Did Kirstie Alley Lose the Battle of the Bulge?

Feb. 20, 2008 — -- Losing weight isn't easy, even for celebrities who might have perks that the average dieter doesn't, such as personal trainers to kick them into shape at the gym or private chefs to ensure all their meals are low in fat and calories.

For some stars, even that's not enough.

Actress Kirstie Alley's yo-yoing weight has kept her plastered on the covers of tabloid and gossip magazines for years, enough so that she turned weight fluctuation into a money-maker. Alley starred in a 2005 reality show called "Fat Actress" and later landed a spot as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig, one of the nation's most popular diet programs.

In 2006 she even pranced around in a bikini on the stage of Oprah Winfrey's talk show, showing off her slimmed-down physique after shedding pounds on the Jenny Craig program.

Recent headlines announcing that Jenny Craig had dropped Alley, who was once synonymous with the company, from its ad campaign were followed by reports that she has plans to launch her own weight-loss program.

But while weight loss will apparently continue to be lucrative for Alley, some nutritionists say her departure from Jenny Craig, which many consider a "fad diet," could provoke others to abandon the program as well.

Alley's continued battle with the bulge was rumored to be the reason the actress was let go from Jenny Craig, where she had been the brand's celebrity face since 2005, but neither the weight-loss company nor Alley's publicist would comment directly on Alley's departure.

In a statement Jenny Craig provided to ABCNEWS.com, the company said, "After being a celebrity client for our program these past three years — losing 75 lbs. and maintaining that weight loss for over a year — Kirstie Alley is ready to move on to other creative challenges."

In addition to announcing Alley's departure, the company introduced two new celebrity spokeswomen — actresses Queen Latifah and Valerie Bertinelli.

Calls and e-mails to Alley's publicist were not immediately returned, but the actress has plans to launch her own diet program in 2009, according to The Associated Press.

Nutritionists and diet experts told ABCNEWS.com that the presumed negative experience Alley had with what they consider to be a popular "fad diet" may do wonders for other dieters, perhaps discouraging them from buying into gimmicky weight loss plans.

"If we had a little less enthusiasm about quick fix diet magic and more commitment to eating better and being more active, the public health would benefit enormously," said Dr. David Katz, a nutrition expert at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. "Maybe Kirstie Alley will have that effect, maybe it will slowly sink through to people that these quick fix diets are not the answer."