• In her new Netflix film“Homecoming,” Beyoncé opened up getting back onstage after her “extremely difficult” pregnancy.
• “My body went through more than I knew it could,” she said. “It’s hard. There were days that I thought I’d never be the same, physically – my strength and endurance would never be the same.”
• The documentary, released Wednesday, follows the preparations and rehearsals for Beyoncé’s historic 2018 Coachella performance.
• In behind-the-scenes footage, Beyoncé said she would burn thousands of calories per day with Soul Cycle, stair exercises, and hours-long rehearsals.
• She also revealed her restrictive diet: “In order for me to meet my goal, I’m limiting myself to no bread, no carbs, no sugar, no dairy, no meat, no fish, no alcohol.”

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In her new Netflix film “Homecoming,” released Wednesday, Beyoncé opened up preparing to perform for the first time post-pregnancy – and about the insecurities and difficulties that came with those gruelling rehearsals.

“It’s my first time back home on the stage after giving birth,” Beyoncé says in the film, which documents the road to Beyoncé’s historic 2018 Coachella performance. “I’m creating my own homecoming. And it’s hard.”

“There were days that I thought I’d never be the same, I’d never be the same physically – my strength and endurance would never be the same,” she continued.

Read more:
Beyoncé reveals how pregnancy has changed her body: ‘I have a little mummy pouch, and I’m in no rush to get rid of it’

In pre-Coachella behind-the-scenes footage, a voice off-camera – presumably Beyoncé’s choreographer, JaQuel Knight – said that she was likely burning 1,500 to 2,000 calories per day from hours of rehearsing.

“It’s true,” Beyoncé responded. “And eventually, I want to be able to do Soul Cycle, the stairs, and rehearsal in a day.”

The “Formation” singer also revealed that she followed a strict diet to get back in shape: “In order for me to meet my goal, I’m limiting myself to no bread, no carbs, no sugar, no dairy, no meat, no fish, no alcohol – and I’m hungry.”

Read more:
I followed Beyoncé’s plant-based diet for a week, and I felt fantastic at the end

Beyoncé’s voice-over goes on to say that while her choreography largely relied more on “feeling” than on technical movements, that actually made it more difficult for her to feel comfortable.

“That’s hard when you don’t feel like yourself. I had to rebuild my body,” she said. “It took me a while to feel confident enough to … give in my own personality.”

“In the beginning, it was so many muscle spasms and, just internally, my body was not connected,” she continued. “My mind was not there. My mind wanted to be with my children. What people don’t see is the sacrifice.”

The documentary includes footage of Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, bringing their kids to the pop star’s rehearsal space. Beyoncé said that she would often breastfeed her infant twins, Sir and Rumi Carter, in her trailer.

“Just trying to figure out how to balance being a mother of a 6-year-old and of twins that need me, and giving myself creatively and physically. It was a lot to juggle,” she said. “I definitely pushed myself further than I knew I could, and I learned a valuable lesson: I will never, never push myself that far again.”

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