Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time Reviews

• An honest, fascinating portrait

  
  By A10G4BPT5MGBHY on 2008-02-26
  When Van Halen opened for the Rolling Stones at Orlando's Tangerine Bowl in 1981, I was front row center. During Van Halen's encore, Valerie Bertinelli discreetly walked on stage behind them and snapped a picture with a tiny Instamatic. Nobody seemed to recognize her but me. Later the back cover of the album "Diver Down," that photo not only became my early claim to fame, but also gave me a moment-in-time memory of seeing a celebrity who clearly didn't want to be seen. I'd always wondered why.
  
  Apparently, she thought she was fat.
  
  Constructed as a series of short chapters, this autobiography is an easy, interesting read. It comes off like a classy tabloid, with lots of details but little trash. You learn all about Bertinelli's experiences with sex, drugs and rock and roll, but she's never mean-spirited and always disses herself as much as others. Weight plays a role throughout, but only one chapter deals with her Jenny Craig experience. The book has 33 black and white photos, including a few from the Van Halen wedding.
  
  I read this the same day I read Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Meth Addiction. What a contrast! Both are true stories with a lot about drugs, yet at the end of Beautiful Boy you feel exhausted, while here you're thinking "Yes! Go Valerie, go!"
  
  Here is the chapter list:
  
  1. THE VISION. An encounter with Eddie during the band's recent reunion tour.
  
  2. TINY DANCER. Early childhood, celebrating good times with food.
  3. DAYDREAM BELIEVER. Middle school's "big Italian child-bearing hips."
  4. YOU'VE GOT THE PART. Bertinelli breaks into show business at age 14.
  
  5. TUMBLEWEED CONNECTIONS. The first season of "One Day at a Time."
  6. BLUE-JEAN BABY. An unpleasant sexual initiation; diet pills.
  7. LOVE WALKS IN. An adult boyfriend causes tension.
  
  8. LOVE LIES BLEEDING. Bertinelli deals with her problems by eating.
  9. DOIN' TIME. She dates Steven Spielberg and discovers Van Halen.
  10. FEELS SO GOOD. She meets Eddie and joins him on tour.
  
  11. RUNNIN' WITH THE DEVIL. The couple move in together and get married.
  12. FAIR WARNING. Bertinelli joins the band on its 1981 tour.
  13. AFTERSHOCK. "One Day at a Time" gets cancelled; Van Halen peaks.
  
  14. SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE PARK. Marital, pregnancy and weight troubles.
  15. AIN'T TALKIN' `BOUT LOVE. Cocaine and separation.
  16. BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Eddie and Valerie get back together; she gets pregnant.
  
  17. AND THE CRADLE WILL ROCK. A baby boy: Wolfgang.
  18. HEAR ABOUT IT LATER. More marital blues; Bertinelli turns down a chance to be on "Friends" because "I felt too fat to stand next to Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow."
  19. YOU STILL NEED WORK. Back again with Eddie. "You look good," he tells her. "You still need to work on your ---. But you look great."
  
  20. FINISH WHAT YA STARTED. Reconnecting with MacKenzie Phillips.
  21. HOUSE OF PAIN. Eddie gets cancer, Valerie gets up to 158.
  22. WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD TIMES GONE? Sept. 11; Eddie cokes up again.
  
  23. BLACK AND BLUE. Divorce.
  24. GOING SOLO. It's hard to be hot at 170 pounds.
  25. IT'S ABOUT TIME. Bertinelli dabbles in Judaism, Wolfie joins Van Halen on tour.
  
  26. FEEL YOUR WAY TONIGHT. A new beau.
  27. I'M FAT. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.
  28. LOSING IT. The Jenny Craig experience.
  
  29. REGAINING MY LIFE. How Bertinelli maintains her weight and keeps her life on track.
  
  (Update 5/1/08: See all those comments below? Most have to do with the above chapter list. I included it because I thought it would be helpful, however some folks hate the idea. I'd love to know your opinion.)
  
  

• Our little sweetheart bares all!

  
  By A2E1EFNIZL2FVA on 2008-02-26
  Transforming your body from weight loss usually means you shed the old skin too. And Valerie Bertinelli has come clean with her personal life. Unlike the public perception of her hard-core, druggie, alky, but "hell-of-a musician" husband, Eddie Van Halen, she held on to the image of a sweetheart, a Hollywood beauty, and showing us that she could handle the rock star marriage so many said was going to fail.
  
  And here, she invites the reader into her life, the reality of it. Readers will connect with so much here, it's just that we normal folk, don't have that persona to keep up.
  
