Beyoncé recently detailed her post-baby weight loss plan in an interview with People. “I lost most of my weight from breastfeeding and I encourage women to do it; It’s just so good for the baby and good for yourself,” she said. The new mom also credited calorie-counting and cardio training, which combined with 10 weeks of breastfeeding, helped her drop the 50lbs she gained during pregnancy. Essence reports on the story:

Ever since Beyoncé gave birth to daughter Blue Ivy Carter on January 7 and was spotted looking incredible weeks later, she has been pretty tight-lipped about how she shed her post-baby weight so fast — until now. In a recent interview, the ‘Most Beautiful Woman,’ says breast feeding helped her lose it all.

The new mom revealed that she put on a whopping 50 lbs during her pregnancy, 20 of which she gained during the last month. “After being pumped with those fluids and gaining so much weight… I barely recognized myself,” she tells People. After giving birth, Beyoncé breast fed Blue for 10 weeks. “I encourage women to do it; it’s just so good for the baby and good for myself,” she claimed.

The 4 singer said she quickly got rid of the remaining pounds with diet and exercise. “I counted calories,” she said. “I worked out maybe three or four times a week. I did a lot of walking in the beginning and now I’m running. But I had to work my way up. I couldn’t just go right from being pregnant to running.”

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