Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time
by Valerie Bertinelli
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Read in March, 2008
What ever addiction you may have, let it be weight or shopping (me), this is a real inspiring book to read. Yes, of course, there is the dirt about Eddie Van Halen and the band, but it's more sad than anything. But, you have to read it for more than that (although after reading this book and Tatum O'Neal's book, I have a low opinion of Patti Smyth from the Band Scandel). The book is about Valerie and how taking care of her health, especially her weight has related to every aspect of her life....more
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recommends it for:
anyone who likes Valerie Bertinelli or Van Halen
I debated between giving this one 2 or 3 stars, because it was incredibly light and a very fast read...but I guess I did enjoy it, mostly because of my childhood fondness for Valerie Bertinelli. It was not particularly well written--just okay.
I loved One Day at a Time as a young teen, and I loved the fact that Bertinelli played a goody two shoes, sweet teenager and made it look cool. I still remember our shared love of Elton John and her impersonation of him and singing "Don't Go Breaki...more
I loved One Day at a Time as a young teen, and I loved the fact that Bertinelli played a goody two shoes, sweet teenager and made it look cool. I still remember our shared love of Elton John and her impersonation of him and singing "Don't Go Breaki...more
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There are pros and cons to this one, and I am not sure that the pros outweigh the cons enough to recommend this book. Also, to be fair, I really don't think I read this book for the right reasons. Originally, I was more interested in the rock and roll gossip, and not Valerie Bertinelli's story. Then, over the course of the book, I did become more interested in her journey. Towards the end, I was really rooting for her. I liked the brutal honesty in which she describes her life. I also appreci...more
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Read in April, 2008
Celebrity biographies can be enjoyable if they reward the reader with bits of insight and honesty about the writers life. We're looking for something that we haven't heard before and stories that make them more human/real. Valerie Bertinelli offers us an incredibly candid story of her life (so far) that runs along the thread of how she handled weight gain. This book was actually loaned to my wife but as a Van Halen fan I scanned it for annedotes on the Rock and Roll lifestyle and ended up readin...more
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Read in March, 2008
picked up 2/27. so far very personable! conversational reading! started last night (2/29) and am more than 90 pgs into it already!
update: (3/4) finished! a very easy, interesting, relate-able read! her writing is very conversational and i could hear her voice in my mind as i read. i've also had relationships w/musicians (infamous & not!) & relationships that i lost myself in trying to force them to work, i'm now over weight (for me) for the 1st time since grade school & i...more
update: (3/4) finished! a very easy, interesting, relate-able read! her writing is very conversational and i could hear her voice in my mind as i read. i've also had relationships w/musicians (infamous & not!) & relationships that i lost myself in trying to force them to work, i'm now over weight (for me) for the 1st time since grade school & i...more
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Read in February, 2008
I generally love autobiographies, especially from celebrities past, because they offer a sneak peek into a life that I will (probably) never get to see. Add to this the rock n' roll lifestyle and I'll always buy the book.
I would have enjoyed Valerie's story more if it was more in depth, and less redundant (how many times can you gain weight, take it off, gain it back, and hold someone's interest). She skimmed over some fascinating portions of her life, especially her times on set at One Day at...more
I would have enjoyed Valerie's story more if it was more in depth, and less redundant (how many times can you gain weight, take it off, gain it back, and hold someone's interest). She skimmed over some fascinating portions of her life, especially her times on set at One Day at...more
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Read in May, 2008
As a big Van Halen fan, I was so intrigued to read this in the hopes that there would be some juicy inside info on what went down with the band throughout the years--and I got just that. In fact, the book was mostly about that. I actually feel bad that Eddie and the band had so much of their dirty laundry aired in a book that doesn't even belong to them, but let's face it, the bands problems were never really a secret. There were times when Valerie gets slightly annoying. Like when she blames...more
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Read in June, 2008
Valerie's book is a refreshing change to an autobiography. It is up beat and witty. I felt like she was actually having a conversation with the reader over a cup of coffee.Her story begins with inviting you on the ride of her life , complete with jalapeños poppers for snacks. She is a beautiful woman who has no clue of how talented and wonderful she really is and seeks her acceptance from the one thing that never let her down and was always there for her-food. It is a struggle most women deal w...more
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Read in July, 2008
I can relate to the esteem issues she faced and how having just one comment at an early age affect the way you feel about your self-image and weight in particular the rest of your life. I'm glad to see that she found the strength to leave a relationship and begin a journey of better health and more respect and love for herself. I'd really love to get her son's perspective on all of this as the photos in the book lead me to believe that he has some of his own issues that he's not been able to d...more
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Read in October, 2008
Valerie Bertinelli is not a writer, which is evident in this book. Some of this book was very difficult to read because of her writing. She writes almost like a teenager, often glossing over a long period of time, and important items in just a few sentences. She's a Jenny Craig spokesperson.