  And what better way to connect with readers than to share "weight loss battles." For the demise of the marriage, she blames so much on stupidity of youth. Oh how we can agree with that. Stupidity is contagious. Drugs, sex & rock & roll rarely make a good marriage, and I like a quote she gave about limited time with Eddie that if you are both drugged, drunk, etc...you are there, but not there.
  
  Bertinelli is honest with herself and she also reveals insecurities, fears, especially the fear of being fat. My opinion, that celebrities prefer the stigma of being a druggie rather than being fat. This book is not only about the weight loss, but the battle spreads into all aspects of our life.
  
  And as far as the cheating goes...we are really not surprised, even if it wasn't well-known that SHE cheated. When you tie in the rigors of motherhood, rockstar druggie hubby, cocaine lifestyle and pressure to stay in the business, food addiction will most likely be there, or exchanged with another addiction.
  
  The writing is clear, concise, and with descriptions that allow the reader to feel, see and connect with Bertinelli's inner-self, the one behind the camera. She has shed some old skin, engages in meaningful insight, learned from the past, is humorous and emotional. She came a long way, it just took ........one day at a time.
  
  Read it!.....Rizzo
  
  
  

• Dissed President Bush in first chapter won't finish reading it

  
  By A3SIHB0TA0DN1J on 2008-02-27
  I've always liked Valerie Bertinelli, i'm a huge fan of Vanhalen and I was excited to read this book, BUT I didn't get past the first chapter and I had to put it down. Why did Valerie feel she had to diss our President and in the first chapter?? Don't these Stars realize they are going to alienate at least 1/2 of the American population by saying such things?? Why make any kind of political stand? I totally lost interest and paid money for something I won't finish reading.
  
  

• Honest Without Any Malice.

  
  By A1IHT31N8RLPN8 on 2008-03-06
  This biography is not just for gals or fans of celebrities. The author is honest & reveals her life in twenty nine brief chapters. There really could have been fewer chapter titles since the contents tended to overlap. Nonetheless, it works well. She is poignantly honest about her experiences, mistakes, weaknesses, fears & insecurities. But, she does so without the often heavy celebrity egomania. She actually comes across as very ordinary & kind.
  
  For she does not attack those who were rather unpleasant to her, very refreshing. Her story is not just her battle with becoming overweight. The drains of marrying to young, a drug addicted rockstar husband, the pressures of staying in showbiz, adultery, & her own food to drug, & back to food addictions are all here. Her writing is self-critical, descriptive, concise & clear. She dispalys how she has learned from her past & shows both stabile emotions & good humor.
  
  
  The most crucial chapters were: 2-Tiny Dancer," how food became her comfort. 4-"You've Got The Part," her first job in showbiz. 8-"Love Lies Bleeding," how food became her drug of choice. 11-Runnin With The Devil," her early relationship with Eddie Van Halen & how quickly they got married. 13-"Aftershock," One Day At A Time gets cancelled & her depression begins. 16-"And The Cradle Will Rock," how her sons birth brought temporary stability to her family life. 17-"House Of Pain," problems with her husbands addictions leads to her gaining weight more than ever before. 19-"Black & Blue," covers the story of her divorce. 22-"Feel Your Way Tonight," how life became far happier when she meets a compatible man. 29-"Regaining My Life," how she maintains her new found weight loss via Jenny Craig & stabilized her life. This was an authentic & fast read for anyone who likes a celebrity who is grounded in reality.
  
  

• Amazing book from an amazing woman

  
  By A2ZGXQ566SR4FM on 2008-02-25
  I admit I may be biased since I have loved Valerie since I was a kid.. she is two years older then I am but I remember thinking she was the most beautiful girl I had seen growing up , I would copy her clothing styles on the show and hairstyles (though I am blonde and blue eyed.. LOL). As an adult I admit if her name was in the credits I would watch it.. any made for TV movie or series I was there. Still am.
  
  Her particular brand of charm works because she comes accross as likeable and approachable. The woman you could laugh with, shop with and just hang out.. she is REAL .. her book is no exception.. I can relete to SOOOoo many of the things she went through including the weight issues and food obsessions and addictings, but the book is soo much more.
  
  AS I think most women can. She has ups and downs and is willing to share with the rest of us,, the books is a wonderful read by a wonderful star who is still one of the most gorgeous women outside I have ever seen and now she proves she is the same on the inside.. Get it.. you won't regret it.
  
