Book: Losing It

I was watching TV one night and couldn't fast foreward because I was watching actual real TV and not something I had recorded on the DVR and something about Valerie Bertinelli caught my eye. I don't remember exactly what it was but it made me go online and reserve this book at the library the very next day.  It is very possible that it was a Jenny Craig commercial but I don't remember for sure. 

Losing It - And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time by Valerie Bertinelli

I immediately was captivated by her story.  Whatever sparked that interest in the commercial, it probably had to do something with emotional eating or just searching for something more while you are losing weight. 

I enjoyed this book immensely as Valerie talks so much about her life and you can tell what passion that she has leaping out at you from her words.  I love the fact that she preaches how important mother/daughter relationships are and she urges mothers to talk to their children about everything so that when it really matters they will come to you for advice and not seek out others or make bad choices.  She talks about how her mother taught her to hold her emotions in and not discuss them...hence the emotional eating. 

I did have a bit of a hard time listening to her call herself fat when she weighed 125 pounds.  I would LOVE to be 125 pounds and am struggling to get myself into the 130s...that is where my current goal lies.  Valerie and I are the same height...right down to the 1/2 inch that us short people must say when we list our height.  So to hear her say that 125 is fat kind of pissed me off.  But then I took a step back and realized it was all in your perception.  Sure I would love to be 125 pounds but that is because I started out much heavier...MUCH HEAVIER.  If I was coming from Valerie's point of view and SHE had never weighed more than 115 pounds then yes I could see how 125 might be considered a problem.  I can also see that when her weight spiraled out of control and she found herself 10-15 pounds heavier than I am now she was a wreck.  However I sure was glad to see that weight come and go on the scale.  When I was at the weight she started Jenny Craig at {172 pounds} I was pleased to have lost 44 pounds at that point.  But I once was that weight, 6+ years ago and it was a high weight for me.  So again it is all about perspective!

I could have let her talking about her lower weight get me down since I feel like I am so far away from that number she considered to be so BIG but I didn't.  I really tried to put myself in her place and how I would feel if those were my numbers and I felt satisfied with myself and motivated to continue my journey and reach my goal weight!

I enjoyed reading about her weightloss journey and inspired that she too calls it a journey.  That is what I have been calling this trek of mine all along.  She talks about overcoming emotional eating and what she calls unconscious eating.  Things that I too stuggle with.  I would have like to heard more about that subject but I did walk away from this book with deep things to ponder!