Kirstie Alley: 'I Gained 83 Pounds' And Love Butter

people.com:

Today, Alley says she is primed to hire a trainer, toss the butter and sign up for a triathlon in order to whittle her "schlumpy" figure back down to a bikini-ready 140 lbs. "I'm going to have to work harder than last time," she says, but "I'm way excited." In a candid interview, Alley sat down with PEOPLE's Elizabeth Leonard to talk about how she piled on the pounds -- and how she plans to get her body, confidence and -- yes! --even her groove back.

Okay, how did this happen?
It started with New Year's [2008], right after leaving Jenny Craig. When you're a spokesperson for Jenny Craig, there's responsibility. You have a person every week standing over you when you get on the scale, and I did it naked because those panties could weigh 30 lbs.! It was amazingly successful. But the first nail in the coffin was that I didn't have to weigh in. I just sort of went wild.

Read the whole story: people.com

Comments

[Adrienne Williams - Huffpost Blogger]

Shouldn't we like her either way? Women gain weight as they get older, that's a normal fact. Just because she can't live up to Hollywood's standard is just silly. Perhaps she can't be an actress anymore or perhaps she can, it happens to us all.

[hegdehog]

Women don't need to gain weight. Neither do men. I have struggled with middle-age weigh gain for years. I no longer struggle. What changed? Mireille Guiliano. She finally taught me how to eat like a civilized human being. She taught me to love food, to enjoy it, and to lose weight at the same time. Her book, "French Women Don't Get Fat" was a revelation. Progress isn't fast with her method, but it's sure. And, most important, it's dependable. Mme. Guiliano saved me.

[RoadCrossingChicken]

Yeah! What you said, yeah!

What a nice person.

[hegdehog]

PS: I think you're being a fatalist. And I think you're doing it to excuse your lack of self control. It's not true that we all get fat as we age. It's only true that we get lazy as we age. Kelly Ripa. Kelly Ripa. Kelly Ripa.

[Furby]

Your doctor will tell you that women gain one pound a year on average from the age of 30 onward, give or take a few pounds or a few years, this from my female physician. This weight gain is natural and helps women store much needed hormones to ease them through menopause. Kelly Ripa is hardly old enough to be used as an example of the average women. Her hours in the gym with her personal trainer will attest to that. No women don't get lazy, they get old. Old is good too.

[Ellyllon]

Wait - you didn't pitch the book in this post!

[Theda]

There's no rule hat says women HAVE to gain weight as they get older. Exercise helps, you know.

[brooklyncitizen]

I hear what you are saying but we need to turn this thinking around.

Fact is that the primary reason to MAINTAIN (this implies effort on one's part) a normal weight is health.Thi­n people live longer and that is a fact; they also don't develop the accompanying problems that come with obesity.

We should stop the national obsession on weight and replace it with an obsession on health. If one eats healthy whole foods then weight maintenance is easier.We also don't need as much food as we age unless one is very very active so calorie reduction s key (not starvation).

Also makes sense to go vegetarian/vegan; animal fats will kill you (butter etc) as they add on the pounds..

[Ellyllon]

I've been vegetarian for quite awhile, but I thought from what I read, she WAS a Vegetarian.

[SarcasticFringehead]

Life's short.
Kristie, if you love butter and Chinese food, then what-the-hell, go ahead and have all you want, honey.
It's not as if by dieting and exercising like crazy you get to be 18 again, because you don't. Just try and exercise moderately and don't gain any more weight.

[brooklyncitizen]

LOL -well why not just give her a gun?
There are health repercussions to "then what-the-hell, go ahead and have all you want".

[FabulousAt52]

why do people insist that fat people do not deserve to be happy?

So she only lives to 84 instead of 87... or maybe she'll only live to 75 instead of 80.
Why should what EVER time we have here on earth be spent living on diets?
Just so YOU have something "prettier" to look at?
Stop with the silly "we care about your health" argument against fat people.