As such, she attempts to show how her weight is really symbolic of how her life was spinning out of control. I think many women (not THIS one) can relate to her constant thoughts about food and her weigh...more
As such, she attempts to show how her weight is really symbolic of how her life was spinning out of control. I think many women (not THIS one) can relate to her constant thoughts about food and her weigh...more
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Read in July, 2008
I was never a big fan of One Day at a Time; somehow Mackenzie Phillips gave me the creeps lol. Did you know that Bonnie Franklin who played the mom was only 31 at the time!! But I enjoyed Bertinelli's movies of the week, e.g. "Shattered Vows" about a young nun who leaves the convent and "I Was a Male Order Bride." Boy how I miss those late 70s-80s movies of the week!It reminded me that she was quite the tv-movie queen back then. It was fun reminiscing about those with her. Be...more
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Read in April, 2008
She has learned the trick of having that last line in a chapter give you a hint of what is coming next. Therefore, this was a book that was harder to put down.
I have a shelf full of books I want to read, other biographies of strong women, but I picked this brand new one over the others. I guess I just felt a bond at the time - struggling with getting my life back one pound at a time.
Beyond "One Day at a Time", it wasn't the different TV movies and acting gigs I was interested in. ...more
I have a shelf full of books I want to read, other biographies of strong women, but I picked this brand new one over the others. I guess I just felt a bond at the time - struggling with getting my life back one pound at a time.
Beyond "One Day at a Time", it wasn't the different TV movies and acting gigs I was interested in. ...more
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Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
Van Halen fans
After hearing Rachel Ray talk about how wonderful and inspirational this book was I picked it up right away. I was disappointed after the hype I heard about it. I seemed to go from one scenario to the other just dropping names along the way to all the stars that she knew and the shows that she had been on and of course whether she was fat or not at that point. She also repeated herself many times and would lead into the next chapter as if something exciting was about to happen but nothing ever ...more
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Read in March, 2008
Absolute drivel. I don't know what possessed me (I did think it might just be a fun read.) I've kind of followed her career in a casual way, but if you saw any of the media she did to promote this, you've heard everything you need to hear. Almost completely absent of any insight--about anything. I don't think she's a stupid person, but it's pretty clear she didn't actually write this, and the hook of her losing weight through Jenny Craig is never really explored (why did that work when so ma...more
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Read in July, 2008
Valerie Bertinelli is so down-to-earth and honest about her shortcomings in this book that I couldn't help but like her, although her writing was VERY casual and somewhat disorganized and went off on a lot of tangents. It was interesting to get an insider's view on the life of a TV star and rock star (her husband). She spent a lot of time on her personal history and why she was so unhappy that she ate her way into a size 14. But she quickly glossed over the actual process of losing weight and th...more
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Read in February, 2008
Since I remember Valerie Bertinelli from One Day at a Time, and I was a big Van Halen fan back in the day, I thought this would be a fun book to read, and it was. It was a gossipy kind of feel-good memoir in which Bertinelli actually takes the blame for a few things. It was nice that, although ostensibly about her weight loss, the book also focused on her life, career, family, and friends. I read it in record time; it's one of those books that's great for reading in a doctor's waiting roo...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Carole by:
I saw her on THE VIEWrecommends it for: anyone who cannot get to sleep at night
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Read in March, 2008
Nice and juicy! She wasn't as good as she seemed; Eddie Van Halen (at least when she first met him) wasn't as wild as he seemed. Scott Colomby! Dirk Benedict! Steven Spielberg! Cocaine and pot! There's the usual self-esteem issues, weight problems, new-age light stuff, but better than some other celeb autobios I've read. Pity she had to use "third wheel." And not enough "One Day at a Time" stories! Richard Masur gets one mention--come on!!! No Michael Lembeck? Boyd ...more
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When Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen were married I always thought "How Cool would that Be." I suppose every girl wishes they were married to a rock star---albeit one of the best guitarists in the world. I was sad when I heard they got divorced. This book is so honest and beautifully written with heart and honesty. I makes Valerie and Ed (Eddie) seem like neighbors. I still wish for a different ending and they get back together. I suppose that's not going to happen.
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Read in March, 2008
I read this because, like Valerie Bertanelli, I am doing Jenny Craig. In fact, we joined around the same time, and she's skinny now and I'm not. However, reading her book did make me focus on my own goals and issues, and while it's not particularly well written, it does sound as if she's writing from the heart. It was a decent beach read, and that's exactly where I read it: at Nags Head, NC on spring break (but it was too cold to read on the beach, so I was cozy at our cottage!)
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