  
• An honest memoir :-)
  By A24ZFFRQ4MG3XL on 2008-02-26
  I have really enjoyed reading this book. It is about her extraordinary highs and devasting lows in life and also a relatable account of her battle with her weight. It's honest and at times very raw and very real. Losing it is more than just her weight; it's about losing the shame and all of the bad stuff that she kept telling herself and losing those voices in her head (self esteem issues).
  She talks very openly about relationships that she had. At 19 she dated Steven Speilberg (I don't think I remembered that), and of course her marriage to Eddie Van Halen with their infidelities. Four years into their marriage, she cheated and she talks about his affairs and how after 20 years she wanted a different life for herself. She'd tried to take control of her weight all the years, but it was only when Jenny Craig called that she really got control again of her weight and became successful at it.
  I personally found this interesting because I grew up watching One Day At A Time and also like a lot of women, have battles with weight and food. Due to those reasons, you don't necessarily need to be a fan of Valerie's in order to enjoy this read and relate to her struggles and life. It's very interesting and real and I highly recommend it. I really loved it.
  
  
• Self Honesty Heals
  By A3LWEGM4R35PLK on 2008-02-25
  I am truly grateful for Valerie's book. Not only did it give me a break from studies and allow a bit of literary voyeurism, but it reassured me that getting real with oneself is probably the greatest personal event any person can participate in. This level of self honesty is not easy. I know. I went into that emotional place when I wrote The Sleeping Stranger. It is most certainly a traumatic yet cathartic process and I admire her courage. This well penned book, Losing It, is worth the time and money.
  
  
• Losing It - Time I won't get back again
  By A2FEIFNFPOVRZN on 2008-03-22
  I agree with all the one star reviewers. I expected much more from this book, and felt disappointed and bored reading each chapter. I expected SOMETHING exciting or some type of page turner to keep me captive, but it never happened.
  
  I really admired her UNTIL I read this book. She's pretty shallow, self-centered, self-absorbed and truly NOT that deep or intelligent.
  
  My brief synopsis that this book tells you for 277 agonizing pages: Eddie was an angry, intense man who slept around, toured, did drugs and fought with pretty much everyone he came in contact with. Valerie is a struggling actress (since 'One Day at a Time' days) trying out for all sorts of roles for movies and sitcoms, fluctuating weight and eating issues, slept around (not as much as Eddie or that's what she wants you to think). Wolfie was loved by both parents, joined his dad's band as a guitarist and subjected to a dysfunctional situation with Eddie and Valerie. Eddie and Valerie stayed together for 20 years and yet both were distant and not making the marriage REALLY work.
  
  NOTE: For those who say it is well written: I need to mention that there a MANY grammatical and spelling errors throughout the book.
  
  The scariest thing in her 'Thank You' section is where she states that she has MORE to say. Heaven help us all!
  
  Overall review: BIG DEAL - NOT!!!!
  
  
• AND THE BOOK WILL ROCK!
  By APQ8N1UKS1RDC on 2008-04-18
  I have Dear friends on AMAZON that just pretty much do book reviews
  so I thought I'd do one as well. Working graveyard this week(Blackshere
  my brother I don't know how you do it) I'd sometimes look around for
  something to read during my lunch. I saw this book and said why not
  I always found Valerie attractive but that was not why I picked this
  book up. I knew she had been married to the great guitar player
  Eddie Van Halen and I wanted to read of their meeting up and all
  the DIRT!!! Well you get that and more from Val's up bringing
  to her career on ONE DAY AT A TIME to her doing drugs at a YOUNG AGE??
  ?????? Her brief relationships with STEVEN SPIELBERG and MARK HAMIL
  to her getting together with Eddie Van Halen. It of course does
  talk a lot of her battle with weight(Hey when you reach that famous 40
  it is going to happen!) This is a very good book that I found myself
  reading all the way through. If you are a VAN HALEN fan this is a
  MUST!!! She talks in full detail of the ups and downs of her marriage
  the cocaine-guitar playing for weeks without seeing him-and the other
  woman(uh oh) She also talks of her and Eddie son Wolfgang her brother
  in law Alex and of course David Lee Roth. I really recommend this
  book and don't worry Van Halen lovers she does tell it like it is
  but her and Eddie are still friends and she points out in the book
  she was no angel either...And guy's NO SHE IS NOT!!! On her side
  besides doing COKE at age seventeen??? She had a sexual relationship
  with.....ANOTHER WOMAN!!!!(i could not believe it either,not that
  that is bad mind you it's just can't picture her doing that or Coke
  for that matter) Anyway buy this book now!
  p.s. I forgot to tell you every chapter is a title from a VAN HALEN song
  which is cool for the first 10 chapters are nice titles than the last
  six are...Well like one is WHERE HAD ALL THE GOODTIMES GONE another
  is SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL
  
