How Snooki lost 42 pounds

Almost seven months after giving birth to her first child, Lorenzo, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is in fighting shape.

The reality star has been working hard to slim down, and is now showing off her 42-pound weight loss on the cover of Us Weekly's latest issue.

"Hard work pays off!" the 25-year-old mom of one tweeted Wednesday, adding a thank you to Express Home Fitness' meal service, her trainer and Florham Park Fitness.

As her tweet shows, Snooki turned to proven methods to aid in her weight loss: "You just need to get your a** to the gym and eat healthy!" she told Us Weekly. For the 4'9 fist-pumper, that meant a 1,300 calories-a-day diet and four days of exercise per week.

"I lost it for me," Snooki told the magazine of her motivation. "But I also wanted Jionni to know that I can be hot as a mom."