For a book that I read so quickly (checked it out on Wednesday and finished it this morning), I didn't find Losing it, and gaining my life back one pound at a time to be all that awesome. It was good, but I'm glad that I'll be returning it to the library rather than having it sit on my shelf. The book is about the weight-loss journey of Valerie Bertinelli, a TV actress from some shows that I've never seen. She was also married to Eddie Van Halen for a number of years. I definitely think the book would be more interesting for people who had watched Bertinelli or actually know a Van Halen song.
I checked out the book after seeing it lauded somewhere -- internet? Newsweek? I'm not sure. In any case, I saw it recommended and decided to check it out. After all, I do struggle with my own weight, and I heard the book was a good examination of weight and how it influences a life. In many senses, this was true of the book -- it follows Bertinelli through her life, starting in her teens, and examines how she connected weight and circumstances in her life. I did identify with Bertinelli when she talked about her eating. She was a social, emotional, and unconscious eater. What particular resonated with me was one portion where she said that she ate when she was upset and when she was happy. If things were bad, she ate to drown her sorrows. If things were good, she ate because she was happy and with friends. I have the exact same problem, and I struggle regularly with addressing my emotions instead of just eating. Bertinelli also struggled with maintaining weightloss; she'd drop weight to be in a movie or show but gain the weight right back after filming was done.
For Bertinelli, her turning point was becoming a Jenny Craig spokeswoman. She also committed to becoming more conscious about her eating, and she began to journal instead of turning to food. Her major weight loss revelations are small ones: watch your portion sizes, don't eat to deal with emotions, and get some exercise in. For exercise, she participated in ten thousand steps of walking per day. If she did anything fancier, she certainly didn't tell us in the book.
In the end, I'm glad I read the book. It was simple written and easy to follow, so it's a great beach book. I think the book would be really cool for anyone who is a Van Halen fan or watched Bertinelli's shows. But definitely read it with the mindset of watching the whole journey and not just the miraculous weight-loss she goes through with Jenny Craig (that part only takes the last two chapters). The book is a true reflection of how difficult weight can be for some people, even when those people are famous and have plenty of money at their disposal. For those that struggle, losing weight is never a cakewalk.