Valerie Bertinelli: Losing It
This Jenny Craig superstar shares her weight loss experience.
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BACKGROUND
Valerie Bertinelli charmed a nation of television watchers in the 1970s with the enormously popular comedy, “One Day at A Time”. The show spoke to a nation of divorced families, where the single mother relied on charitable efforts of friends and neighbors in order to survive one more day filled with typical life stressors.
Flash forward decades later and Valerie herself is divorced, with a son that she shares with uber-famous rocker, Eddie Van Halen. Still trying to maintain her celebrity status in the face of inner turmoil, Valerie alleges in her new memoir, “Losing It” that she turned to junk food to soothe and to self-harm.
She brings up multiple issues with self-esteem, as characterized by her infidelity, drug use and food abuse. Whether promulgated from show-business or a deeper, more complex and personal issue, Valerie reassures us in her new book that it’s normal to have unrealistic expectations about your body and shows how the Jenny Craig program taught her to reach, and even exceed, her weight loss goals.
PRO
- Valerie Bertinelli is a good writer, with a comfortable, easy style
- While she admits to using fad diets, she shows credibility by recommending a healthy program like Jenny Craig
- Many dieters feel that they can relate to her story because of her age and current lifestyle
- Even men will align with her partner, Tom, who also lost weight with her by doing Jenny Craig
CON
- Valerie uses the first chapter to share her political beliefs, which might be controversial and off-putting for some
- By sharing that she was not faithful in her marriage may offend conservatives who prefer to cast judgement
- Book will most likely not appeal to those who have been unsuccessful with Jenny Craig’s program in the past
FOOD and RECIPES
Valerie keeps her book “Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time”, to memoir format, so not a lot of food or recipes here. However, she does link her Italian heritage to a love of food, and for those dieters who grew up in an environment where food was used for other reasons besides nutrition, her experiences will resonate.
One can find details about Valerie’s menu program at Jenny Craig online.
EXERCISE
Valerie does a good job of keeping it real: No personal trainer here, or in house specialized gym. Valerie prefers to find opportunities for activity like the rest of us, i.e. squeezed in between work deadlines and the kids’ after-school activities.
EXPENSE
You can find Valerie Bertinelli's new book at Amazon for as low as $14.30.
CONCLUSION
Valerie is part of an exclusive club of celebrity spokeswomen for Jenny Craig, including, but not limited to, Kirstie Alley and Queen Latifah. Unlike Kirstie however, Valerie has been very transparent with her actual weight number, which has allowed the rather common group of 5’4” size 8 women to feel that they can relate. By not being super skinny, but also having a healthy BMI, Valerie Bertinelli teaches us to accept ourselves, obsess less, and find a program that fits each of our individual lifestyles and interests.
Common Misspellings
Val Bertinelli’s book, Valerie bertanelli’s book, Valerie bertinelli deit
Kate: This woman is so courageous and inspirational. I just marveled at her openness to talk about her weight and all the issue surrounding it. Congratulations Val! And thanks for giving women everwhere strength and encouragement!
Paris: I saw Valerie on Oprah yesterday and it was awesome all the funny comments she can come up with.
