my cooking skills aren't the best, getting creative and figuring out what to eat every day was a struggle," he continued. "A lot of the food I ate was bland, making it very unenjoyable and that much harder to stay away from the cravings. This meant that I often had to eat out, and every single time, I had to be a pain and ask the people to make everything I ate gluten and dairy-free. Luckily, there's a large variety of dairy-free and gluten-free options when eating out. So it really helped with my cravings."

Here Is What He Ate in a Day

"When I wasn't eating out, though, my new diet looked something like this: Eggs with gluten-free bread and avocado for breakfast, some kind of fruit as a snack. Then, chicken or steak with salad for lunch. And lastly, for dinner, a turkey sandwich with gluten-free bread," he continued.

His Skin Improved

He reveals that one of the first things he noticed was that his skin cleared up. "Around two weeks in, I started to notice improvements in my acne, which was really exciting," he says.

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Other Benefits Included Improved Sleep, Energy, and Overall Self-Discipline

"Some of the other benefits I was noticing from this diet were better sleep, an increase of energy, and, surprisingly, an increase in my self-discipline. And I think the reason for that comes down to this. In those areas of my life, working and exercising do not take nearly as much willpower as sticking to this new diet. So psychologically, because I'm following this diet that takes so much willpower to push through, it's making the other tasks that aren't so hard to do feel much easier. The resistance towards them feels weak, therefore making them feel easier to do," he says.

One Con? He Couldn't Work Out As Hard

However, it wasn't all positive. "I was starting to notice an impact on my workout. No gluten and no sugar keep me relatively low on carbs, just naturally. And I definitely feel it in every single workout. Don't feel as strong and can't do as many reps. Not only that but putting on muscle and gaining weight also became difficult. Since I had to avoid a lot of food, it made it tough to get all my calories in, and instead of building muscle, I was starting to lose weight," he revealed.

His Skin Continued to Improve

Even after experiencing "three full weeks of stress," his skin continued to improve. "I started out as a person who had a bunch of acne. I was constantly overeating on sweets, eating chips, and drinking sweet beverages with every single meal I ate. Now, 60 days later, my skin has almost completely cleared up, with only faint red remnants of the previous acne healing. Also, the red and itchy eczema that I had on the inside of my arm at the beginning of the challenge is now completely gone," he attests.

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He Hopes His Journey Will Inspire Others

"Now, the point of this video isn't necessarily to tell you to go ahead and follow this diet. The main point that I want to get across is that through the power of consistency and patience, you can achieve anything," he says. "It's how I got into good shape, how I built a successful YouTube channel, and now how I've cleared my acne. So, whatever issue or problem you have that you're trying to overcome or whatever goal you want to achieve, start today with consistency. And so long as you stick with it day in and day out, I promise you, you will achieve it." And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss I'm a Nutritionist and Here Are 25 Weight Loss Truths You Need to Hear.

Leah Groth
Leah Groth has decades of experience covering all things health, wellness and fitness related. Read more