Mariah Carey lost 40 pounds after giving birth

Mariah Carey has lost a staggering 70 pounds since giving birth to twins in April (11).

The pop superstar became a first-time mother to Moroccan and Monroe with her husband Nick Cannon, and recently admitted she suffered a difficult pregnancy and was bedridden for the latter stages.

Carey has now revealed she piled on the pounds during her pregnancy, and retained a lot of water, but she has finally succeeded in slimming down again after shedding all her baby weight.

She tells TV host Rosie O'Donnell, "In the beginning, when I first had the babies, I had so much edema (swelling due to fluid retention)... water and swelling. Most pregnant woman have that just in their feet. One day I was doing my thank-you notes and I noticed it started rising up the leg, so I had edema... I didn't think I would ever be the same person... The first week (after the birth), I lost 40 pounds... of just water."

Carey also credits a diet plan with helping her get back into shape as she wasn't able to exercise after having a Caesarean section, adding, "It was just water, initially. When I started with the program, I lost at least 30 pounds of weight that needed to be lost... The diet is 90 per cent of it."