  
• What a load of vacuous drivel!
  By A1UFGV0WEC7VW0 on 2008-03-11
  This book has no substance. This person exposes her self-centered, self absorbed and incredibly shallow persona. Her digs at Republicans are an obvious ploy to continue the seperationist movement within the Liberal community. Her lack of professionalism is apparent in her book. She never discusses any in-depth character study for the roles that she protrays. Obviously she has a lack of empathy for anyone who is willing to sacrifice everything for the life of an unborn child. Let me answer your question from your book about why a mother would give up her life for her unborn child. She looks at her beautiful children, that she loves with all her heart. Knows that to terminate this pregnancy would require that the unborn child be torturously murdered in the womb and can not allow herself to murder a part of herself to save her life. That is true heroism. You talk in your book about how newborn's are sensitive to smells so you "brush your teeth and use mouth wash" before nursing your new baby. Yet you don't realize that unborns are sensitive to being rendered limb from limb and vacuumed from the womb. How shallow is that? This book is just one disappointment after another. We are the same age. Yet you seem so much younger in the way you process information and your inability to make grown-up decisions. This book is really all about a "wanna be" and "it's not my fault because..." I would recommend this book to take on vacation and use the pages to start a beach fire for roasting marshmellows.
  
  
• Motivational Weight Loss Book and More
  By ALUJ15UFI1422 on 2008-02-25
  I've never written a review that gets personal before, but because this is a motivational book with a subject very close to my heart, I decided it was appropriate.
  
  As someone who has struggled with weight all her life, I've watched Valerie's weight loss with Jenny Craig with interest and looked forward to reading her book.
  
  Valerie grew up with a poor body image, although in hindsight, she acknowledged her body was perfectly fine. She writes that she thought she was fat and ugly back when she acted on "One Day at a Time" and even took "Black beauties" (speed) to lose weight.
  
  Valerie hit rock bottom when she watched herself in a TV movie, Claire, and describes herself as a "fat and ugly old woman". Valerie wrote that she felt miserable inside and out. "There is the weight you see when you weigh yourself in the morning and then there is the weight you carry around inside that makes your feet drag, your shoulders hunch and your eyes look down."
  
  She knew about the Law of Attraction, and decided to apply it to her life. She literally prayed for a lightness of being.
  
  Shortly thereafter, Jenny Craig called.
  
  Reading her book was very odd for me, because I practice the law of attraction(as well as the placement of objects in my home and using the home's energy) and write about it in my book! I met my husband using the law of attraction, I have found great jobs...I have manifested all kinds of incredible things.
  
  For some strange reason, I never thought to apply the law of attraction and use energy work to lose weight. I think feeling good about yourself--inside and out--is difficult when you are not happy about the way you look.
  
  People who feel good about themselves glow. They feel the lightness of being that Valerie talks about. Motivation follows, automatically.
  
  Ahhhh...but then you still must eat less!
  
  Author of the award winning book,Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet
  
  
• Save your money!
  By A3I4QQFS0CJ870 on 2008-03-16
  Very disappointing! Save your money! If you are curious to read it like I was, get it from your library! I am soooo glad I did not waste money on this book. I wanted to read it because I liked the person I "thought" she was plus I was into Van Halen when they were in their prime. I expected so much more from this book and it did not deliver. I cannot believe it is number one on some bestsellers lists. I would think that the word would be out now NOT to waste your money on it!
  It sounded much more interesting when she was on Oprah. But that is what Oprah does so well, gets books on the best sellers list.
  As others have said, the book has NO substance at all. It is very choppy. It is like she would have a thought and just write it down even though it made no sense and didn't relate to what she was writing about. It was one boring chapter after another.
  I kept reading it because I wanted so bad for it to get better as I went along. But it never did.
  
  I also don't get why she felt the need to name drop all the men she slept with. I don't feel it is anyones business. My husband doesn't even know who I lost my virginity too! Some things are meant to be private. If she wanted it to be a "juicy" book then she should have gone into more depth and let it be a page turner.
  
  Also in the book she name drops a lot of old TV shows and actors she worked with. But the book lacked so much substance that it would make no sense why she was telling you the information because it didn't matter other than to say she was working away from home.
  
  I cannot believe this book actually went to press that way it was written!
  
  Did I learn anything new about Eddie Van Halen? No, we all know he did drugs but so did she. The stuff she does write about their marriage is not "page turner" material either. In my opinion she was absent from the marriage too....but yet she kept whining about what it lacked.
  
  I really don't get why she wrote this book......because she gained her life back?? Are you kidding? If she did you can't tell by this book.
  In my opinion, the majority of her weight issues stem from her line of work. She had to be "skinny" in order to audition for parts and that still exists today. We all know that dieting to a certain number and then going off the diet will make you gain your weight back plus more pounds. I feel that is exactly what happened to her. I don't feel that her new Jenny Craig diet has really solved anything. Yes, she did lose weight but because she is eating 1200 calories. Jenny's food is not the "magic" pill. All diets work as long as you watch your calories in and your calories out.
  
