How do you like being on The Talk so far?
I love it. I love that it feels like you’re walking into a conversation in somebody’s kitchen. It’s much harder than when I was doing The King of Queens because I can’t blame a writer now if the show sucks. It’s my point of view. So you can disagree with me—I just want you to disagree respectfully.

How did you handle being pregnant while doing The King of Queens?
I was getting big as a house, and nobody cared. The people I worked with were beyond supportive. I had gained 80 pounds. I thought that was my time to have three boxes of mac and cheese, and french fries and hamburgers. I remember asking [co-star] Kevin James, “It’s not that bad, right?” and he’d say, “No, you look good.” Afterwards, he told me he couldn’t stop laughing at how big I was. But he never said it to me. Everyone was just so lovely.

Does your fame affect your 6-year-old daughter, Sofia?
It’s very weird for her to be out with me and have people take pictures. She doesn’t understand why she’s not in the picture. Or she’s shown in a tiny little picture with a big picture of me. And she’s like, “Mommy, why is your picture bigger than mine?” then she wants to talk about it for an hour, why this injustice is happening. It’s also weird for her to see me talking to people, especially when I say to her "never talk to strangers.” They don’t really get it at that age. But then, at the same time, she’s like, “Why can’t Justin Bieber come here if you’re on TV?”

You’re an animal lover—does Sofia love animals, too?
I have one dog. But we have a book of dogs and Sofia has put Post-its on every page with dogs she wants. She made me become a member of the ASPCA because of those damn commercials with Sarah McLachlan singing! She asked, “When are we getting the yellow dog?” I had to say, “We’re not getting the animals, baby.”

What do you think is the key to juggling work with being a mom?
You just get into a mode. I never thought I was going to be that person who didn’t even drop my keys before I went into mommy mode. I thought I needed that hour. But there’s something about being a mom. You drop your keys and you still have your shoes on and your sunglasses on top of your head and your bag in your hand. There’s just something about coming home to your child—they give back something to you that’s worth so much more than my own time. You walk into your kid’s arms and you hear, “Mommy!” and that’s the best part of my day.

Did the pregnancy weight gain make you self-conscious?
I obsessed about it after I had my daughter, Sofia. I did every diet. I wanted people to look at me and say, “Wow, she snapped back real fast!” But it took me three years. I was watching other young people or other actresses come back to work like they hadn’t had a baby. And I was like, “Am I a freak? Why am I the only one so fat?” It was just harder for me.

How did you lose the weight?
I eventually did the 1st Personal Diet, and it resets your metabolism. People always want a quick fix, but it just comes down to diet and exercise. I get up two hours before my daughter and do cardio every day. It wasn’t worth it to me to pull on my jeans and start sweating because I can’t get them on or zip them up. If it’s worth it to you, you’ll get off the computer, you’ll stop Facebooking, you’ll find time and you’ll do it.

After Sofia was born, who took care of her?
She was on-set with me, but it was very hard. It wasn’t good for her. She had to be in the car for 45 minutes to an hour to get there. And that’s not good for a baby. Then we were on a dirty stage. When she got older, she wanted Mommy, so I had to hold her in rehearsal. And I’d be kissing Kevin—that was weird. If I had to get hair and makeup done, she had to sit in the chair with me. It just wasn’t easy. But I didn’t want to leave my baby.

Have your Talk co-hosts given you any parenting advice?
We don’t really give each other advice. We kinda all have our own mom ways of dealing with things. Sara Gilbert loves to share her views on motherhood with me, from toys to TV to commercialization of our children to reprimanding them, not reprimanding them. I always say I disagree with Sara, but at the end of the day, I go, “You know what, I’d love to be more like Sara in a lot of ways. I would love for Sofia to not watch as much television, I would love for Sofia to not have so many toys, I would love to say no to her.” I just don’t say no in certain situations. I disagree with Sara on some things, but we respect each other’s views.

Did you give your good friend Jennifer Lopez any advice when she had her twins?
No. I didn’t have to give her advice. She knew exactly the kind of parent she was going to be. She said, “My babies are gonna be on a schedule, I’m gonna stick to my schedule.” And I was like, “You’re talking a lot of crap right now, but we’ll see.” And she’s exactly the way she said she was going to be. I’m like, “Wow, you’re gangster!”

What do you and your husband [actor Angelo Pagan] do when you find alone time?
A date night would be me in my sweats in a hotel room so we can watch movies that don’t have any Disney characters. That’s my favorite thing to do with him. The last thing I want to do is get dolled up. I do it every day. It’s just nice to have my hair in a ponytail and chill with my honey.

Watch The Talk, with Leah Remini, weekdays on CBS.