Kirstie Alley: Just Because Youre Skinny Doesnt Mean Youre Happy

Kirstie Alley and Jenny Craig go way back. The two first met in 2004 when the actress used the weight-loss program to drop a whopping 75 pounds in three years—and for about four years, she maintained that weight.

Holiday indulgence and stress eating caused the number on the scale to creep back up... but Kirstie says she's not going to keep that weight on for long. She plans to drop 30 pounds over the course of the next five months with the help of Jenny Craig.

Want to learn more about Kirstie's weight-loss strategy? Check out our exclusive interview with the star (edited for space and clarity):

At what moment exactly did you say to yourself "I need to get back on the weight-loss wagon?"
I have a new sitcom called Kirstie—really original—which I'm the executive producer of. I was watching it and going, 'Hmmm, you need to lose some weight.' When you're on television, you look fatter than you do in real life. I look at every show before it goes on TV and make notes. And one of my notes was to lose 30 pounds.

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. Losing weight is losing weight, but just because you're skinny doesn't mean you're happy.

Good point. So what are your other big motivators for losing weight?
I love to feel limber, and I love to move really, really fast. When I gain weight, I can't move as fast. I'm not as limber or agile, and that translates into [not being able to] run around with my friends' little kids. Also, when I'm at a certain weight and I'm working out—doing all of the right things—I don't injure myself.

It seems like overall health means more to you than what you see in the mirror.
I'm really healthy already. For me, [losing weight] makes me feel youthful. I was athletic: I was a swimmer, I did gymnastics, I was a cheerleader, and I could run really fast. Even when I did Dancing with the Stars, I found that I could dance better and faster [when I was at a lighter weight]. So for me, it's more about: How do I want to live my life? That's why I keep at it. I could weigh what I weigh right now, and most people would say I don't look really fat. But it's about how I feel and what I can accomplish. Those components are more important. In my mind, my attention is 10 percent on losing weight, and the rest is on living my life.

In a recent interview on the TODAY show, you said that one of your biggest triggers for overeating was emotional stress from "man troubles." How do you plan on making sure this won't get in your way again?
Emotional stress from man troubles is just one thing I said. You could have business or family stresses. Some people, when they have stress, don't eat at all. Some people do the opposite and eat too much.

I was running Organic Liaison [Kirstie's weight-loss product company] with a structural corporate position. But I learned I'm not that girl. I'm an actress. And as far as sitting in an office and running [the business], that's something I don't want to do. And that was stressful. Usually I deal with stress really well, but if there are two things in combination overwhelming me, that's when I reach my trigger point and start eating.

MORE: Is De-Stressing the Key to Weight Loss?

What do you think is the best way to deal with stressors so that you're not driven to overeat?
I try to get control over one thing at a time because it can feel like leaves are flying all around you. If I can grab one thing and handle this part of this and this part of that, that's how I chill myself out. Overeating is not a solution to anything.

MORE: 10 Mistakes That Lead to Overeating

You parted ways with Jenny Craig about seven years ago. What made you come back to this program in particular?
They have a program that's tried and true. Every person gets a personal consultant, and I think that's huge. You get your food every week. Then you meet with a consultant, get weighed, talk about your week, and they will also help you make a plan—like if the holidays were coming up. Consultants help you stay accountable [for your actions].

And Jenny Craig's food is simple, clean, and convenient. I travel all the time, so that's really valuable to me. They not only have food that's convenient, but it's seriously yummy.

Is there anything else you do to keep tabs on your weight?
Something that helped me when I was doing Jenny Craig before was keeping a journal. Every day, write down everything that you eat and the calories. There's a statistic that says you'll have a 70 percent higher success rate if you always write down what you eat.

You've said that you experienced body criticism in the past; how do you deal with those negative comments?
If someone's attacking me for my weight, I go flourish and prosper somewhere else in the universe. I'm the master blaster of turning lemons into lemonade.

The time it hit me the hardest—because it was the first time I gained a lot of weight—was right before I did Jenny Craig. I was being attacked in the press for being fat—just brutal. I also remember that I owed the IRS a lot of money, and I needed to figure that out in 30 days [on top of] the press calling me fat. I had also broken up with a boyfriend, and that was gruesome and hideous. One day, I went in a room, locked the door, and went, 'What am I going to do? What are my options?' I wrote a TV series called Fat Actress and made it really funny. I sold it that week.

That's amazing! Any other advice for readers who are on their own weight-loss journeys?
This is the biggest trick for me: You've got to stay lighthearted and have humor about yourself. OK, so you gained 40 or 100 pounds...so what? The good news is, you can un-gain it. You can change your condition—you can always change it.

MORE: 12 Crazy-Inspiring Photos and Details of Weight Loss Success Stories

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