  So....Save your money! If you are still curious to read it, go to your library. This book is not worth a dime!!
  
  
  
• I am appalled... poor deluded Valerie !
  By A10KYI7J31NRD4 on 2008-03-02
  I was enjoying this book til I got to the part where Valerie blames the other *woman* for the most part ...for her then-husband Eddie VanHalen for having an extra-marital affair... because Ed was WEAK and the woman should have known better !
  
  Can you imagine how deluded poor Valerie must be that she must rationalize this in this manner?
  
  Good Lord.. Eddie VanHalen is a grown man and should be held responsible for his actions as much as the other woman.
  
  If he had been a wife abuser and physically hit his wife... I supposed she would have also said..
  
  well, he couldn't help it..he's weak.
  
  This kind of thing is seen so much...the woman gets mad at the other woman in an affair instead of being mad at the husband for cheating on her in the first place..
  
  so she has to rationalize it and say...poor weak baby, my husband...he was
  led down the primrose path by this evil woman who should have known better.
  
  I am nauseated now and feel very sorry for Valerie!
  
  
  
  
• The Girl Next Door Overcomes her Obstacles
  By A3V6Z4RCDGRC44 on 2008-03-01
  Valerie Bertinelli has always seemed the girl next door with the charmed life. She was married to rocker Eddie Van Halen, star of One Day at a Time, beautiful, funny. When we hear about the things she went through, it's like our best friend coming into our kitchen and sharing her troubles. We empathize, we understand.
  
  The book - a diary, really - is just under 300 pages and is an engaging read. I went right through it from start to finish over the course of an evening. Valerie is just how you would imagine she'd be - up front, brutally honest, funny, human. She doesn't pull any punches - but you get a sense that she's real.
  
  She was only 15 when stardom hit her, but her parents shielded her from much of the trappings of fame. She repeatedly praises them for keeping her grounded and watching over her. When she met Eddie, he was still living with his parents. A piano prodigy when he was young, son of a pair of musicians, he immersed himself in his music. They were just right for each other, and within 5 months they were planning a marriage.
  
  Valerie makes it clear that this was way too quick, and that their 20 years of marriage was anything but smooth. He drank and did drugs. She alternately railed at him to stop or hid out from the problems. He cheated. She cheated. They went to therapy. They fought again. When their one child, Wolfie came along, she dedicated her life to her son, trying to make things work for him.
  
  It is an incredible combination of events to read through. There are all the back stage tales of Van Halen told from an incredibly personal point of view. There are the glimpses into the "real man behind the star". There are also the stories of soccer mom shuttling, things any woman on the street can relate to. You understand completely why Valerie stayed in the relationship, trying to make it work. You feel her angst when her husband is slipping down the slope of addiction. You sympathize when she makes mistakes that even now she cringes over. She is the first to admit she's not perfect.
  
  Along the way, she talks about the things she has learned. The overeating she indulged in was rarely about the food - it was about soothing the emotional pain. Making progress is about visualizing the life you want to have and really believing in it. There will always be minor hiccups but you go through them and keep taking steps forward on the path you want to follow.
  
  Since many of us watched Valerie "grow up" before our eyes, it really is a powerful story to see the behind the scenes footage. The middle of the book even has a family album in it - photos of Valerie when she was young, photos of her family, photos of her with Eddie. It's a guilty pleasure, imagining how amazing it must have been for her to be with the "rock God idol" - and then realizing just what a burden that was, too.
  
  If I'm going to have a few complaints about the book, they are primarily that portions come across as a hard sales pitch for Jenny Craig. It's no real coincidence that this comes out right while she is a main spokesperson for Jenny Craig, and the book even shipped with a coupon / flyer for Jenny Craig right in it. She pushes the food several times in the book. But while this is a bit grating, it's also to be expected. She is rather grateful to them for helping her regain her life, and is showing it. If you picked up a book by someone whose life was saved by ZooFooLoo meditation, the book would probably pitch ZooFooLoo meditation a few times.
  
  Also, Valerie is a die-hard democrat and laces her commentary with phrases such as a negative situation being "like the GOP going after Hilary Clinton". If you're also a die-hart democrat you probably will cheer - if you're an avid Republican it might get to you after the 10th or 20th time she does this. Just be aware it's in the book.
  
  All in all, I found the book a great read - again, I zipped through it in one pass and really enjoyed it. You could really relate to her urges to grab food when she was depressed. You could understand her anger and angst dealing with a drunken husband. You really sympathize with her desire to keep her son safe and protected. Valerie is human and makes mistakes - but she is trying her best to do the right thing, and her travels are very inspirational to the rest of us out here.
  
  Kudos to her!
  
