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'I was told I'd die if I didn't lose weight'

At her heaviest, Ruby Gettinger weighed an astonishing 716 pounds. After much hard work and with an iron-strong determination, she has shed close to 400 pounds - but continues to tackle her ‘beast’.

In her forthcoming show, which documents Ruby's inspirational journey to a healthier self, the Southern Belle tries to recover her memory before the age of thirteen, believing that her lost memories and obesity are linked.

Whilst her past is uncovered, Ruby continues to spread the word of a healthier and happier lifestyle, from mentoring a friend in the Plus Teen Pageant to sharing her story and shedding some tears with a 500 pound man in Mississippi.

We can't wait!

What were your feelings when you were 716 lbs before you lost over 200 lbs?

I wanted to find out why I couldn’t control my weight and was wondering whether I was like an alcoholic or a drug addict. I was eating a lot of junk throughout the day like candy bars, potato chips and other foods that are bad for you. I craved sweet foods like crazy. Sometimes I still want sweet foods but I don’t crave it like it used to. It’s one of those trigger foods – a cocaine addict cannot have cocaine again just because they want it.

What triggered your decision to make a serious commitment to losing weight?

I have been trying to diet since I was 13. One of the things that made me want to lose weight is because the doctor told me I was going to diet if I didn’t. He told me my sugar level was four or five times what it was supposed to be. He said I was a walking time bomb. At first, I thought I must be intended to die because there was no way I could lose the weight.

So what did you do after hearing that from the doctor?

Before hearing that, I had tried quick fix diets such as the grapefruit and cabbage diet. It was more about me losing weight so I can eat what I want to eat. Now, it’s totally different – it’s about me losing weight to be healthy. I have to eat this way for the rest of my life – it’s not about me losing weight so I can eat pizza or doughnuts.

How did you alter your diet?

Before, I wouldn’t eat anything until late in the afternoon. The first thing would be something like pop tarts. I would eat fast food like cheese burgers or chicken nuggets for lunch and dinner, and potato chips and candy bars in between. I just love sweet foods. I didn’t really eat any fruit and veg. I don’t think I ate greens ever, except for holidays. And if I did, they were smothered in cheese. Now what’s changed for me more than anything is that I eat every three hours. I thought they were crazy telling me to do this but it works. For breakfast, I eat oatmeal. For a snack, I eat fruit, or a piece of cheese. Now I eat grilled fish or chicken and salad at meal times.For snacks I eat air popcorn which is 100kcal or a few pretzels.  It’s all about portion size and counting things out.

Do you prefer your diet now?

I love healthy food now. I hated it for three months. This is the girl who had never put grilled fish in her mouth and now I totally crave it, even vegetables.

What’s your exercise regime?

No matter what, you should exercise 3-4 times a week for 45 minutes to an hour. Do exercise you love otherwise you won’t stick to it. One of my trainers teaches me to dance and I love it. She teaches routine dancing. You’ll get to see it on the show. My heart rate goes up and I’m burning like 1500 kcal doing it.

Do you think there is such thing as the perfect body?

I think there is no such thing as the perfect body. Nobody has the same body. You need to feel beautiful and stop comparing yourself to everybody.

Are there any celebrities’ bodies you admire?

I like strong bodies - when you can tell that they are in shape but it’s not about being too skinny.

Like Beyonce’s?

Totally like her. She looks very healthy.

What weight would you like to be eventually?

The doctors tell me because I’m 5’9,  I should be 150lb. But when I get to the weight where I am feeling great about myself then I am there. I’m always going to be healthy for the rest of my life. The psychological journey is the biggest part.

In your forthcoming reality show, you’re trying to recover your memory from when you were young. Do you manage to remember anything?

There’s a couple of things that I find out. I began having nightmares at one point. I go to this sleeping expert and he tells me I’m suffering from night terror and post-traumatic stress.   He says it’s like when people come back from the war and they don’t remember stuff and it comes back in their dreams. My dreams are always about someone trying to kill me. And all my families and friends are there, and they can’t help me. I want to tell them how I’m feeling but I can’t because I then think somebody is going to kill them.

What is your view of people who have plastic surgery to lose weight?

For some people, eating is an addiction. If they are going to die, they should do whatever they have to do to lose the weight. Some people’s last hope is surgery.

What would you like to do as a career in the long run?

I want to help people overcome their insecurities and vices, whether it’s obesity or something different like drugs. Kids may be suffering at home, they may be cutting themselves.  I want people to believe in themselves. People need to forget whatever affected them in their childhoods and believe they can conquer anything.

Did you ever feel low growing up?

I always went out and had a great time with my friends and family. There are always strangers out there laughing at you but I was never outcast at high school or college. A lot of kids ask me whether I have any advice. There were people who were 50 lb overweight who went to my school and if people were laughing at them, I was 150 lb overweight! What happens is, if people think there is something wrong with them, they stand away from other people quietly. I had a good time and just wanted to live life.

Have you befriended any celebrities on your weight loss journey?

Oprah is one. Rosie O’Donnell, Regis and Kelly... there are more. They have been great supporters of me doing this.

Did you have the support of friends and family?

I had nothing but support. They didn’t tell me to lose weight. But when I decided I wanted to go on a diet, they were there for me. It’s important to have people around you supporting you, cheering you on. My nephew and friends have been the same. My nephew is the light of my life.

Are there any stand out moments in the series for you?

In this series, I am getting more into losing weight from the inside out, it’s fantastic: I am trying to find my memory from when I was 13 and younger. I hire a Private Investigator and he tells me a lot of things about my mum that I didn’t know.  We have this lady come and she goes deeper and deeper into stuff and tells me about my addiction to food. You’ll see me in a bathing suit. I almost had a heart attack. I was looking at myself going ‘Lordy!’ I didn’t realise how inspirational it was to so many people. Some people were like ‘I wasn’t going to wear a bathing suit but now I’m going on holiday and I’m gonna wear one’.

What do you feel when you look in the mirror?

Up until four or five months ago I didn’t see a difference. But one day I was brushing my teeth and looking in the mirror and then something clicked and I was like ‘Oh my gosh! I have a jaw!’ I was like I look so different.  I am the same person but I feel stronger physically and psychologically.

By Anisa Kadri

The new season of Ruby premieres on Style Network (Sky Channel 253) on Tuesday 11th May at 9pm.