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Valerie Bertinelli Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
Valerie Bertinelli is no longer stepping on a scale after years of body image issues.
Bertinelli, 63, took to Instagram on Thursday, February 8, to share throwback photos of herself in a bikini from 10 years ago.
“2014 #tbt This is a 150lb body on a 5’4 frame,” she wrote alongside the post. “I don’t weigh myself anymore because this is considered overweight by whose standards I don’t know. It’s stupid and I believed them for far too long. I now, finally, know that I am a kind, considerate, funny, thoughtful woman.”
Bertinelli included a message of positivity for her followers, adding, “So please remember, who you are and what your character is, should never be overshadowed by what size you are or how much you weigh. You are enough. Just the way you are. F–k ’em 💜#throwbackthursday.”
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The Food Network star has previously detailed the steps she took to have a better relationship with her body. Following her split from ex-husband Tom Vitale, Bertinelli opened up about how she prioritized her mental health.
“So it’s getting about time for me to probably go down another jean size. I can’t believe it. And this all started in November, the month I got free,” she wrote via Instagram in June 2023. “And I started really concentrating on my emotional and mental health. And when I started doing that, I started caring about the nutrition that I put in my body more.”
Valerie Bertinelli Courtesy of Valerie Bertinelli/Instagram
Bertinelli, whose divorce was finalized in November 2022, credited the breakup for inspiring her to make some lifestyle changes.
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“The harsh words and abuse can never be unheard and taken back, but here’s the thing, I wouldn’t have taken them in and believed them in the first place, if I hadn’t been saying harsh and unkind words to myself first,” she continued. “Caring not so much about calories but what are in those calories? Am I getting enough fiber? Am I getting enough protein? Am I getting enough vitamins, naturally, in my food? Am I drinking too much? What makes me feel better? What makes my body feel better? Keyword, FEEL better.”
Bertinelli concluded the post with a reminder for her fans, adding, “I’m really starting to love myself. Deep down. All this to say I have a lot to talk about and will continue to do so. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Please be kind to yourselves. You deserve it. We all do. We are enough. 🤍✌🏻.”
That same month, Bertinelli clarified that she was not looking to offer “diet advice” to others.
“Please don’t come to me for diet advice. I have failed more times than I have succeeded. Releasing weight is a nice side effect for sure, but this journey has to be, for me, much more than that this time,” she noted via Instagram at the time. “I feel lighter even though I’m pretty much around the same weight I was when I started Jenny Craig 16 years ago! So it is not about the number on the scale.”
She continued: “My heart is lighter. My head is lighter. I want to feel my feelings, even though they can be scary sometimes, and I do my best to get to the other side of them. What I don’t want to do is numb or avoid my feelings with food and alcohol any longer. That is the road I’m on and doing my best to stay on.”
