Continued from How to Tighten Loose Skin After Weight Loss.

Worried about excess belly skin from pregnancy? Here are a few strategies for beating the sagging-skin post-baby blues.

Plan ahead “The more well-conditioned you are heading into pregnancy, the easier you’re going to bounce back - your skin, too,” says Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise.

Make a conscious effort to tone up your abs before you’re pregnant.

Don’t obsess “It’s important that pregnant women not get consumed with minimizing weight and start obsessing over their growing bellies,â€? Bryant says.

That doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all at the neighborhood buffet, but don’t pick pregnancy as the time to start severely restricting your calories.

Load up on anti-oxidants Antioxidants, like Vitamin E, fight free radicals, those trouble-making chemicals that try to cause damage in your cell membranes, including your skin membranes. Nuts and seeds are great sources of Vitamin E.

Stay moisturized “There are all kinds of crèmes on the market that promise to tighten and lift and erase stretch marks. But they’re probably not going to work,â€? Bryant says.

Really, the most important thing is just to keep your skin moisturized. The fancy crèmes aren’t going to hurt you, but they may put a big dent in your wallet when simple lotion and proper hydration would suffice.

Give it time “It can take several months to lose all the baby weight and get back into shape,â€? says Jonathan Ross, the American Council on Exercise’s personal trainer of the year, and that’s okay.

After about a year, you’ve probably gotten just about all the skin bounce-back you’re going to get. But instead of getting frustrated, take a peek at that precious one and just focus on good health and happiness.