!["I'm not a person that is naturally very thin."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/7f/ff/1363620878_7800_Untitled.jpg?itok=CaTMFd9V ""I'm not a person that is naturally very thin."")
Singer Beyonce Knowles is fitter and healthier than ever after losing 57 pounds just three months after giving birth to daughter Blue Ivy in January 2012.
"I ate a very low-calorie diet," Beyoncé told the April 2013 issue of Shape. "I stayed away from red meat and ate a lot of fish, replaced pasta and rice with quinoa. I didn't have a lot of time to lose the weight because I scheduled a show three months after I gave birth, which I would never do again!
"Breastfeeding took care of the first 30 pounds. I was amazed at how the weight just fell off of me. But I had to work very hard to lose the last 25."
The super-fit Knowles credits a strict diet for her rapid slim-down, and says 80% of her pregnancy weight loss was the result of eating less. "I'm not a person that is naturally very thin," she says. "I am a person that has to work at keeping my body in shape.
"Some people prefer the gym, but when I have to put on workout clothes and run on a treadmill, I get bored. For me, dancing is what keeps me active and I would just say, everyone is not supposed to be the same. Be healthy and take care of yourself, but be happy with the beautiful things that make you you."
Knowles, 31, says she no longer counts calories now that she's in the maintenance phase of her weight-loss regimen.
"I always have breakfast, say, scrambled egg whites, a vegetable smoothie, or whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk," she says. "For lunch and dinner, I eat a lot of fish and vegetables. And throughout the day, I try to stay hydrated.
"I always treat myself to one meal on Sundays when I can have whatever I want, usually it's pizza, which is my favorite indulgence."
Beyoncé kicks off her "Mrs. Carter Show World" in April, and will concentrate on getting pregnant again once the tour wraps in August 2013.
