Valerie Bertinelli's Bikini Body on the cover of People. (via People.com)

Just last spring, Valerie debuted her bikini-clad body after losing weight following the Jenny Craig program. She explains to the ladies on The View why she feels she will never regain the weight and what she does every day to maintain her weight and her health.

Check local listings for The View show times.

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Tune In: Valerie Bertinelli’s Weight Loss on The View

The actress, who is known for her roles on Lifetime’s Rita Rocks, the sketch comedy series, MADtv and other sitcoms like Scrubs and The King of Queens, is determined to lose the 35 pounds she gained while pregnant with her second son. The actress gave birth six weeks ago and will spend the next few months working hard on the Jenny Craig food and exercise plan to lose the baby weight she put on her petite 5′ 5″ frame.

“You spend a year of your life eating what you want and enjoying letting the baby have what it feels like having — and I’[ve] lost track of what I’m supposed to be doing that’s right,” Sullivan tells People magazine.

With the constant support of Jenny Craig counselors, pre-portioned and calorie-controlled meals and the constant cameras who will be snapping nearly every pound of her weight loss, Sullivan has all of the pieces in place for a successful weight loss journey.

Sullivan’s reasons for getting in shape are just like the rest of millions of moms who are eager to lose the baby weight:

“I want to put my jeans on and have my jeans look cute.”

And on a less image-focused level, Sullivan also wants to feel young again. She discredits the extra weight she is carrying around to her feeling older and less willing to be active.

Sullivan is not that far off either: Carrying around extra weight is associated with early onset of age-related conditions like diabetes, and when you’re not feeling great about yourself, digging up the motivation to take a jog with your partner or hit the beach with your kids is all but nonexistent.

But for a new-mom, it is important to keep weight loss at a safe pace and allow time for the body to replenish itself. Given Sullivan’s post-pregnant state, it is likely that Jenny Craig will pay special attention to her unique nutritional needs and physical abilities.

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Nicole Sullivan Named New Jenny Craig Spokesperson

We decided to take a look at Curves, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and NutriSystem side by side to see where they’re similar and where they aren’t. Each of these plans are uniquely different, and each deliver results in their own proven ways. Our comparison looks at six different areas: meal delivery, diet, fitness, online availability, personal support and cost.

Meal Delivery

Curves: There is not a delivery service.

Weight Watchers: There is not a delivery service.

Jenny Craig: Delivery available, or may pick-up from center. Portion- and calorie-controlled foods delivered in shelf-stable or frozen packages once or twice each month. More than 80 meal choices available. May customize. Supplement fruits and vegetables from grocery.

NutriSystem: Delivery available. Portion- and calorie-controlled foods delivered every 28 days in shelf-stable packages. More than 120 meals available. May customize. Supplement fruits and vegetables from grocery.

Diet

Curves: Promotes diet of three meals and two snacks each day, plus plenty of fiber and water. Meal plans available online via Curves Complete or MyCurves with daily custom menus. Branded cereal and snack bars available at the grocery store.

Weight Watchers: Promotes a flexible eating program without any regimented eating plan or schedule. Requires use of POINTS system; dieters may eat what they like as long as they do not exceed daily POINTS allotment. Encourages whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, and dairy.

Jenny Craig: Dieters eat an average of 1300 calories per day across three meals and one snack.

NutriSystem: Female dieters eat an average of 1200 calories per day; males eat an average of 1500 calories per day. Dieters consume three meals and two snacks, plus six servings of fruits and vegetables, each day.

Fitness

Curves: This program centers around its female-only gyms. You’ll burn 500 calories in three 30-minute circuit training sessions each week. Program promotes strength training and cardio workouts. You’ll work with a trainer. May also use Curves Smart, the electronic coaching system.

Weight Watchers: There is no structured plan. Dieters attending meetings will not gain much guidance in the way of fitness. Dieters using Weight Watchers Online will have access to a wealth of information to help guide their workouts.

Jenny Craig: Dieters will have access to a personalized fitness plan via their counselor at the Jenny Craig center.

NutriSystem: There is no structured plan. Exercise DVDs are available with certain plans.

Online Availability

Curves: Members of the Curves gyms may access MyCurves for community support and access to a variety of weight loss tools. Those not interested in attending the gyms can subscribe to Curves Complete for nutrition and fitness guidance online.

Weight Watchers: Weight Watchers Online is a robust program online that offers as much, if not more, than the Weight Watchers Meetings. Full access to the POINTS system, fitness guidance, community support, recipes and much more.

Jenny Craig: Members can register online to access online eTools, recipes, weight trackers, menu planners, recipes, and more.

NutriSystem: This is the only program of the four that does not have an off-line component. NutriSystem is managed completely online. Order meals, plus access tools, food and exercise diaries, the community, and more.

