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Ruby Gettinger is the star of the new Style Network reality show “Ruby,” which chronicles her life as she struggles to lose weight. 5′9″ Ruby is now down to 364 pounds from a high of 715 pounds ten years ago. Ruby is determined to lose weight through diet and exercise and while she’s not opposed to gastric bypass surgery she says she needs to learn how to lose weight without it.
A resident of Savannah, GA, Ruby calls eating an addiction and is emotional and honest about her personal trials. She says that she wants to inspire other people by sharing her journey. Her goals and dreams are simple ones and she hopes for many of the things regular-sized people take for granted, like being able to take a bubble bath or paint her toenails by herself.
A friendly, positive person, Ruby helps bring a human face to the obesity issue while shedding light on the struggles of larger people in a sizeist society.
“My doctor said, ‘You’re a walking time bomb and you’re going to die if you don’t do something,’” recalls Ruby, who reached her highest weight of 715 pounds 13 years ago and has since fluctuated between 350 and 550 pounds.
Having lost 113 pounds over the last eight months, the 5′9″ Savannah, GA native is hoping to inspire others. “My dream is to help those who are on the same road,” she tells In Touch. “I want to be able to look into people’s eyes and say, ‘You can do it, too!’”
In Touch: How did you feel when your doctor said you could die?
I knew he was right because I already felt my body shutting down. I thought, “OK, I guess I’m going to die,” but three weeks later, I decided not to give up.Have people been mean to you because of your weight?
I was walking through the mall once and a man stood up and yelled, “Oh my God!” and started pointing and laughing at me. And another time someone said “Aren’t you embarrassed to look like a circus freak?”That must have been awful.
I went home thinking, “Do I really weigh more than the woman in the circus?” I looked it up, and I did.Has being obese affected your love life?
I’ve never been asked out on a date. I have a lot of guy friends, but they just can’t get over the physical.You’ve lost more than 100 pounds. Have you been exercising?
Yes, I do 20 minutes on the treadmill in the morning and evenings. It takes everything I have to do it!Have you ever considered having gastric bypass?
I’m fine with people wanting to do that, but I need to learn how to do this, or I’ll never beat it. But I will get plastic surgery after I lose the weight to get rid of the excess skin.You’ve lost weight before - what makes this time different?
I’m tired of the quick fixes. I really want to learn how to eat healthy and work out for the rest of my life. Plus, for the first time, I’m doing it for myself.What’s one thing you can’t wait to do once you reach your goal weight?
I’ve never taken a bubble bath, so I’m really looking forward to that!
[From In Touch, print edition, November 24, 2008]
Ruby won’t reveal her age, but is open about most of the other aspects of her life. She says she’s been big since she was young and that she didn’t eat regular meals but had snacks like pop tarts, sweet rolls, and Milky Way bars growing up. She likens food addiction to alcoholism, and there’s a scene in her show in which she points to fast food in a display case and says how hard it is to see that, like an alcoholic walking into a bar every day. Ruby started filming the show seven months ago and is now down to 364 pounds from 477 pounds, which means she’s lost over 100 pounds in just over half a year.
Ruby keeps in touch with her fans on her message board and says she has read all of their messages and is touched and moved by the support she’s receiving. You can learn more about Ruby on her website, which includes many clips from the show. Hang in there, Ruby, a lot of people are rooting for you.
Here’s a video message from Ruby:
Note: this is not an advertisement for the show and we decided to cover this story on our own without any encouragement or contact from the Style Network.
Written by Celebitchy
Posted in Photos
40 Responses to “Former 700 pound Ruby Gettinger’s inspirational story”
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I’m looking forward to watching this show. It seems like it will be interesting, informative, and inspiring. Good Luck to Ruby
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i wish i got this channel. i love stories like this. her face is very pretty.
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I saw the promo for this!!! And one of the Daniel twins was in it. You know them, Brittany and Cynthia Daniel? They played the twins in the Sweet Valley High TV shot. Brittany has also been in some other stuff like Dawson’s Creek and White Chicks.
So my question is, how the heck does Ruby know one of the Daniel twins?
