NEWSValerie Bertinelli: 'I'm an Emotional Eater'
July 28 2010, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
Hot In Cleveland star Valerie Bertinelli has battled her share of weight woes, but now she’s looking fantastic.
The actress, 50, who is engaged to Tom Vitale, credits the Jenny Craig program with helping her maintain a svelte figure.
“I’ve always been an emotional eater,” she tells me. “My Kathy her personal consultant at Jenny Craig is so terrific. The thing that is so great about Jenny is this concept of a personal consultant. I swear, it’s cheap therapy. She helped me come up with practical ways to deal with stressful moments.”
She continues, “Kathy and I worked together to strategize ways to cope when I’m stressed out, such as, pausing in that moment when I want to dive into a big bag of chips, think about what I was about to do and asking myself, ‘is it worth trading this moment for what is most important to me ... my well being?’ It is that awareness factor. It’s saved my life.”
Still, Valerie doesn’t restrain herself completely.
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“My favorite splurge is champagne, and I’ve had lots of reasons to celebrate this year. New TV show, great friends, my engagement to Tom. The key to not going overboard is simply being aware. I think twice when I see a buffet of desserts. If there is something I want, I’ll have a taste, but not the whole enchilada.”
What’s different this time around?
“I haven’t had a jalapeno popper in years!”
Instead, Valerie replaces that splurge with a healthy alternative when she’s watching her weight.
“I love, love, love my Jenny Tuscan soup,” she shares. “It’s a great recipe that you can find online, only 65 calories and so-o filling. It’s really yummy. I also still eat Jenny Cuisine from time to time. My faves are their new beef chow mein, turkey burgers ... seriously, the food is delicious and it’s a perfect model for portion control. It keeps me on track.”
Pick up the OK! on newsstands this week to get Valerie Bertinelli’s What I Ate Today diet feature. The cover line is “Kourtney Vs. Kim: It’s War Over Scott!” And, check out Valerie’s hilarious show Hot In Cleveland, which airs tonight at 10/9C on TV Land.
