Valerie Bertinelli Stays Skinny By Healthy Diet And BodyBugg

Valerie Bertinelli. She still looks incredible after shedding some 40 lbs. on the Jenny Craig weight loss diet plan one year ago!!

What's even more amazing, is that the actress and Jenny Craig spokesperson has been training hard for the upcoming Boston Marathon on April 19th. Her first marathon ever. And we know the Boston Marathon is a grueling race.

But Valerie Bertinelli is up for the challenge. And the petite 5'4' actress is proud to say she made a recent trip to Italy with longtime boyfriend Tom Vitale, and enjoyed all the delicious Italian food. And she wore her BodyBugg all the time. What???!! More about that in a moment.

First, Valerie told People Magazine this:

Yes, I brought my Jenny Craig scale with me!” says Valerie. "I wanted to keep an eye on my weight. I said to myself, 'Eat, have fun-- and move your body!'" Valerie enjoyed pasta, oysters, red wine, and more. And yes, she gained a little, but only 3.4 lbs. Way to go, Valerie.

How did she do it?? By walking everywhere.....through Rome, Venice, Florence. She and Tom kept moving the entire 10-day vacation. And the distance was tallied---85 miles! Oh yes, she was able to keep a solid record through the BodyBugg device.

"The smallest number of steps we took in a day was 11,000. We never caught a cab."

The BodyBugg? It was made famous through the Biggest Loser weight loss reality show. For about $249, you can own one, too. You wear the BodyBugg around your arm. The device, pictured above, uses specialized sensors to monitor calories burned with over 90% accuracy. It also tracks steps with a built-in pedometer, like Valerie Bertinelli was explaining. And the intelligent personal calorie management device is also PC and Mac compatible. More details here:

Meantime, it's back to the daily running sessions for Valerie. And just a few weeks before the Boston Marathon:

"I know my body can do this," she says. " I ran 14 1/2 miles before I left for Italy, and wasn’t sore the next day. So I’m just worried about the emotional part. I can’t let my brain remind me that I’m almost 50, not an athlete, and have never done this before. I have to get all that craziness out of my brain!"

Eating right and certainly, exercising to the ultimate, Valerie Bertinelli makes us all proud. We hear she is running for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. "I just need to finish. There are so many people depending on me, but I feel their love and their ‘You go, girl’ attitude. I don’t want to let them down!"

Great story. Great woman. We wish Valerie Bertinelli all the best.