Kirstie Alley's Weight-Loss Journey Hasn't Been Easy
If anyone’s had ups and downs in their weight-loss journey, it’s Kirstie Alley.
The 67-year-old actress and mom of two has been in the spotlight for years (you remember Cheers, right?). That means fans have been with her through her weight-loss wins and setbacks (like when she lost 75-pounds on Jenny Craig…or when she gained some of it back before losing weight again on Dancing With The Stars). So, no, Kirstie’s weight-loss journey hasn’t exactly been easy…which makes it relatable AF.
Most recently, Kirstie’s appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, where she was crowned runner-up last week, placed her in the headlines again. Here’s what Kirstie’s weight-loss journey has looked like through the years.
Getty ImagesRon Galella, Ltd.
“I spent my whole life thin, then one summer I probably gained around 40 or 50 pounds,” Kirstie said, according to OK!
Kirstie told Oprah in 2004 that she didn’t even realize she had an issue with her weight at first. “Honestly, I didn’t know how fat I was,” she said. “Thanks to the tabloids, I went, ‘Damn, girl, you’re fat!'”
Kirstie revealed more recently that she gained the weight by basically eating whatever she wanted. “It’s not in my nature to plan,” Kirstie told People in 2016. “I’m a very spontaneous person, and that’s how I got fat.” She added that she often over-ate for months around the holidays.
Getty ImagesLawrence Lucier
In 2005, Kirstie launched Fat Actress, a television show loosely based on her own struggle to revive a Hollywood career while navigating a world that tends to prefer a certain body type.
“I think women across the country will identify with her,” co-creator Brenda Hampton told TODAY in 2004. “It’s difficult to lose weight and find a relationship, no matter where you live. It makes it all the more painful when you’re in the spotlight.” The show wasn’t renewed after its first season.
Around the same time, she also published How To Lose Your Ass and Regain Your Life: Reluctant Confessions of a Big-Butted Star.
Getty ImagesChris Polk
Kirstie signed on with Jenny Craig as as spokesperson in 2004—and lost 75 pounds, thanks to the program. She revealed that weight loss on The Oprah Show in 2006 while wearing an iconic red bikini. She stayed on as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig until 2007.
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Kirstie kept off the 75 pounds she lost on Jenny Craig for about three years, but eventually the pounds started creeping back. Just before Kirstie started season 12 of Dancing With The Stars in 2011, she weighed 230 pounds, according to People.
After competing on the show (she came in second place, BTW), Kirstie says she lost 100 pounds—an achievement she attributes to a combination of hours spent in the studio and an organic diet.
Critics were skeptical, but Kirstie stood up to the haters.”NO surgery, NO flippin lasers, NO barfing, NO starving…Jeez…my products, organic food, dance,” she tweeted a few months after she wrapped the show.
Getty ImagesD Dipasupil
In April 2014, Kirstie rejoined Jenny Craig as a spokeswoman, saying she wanted to combat her 30-pound weight gain.
“It’s so important for women to look the way they want to look and feel the way they want to feel for their own reasons, not because someone’s telling them to or because it’s fashionable or trendy,” she told Women’s Health in 2014. “Losing weight is losing weight, but just because you’re skinny doesn’t mean you’re happy.”
By 2015, Kirstie had lost 50 pounds on Jenny Craig.
Getty ImagesKevin Mazur
Kirstie told The Today Show that she was newly focused on maintaining her current weight, instead of losing, per Us Magazine.
Getty ImagesRaymond Hall
In 2017, she told People she had successfully maintained her 50-pound weight loss by avoiding certain foods, including the holiday treats, that had once led her to over-indulge.
“I’m much more disciplined,” she told the magazine. “I love sugar cookies that are frosted with Santa’s faces and trees, so I didn’t order any and I didn’t have any. My friends were dismayed because I usually give them out as gifts.”
Other favorites the actress avoided: linguini with clams and also cheese.
Getty ImagesIan West
This week, Kirstie said on the podcast The Dan Wootton Interview that she was diagnosed with Lyme disease last year—and that that led to her gaining some weight back.
When Wootton asked Kirstie if she could ever be satisfied with staying at a heavier weight, she said, “No. I don’t think I look good when I’m overweight. … I know when I’m on the thinner side, I love the way I feel. I have more energy.”
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