Bertinelli vs. Osmond - Battle of the Diets

by Jacki Donaldson (Subscribe to Jacki Donaldson's posts)
May 14th 2009 5:30PM

Categories: Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

I love a good weight loss story -- not the scary skinny stuff, but the kind of diet and fitness revamp that delivers long-lasting and healthy change. You know, like what Valerie Bertinelli and Marie Osmond did -- they both lost about 50 pounds and got way fit, hopefully for the long haul. I'm sure you've seen these hot mommas on magazine covers, chatting it up with Oprah and promoting books. And now, Valerie and Marie are facing off over whose diet is better.

While both diets feature pre-packaged, low-calorie frozen foods, Valerie says Jenny Craig has the best tasting food. It's just a fact, she says. Marie prefers NutriSystem because she doesn't want to measure her food or go to weigh-in meetings. She also would never pose in a bikini at her age (both women are 49), like Valerie did for People magazine. "Good for her, if that makes her happy. That would not make me happy," says Marie. "And I am not doing it, you know, I am not. I don't want to see a 49-year-old woman in a bikini. No."

Bikini or not, it's clear both women have whipped their bodies into pretty good shape. But do their diets have staying power? I mean, when and if these stars decide to wean themselves off their regimented plans, can they transition to real-world eating and hang on to what they've gained, er, lost? Kirstie Alley couldn't do it. Let's hope Valerie and Marie can.

Have you ever tried Jenny Craig or NutriSystem? How did they work for you?

Valerie Bertinelli Shapes Up

Valerie Bertinelli shows off a dramatic 50-pound weight loss on an April 2009 cover of PEOPLE.The 123-pound actress lost weight with the help of the Jenny Craig diet and a workout that included walking, running and strength training with incorporated resistance bands four to five times a week.

Stephen Danelian, PEOPLE

Bertinelli was just 15 when she landed a role on the long-running sitcom, "One Day at a Time." Bertinelli told PEOPLE that she has spent her life "consumed" by body issues and that as a teen in the '70s, she would go on crash diets.

CBS

As a teen star, Bertinelli struggled with weight. She has said that she became dangerously thin at times, reaching a low of 98 pounds.

David Mcgough, DMI/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Nice-girl Bertinelli surprised everyone when she married guitarist Eddie Van Halen in 1981. They were together for 25 tumultuous years, through Van Halen's battle with alcoholism and cancer. She has said that while her husband struggled with one kind of addiction, hers was with food.

Ann Clifford, DMI/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Bertinelli and Van Halen had one son together, Wolfgang, born in 1991. Bertinelli has said that in the years following the painful split from her husband, she began a pattern of emotional eating and began to gain weight -- and avoid the camera.

Jim Smeal, WireImage

Bertinelli teamed up with Jenny Craig (left) in 2008. The actress became spokesperson for the popular diet plan at her highest weight of 172 pounds and set a goal of losing 30. Less than a year later, she exceeded her goal, losing a total of 50 pounds.

Robert Benson, WireImage

Bertinelli penned an autobiography in 2008, "Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time," in which she openly discussed her food issues, life as a teen star, her rocky marriage and her comeback.

Mark Mainz, Getty Images

Bertinelli shows off a sleek, sexy figure at the Heart Truth Red Dress Collection show during Fashion Week in February 2009. The star, who admitted to being shy and self-conscious about her body, has learned to have some fun flaunting her new look.

Scott Gries, Getty Images

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Comments (3)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

regina 5-14-2009 @ 6:42PM

No I never tried either diet because they don't teach you portion control, how to measure etc. I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers which has been proven to be the best weight control diet out their. With any plain you can gain the weight back its a lifetime commitment.
So good luck to both ladies. I will stick to my Weight Watchers.

trish 5-15-2009 @ 8:59AM

So many spammers on this site - directing you to other sites for questionable methods and products. It's a shame. This could really be a good blog but the responses like the one above from Patricia567 just cheapen the site. Are there no administrators watching comments??

sallymom 5-15-2009 @ 11:35AM

I personally like reading about what is working for others. Nobody is going to make me buy anything that doesn't make sense to me. I think you do a disservice by limiting the free expression of others.