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Valerie Bertinelli On Workouts, Diet Traps and Turning 50
Posted on Jul 29th 2010 11:00AM by Amber GreviskesFiled Under: Celebs & Entertainment
Valerie Bertinelli, who lost 40 pounds and kept it off using Jenny Craig, is having quite the year. She is starring in "Hot in Cleveland," a series about three women who decided to reinvent themselves in a new town. In real life, the actress finished the Boston Marathon four days before turning 50 and will be getting married in the fall to long-time boyfriend, Tom Vitale.
"There are lots of women out there who are the same age as we are, and we're like, 'Hello! We're still viable human beings,'" Bertinelli told Prevention magazine. "Just because we're a certain age, don't put us out to pasture."
In fact, she's in the best shape of her life after struggling for years to manage her weight. For the last few years, she's hovered between 128 and 132 pounds.
"I've lost the weight a million times," Bertinelli said. "I know how to do that, but keeping it off is something that's new every day. This is the longest I've ever kept the weight off."
To stay in shape, Bertinelli created a weight-management strategy that focuses on diet and exercise. She's also learned how important it is to plan ahead for the unexpected. When surprises arrive, such as when she doesn't have time for breakfast and has to make healthy meal choices on the go, she uses the little voice in her head to motivate her to make better decisions. Bertinelli's well aware of her triggers, too. She's banned sourdough bread and Hot Tamales, the cinnamon candies she craves, from her home.
"Sometimes it's like my inner voice will get a little louder," she said. "Sometimes that voice will win; other times it doesn't, and I'll kick myself, but then I get right back on track."
Taking an everything-in-moderation approach has helped, too. Bertinelli often visit restaurants multiple times so that she can sample various menu items instead of splurging and eating them all in one sitting.
"It's all about portion control," she said. "You can have anything you want if you don't eat the whole thing. Nothing is ever going to taste as good as the first bite anyway."
Dropping the weight has also helped Bertinelli sleep better and have more energy -- common side effects of weight loss.
In April, the extra energy translated into a five-hour, 14-minute marathon finish in Boston, despite grueling hills on mile 16 that Bertinelli said she didn't feel prepared for despite her training, which featured five- to eight-mile runs daily and a long run on the weekend.
"I'm still proud of myself," she said. "It's pretty remarkable for someone like me, who never thought I could be a runner. I knew it was going to be difficult, and it was, but I'm really glad I did it."
Don't look for Bertinelli to sign up for another marathon in the near future, though. Instead, she's set a goal to complete a sprint triathlon by the end of the year, bolster her bone density and increase her lean muscle mass through weight training.
"I still hate the first 20 minutes of running," she said. "But it really does de-stress me."
Valerie has had success with Jenny Craig, but not all the diet's celebrity spokespeople have kept the weight off. Click on the gallery below to see which stars dropped the unwanted pounds for good and who gained it right back.
Check out how you can go from marathon runner to triathlete.
"There are lots of women out there who are the same age as we are, and we're like, 'Hello! We're still viable human beings,'" Bertinelli told Prevention magazine. "Just because we're a certain age, don't put us out to pasture."
In fact, she's in the best shape of her life after struggling for years to manage her weight. For the last few years, she's hovered between 128 and 132 pounds.
"I've lost the weight a million times," Bertinelli said. "I know how to do that, but keeping it off is something that's new every day. This is the longest I've ever kept the weight off."
To stay in shape, Bertinelli created a weight-management strategy that focuses on diet and exercise. She's also learned how important it is to plan ahead for the unexpected. When surprises arrive, such as when she doesn't have time for breakfast and has to make healthy meal choices on the go, she uses the little voice in her head to motivate her to make better decisions. Bertinelli's well aware of her triggers, too. She's banned sourdough bread and Hot Tamales, the cinnamon candies she craves, from her home.
"Sometimes it's like my inner voice will get a little louder," she said. "Sometimes that voice will win; other times it doesn't, and I'll kick myself, but then I get right back on track."
Taking an everything-in-moderation approach has helped, too. Bertinelli often visit restaurants multiple times so that she can sample various menu items instead of splurging and eating them all in one sitting.
"It's all about portion control," she said. "You can have anything you want if you don't eat the whole thing. Nothing is ever going to taste as good as the first bite anyway."
Dropping the weight has also helped Bertinelli sleep better and have more energy -- common side effects of weight loss.
In April, the extra energy translated into a five-hour, 14-minute marathon finish in Boston, despite grueling hills on mile 16 that Bertinelli said she didn't feel prepared for despite her training, which featured five- to eight-mile runs daily and a long run on the weekend.
"I'm still proud of myself," she said. "It's pretty remarkable for someone like me, who never thought I could be a runner. I knew it was going to be difficult, and it was, but I'm really glad I did it."
Don't look for Bertinelli to sign up for another marathon in the near future, though. Instead, she's set a goal to complete a sprint triathlon by the end of the year, bolster her bone density and increase her lean muscle mass through weight training.
"I still hate the first 20 minutes of running," she said. "But it really does de-stress me."
Valerie has had success with Jenny Craig, but not all the diet's celebrity spokespeople have kept the weight off. Click on the gallery below to see which stars dropped the unwanted pounds for good and who gained it right back.
Check out how you can go from marathon runner to triathlete.
