Once Mocked by Jay Leno, Colorado Woman Now Helping Others Who Need to Lose 100+ Pounds

Once Mocked by Jay Leno, Colorado Woman Now Helping Others Who Need to Lose 100+ Pounds

LOVELAND, Colo., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- A few days before Christmas in 2007, Susan Bock fell in her bedroom and couldn't get herself up off the floor - for nearly an hour.

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Weighing more than 430 pounds, that terrifying morning was just the beginning of what would become Susan's public humiliation.

With the help of a compassionate fitness club owner and a personal trainer, Susan managed to lose 75 pounds over several months. The club owner, Kitty Williams of Anytime Fitness in Loveland, celebrated Susan's success by featuring her "before and after" photos in a local newspaper ad.

Pride Turns to Horror

Susan's pride at being featured in the ad turned to horror, however, when Tonight Show host Jay Leno mocked Susan's accomplishments during one of his weekly "Headlines" segments. Leno held up the advertisement in front of a camera and said, "Susan, all you did was change your shirt." The studio audience burst out laughing and Leno repeated the taunt, "All she did was change her shirt."

Watch Jay Leno mock Susan here: http://tinyurl.com/393qdrt

"I was devastated," Susan says of being ridiculed on national TV. "All I could think about was how hurt and embarrassed my family would be."

Please take a minute to visit Susan's Facebook page, where you can provide encouragement and urge Jay Leno to invite Susan to be a guest on his show: http://tinyurl.com/2u4ygfa.

Responding with Determination

Instead of crumbling, Susan picked herself up once again and headed back to the gym. Over the next six month, she lost another 75 pounds as was honored by Anytime Fitness as one of the franchise's "National Member Success Story" winners.

Fast forward another year and Susan is now down to 235 pounds, inspiring others who are in desperate physical (and often emotional) condition.

"There was a time when I didn't know if there was a place for me in this world," Susan says. "Now, I know my place is helping others who need support the same way I did."

Distant Yet Personal

The fascinating thing about the way Susan helps others is that she never meets them face-to-face and she doesn't know most of their names, and yet they share some of their deepest fears and feelings with one another.

The tool they use to communicate is a website, recently launched by Anytime Fitness, called AnytimeHealth.com. The website offers impressive features like activity trackers, instructional exercise videos and meal planners. But one of its most popular components is a forum-style support group called "Tips for those who need to lose 100+ pounds."

Stories of Hope and Despair

Within just a few weeks after it was formed, hundreds of Anytime Fitness members joined the "Need to Lose 100+ Club" and the support group had nearly 10,000 visitors. The stories shared on the site are alternately heart-wrenching and hopeful. Among the postings:

-- I've always been the biggest person around. I've lost so much of my
life because of my weight. I need to fix that before it is too late.
-- I wasted my entire youth being morbidly obese and at the same time
constantly worried about how people perceived me.
-- Anything is possible. You might need some help (as I do) from the
right people but... you work hard, get help if you need it and stick
with it... 100 pounds, 200 pounds or even more... it can be done.

Among the most frequent contributors to the support group is Susan Bock. A sample of Susan's encouraging words:

-- Being embarrassed about my appearance got me nowhere. It gave me an
excuse to stay home. My desire to enjoy life on this beautiful earth
won. I was tired of sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else
having fun.
-- As much as I hate to say it, it's easier to stay fat. But the rewards
of getting healthy make every drop of sweat and every sore muscle
worth it. You are not defeated as long as you keep trying. Believe in
yourself! You are worth it. Success is within all of us! Just don't
give up.

Jay Leno was wrong. Susan Bock didn't merely change her shirt. She's changing lives.

About Anytime Fitness

Founded in 2002, Anytime Fitness provides nearly 1,000,000 members with convenient and affordable fitness options at more than 1,300 friendly, well-maintained facilities featuring top-quality exercise equipment. Members who join one Anytime Fitness club can use any of the other clubs at no additional charge. State-of-the-art security and surveillance systems ensure member safety even during unstaffed hours. Anytime Fitness connects with the health and fitness community online via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Anytime Health.

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Source: Anytime Fitness

CONTACT: Tara Dosh, Phone: o: +1-651-438-5032, c: +1-651-216-2607,
Tara@anytimefitness.com

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