Valerie Bertinelli

"I am so high right now, more high than if I'd had a bottle of champagne! I feel euphoric!"

—Valerie Bertinelli shortly after finishing the Boston Marathon with a time of 5:14:37. Valerie, who is just four days away from her 50th birthday, tells People magazine that after a quick bath in the marathon recovery tent, she felt great, "I wonder if it's anything like childbirth where you forget how painful it was. I think I had a pretty amazing time!"

The Jenny Craig spokeswoman was one of 550 participants running for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Prior to yesterday's race, the farthest Valerie had ever run was 19.2 miles during a premarathon run last week. On what was going through her mind when she crossed the finish line: "When I turned the corner and saw the finish line, I turned the music off and just enjoyed the crowd."

Last week I asked you how you stayed fit on vacation, and I have to say a lot of your suggestions came in handy for my own weekend away! Even though I was in Las Vegas rock climbing in Red Rock Canyon, I also spent some time in the casinos, restaurants, and cocktail lounges. I took all of your suggestions in and found myself indulging without going overboard and walking almost everywhere. Here are the great ways you stay fit when you're on your own vacations; thanks for sharing!

To see the tips our readers shared, read more

Valerie Bertinelli isn't the only celeb benefiting from the Jenny Craig weight loss system; actress Sara Rue is down 30 pounds in just 12 weeks! Sara — a spokesperson for Jenny Craig — told People Magazine that her goal is to lose 10 more. “The changing of your mind is often the hardest part. Now that I’ve conquered that, I’m ready for more!”

Sara, who's recently engaged, says weight has always been an issue for her, and was even told that she lost an acting role because of her size. Hearing that news was a blow, and it gave Sara the determination to take back her life. Being on the program has taught her the importance of eating healthy and working out. These days each meal is a balance of the right amount of protein, carbs, fats, fruit, and "lots and lots of veggies."

“The key has been portion control, which has totally helped me not slip up, and has given me the necessary balance to feel good. I’m comfortable with this program, because it’s not a diet –- it’s a lifestyle change.”

Besides Sara, celebs like Valerie Bertinelli, Jason Alexander, and Nicole Sullivan have all found success on this program. I'm curious if any of you have tried it, and what your thoughts are. Please share them with me in the comments section below . . .

As a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig, Valerie Bertinelli lost an amazing 50 pounds on the weight loss system. Fast forward to today, and the actress is training to run the Boston Marathon (her first) on April 19 to support cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. But before she takes on the 26.2 mile run she decided to take a little jaunt to Italy earlier this month, where she enjoyed lots of pasta, red wine, and oysters. "I ate everything I wanted to and forgave myself," she told People Magazine, "and 3.4 lbs. is all I gained! I can take that off!”

Valerie was able to stay fit during her 10-day vacation by walking everywhere: "The smallest number of steps we took in a day was 11,000. We never caught a cab." By the end of the trip she had clocked in 85 miles! With Spring break either under way or just around the corner, staying fit on vacation is of special concern to many of you — especially if you're spending half your vacation in a bikini! Like Valerie, I do my best to walk everywhere when I'm on vacation so I can indulge on local fare but still feel pretty healthy.

How do you stay fit while on vacation?

As the previous spokeswoman for Jenny Craig, Valerie Bertinelli lost an astounding 50 pounds for her bikini cover shot on People magazine. The actress has managed to keep the weight off, created her own fitness DVD, wrote a new book called Finding It, and completed the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half-Marathon in just over two hours. What's next for this amazing almost-50-year-old? Val is training to run the 2010 Boston Marathon on April 19 to support cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Valerie says, "Losing 40 pounds was a huge accomplishment and as I continue to increase my fitness level, I am looking for more challenges."

That's quite the goal, isn't it? Looks like she's learned all she needs from Jenny Craig, and it's time for someone new to take her place. That someone is Jason Alexander — aka George from Seinfeld.

To learn how much weight he plans on losing as the new spokesman keep reading.

Valerie Bertinelli is certainly serious about weight loss. After losing 50 pounds using the Jenny Craig plan, she became a spokeswoman for the company, has written two books about weight loss, and even created her own fitness DVD. Now on the cover of Health magazine, Val talks openly about her daily struggles with food cravings and the secrets to maintaining her 128-pound figure. When asked what inspired her to lose weight, Valerie said that when she saw herself in the movie she made three years ago called Claire, she thought,

"Oh my goodness, who is that ugly, old, fat woman? . . . And that just made me feel terrible. And ashamed. And I was tired of feeling ashamed. I started to visualize myself, what I knew I could look like — and I didn’t want to look like that person on the screen. So I started to picture what I knew I could look like as a healthy, vibrant woman. A couple of months later, Jenny Craig called.

Want to know what tricks she uses to stay slim? Then read more

What to get the woman who raised you? She may not be as hard to shop for as grandma or dad, but I still have a few ideas. Mine is a Dancing With the Stars fanatic, so I'm snatching up their new workout DVD. Also on the list: Valerie Bertinelli's memoir and a cute Liz Lemon tote to take to the grocery store. I'm considering a TiVo, too — that way, she doesn't have to decide between The Amazing Race and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on Sunday nights anymore. (Really, it's like Sophie's Choice.)

But if my suggestions don't strike your fancy, check out all of the gift guides across the Sugar network. You're sure to find something!