Believe me, except for those who already love her, no one is looking at ANY woman once they are 45 or older... Oh that's right, unless she still weighs 125 lbs and looks like she's 30... right?

Being heavy *slightly* increases your chances - your CHANCES- of developing SOME diseases..­. it does not CAUSE disease. Not one. Look it up.
And yet at the same time, being a little heavy can SAVE your life during the course of being "cured" of SOME diseases (like cancer). Go figure...

[SwingingFromCenter]

And to think, I used to devote many a lonely night in my room as a young teenager to images of her. She really fell apart.

[hegdehog]

Please have some compassion for her. Everyone, except for the most lucky of us, struggles with weight gain as we age. It's a nightmare. She's a beautiful woman, trying to figure out what the hell went wrong. Many of us know the struggle all too well. Jenny Craig isn't the solution. Changing the way we live is the solution. It's not that difficult, but it's not at all familiar.

[Bulbul]

The problem is the drastic diet, they say diet in a way that you can follow it for the rest of your life. Perhaps a serving or two less for dinner ?

[cruisepuppy7452a]

The only diet that ever made sense was weight watchers. Why? You are talking portion control, eating real food, not this frozen, freeze dried nonsense, you can follow this virtually to your likes and dislikes. YES, the weight comes off and stays off. There is no sense of deprivation, no oops, I ate a carb, its common sense. Throw in walking or excercise three times a week, and its a recipe for success. I bought a cast iron grill for the top of my stove, so in the winter I can BBQ, and its been life changing for me. I know if Kristie did what I did, she not only could lose the weight, but really keep it off. yes, you can still eat an occasional piece of cake, brownie, cupcake, its about choices. Should you eat that every day? Hell No. Neither Jenny Craig, nor Nutri System did for me what the WW diet did. I quit the meetings, kept the books and make that my lifestyle of choice. Kirstie can do this too. You have to, its not about looks, its about your health.

[Caligirl916]

I with you 100% CruisePuppy:) on it as we speak..its slow and steady but it works.

[Bitsko]

Who cares, Kristie? You've always been one of my fave celebs.

[Caligirl916]

Unfortunately for her..that Jenny Craig diet was crap! All it is is freeze-dried microwavable food. If I lived on Lean Quisines for a whole year or two and then gave them up....my body would be starving for real food too! You can do it Kirsti!

[Agentlady007]

Freeze dried? You wish. That's the wave of the future. Keep dreaming. Realistically you sound like a genius. Keep it up.

[Bitsko]

Weight Watchers is a much better program.

[hegdehog]

Learning to love food and to cook for yourself is better that either. Turn off the TV. Buy only the best. Learn to make your meals look beautiful. Pay attention to the sensual aspects of what you consume. Food is life. It is joy. It is not, however, something to use to fill your stomach. If you're doing that, you're abusing it.

[Roxanna]

Living Proof that Diets Don't Work!

[ConfuciusSay-]

Why do people keep saying this?

When she was on the diet didn't she lose the weight?
When she came off the diet, didn't she gain it back?
I don't get it.

[crayola 08]

isn't she close to 70? she looks good for her age but i don't wanna see her in a bikini no matter how thin she is.

[Agentlady007]

She's reaching 60 I just heard, and I don't believe it.

[Agentlady007]

I may just be giggly right now, but "when she stepped on the scale it wasn't pretty" is a classic. Good one People Magazine. It's comment's like this that keep you #1 in entertainment news business.

[Joethepauper]

To be concerned enough to pitch a weight loss regime, and then to fall off the horse so easily is a little strange. Either she only did it for the money, or she doesn't understand nutrition or exercise. Just stop freebasing butter and take a walk every day! I don't need to diet, but if I did, I'd just skip breakfast. Humans aren't livestock who need to shovel food in our mouths constantly. I've been all around the world, and America is the only place I've been where most people are overweight and malnourished at the same time. People have become so dumb through de-evolution that they have forgotten how to eat properly. How much is it going to cost to teach them how to eat? Take that out of the B of A bailout #2. Both are useless.

