Can this work for us?

I must confess, I am a huge fan of The Oprah Winfrey Show. It sounds cheesy, but I love it! Getting to my point, about a year or so ago, one of her guests was Valerie Bertinelli. Her book, "Losing It- And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time" had just come out, and was already on the New York Times Bestseller List, eventually achieving #1. I already knew Valerie from her early days on "One Day at a Time", and her roles in several Lifetime movies, which I really don't ever watch, but there was always commercials about them! I was also aware of who her legendary rocker ex-husband was, Eddie Van Halen, and was more than excited to read about her cliched lifestyle of "sex, drugs, and rock and roll". The book was filled with fun facts such as Valerie's short fling with Steven Spielberg, her audition for the lead role in "Footloose" and "Adventures in Babysitting". I'm somewhat of a pop culture junkie so these stupid little details amuse me. Her young marriage to Eddie Van Halen, their nightly cocaine binges, and Valerie's struggle to maintain a healthy weight would leave her depressed and out of work.
As I dug deeper into the book, I realized that throughout her entire life, she struggled with her weight. Weight- the reason she lost the parts in "Footloose" and "Adventures in Babysitting". I believe it wasn't until a phone call from Jenny Craig a few years ago, that Valerie realized she was overweight. After starting the diet, she slowly shrunk from size 14, to 12, to 8, and states "even those are getting loose".
The thing with women is that they never feel they look good enough. For most of us, we can diet until we are blue in the face and still not achieve the perfect look. In Valerie's second book, "Finding It- and Satisfying My Hunger for Life Without Opening the Fridge", another bestseller, she shares her feelings on her journey to maintain a healthy weight. Her realization is that its not just about the food you eat. To truly get yourself to that healthy place, requires life changes as well. Some examples she mentions are to pick one realistic goal a day that you know you can achieve, so you aren't burnt out or sad that you didn't get everything done. Being on time, returning calls and e-mails are all things that will relieve stress, and lessen your "to do list". She asks the question "What if  losing weight meant getting rid of the 'weight' we carry on our shoulders and inside"? Obviously, eating the right foods is a great way to start getting your life onto that healthy track our world is now obsessed with, but I think that Valerie's onto something, and anyone that's ever had issues with their weight should invest their time into these books as inspiration to jump-start your own journey. P.S. did you see her on People Magazine?! She's 50 and looks great!