But Bertinelli still says Alley can lose the weight and get back in shape again. She says Alley’s recent 83 pound weight gain is “just a bump in the road. Nothing in life goes smoothly all the time.” She also credits Alley with inspiring her to lose weight and considers her a mentor, and has invited Alley to come work out with her.

Seeing these two celebrities struggle publicly with their weight has been quite a contrast to the people who seem to lose weight like it’s nothing. Think of all the new mothers we see just a few months after giving birth who are in the best shape of their lives. While I think that’s a great thing, it always doesn’t always happen like that. More often than not, people struggle when it comes to weight loss. It’s a livelong change, as Bertinelli says, not just a quick fix. Hopefully seeing Alley and Bertinelli will help the rest of us trying to lose weight and be healthy.

Image: Bauer-Griffin

Post from: Blisstree

Valerie Bertinelli Supports Kirstie Alley

It’s funny, because I’m sure that plenty of people would assume individuals who have experienced eating disorders must be very good at dieting.  But truly, I’m not.  And I’m willing to bet that I’m not alone. 

I’m very good at restricting and starving, but not dieting.  I’m also good at self-loathing to the point where I don’t allow myself to eat, but not dieting.  And I’m good at becoming so depressed that eating seems ridiculous, but not dieting.

See, I’ve never been on a “diet”, per se.  I’ve never joined Weight Waters or Jenny Craig and I’ve never really fastidiously ensured that I ate balanced meals throughout the day.  Sure, I’ve counted calories, but not in an “I’m going to lose the baby weight” manner; for me, counting calories was an obsession.  Basically, calories were “the enemy”.  Heck, my body was the enemy. 

When I first began my spiral into anorexia, I was actually quite chubby.  However, I didn’t strategically set out to lose weight–I just stopped eating one summer.  Boom.  Simple as that.  No dieting.  Just pure, unadulterated starvation.

Of course, I know that I couldn’t even ever attempt a diet, nor should I.  I know darn well it would trigger ana.  I mean, if I lost 10 pounds, why not 15?  Why not 20?  This might sound crazy, but I can’t understand how and when dieters know how to stop losing weight!  I could never set a goal weight and then just be happy I reached it; I’d have to go lower and lower… and it still wouldn’t satisfy me.

What got me thinking about diets?  I guess all the talk about Oprah Winfrey’s weight gain  and Rachel Zoe’s much ballyhooed weight loss could have contributed.  And I’m sure that in January all we’ll hear about are “fast fixes” to drop pounds.  So I guess the word “diet” is in my subconscious.

So tell me–would you know a true “diet” if it hit you over the head?  Or do diets confound you, too?

Post from: Blisstree

I haven’t a clue how to diet