[noodles70]

joe,

- I'm willing to bet you are an "average-looking man". I've found that men that are not very good-looking place more emphasis on looks and think that models and beauty queens are the greatest women ever created. I think it is because unattractive men like you have never gotten a lot of attention and you probably have not had many women so you tend to believe everything you see!!!BTW, GISELLE IS ALMOST 6 FEET TALL AND WEIGHS 125..THAT IS SEVERLY UNDERWEIGHT!!!

[dgscol]

I thought it said she gained 83 pounds and love better.

[Agentlady007]

I thouight it said "I gained 83 pound and am proud of it." .
Anyway, fat is just not funny. Is it? I would rather wear clothes that fit me instead of looking fat in skinny clothes, and you can look fatter in some "skinny" clothes. Especially if the waist line is too low. Then again those huge "tent" dresses large women wear thinking they look thinner just look like a tent. Fortunately I have a flat stomach, but age is showing its signs. I REFUSE TO LET IT!
Although I am much younger than Kirstie, I still think she seems young. I mean she doesn't look like a grandmother, and I say that because I always thought of 60 as very old....unt­il now of course as years go by, and then its just another number they say. Good luck. Get the Megadrine RFA-1. It's working for me. Pounds are falling off. I swear it. I am not even excercising.

[dgscol]

I hope you meet your goals, but the ephedrine is no good, Agentlady.

[Minako]

I think she's just meant to be a large woman. She shouldn't yo-yo diet as it only kills your metabolism, but permanently change her diet to be more healthy and exercise moderately. Olive oil instead of butter Kirstie, it will do you wonders.

If she stays that weight, so be it. Our bodies tend to know where they want to be. Fat, thin, whatever. Just take care of yourself. If she has low blood pressure and cholesterol I don't see why she should lose weight. I think she looks just fine.

[noaxe397]

Folks, your opinion, please. Is it just me or is KIrsti Alley one of the few women who looks better heavy?

[Steve Sanders]

See your doctor. NOW!!

[Minako]

I agree with you. Some women just do. I'd take a woman Kirstie's size vs. a fashion model anyway. I've had girlfriends with both body types and thin and bony is just unattractive, no question.

[Joethepauper]

I think obesity is unnatural and shouldn't be celebrated. Our ancestors had trouble hunting and gathering things that were fatty, salty, and sweet. Since we no longer hunt and gather (which expends a lot of calories), and we have an overabundance of fatty, salty, and sweet foods, our brains are wired through millions of years of evolution to eat those foods as often as possible. But this isn't the savannahs of Africa anymore, and you don't burn many calories sitting behind that cubicle making someone else rich. Put Kirstie Alley and Carla Bruni side by side naked, and tell me who you would pick. How about Giselle Bundchen, she's a little thicker than Bruni. I know there will probably be plenty of people who still would choose Kirstie Alley, but I always choose quality over quantity anyway. Miss America pageants are a whole lot different from Miss Africa. In the second and third worlds, where people are constantly malnourished, they choose the biggest contestants as the winner for obvious evolutionary reasons. Here, where most people are overweight/obese and still malnourished (oddly), they seem to choose thinness. Thin old people tend to get around better than fat old people, and I'd rather not have my future wife on a hoveround scooter 24/7. Maybe it's just me.

[Buddy McCue]

I was going to say that, too!

[AtheistUS]

Yes, there is something to it!

She'd do good though to avoid extremes, thin or heavy.

[humuhumunukunukuapuaa]

Americans would do anything to be slim and fit, except eating well and exercising regularly.

[BlueZoo]

You got it! Eating the right things and taking a walk or two is just not viable so we take pills that can kill us and use diet foods that, once you're off them, pile the weight back on! Insanity prevails!

[luvobama]

It's sad when you have to wear your v.ice everyday. I am so glad I can hide mine.