For actress Liv Tyler, losing weight after the birth of her son Milo in 2004 was no piece of cake. Pun certainly intended.

"I was not one of those women who just dropped pounds instantly when I was breastfeeding," Tyler tells Britain's You magazine.

"Actually, I got so homely I was ravenous for things like doughnuts and cakes."

Tyler, who married Brit rocker Royston Langdon in March 2003, determined she'd become be a stay-at-home mom for the first year of Milo's life.

She "hibernated" inside the house, the Lord of the Rings star says, until she had a rude awakening about her weight.

"I can remember walking down the street one day â€" I was going to the nail salon. When ... a photographer took my picture," she recalls.

"I was wearing an unflattering shirt that I had worn when I was pregnant and a pair of sweat pants, and when the picture appeared in a magazine they ran a caption asking if I was pregnant again. When I saw it I said, 'I think the holiday is over.'"

THG NOTE: It's been over for Nicole Richie since about 2001, so at least Liv will have some company if she plans on starving herself.

Fortunately, at least for now, Tyler's actions mean getting herself healthy - not losing weight the traditional Hollywood way (eating disorders).

"I did a million different things," Liv Tyler says. "I would be on a strict protein diet and then a raw diet, and then I would do colonics and fasting. And I did Pilates, yoga and working out with my trainer."

What's more, the face of Givenchy cosmetics, Tyler also admits to discussing moisturizers with an unlikely partner: her craggy-faced Aerosmith frontman father.

"My dad, Steven Tyler, and I always talk about creams!" she says.

THG NOTE: We were going to make fun of Steven Tyler here, but maybe he's onto something. Keith Richards could really use a nice moisturizer.

She's content with her life these days. But still, for all her healthy habits, Liv Tyler has one vice she knows she must conquer.

"I'm afraid I smoke sometimes. I did give up for a long time when I had Milo, but on my last film my character smoked and that was bad for me," she said. "I don't like it, but I secretly love it. I know it's terrible."

It's the same way Britney Spears feels about crotch shots. It's okay, Liv. We are here for you. Old habits are hard to break, but you can do it.