Valerie Bertinelli, star of the hit television series One Day At A Time and Touched by An Angel, has had her share of weight issue battles. After releasing two autobiographies and a workout DVD, and posing on the cover of the April 2009 issue of People magazine, it’s safe to say that Valerie has won the war.

Her two books – Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time and Finding It: And Satisfying My Hunger for Life without Opening the Fridge – are honest tales about her life and the weight loss struggles that accompanied it. Her stories of life as an actress, her marriage to Eddie Van Halen, and stories of motherhood are not only entertaining but also very inspiring.

The self-described weight-loss activist has lost 50 pounds through the years and is now a spokeperson for Jenny Craig. She attributes the weight loss to a regular exercise program. She started by walking 10,000 steps a day and began running five times a week shortly thereafter.

A few weeks before her photoshoot for People, Valerie cut down on her caloric intake by over 500 units and avoided her customary champagne splurge. The results speak for themselves, and Valerie is all the happier for it!