Valerie Bertinelli Post Jenny Craig: "I've Gained A Few Pounds"
Valerie Bertinelli isn't ashamed to admit to her recent weight gain.
During the filming of Wednesday's episode of The Talk, Bertinelli opened up about putting on a few pounds after being sidelined with an injury.
"I've gained a few pounds," Bertinelli revealed. "I broke my foot three months ago and the weight starts to creep up. I haven't been able to move. My doctor even told me, 'Do not get your heart rate up.'"
After tipping the scales at 172 pounds nearly ten years ago, Bertinelli, who is 5'4'', joined Jenny Craig and dropped an impressive 40 pounds. From there, she went on to pose in a bikini on the cover of PEOPLE Magazine at 48-years-old.
After dropping so much weight, seeing the pounds return wasn't easy for Bertinelli and caused her to "panic" at first. But then, she realized that she's 54 -- and that she was only experiencing the weight gain because of an injury, not because of a lack of effort.
"I started thinking, 'Why do I feel so much shame?' We need to take the shame out of it," she explained. "We all need to give each other a break – especially women."
Now, just weeks before her 55th birthday (on April 23), Bertinelli is back in the gym and ready to get her figure back. However, that doesn't mean she's going to be depriving herself when it comes to her diet.
"I still like to eat – and I'm going to eat!" she said.