Personal Support

Curves: By visiting the gym three times each week you’ll have access to the training staff, plus the support of other women in the gym.

Weight Watchers: Weight Watchers Meetings began nearly 50 years ago, and have found great success with weekly meetings hosted by a trained leader.

Jenny Craig: You’ll have a personal weekly weigh-in with your Jenny Craig counselor, where you’ll also discuss nutrition, fitness and goals.

NutriSystem: With your online account you’ll have access to the NutriSystem community.

Cost

As cost can vary greatly by season, promotional offer or by franchise, it is best to contact each program directly to see what a plan for you might cost.

Curves: They advertise that their customers only spend about $1 more per day on food than the typical American.

Based on a recent report comparing the cost to lose 30 pounds with different diet brands:
Weight Watchers: Up to $300 for meetings; about $100 online.
Jenny Craig: About $400.
NutriSystem: About $1200.

Find one that fits with your lifestyle? Give it a try today and start losing weight!

• Start Weight Watchers

• Start Curves

• Start NutriSystem

• Start Jenny Craig

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Comparing Curves, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and NutriSystem

Kirstie Alley in a bikini on Oprah in 2006. (Photo via The Oprah Winfrey Show)

The trouble started when Jenny Craig stopped monitoring Kirstie’s weight through their astutely-monitored weekly weigh-ins. Prior to this, Kirstie would rely on these weigh-ins to keep her accountable to her weight loss. Next, as Kirstie started to give herself some slack and loosen the reigns on her stringent eating and exercise routine, the portions got larger and the food became heavier. Soon after, she decided to turn her exercise room into a dining room and moved thousands of dollars of exercise equipment into her garage where they sat and collected dust.

After intense feelings of guilt, humility, self-loath and public ridicule, Kirstie is determined to once again get back to her bikini-wearing body. In the past five weeks, she has lost 20 pounds using her own weight loss strategy, which she is hard at work at developing into her own diet business. Harboring no hard feelings toward Jenny Craig, Kirstie will officially launch her new weight loss program in the next few months. By February, she has set a goal to “look ripped” with Michelle Obama’s arms and toned legs and butt.

Ironically, she brought new Jenny Craig spokesperson Valerie Bertinelli to the weight loss program who has since graced the cover of People magazine donned in a blue bikini and inspired millions of Americans to follow suit. But rather feeling jealous of Valerie’s amazing weight loss, Kirstie is motivated by her friend and is using her rock-solid body as inspiration to look just as great.

Although the actress remains fairly tight-lipped on what her new weight loss program is all about (we first mentioned Kirstie’s diet plan in February 2008), as soon as DietsInReview learns of its details, we’ll be sure to give you the skinny.

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Kirstie Alley Discusses Her Weight Gain on Oprah

UPDATE: See the recap of Kirstie Alley’s weight gain on Oprah here at DietsInReview.

Tune in this Thursday, April 30 to Oprah as Kirstie Alley shares how and why she fell off the Jenny Craig wagon. In 2006, the actress lost 75 pounds after following a strict Jenny Craig, 1,400-calorie-a-day diet, but just last year, she was fired from the weight loss giant for reportedly gaining most, if not more of that weight back.

Two and a half years after donning a bikini on Oprah, Alley confesses to a huge admission about what prompted her to tip the scales again.

Check your local listings for specific show times and stay tuned to DietsInReview as we recap Thursday’s show.

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Tune In: Kirstie Alley Talks to Oprah About Her Weight Gain

Valerie Bertinelli's bikini body on the cover of People Magazine. (via People.com)

This Wednesday, April 1st, Oprah’s bringing out the famous faces of weight loss that we’ve been following the past couple of years. Valerie Bertinelli will appear on Oprah to share not only her very public weight loss journey with the help of Jenny Craig, but also her amazing bikini-ready body, which graces the cover of People magazine this week.

Tune in this week to hear Valerie’s talk about her weight loss success, Star Jones’ first public interview about her 160-pound weight loss, and Marie Osmond’s Dancing with the Stars and NutriSystem diet and her lifelong battle with her weight.

While we all watch with fascination as these celebrities lose weight, they will open up about the reality of what it’s like to battle your weight with an audience of millions.