  
• Borrrrrrring
  By A3PDRAXH6EADY0 on 2008-03-18
  I bought this book because I thought it would be inspirational considering the amount of weight Valerie lost. Disappointment. It is a shallow look back at her sexcapades and other misdeeds. Very little to encourage the human spirit unfortunately. Honest? Maybe... Sensitive? Nope. Her constant name dropping of her sexual conquests should be embarrassing, but her story revels in it.
  
  And it is choppy and doesn't keep your interest.
  
  
• Disappointing, to say the least
  By A7Y2ZTWUY22IP on 2008-03-25
  I obviously expected way too much from this book. After reading it I came away with knowledge of how Eddie Van Halen spent his days. Unfortunately what I was hoping for was a sharing of personal pain and resulting enlightenment. Instead we got a detailed timeline of her different weights - and no introspection on self-love. I really thought the book would cover the timeframe of her Jenny Craig eating plan, the emotions that came with resisting eating, the grief that she felt for treating herself so badly over the years, buying into the total superficial nature of our society. But she is at a great weight so she's happy now! What a sad message to impart to both herself and readers of the book.
  
  
• So-so
  By AAR8E3JF9K93P on 2008-03-07
  I admire Valerie for having the guts to write this story. She was honest and forthright.
  
  Now, for the negative side....unfortunately, most of the story was boring and choppy. It feels as though Valerie would start a story and then would just end it without actually telling us all that much about the actual story.
  
  Her story was written in a choppy way and although she tried to make it witty, she often sounded trite and boring.
  
  Sorry - did not work for me.
  
  
• Yet Another Hollywood "Political Opinion Nobody Asked For"
  By AQNCIBEJQXIX7 on 2008-03-09
  I was really hoping this would be good. I have been a longtime VH fan and actually always liked Valerie and her TV movies and frankly looking forward to this book.
  
  ...Boy, was I wrong.
  
  While moderately good when she talks about weight and her struggles she really lost me with the CONSTANT assaults on conservatives, catholics and pro-life supporters. Are you kidding me???
  This is another Hollywood "I-have-a-microphone-and-you-don't-so-you-will-listen-to-me" idiot.
  
  I am so sorry I wasted my money. I am so sorry I blew 2 flights reading this book when I would have been better off reading the air-sickness bag.
  
  No wonder Eddie drank....
  
  
• Empty Calories
  By A1M41U1ZKJD8YI on 2008-07-04
  Lite on insight, long on product plugs, this vapid autobiography appears to have been ghostwritten by Jenny Craig's publishing division.
  
  Once an appealing young television personality, Bertinelli now seems content to have re-invented herself as a self-absorbed diet shill who spends as much time here dithering over her yoyo-ing waistline as she does her near-non-existent acting career and failed marriage to a drug happy rock star. Then one day she discovered Jenny Craig. . . and the rest reads like the world's longest People magazine profile. (Title of book doesn't even make sense--except as some kind of backward homage to Jenny Craig: Sounds as if Bertinelli were suffering from eating disorder and trying to GAIN weight.)
  
  Look elsewhere for anything remotely resembling a shocking revelation--Bertinelli foolishly revealed all the juicy parts (and there weren't that many to begin with) on TV during a pre-publication media publicity blitz.
  
  So what we're left with here is a book-length paid ad for Jenny Craig--only readers are the ones footing the bill. The corporate brown-nosing ranges from Bertinelli's alleged admiration for Kirstie Alley's "success" on Craig's diet program (Huh??? Has she looked at a tabloid lately?) to the inclusion of an unflattering, out-of-focus shot of Jenny herself, accompanied by the ridiculous caption "Isn't she beautiful?" (No, at least not here.) And--did she mention?--Valerie really does love Jenny's cuisine!
  
  Yet despite her self-avowed new-found grasp of responsible eating, Bertinelli is apparently so busy admiring her svelte self in a mirror that she has somehow failed to realize that her seriously overweight son Wolfie now looks like a teenage Jenny Craig spokesperson just waiting to happen. And, with Mom's connections, he just might be.
  
  Will be interesting to see whether she maintains her weight loss once her Craig contract expires and the TV talk shows have moved on to weightier matters than the dial reading on her bathroom scale.
  
  
  
• Ho Hum
  By A6FYEP8MIL1D0 on 2008-03-23
  Valerie's book seems to me to be about how she used to feel about her body, but in hindsight realizes (over and over again) that her poor self image was a fabric of her imagination. I was disappointed. The book was boring, yet I kept reading hoping for her to come to the point.
  
  I've always liked Valerie, but her book was a mish mash of "all about me," and what a wonderful mom she is.
  
  I found this book to be a waste of money.
  
