What, are we serious? Everybody knows that you're supposed to gain weight while you're pregnant! Obviously, you're making another human body with your body, plus the extra blood and amniotic fluid. Most doctors will tell you that you should expect to gain anywhere from 25 to 30 pounds throughout your pregnancy. That's a fact, it cannot be changed, and it is necessary to have a live, healthy baby.

So what we're actually talking about is making sure that you're gaining weight responsibly and effectively, not putting on more than you have to, and then after the baby's born this will make it easier to lose the pounds afterwards.

Eat only whole, nutritious foods. Ask your doctor for nutrition advice, and follow his recommendation for diet over your cravings. The problem is that women get pregnant and assume that this gives them free reign to chow down a whole sheet of brownies and chase it with a quart of ice cream out of the carton. They say "I'm having cravings." at one o'clock in the morning and get up to eat half a cold, leftover pizza.

Actually, your body needs nutrients and not so many empty calories, and that's actually what the craving means. Follow your doctor's advice on proper diet and he might even put you on a regimen of vitamin supplements.

For postpartum weight loss, you're welcome to take any other advice you want to, but the number one fastest way to lose weight after pregnancy is: Breast Feed! Your body had a darn good reason for storing up all those calories during pregnancy; half of the job of building the baby is feeding it for six months afterwards. When your body is making milk for the baby, you can count on burning about 1500 calories per day - no exercise, no dietary needs - for free!