Christopher Schwarzenegger, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, has recently revealed the secret behind his dramatic weight loss: cutting out bread. The 27-year-old spoke about his journey at the Inaugural Beacher Vitality Happy & Healthy Summit in Los Angeles on May 10, 2025, sharing how this simple change helped him shed 30 pounds in under two months.
A Five-Year Transformation
Christopher’s weight loss journey wasn’t an overnight success. He described it as a “big process” that began in 2019 when he was living in Australia. He realized his weight was holding him back from activities he wanted to pursue. “I was like, ‘I want to go skydiving.’ And my friends were like, ‘Yeah, no shot.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I can’t skydive,'” he recalled.
He admitted to trying various methods to lose weight throughout his life, even resorting to “meal delivery things in high school”. Despite his progress, Christopher doesn’t feel he’s reached his final goal. “It’s not an overnight thing, but it took a lot of trial and error,” he explained. “And even still to this day…when you’re saying, oh, before and after photos…I don’t feel like I’m an after yet. I don’t feel like I’m at the point”.
The Lent Experiment: Giving Up Bread
During the summit, Christopher revealed that giving up bread for Lent significantly impacted his weight loss. Lent is a 40-day Christian religious observance leading up to Easter.
“Weirdly enough, I gave up bread for Lent,” he said. “I was like, ‘Well, if I’m giving up bread, I might as well just take the opportunity and I’m a good Catholic boy, so I’m not going to break it'”. He stuck to his rule and lost 30 pounds as a result.
The Impact of Cutting Bread
Eliminating bread can lead to weight loss for several reasons:
- Reduced Calorie Intake: Bread, especially refined white bread, can be high in calories. Cutting it out can reduce overall calorie consumption, leading to a calorie deficit and subsequent weight loss.
- Lower Carbohydrate Intake: Bread is a significant source of carbohydrates. Reducing carb intake can lead to the body burning stored fat for energy.
- Less Processed Foods: Giving up bread often means avoiding other processed foods that contain bread or are typically eaten with it, such as sandwiches, pizza, and pastries.
- Improved Diet Quality: Replacing bread with whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean protein can improve overall diet quality and promote weight loss.
Skydiving Dreams and Motivation
Christopher’s journey highlights the importance of finding personal motivation for weight loss. His desire to skydive and engage in everyday activities fueled his commitment to change.
His brother, Patrick Schwarzenegger, publicly praised Christopher’s efforts in a now-deleted Instagram post back in 2021. “Proud of you. New job. Crushing in the gym. Whole new person,” Patrick wrote.
A Gradual and Ongoing Process
Christopher’s story emphasizes that weight loss is a gradual process that requires commitment and perseverance. While cutting out bread helped him achieve significant results, it was just one part of his larger journey toward a healthier lifestyle. He continues to work towards his goals and doesn’t consider his transformation complete.
