Valerie Bertinelli Opens up about Working Hard on Her Weight Loss Journey

Valerie Bertinelli has been working hard at staying fit, and she doesn't care who knows about her determination and drive.

Eleven years after she donned a green bikini for the cover of People, Valeria Bertinelli has opened up about her weight loss journey.

During her conversation with the news outlet, the actress revealed that comments from the adults in her life when she was growing up, caused her to develop body image issues. The 60-year-old recalled to People saying:

"I remember my fifth grade teacher patted me on the belly and said, 'You might want to keep an eye on that.'"

Things became even worse when she took on the role of Barbara Cooper on the 1975–1984 sitcom "One Day at a Time" as she "felt big" next to her co-stars. At some point in her life, she turned to food to avoid dealing with her feelings – whether it was grief or happiness.

As of 2017, [Valerie Bertinelli] added the title of chef and cookbook author to her hat when she landed her own Food Network show and released a cookbook.

She has come a long way since then as she came to the realization that it was vital for her to "feel her feelings" and still enjoy food.

It was the need to stop looking at food as a way out that prompted her to partner with "Today," to start her "Start TODAY with Valerie" show. The show would give fans another option to keep fit as they would join her as she works toward her mind-body goals.

Valerie's dedication to getting the mind and body she wants comes two years after People revealed that she doubled the size of her library to fit her book collection.

According to the site, the "Touched by an Angel" star's library has become filled with old scripts from her TV days, cookbooks that serve as inspiration for the chef, and family photo albums.

As of 2017, the actress added the title of chef and cookbook author to her hat when she landed her own Food Network show and released a cookbook.

In fact, People also divulged that Valerie was releasing her second cookbook "Valerie's Home Cooking," in October of the same year.

As it turns out, her passion for food is one of the things she shares with her husband, Tom Vitale, and according to her, cooking with her man is her idea of the "ultimate date night."