Beyonce Knowles regrets putting herself under pressure to lose her post baby weight.

The 'Love On Top' singer - who welcomed to her daughter Blue Ivy Carter with her rapper husband Jay-Z into the world in January 2012 - has admitted she had to work extremely hard to lose the 57 pounds she gained during her first pregnancy because she isn't naturally thin and wishes she had taken more time to do it.

She told Shape magazine: ''I didn't have a lot of time to lose the weight because I scheduled a show three months after I gave birth, which I would never do again.

''I'm not a person that is naturally very thin. I am a person that has to work at keeping my body in shape.''

But Beyonce insisted that despite her desire to be trim and toned, she thinks women should embrace their natural figures.

She explained: ''Not everyone is supposed to be the same. Be healthy and take care of yourself, but be happy with the beautiful things that make you, you.''

The 31-year-old singer revealed that she lost most of her baby weight by watching her diet rather than increasing her exercise.

She said: ''I ate a very low-calorie diet. I stayed away from red meat and ate a lot of fish, replaced pasta and rice with quinoa.''

Beyonce previously revealed she hopes to have another child once she finishes her upcoming world tour The Mrs Carter Show, which kicks off Belgrade, Serbia on April 15 and is currently scheduled to wrap up in Brooklyn, New York on August 5, 2013.