Zoe Saldana Gets Into the Nitty Gritty of How She Lost 70 Pounds of Pregnancy Weight

Zoe Saldana gained 70 pounds when she was pregnant with her twins, Bowie and Cy, but you’d never know it when she slips into her skin-tight costume to play the green alien, Gamora, in Guardians of the Galaxy.

She’s gone green in other aspects of her life too, namely her diet.

The actress’ post-pregnancy diet is all about green veggies, real food and balance — but don’t call it a diet.

“I am going to remove the word ‘diet’ from my life. I am going to remind myself that it is not about losing weight, it is about being healthy, feeling healthy, for the rest of my life,” she wrote on Facebook. “I am gonna try to focus on what weekends are really for—resting and making time for your loved ones … And when chow time arrives? I will make amazing and healthy decisions.”

To stay on track without following a strict “diet,” the Star Trek Beyond actress sticks to an 80/20 rule to maintain a balance between healthy choices and indulgences.

For instance, she and her family eat 80 percent gluten free, she revealed to Bon Appetit. She likes to experiment with healthy substitutes to their favorite meals but isn’t afraid to splurge on the real thing occasionally.

“Eighty percent good, 20 percent bad [for] everything—food, exercise—80 percent Louis [Vuitton], 20 percent Tar-zhay,” one of her friends summed up during a Rosé Roundtable with Cinestar.

That means she makes sure to incorporate some uber healthy choices, including green juice, and her go-to post-workout meal — honey ginger chicken, zucchini, and quinoa — so she doesn’t have to feel bad about her less healthy meals.

“It makes it more enjoyable and more relaxing when I kinda let go,” she said. “There’s a serenity to knowing that because four days out of the week you took care of yourself relatively well, you can really just close your eyes and enjoy the pizza or dim sum or fish and chips.”

She also recommends having an easy but satisfying snack on hand. One of the snacks she makes sure to have around for late nights on set or busy days with the family is popcorn.

“I’m working unusual hours and I don’t like to eat super heavy very early in the morning or very late at night, so popcorn caters to all of my senses before I go to bed,” she explained.

The 38-year-old has the same mindset when it comes to exercise.

She works with a trainer who understands her priorities and helped her get strong again in a focused, but unhurried way.

After her pregnancy, the yogi had to overcome a lack of flexibility, weak joints, and pain when she returned to exercising, as she revealed in a Facebook post. That didn’t stop her. Instead, she and her trainer came up with a program to gradually increase her strength with a simple walking regimen.

She emphasizes that finding a workout and nutrition plan that worked for her was the most important part in getting her pre-baby body back.

Saldana also knows when to celebrate progress.

Last year, she suited up in one of the costumes she’d worn before her pregnancy and shared a picture of the proud moment on Instagram with an empowering message.

“Holy S—! You guys, I had to share this, this is one of the old #guardiansofthegalaxy costumes that I wore back in 2013,” she wrote. “After twins I can’t believe I was able to slip into this. @marvel and @jamesgunn don’t be mad, I’m not showing anything that hasn’t been seen before… besides, aren’t we designing new stuff?…. It pays off to work hard! I mean it mommies of the world, if I did it you can too.”