  
• Disappointing
  By A2HXS3I5A7WBMI on 2008-03-09
  I always liked Valerie until I read this book. She speaks as though she's the only woman in the world who ever had weight and self esteem issues and keeps looking for things to blame it on. Now she'll probably blame me for the package of Oreos she's about to eat after reading her book reviews. Some parts just blew me away. How she could go see Ed in rehab with wine cooler on her breath and then yell at him for having peanuts on his breath while she was in labor and couldn't eat. Before going to be induced for labor, having a glass of wine since the doctor said it was ok. Why is alcohol even an option? Complaining because her house is taking too long to build while having to hand pick just the right used bricks for the construction that had to be shipped in from Chicago?? Give me a break! No wonder Ed drinks. This is the most self absorbed person. Also there's a line from the part where she attended a Bill Clinton fundraiser in 1992:"I shook hands with Hillary Clinton and got a sense of her warmth and genuineness that ended up being the reason I voted for Bill that year." That's a good reason to vote for someone. Liberals are funny!
  
  
• pathetic
  By A2HBC2RNWGSEHI on 2008-03-16
  I would not have imagined that Valerie Bertinelli ran very deep, but after reading this pathetic attempt at sharing some insights in her life, I am appalled at her lack of depth. You could sum this book up in three sentences. Wolfie played video games. Eddie drank. Valerie ate. There you have it. If you're looking for much more than this, you will be disappointed. I think the most shocking and disturbing aspect of this book is her parenting skills or lack thereof. Does she seriously not realize that every time she refers to her son, it is followed by the fact that he is playing video games? And she allowed him to go on tour with his drug and alcohol addicted father who clearly had an issue with rage? And she would try to talk to Wolfie, who would not communicate, and she would just accept his replies of "I'm handling it". He's HANDLING IT? She is a pathetic creature and I hope for her son's sake that he found some substance somewhere in his upbringing to solidify his existence. Cause he's sure not getting it from his whiny, insecure mother.
  
  
• I wish I lost this book
  By A1F0KG9CSKXIT1 on 2008-05-27
  Like most of America, I thought Valerie Bertinelli was adorable. Being of the body in th '80's - I was intrigued with anyone that could snag Eddie Van Halen. Man, was I ever wrong.
  
  I have to say after reading this tripe - who cares? About any of it. Frankly, after her first name drop of Pamlyn Ferdin who got a bigger part than her in Apple's Way, I realized Valerie was always going to be the victim. Everything from Eddie's cheating, to Della Reese - Valerie sees herself as a victim.
  
  I do not care about her political stance - because she gave me no reason to care. She mentioned she voted for Jimmy Carter in 1980. How about telling me why - other than just mentioning a few time you don't like Republicans?
  
  Val - you're still making bad choices. Who lets their 16 year old son of a coke head go on tour with the coke head? Will we be reading Wolfgang Van Halen's memoirs in a few years? "My Life as the son of a coke head and a selfish stupid actress" also known as My Mom is an Idiot.
  
  And to to publisher - the pictures were horrible. Blurry and out of focus.
  
  I'm so glad Val donated her size 12 FAT clothes to a thrift shop. I probably bought them.
  
  I am currently reading A thousand Splendid Suns. It is the best book I have ever read - but it may be because I just finished the worst book I have ever read.
  
  
• America's sweetheart
  By A3HYE473EJ4TYB on 2008-07-19
  LOSING IT: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time by Valerie Anne Bertinelli is a captivating memoir of her life as a child star, marriage to a rock & roll legend, and life in California. Many people know her as the spokesperson for a weight loss company, but she first became popular as Barbara Cooper, the younger daughter, on the great TV show One Day at a Time - The Complete First Season when she was fifteen. MacKenzie Phillips from American Graffiti (Collector's Edition) played the other daughter Julie, and the juxtaposition of the very different personalities made for a realistic, interesting show. Later, after a few Hollywood dalliances, Valerie married Eddie Van Halen when she was twenty, and began a fast-paced, hectic life on the road with the band.
  
  Throughout her life, she has struggled with self-esteem issues and weight fluctuations. Reading her memoirs is like being with an old friend who you really want to see succeed. It's nice to see her get it together.
  
  Charlie Maze
  July 18, 2008
  
  
• Great fun memoir, cautionary about diet
  By ACKRZWNZRUE5X on 2008-03-02
  I loved Val as a role model for years - we are the same age, looked the same at a younger age, and despite the fact that I didn't marry a rock star (well, he thinks he is), she shows she is just a regular person with some other trappings most of us don't have. The book is a fun read and great for anyone who grew up at the same time and thought she would be a great friend.
  
