Kirstie Alley Drops 50 Pounds, Details Latest Weight Loss

"My goal is to keep this and maintain this throughout my life," the actress says on Today

Kirstie Alley has done it again!

When the Golden Globe winner appeared on NBC's Today in April, she vowed to lose 30 lbs. before her next appearance on the morning news program. Alley returned to the show Monday and revealed that she had surpassed her goal—the paid Jenny Craig spokeswoman is now 50 lbs. lighter than before!

To her surprise, the holidays didn't derail her progress. "My consultant and I sat down and we planned it out...It wasn't a spree. It wasn't my usual holiday, which lasts from Halloween to Valentine's Day!" But will she keep the weight off this time? "This time I thought, 'What is the goal?' and 'What is the time span of the goal?' I really looked at it as, 'This is my life until I am dead. I am going to keep this, this way,' instead of like, 'I lost 50 lbs., now I can do whatever I want,'" she explained. "I don't have that anymore."

"My goal is to keep this and maintain this throughout my life—especially as an actress," Alley told Matt Lauer. "People are in different lines of work, but actresses need to keep themselves [fit]." She added, "I actually more responsible than I was before. I really want to do more acting and I want to do more movies." As such, Alley said, "I thought, 'How do I like to see myself on film?' I think it's really important for everyone to decide how they want to see themselves, and I like to see myself looking more svelte."

The It Takes Two star, who went from a size 12 to 14 to a size 6 to 8, also told People, "There's this certain place I hit where I felt really energetic and agile. I was like, I want to keep going with this!"

After years of yo-yo dieting, the 63-year-old actress needed something new. "I thought, 'How am I going to solve the problem of hitting a goal and having enough fun to keep that going?' I got a yellow townie bike and I ride over to friends' houses. I bribe people. I'll say, 'Let's ride to this restaurant and I'll pay for dinner,'" she said. "And believe me: If I bike four miles to a restaurant, I don't wreck it with my order!"

The actress worked with a Jenny Craig consultant to make healthy choices. "I started looking at myself as an athlete," said Alley, a Dancing With the Stars alum. "I was a competitive swimmer for a very long time and I remember that I wouldn't have won anything or done well in swimming if I didn't have a coach." How will she keep the weight off? "I want it to be part of my life this time. I'm just trying to make it fun."

The Cheers star lost 75 lbs. when she was a spokesperson for Jenny Craig from 2004 to 2007.

What made this weight loss journey different than her past attempts to slim down?

"I came back to the Jenny Craig program to get back on track with my weight loss. It was simpler this time and everything just clicked. I wanted to get back to my best self. I stayed on Jenny Craig's simple program and bam, before you know it, it's January and here I am, feeling and looking great!" Alley said in a statement. "My consultant Laura was essential in helping me reach my goal, along with the delicious Jenny Craig food. Yes, you can eat cheesy chicken enchiladas and margherita pizza on the program!"

Alley's new Jenny Craig commercials begin airing Jan. 12.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)