Kirstie Alley and Nate Berkus

It was just six months ago that actress Kirstie Alley was being hounded by the relentless paparazzi. They followed her every move—every bite she took, every humiliating pound she gained. But Kirstie said she was ready to change her life, and to jump-start her transformation she asked us to design her a new kitchen! When we got her urgent plea, we knew there was only one man for the job—Nate Berkus !

After two months, 50 crew guys, a flood and 150,000 custom tiles, Nate revealed the big ta-da moment! Kirstie was floored! "I think I'm going to get very skinny now, standing [in this kitchen] naked," she said.

Back in Chicago, Kirstie and Oprah had a no-holds-barred chat about fat .

"Thanks to the tabloids, I found out how fat I was," Kirstie said. "I looked in front of the mirror…and I was like, 'Oh my God!' So I just was crushed!"

Since that show, Kirstie's been working hard to lose the weight. She's now the outspoken spokesperson for the Jenny Craig weight loss program.
Kirstie Alley and Oprah

In the last four months, Kirstie has lost more than 33 pounds! She says she is about halfway to her goal. But Kirstie's also thrilled about other things that have taken place during the weight loss process.

"There are things that have happened that I didn't think about happening—like, I've lost 17 1/2 percent body fat. And you lose inches and other things."

But Oprah wants to know: How are Kirstie's boobs?

"I think they look like normal breasts instead of udders," Kirstie jokes.

Also, Kirstie recently kicked her smoking habit!
Kirstie Alley

In January Kirstie became the spokesperson for Jenny Craig. Has it been a lot of pressure trying to lose weight in public?

"You know, I don't usually say this, but [Jenny Craig] has been a godsend," Kirstie says. "I needed a game. I'm one of those people that if you give me a sport or a game or make something really fun for me, then I'm on board. And I was just tired of the whole subject—weight loss, blah blah blah. And this has been so much fun because they have 8,000 things you can order [to eat], and you get your own consultant!"
Kirstie Alley and Oprah

Oprah: What did you used to binge on?

Kirstie: I wasn't a binger. I was just a massive eater.

Oprah: You ate volumes of food?

Kirstie: Volumes. You know, I've always worked out my whole life. I was an athlete. And when you are an athlete, that's probably the good thing. The best news about what's happening to me now is that my body is going back fairly easily…because of all my training.
Kirstie Alley

In order to keep herself motivated to keep losing weight, Kirstie's made some drastic changes in her life and her home. What was once her living room is now her workout room, with a variety of exercise equipment taking up most of the space.

"I like to do circuit training," she says. "I'm on each one of these things for a minute. In between each piece of equipment I dance really hard. And then I dance at the end for about 20 minutes. … I do this anywhere from four to six times a week. And then I pretend like I'm Muhammad Ali at a disco. My routine is at least an hour. If it's a day where I have lots and lots of energy and not a lot of things to do, I do it for two hours."

Kirstie's diet has changed drastically, too. Besides Jenny Craig meals, her refrigerator is stocked with healthy snacks. "Cherries—my favorite fruit," she says. "Eggplant—I like to slice these up and put these on the barbecue. Sometimes I have a little yogurt. I drink a lot of water. Sometimes I have a pickle. I don't like things that are really greasy anymore."
Kirstie Alley and Oprah

Oprah: So do you still feel challenged? Do you only eat Jenny Craig food?

Kirstie: No, no, no, no, no. You eat fresh fruits and fresh vegetables and you drink lots of water. The great thing about the Jenny Craig food is…I'm just not going to not have cakes in my life at all. I'm not. So every day, if I go, "Ooh, I want something sweet"—I have this great little lemon cake or a chocolate cake or you can have carrot cake—you just get something so you don't plunge down into…that place of scarcity where, "Oh, I can't have anything," you know? And if I go out to eat, I order off of a menu. I have a lot of dinners and things that I go out to. But they've taught me how to do that. You know, I don't go berserk anymore.

Kirstie says the diet and exercise program has not only helped her to lose weight but to regain energy.

"When I was here in November, do you know at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon I would lay down and watch TV all tired and no energy. And now I have boundless energy. I don't go to bed 'til midnight and I get up at, like, 6:30 in the morning."
Kelly Preston

Kirstie's best friend, Kelly Preston, had encouraging words:

"Kirstie and I have known each other for years and then only recently have we become best friends," Kelly says. "Kirstie's doing amazing. She's lost so much weight. But also I think she's got this amazing confidence coming back. She's doing great with the Jenny Craig thing. In fact, we're all on Jenny Craig now! I steal a lot of her food.

"Hey, Kirst. I love you to death. I'm so proud of you. You look like a million bucks. Your weight is right on. I've got the Jenny Craig lemon cakes waiting for you. You're one of the best girlfriends ever. And I love you, too, Oprah!"

See Kirstie's first visit to The Oprah Winfrey Show !