Why Restricting All Your Favorite Foods Sabotages Weight Loss (And What Works Instead)

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• Fighting postpartum depression

• The stress buffer

• Why you should stop avoiding your favorite foods

• Workout of the week

Fitness
The Workout Plan That Fights Postpartum Depression

Bringing a new life into the world is beautiful, but for many mothers, the postpartum period can also bring unexpected emotional struggles. Depression, anxiety, and fatigue are common, but there’s a powerful tool that can help.

A new meta-analysis found that structured exercise programs significantly reduce postpartum depression, anxiety, and fatigue, offering a natural, accessible treatment for new mothers.

The review included studies focusing on pregnant and postpartum women participating in structured exercise programs, such as aerobic workouts, strength training, or yoga.

The improvements were substantial. Exercise reduced depression scores by a clinically significant margin, anxiety levels decreased, and fatigue was also notably lower.

The exact mechanisms behind exercise’s mental health benefits are still being explored, but researchers highlight several key factors.

The researchers believe the improvements happen through three pathways: better brain chemistry, faster physical recovery that restores energy and function, and the social connection of group exercise, which strengthens emotional support.

Fatigue is a significant issue for new mothers, and exercise has been shown to promote deeper, more restorative sleep.

Perhaps the most underrated benefit, physical activity can help new moms regain a sense of control over their bodies and daily lives, boosting confidence and reducing stress.

Simple activities like walking, prenatal yoga, or light strength training may offer noticeable benefits.

Together With Celluma
Can You “Turn On The Lights” Of Hair Regrowth?

Hair loss affects millions of people, and while there’s no magic bullet, research suggests a non-invasive option is a more effective treatment than you might realize. 

Scientists found that low-level light therapy (LLLT) using FDA-cleared devices can increase hair density by up to 50 percent within 6 months.

Scientists reviewed several randomized controlled trials using red light on adults with mild-to-moderate hair loss. Across these studies, people who used low-level light therapy for 20 to 30 minutes, every other day for 16 weeks, grew noticeably more hair than those using placebo devices. 

The light appears to stimulate follicle cells and shift them from a resting to a growth phase, which increases overall hair density.

The researchers believe LLLT works through photobiomodulation — a process where red light boosts cellular energy production and improves blood flow in the scalp, promoting healthier follicle activity. It’s a similar principle to how red light therapy aids skin health, tissue repair, and recovery in other parts of the body.

If you’re looking for a non-drug, low-risk tool to spark hair regrowth or prevent hair loss, Celluma offers LED red light therapy devices that are FDA-cleared for hair growth and hair restoration.

Celluma has been clinically shown to stimulate biochemical reactions in the scalp that lengthen the hair growth cycle, improve the health of the scalp and follicles, promote the proliferation of hair stem cells, reactivate the hair growth cycle in dormant follicles, and regrow new hair. 

Think of LED light therapy as one piece of the puzzle that could give your scalp the extra support it needs. With light, you’re addressing the root cause of many ailments, which points to mitochondrial dysfunction. Instead of relying on costly pharmaceutical drugs or harsh, invasive procedures to treat symptoms, you can achieve meaningful results and whole-body restoration through the clinically proven benefits of light. No Rx needed.

As an APC reader, use the code PUMPANDGLOW for up to $300 OFF Celluma Light Therapy devices that offer FDA-cleared hair restoration and much more. 

When combined with good nutrition, stress management, and consistency, it could help you retain more of your hair, regrow what you lost, and boost your confidence.

Instant Health Boost
Want to Lose Weight? Stop Avoiding Your Favorite Foods

Most diets fail not because people don’t know what to eat, but because they can’t stop thinking about what they can’t eat. What if the key to lasting weight loss wasn’t cutting out cravings, but learning how to make peace with them?

A new 24-month study suggests that including small portions of your favorite foods in balanced meals can actually help you lose more weight and keep cravings under control.

Researchers tracked 30 adults with obesity as they followed a structured nutrition program. Instead of banning “bad foods,” participants were taught to include small amounts of foods they craved, like sweets or chips, alongside protein- and fiber-rich meals.

Over two years, those who practiced this “inclusion strategy” lost an average of 8 percent of their body weight in the first year and maintained a significant percentage at two years. More importantly, their cravings steadily declined and stayed lower long-term.

In contrast, participants who tried to completely avoid their favorite foods lost less weight and reported no reduction in cravings. The researchers found that early craving reduction (within the first six months) predicted who would succeed long-term, suggesting that learning to manage cravings early can set the tone for maintenance.

The study challenges the “hungry fat cell” theory, the idea that dieting triggers cravings because your body is desperate to refill fat stores. Instead, researchers found that as body fat decreased and stabilized, cravings actually subsided.

Weight regain — not calorie restriction — was what reignited cravings.

While this was a small pilot study, it adds to a growing body of evidence that flexible, sustainable eating habits outperform rigid restriction. It’s the reason we built flexibility into The Pump Club Nutrition Coach. (Remember, all Arnold’s Pump Club readers get 20% OFF and a free 7-day trial with the code “APC”)

If what you’re doing is working, you don’t need to force foods. However, research repeatedly shows that for long-term results, you don’t need to fight your cravings. Instead, work with them. Progress over perfection beats all-or-nothing. 

Supplementation
The Truth About Alpha-GPC (Beyond the Marketing Hype)

If you’ve ever been tempted by claims of a “limitless brain pill,” you’re not alone. Alpha-GPC is one of the most popular nootropics, promising sharper focus, faster thinking, and better memory. But what does the science actually say?

Recent research suggests Alpha-GPC may sharpen focus and task-switching ability, but it’s no miracle drug for memory or overall intelligence.

Participants were assigned to either a low dose of Alpha-GPC (315 mg), a higher dose of Alpha-GPC (630 mg), or a placebo. And they were given a series of tasks that analyzed brain performance (like attention, focus, and memory) and exercise output. 

Results showed meaningful improvements in two tests that measure complex attention and executive function. 

However, Alpha-GPC showed no effect on working memory, processing speed, or simple reaction time.

In other words, Alpha-GPC helped with focus in challenging multi-task situations — the mental equivalent of driving through rush hour while planning your day — but didn’t make people “smarter” or boost memory.

Researchers believe this comes down to Alpha-GPC’s role in producing acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter tied to learning and attention. By efficiently delivering choline to the brain, Alpha-GPC may temporarily boost performance when your mental demands are high. But because the brain tightly regulates acetylcholine, people with already adequate choline intake (like those eating eggs, fish, or lean meats) may notice little to no effect.

If your nutrition, sleep, and exercise are dialed in and you want a slight edge for long, mentally demanding sessions, Alpha-GPC could be worth trying. The most effective dose appears to be 600 mg, about 60 minutes before cognitive work. Just don’t expect dramatic results.

Think of Alpha-GPC like a precision tool that might help you tighten focus when needed, but it won’t rebuild the whole machine. For real brain power, the basics still reign supreme: quality sleep, regular exercise, and nutrient-dense food.

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell