You want to lose weight but you just found out you’re pregnant. Well, the bad news is that now is not the time to work on weight loss. The good news? You don’t need to gain more than 15 pounds during your pregnancy. If you are overweight to begin with, then the recommended weight gain during the next nine months is less than 15 pounds, and considering that about 10 pounds come out when the baby is born, it’s possible that you’ll only have about 5 pounds to lose of pregnancy weight before you go on your initially planned weight loss plan.

Some doctors even recommend that women who are really obese work hard during pregnancy to maintain their body weight, or even to lose weight.

Follow these safe diet tips to ensure optimal weight gain and optimal health for you and your baby.

1. Change your attitude. Just because you’re pregnant it doesn’t mean that you get free reign of the junk food isle. If you already have a weight problem, then you should focus on picturing your body after your pregnancy—you don’t want to struggle with an addition 30 or 40 pounds, do you? Focus on health, not indulgence.

2. Say bye-bye to cravings. We all have cravings all the time, and while they may be a bit stronger during the pregnancy, they’re still surmountable. You CAN overcome the desire for New York Super Fudge Chunk! Just have some nonfat plain yogurt sprinkled with fresh berries instead, or a fat free frozen fudgical.

3. Take a multivitamin (with folic acid) plus extra iron.

4. Choose healthy foods, including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

5. Exercise daily. Pregnant women tend to get in a lazy slump, blaming hormones for their exhaustion and their bulging bellies on their inability to move. But what these women don’t realize, is that if they start their pregnancies out on the right (and active!) foot, then they’ll be less tired and their bellies will be more manageable.

6. Prepare for after the birth by stocking up on diet pills from an online pharmacy.