Susan Powter Biography

Fitness and diet guru Susan Powter was a mid-90s self-help sensation, the star of infomercials and motivational seminars and the author of the bestseller Stop the Insanity! (1994). Powter was easily recognized by her high energy and white buzzcut hairstyle, and her in-your-face delivery won over fans who sympathized with her own personal success story. Powter’s tale was that she became overweight and addicted to alcohol after her husband left her for a younger woman. While raising two sons, she quit drinking and lost 133 pounds, then began a career as a motivational speaker and exercise instructor who encouraged women to “eat, breathe and move!” During the ’90s she was a frequently seen television personality and author of several books, including Pocket Powter (1994), Food (1995) and C’mon America, Let’s Eat! (1996). In 2003 she popped up again with a stronger feminist message, a new hairstyle and a new book, The Politics of Stupid, and in 2007 she appeared in the fifth season fo the Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie television series The Simple Life.