  HOWEVER - I have had some weight struggles myself, probably gaining/losing a similar amount over the years, and aside from the Jenny pimping, I want to point out that Valerie a)was getting the expensive Jenny food for free (which is nowhere near as yummy as home cooked meals), and b)was able to use a personal trainer and c)does not work full time, care for two children, necessarily clean her own house or do her own bills. In short, as much as Val is like us, she's not. So her diet experience in so many ways is atypical and I don't want this to be taken as a realistic picture of what Jenny can do for you. Add to this that many of these pre-packaged foods are processed with additives, it is indeed cautionary.
  
  I am currently on a brand new plan that is gaining momentum and while I hope Val will be able to keep her great new bod, she is going to have to make the move to 'real' food to keep herself healthy and make this way of life viable for her. The plan I am on has eliminated all my unhealthy carb cravings, etc., and I'm just a few weeks into it - but it's based on some very very healthy premises which I can sustain long term.
  
  In the meantime, come on over for coffee, Val - PS - Tom looks and seems (from Oprah appearance) like a terrific guy!
  
  
• Birds in song
  By A37H5J99YLCZMO on 2008-02-26
  It took me forever to learn to love the songs of birds again.
  I still have a hard time but after 14 years, I can so relate.
  Thanks soooooooooooooooo much for sharing your experience.
  I have been there.
  God Bless You Valerie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  
• Struggling with Addiction
  By AWCJRXM3EHGDY on 2008-03-07
  This book is less about a journey of life management and more about two people struggling with addiction. Bertinelli seems to be as addicted to food as her ex-husband is to drugs and alcohol. Both have very successful careers in spite of their inability to maintain balance in their daily lives. I can appreciate her deep love and connection to her son but don't understand how she can condemn her ex-husband, a man who preached, lived (and reaped the financial rewards) of the 80's counter-culture of sex-drugs and rock & roll. That is who E. Van Halen was and, most likely, still is.
  
  My only disappointment in the book is that, although we know Bertinelli is a Hollywood liberal, her stabs at the Republican Party had no connection to the story line and were completely unnecessary to the content. Kuddos to her dad for sticking to his political preference.
  
  
  
• Quite Disappointing
  By A2NVH41HF2GXGH on 2008-03-10
  I had always liked Valerie Bertinelli, until reading her book. She seems to blame everyone else but herself for her problems, from her weight, marriage issues, cheating, lack of communication skills, etc etc. She seems to be very shallow and self absorbed, and frankly, I was very disappointed at her lack of morals and lack of committment to the men that the supposedly "loved" and subsequently cheated on. It seems as though she could never make enough of a commitment to a man in any relationship to stay faithful to him, and this is very disappointing. I was also disappointed to read that she was not a good friend to Mackenzie Phillips at first when Mac was going through her hard times with drugs. Again, very shallow and self-absorbed!!!
  
  She does seem somewhat happier now, and I wish her the best, but I quite frankly do not see her succeeding in keeping the weight off, when she has such a negative opinion of herself and life in general. How long until something negative again happens in her life and she either cheats on her current boyfriend, or turns again to food? This seems to be the first relationship in her life, so far, that she has been monogamous in.
  
  I was also shocked that she could trash our president so boldly, and continue throughout the book to put down Republicans, which I think will turn off many potential buyers from purchasing this book.
  
  She also seems rather proud of her promiscous past, and doesn't seem to feel much guilt over the fact that she cheated on nearly every man that she has been with.
  
  Rather than being an inspiration, I find myself thinking "Thank God, I am nothing like her!!".
  
  
• A life like ours
  By A1XB6ZLDLP3JR6 on 2008-02-29
  Valerie does prove that she is "just like us" - her story of her pre/post Eddie years really isn't all that interesting. That's less her fault than it is the truth - she rushed into marriage at a young age, neither knew how to communicate, the marriage went sour. As he drank or did drugs, she ate. He brooded in his studio, she brooded in their home. They had a child, who both love dearly, but does nothing for the marriage. Both get angry and hurt each other. Then it's over. Both meet more compatible people - happy ever after.
  
  Could have been your friend, your neighbor - the only reason we read this is because it's Valerie.
  
  Quick read too - read the book in three hours; wish there were more pictures.
  
  Not bad for a "bad good girl".
  
  
  
  
• Disappointed
  By A2XPY7K4A4CORM on 2008-03-11
  I used to think I was jealous of Valerie when I was a teen and watched her marry Eddie. Now, I just feel sad and wonder why she tolerated a drunk, cheating, and drugs (BOTH of them) for over 20 years...... Sad why she (or anyone) puts up with that for so very long. Her incrediable low self esteem is puzzeling with all the apparent support systems she had. She's not who I thought (or is there ANY celebrity anymore you can admire?)
  
  

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• Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time

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• Grace is Enough