Former Fat Actress and Jenny Craig spokeswoman Kirstie Alley appeared on the Oprah show yesterday wearing a - gasp - little bikini. Over a year ago Kirstie made a promise to Oprah in an attempt to challenge and motivate herself to lose weight that she would flaunt her body in a bikini on the Oprah Winfrey Show. And yesterday she kept that promise by posing in a maroon bikini on the show.

In 2004 Kirstie Alley signed on with Jenny Craig to endorse their products and follow their diet program. She has remained faithful to the diet for the past two years and has lost an astonishing 70 pounds. Kirstie’s successful weight loss has been featured in Jenny Craig’s advertising campaign and she has even kept her own personal blog outlining her weight loss journey on Jenny Craig’s website.

In a recent post about her upcoming appearance on Oprah’s show Kirstie posted:
"The most important reason I want to wear a bikini on Oprah, however, is because if I, a 55-year-old woman, can look even halfway decent, imagine how all of you could look in a bikini," she continues. "Hell, I'll never look like Giselle, I never did! But maybe close to Bridget Jones or a Dove girl or something that is just fine and healthy and happy, with no surgery, no lipo and no drugs – that's saying something.”

Granted, every time one of her obnoxious commercials promoting Jenny Craig comes on the television I immediately change the channel or have an overwhelming urge to throw something at the TV. But Kirstie has done a great job and she serves as an inspiration for  women trying to lose weight.

The media blitz surrounding Alley’s weight loss has certainly spiked sales for Jenny Craig.  In an interview with Jim Evans, the CEO of Jenny Craig which was posted on American Chronicle, Evans stated that "Our business has been very strong since Kirstie Alley joined our program. We are excited by the impact of her success, which has motivated women and men nationwide to call our Centres and join the program. We are very pleased to have such a powerful figure representing our company.

I’m not endorsing Jenny Craig and I feel only those who are financially well-off can afford the overpriced food and weekly meetings, but the company definitely got on the right bandwagon when they chose Kirstie Alley as their spokeswoman. From staring in a reality show to appearing on Oprah showcasing her weight loss Kirstie Alley has definitely helped promote Jenny Craig in a positive light.

I wouldn’t be caught dead in a bikini on Oprah’s show but Kirstie is an inspiration to those struggling with their weight. However, both Kirstie's and Oprah’s weight tends to fluctuate so drastically that it can’t be healthy. If they would maintain their weight and stick to a healthy eating plan and regular exercise program instead of jumping on every diet bandwagon maybe they wouldn’t find their weight ballooning out of control and feel the need to rely on such drastic measures to take the weight off.