Celebrity Secrets to Losing Baby Weight

Age: 42

Gained: 35 pounds with baby girl Nahla

Celeb Strategy: Berry worked out up until she was 7 1/2 months pregnant. A few weeks after the baby, "she was ready to show up, ready to lose the weight," says her trainer Ramona Braganza, who helped the star reclaim her red-carpet figure within three and a half months. "We started out conservatively, with just some cardio and stretching, five days a week," says Braganza. "After a week, we changed it up." This helped keep Berry motivated and energized. "No one wants to do the same routine all the time," she says. "We'd go for hikes, a jog on the beach, or do kickboxing or yoga." Braganza mixed the calorie-burning cardio with free weights, planks, and other core exercises and combinations of squats, lunges, and jumps that tone trouble spots and get the heart pumping. The workouts ultimately evolved into a plan Braganza calls 321 Baby Bulge Be Gone, a DVD system she's since used to train Jessica Alba and countless other new moms.

As for her diet, Berry's always followed helpful habits for slimming down -- eating small meals every few hours and avoiding sodium-rich and fried food -- because they keep her blood-sugar levels steady, which is crucial for managing her diabetes. Some of her favorite go-to meals: homemade soups or fish with leafy greens like kale or spinach and brown rice. "Her soup isn't just soup -- there's probably lots of vegetables and beans, so it's filling," says Braganza.

Real-Mom Workaround: Treat exercise like a standing appointment. If you really want to see progress, "you have to schedule exercise in your day, or it probably won't happen," says Braganza. When you're back at work, set up regular dates in your e-mail calendar to hit the gym or take a walk during lunch, or make a point to stroll with your baby for 20 minutes every night. For most moms, it may not be realistic to follow a strict, regimented program -- what's more important is to do any kind of exercise regularly, says Braganza. "Many new moms just need to get in the habit of exercising again."

Get more information and buy 321 Baby Bulge Be Gone DVDs here