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Tune In: Oprah Talks Weight Loss with Valerie Bertinelli, Star Jones and Marie Osmond

Weight Watchers

• Registration $15-$20; Weekly Meetings $10-$15; Online $46.90 first month and $16.95 thereafter
• Average loss of 1-2 pounds/week
• 20 weeks to lose 30 pounds
• Investment: Meetings $214.80 to $299.80; Online $97.75

NutriSystem

• $299.95/month with monthly auto-delivery
• Average loss of 2 pounds/week
• 4 months to lose 30 pounds
• Investment: $1,199.80

Jenny Craig

• $399 or $359 upfront cost with 12-month Jenny Rewards plan
• Average loss of 1-2 pounds/week
• Investment: $399 or $359 (does not include cost of food, about $84 to $126/month)

The Zone Diet Meal Delivery

• $44.99/day (+ shipping)
• Average loss of 8-10 pounds/month
• 3-4 months to lose 30 pounds
• Investment: $3,869 to $5,159

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The Price of Losing 30 Pounds

Rashad is best know for her role as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show. But she hasn’t disappeared. Earlier this week Rashad was nominated for a Golden Globe for her lead role in Raisin in the Sun.

Rashad joins the ranks of stars such as Queen Latifah, Kirstie Alley and Valerie Bertinelli who have all been spokeswomen for Jenny Craig.

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Phylicia Rashad Pitches Jenny Craig

It’s that time of year when many people make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, eat more nutritiously or become more active.  Unfortunately for many of us, by the time Valentine’s Day rolls around, these goals are but a distant memory.

Often this occurs because we set goals that are too ambitious or too vague, or because we fall victim to the “all-or-nothing” mentality that suggests we’ve “failed” if we lapse just once.

This year, make kinder, gentler and more realistic goals.  Create an action plan of healthy habits you’d like to learn, with reasonable milestones for achieving them.  And treat the process itself as a journey where you discover more about yourself along the way.
Treat slip-ups as hiccups.  A lapse is a temporary interruption in your plan—a time when you got off track in achieving your goals.  Maybe you ate more than you planned when socializing with your friends, or didn’t walk for a few days when the weather was bad.  Instead of getting derailed by feelings of guilt, treat the lapse as a learning opportunity.  Retrace your steps, evaluate what happened and plan a new strategy to manage the same situation differently the next time.

Get by with a little help from your friends. Recruit a walking buddy, invite a friend to a cooking class, or encourage your work colleague to bring a sack lunch instead of going out.  By having a “partner in lifestyle change,” you’ll be more accountable – and therefore more likely to reach your goals. Plus, you’ll reap the social and emotional benefits of spending time with people you care about.

Personalize the benefits. Improved energy, better health and a slimmer appearance are general benefits of many health-related behavior changes.  Instead of thinking in general terms, make the benefits personal to you.  For example, I will follow through with my activity goals in order to have more energy to play with my children, run a 5k race in the spring, and have greater confidence to wear a swimsuit at the beach. Think of these as your personal motivators, write them down and keep expanding your list throughout the year.

Have a happy, healthy New Year!

Guest Blog Series: Look for the following badge on your favorite health sites to see if they have been a featured guest blogger on DietsInReview.com. See other posts in the Guest Blog series.

If you would like to apply to be featured as a guest blogger, please contact us.

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A New Year, A New You

And through the grocery store, and around the mall, and across the kitchen!

When your holiday to-do list seems particularly insurmountable, it’s easy to let your physical activity plans fall by the wayside.  During these busy days, when you don’t think you have time to exercise, is when you need it the most.  Regular physical activity helps alleviate stress, prevent weight gain and nurture your spirit.  And when your days are filled with doing, doing, doing for others, it gives you that warm feeling of accomplishment that you’ve done something positive for yourself.  The bottom line is that it’s important to keep moving during this hectic time of year.

Make it fun.  Jenny Craig spokesperson Valerie Bertinelli loves to get outside, whether it’s walking her dogs, hiking with her boyfriend Tom or horsing around with the kids. In addition to these fun activities consider playing a game of tag with your children or sledding with your family.  Enjoy special time together as you model positive activity behaviors.

Savor the season.  If you live in a cool climate, try skiing, ice-skating or building a snowman.  Strolling through the neighborhood to see holiday lights is a great activity in any climate. Make activity part of the day’s festivities by playing a game of touch football or Frisbee or organizing an indoor scavenger hunt.

Kick up your heels.  Spend more time on the dance floor at your next company function—and less time at the hors d’oeuvres table.  You’ll minimize calories and maximize fun!  Dancing is a great at-home activity too.  Move to the beat of your favorite CD in the warmth of your living room.

Be consistent with your activity routine.  Consider waking up a little early to be active, so a chaotic day doesn’t alter your plans. If you choose to skip your spinning class to squeeze in an extra holiday errand, make it up with a few extra laps around the mall.  When preparing the holiday meal, break your usual 30-minute walk into 10-minute bouts: one before you start your meal prep, one while things are cooking and another with your guests afterward.

Guest Blog Series: Look for the following badge on your favorite health sites to see if they have been a featured guest blogger on DietsInReview.com. See other posts in the Guest Blog series.

If you would like to apply to be featured as a guest blogger, please contact us.

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Dashing Through the Snow