Ruby I lost 15 stone

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'I weighed 715lbs, but I've lost 215!'

Tuesday 26 January 2010

Sitting in her doctor’s office, Ruby Gettinger already knew her life was in danger. Weighing 715lbs (51 stone) at her heaviest, it was only a matter of time before that wake-up call came.

“The doctor said, ‘Ruby, you’re going to die. I’m telling you right now you are a walking time bomb about to explode”, Ruby, whose weight gain had led to diabetes and an enlarged heart, recalls.

Ruby left the doctor’s office at rock bottom; faced with the option of a 500-pound-plus weight loss mission or an early death, it was an ultimatum she would have preferred not to face.

“There was a part of me that thought: ‘Maybe it's meant for me to die. I can't beat this; I'm never going to beat this. Maybe I've finally done my purpose,’” she says.

“It took me three weeks to finally say, ‘Okay, I'm going to do something.’”

And ‘something’ turned out to be a total lifestyle overhaul, as Ruby analysed her daily diet, surprised to see an unlikely pattern emerging in her eating habits.

“I never ate a proper meal!” she says. “I’d just snack all day long on corn chips and pop tarts.

“And, being a Southern girl, I loved my Southern fried comfort food,” she adds, citing her upbringing in Savannah, Georgia, as a further contributor to her weight gain.

Comfort eating, it turned out, would be the biggest obstacle for Ruby to overcome. “Originally I thought [comfort eating] was similar to drug addiction, but I found out that the two problems were exactly the same," Ruby says.

"I was always happy before, but when I went to see a therapist I was crying after 3 minutes. I didn't realise how deeply-rooted these problems were until then."

Tackling the emotional reasons behind her eating inspired Ruby's journey initially, but she was also able to address her food choices with the help of nutritionists and health professionals.

"Basically, I'm eating everything that I didn't have before!" she says. "I have a cup of oatmeal or toast with sun-dried tomatoes for breakfast, and maybe pork chops or grilled fish later on."

And while it means that she no longer enjoys her Southern comfort food, or her favourite meal, spaghetti ("I miss it bad!" she laughs), Ruby's positive lifestyle changes have resulted in see-it-to-believe-it results.

Ruby has lost over 215 pounds (15 stone) thanks to her weight-loss plan, which includes 20 minutes of exercise twice a day, and is still losing the weight.

She has also famously refused weight-loss surgery, too; while her weight qualified her for a life-changing operation, Ruby was adamant that she wouldn't take any shortcuts in her journey.

"I'm fine with people wanting to do that, but I need to learn how to do this, or I'll never beat it. I decided to be the 'guinea pig' to see if it is possible to be 700 pounds and lose all the weight you want and still look normal.

"I want to find out why we are overweight and what actually works", she concludes. "But I will get plastic surgery after I lose the weight to get rid of the excess skin."

Today, Ruby has used her weight loss as a means of inspiring other people to pursue healthy lifestyles of their own, with a television show, book and website to support her cause.

'Perhaps by sharing my personal weight-loss journey on television, I can help others confront the truth and lies about obesity. And if I can do it, then I know anyone can conquer 'the beast'!" Ruby says.

The show has since gone on to become her network's highest-rated show, with a UK following gathering speed. Something about Ruby's no-nonsense approach to weight loss and candid confessionals has had people hooked.

"People would come up to me in tears because they've been making changes in their own lives after seeing the show," Ruby says.

"They said that I was keeping them going - to be honest they help me keep going! It makes me so happy to see people seeking the help they need."

By Amy Bangs

Ruby's show airs on The Style Network (Sky Channel 253) at 10pm on Tuesdays - check out her amazing journey on the box!

January 2010 Update: Currently filming the second series of her TV show, Ruby now weighs in at just over 350 pounds, meaning she's lost an amazing 365 pounds (26 stone)!