Valerie Bertinelliis getting candid about getting her mental and emotional health in check so that her physical health can follow.
The star and Food Network host, 61, appeared onToday with Hoda & JennaThursday morning and got emotional when discussing body image and what she believes is needed in order to lose the weight she wants.
“I haven’t stepped on the scale since I finished writing the book,” she said, referring to her memoirEnough Already, before becoming teary-eyed. “I’m looking at the monitor and trying not to judge myself too harshly right now because I know that I’m still holding on to this weight because it’s protecting me because I’m going through a lot of challenges, a lot of heartbreak, a lot of crazy stuff going on in my life right now.”
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Bertinelli explained to hostsHoda KotbandJenna Bush Hagerthat she’ll only make progress and get rid of her “protection” weight after first making improvements with her mental health.
“I know this weight is protecting me right now, and when I get healthier internally and emotionally that weight will come off,” she said. “Because I know I’m treating my body better. I’m drinking less alcohol, I’m eating less sugar, I’m putting more vegetables in my body, but my body is doing this for a reason … because it needs protection.”
“And I’m not the only one going through these challenging times, we’ve all been through so much,” Bertinelli continued. “I’m not the only one. And I’m not here to say, ‘oh, poor me.’ I’m here to say that when we reach out to people we love, or strangers even, that we don’t have to feel so alone in this world and go through it alone.”
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Earlier this year, Bertinelli wrote inan essay forNew Beautythat she’s made a lot of progress sinceshe quit weighing herself cold turkey. Though she said that she’s still a work in progress, she’s happy with the results so far.
“It’s all a test and we’ll see how it works, but I do know that my mental health has improved immensely because I stopped looking at the scale every morning — and that’s the first big step for me,” she said.
“When you stop denying yourself of certain things, you somehow, also automatically, start to self-regulate — I’ve found that especially true as I’m trying to take care of my mental and emotional health, as well as the weight.”
Taking the leap, though, was difficult after her long history of struggling with her weight and her self-esteem.
Her weight is “the thing that holds me back,” Bertinelli wrote. “But I want to start feeling the same about myself — no matter what weight I am. I don’t have to wait until I’ve lost weight to be kind to myself and to be kind to others. It shouldn’t matter what I look like. I’m trying to make that a reality in my life, and then, hopefully, my body will follow.”
source: people.com