Also, a while ago, beauty chain The Body Shop had an ad campaign featuring a doll they called Ruby. She was billed as the “anti-Barbie” and much like this Ruby, she was robust and red-headed. I thought the Style network’s Ruby may somehow be related to this but apparently not.
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I don’t see why she should lose weight for that man she wanted to marry.
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I like that she says no quick fixes and that surgery’s a no-no until after she’s lost the weight and figured out how to eat in a healthy, sustainable way. Wish her well, hope she achieves her goals.
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715 pounds! Poor baby
that has to be extremely painful on your joints, back etc etc. I wish her luck .
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Bless her heart! She’s a pretty girl, and apparently a determined one. I’m rooting for her!
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Vex - I don’t think she’s losing weight for “that man.”
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Pretty girl. Good for her for not taking the ‘easier’ way out of a gastric bypass, instead deciding on reducating herself on the way she eats.
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Ruby warms the cockles of my deeply cyinical heart. I sincerely hope that she achieves her goals.
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She’s got such a lovely countenance and such a beautiful face.
I love seeing things like this. She’s saving her own life, and how could you have more self-esteem building than that?
As for her losing weight “for” anyone…that just never happens. Like quitting smoking or kicking a drug habit, no one loses Ruby’s kind of weight for someone else. It’s all about internal drive and self-preservation.
I can’t wait to see this show.
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I like her. “Discovery Health” is full of shows about morbidly obese people who seem to think that gastric bypass is the only thing that will save them from themselves. I think those people are delusional and haven’t dealt with their underlying problems. I also think the caretakers of those 1000 lb. people should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
I wish those folks luck, but Ruby is miles ahead of them all.
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I have a few episodes recorded but have yet had time to watch them (kids). I am currently about 25 lbs overweight, this being the first time in my 31 years of having a weight problem. I just really don’t have the energy to exercise like I should (lame/pathetic excuse, I know).
I really commend Ruby, I’m exceptionally proud of her. Taking the iniative to do something about her weight problem when many people her size would have either said ‘Eff it’ or gone the surgery route. Hang in there, Ruby. You’ve done an excellent job so far. Keep your chin up, stay strong and remember you’ve got countless people rooting for you! -
Rhymes with Beeyotch, why do you think people who want gastric bypass are ‘delusional’? Good lord, whatever it takes is fine with me. Some of them are WAY past the point where they can even consider exercise. I doubt they thought of dangerous major surgery as their first option.
As for prosecuting the ‘caretakers’, I would imagine food addiction is just as much a co-dependent or family illness as any other addiction. They ALL need help for their underlying issues, and maybe even gastric bypass to save their lives. Ruby is lucky that she found the will to change. When you’re severely depressed, that’s extremely rare.
It boggles my mind that you think Ruby is somehow morally superior to other people who are obese. I bet you hate people who get AIDS from sex, but you think someone who gets it from a blood transfusion or a dental procedure is an innocent victim, right?
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I don’t think the bypass surgery is an easy way out! It’s dangerous and afterward you have to deal with really bad constant diarrhea and personally I think 20 minutes on a treadmill and a salad for lunch is a lot better way to handle it.
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ok no attacking others. I agree that there’s no quick fix and from what I understand a gastric bypass is incredibly difficult to go through and is in no way an “easy way out.” My heart goes out to everyone who is going through this and it is just as difficult, if not more so, to get surgery.
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My opinion is somewhere in the middle. Some people are so beaten down in their struggle with obesity, over years of taunting, rejection, diet failure, and self-abuse that they don’t see any other options. If that is what they believe, they are right, because you can’t do it if you don’t believe in yourself. Also, let’s not forget that the surgery was (and still is, to some extent) aggressively marketed to potential patients, similar to the way a lot of prescription drugs are marketed in the US. It’s hard not to have pipe dreams when you are already in a desperate state and are being fed an excessively optimistic picture of what the surgery and its results are like.
My aunt had the surgery after years of struggling with her weight. She was over 300 lbs. at the time of the surgery. Her proportions were wacky (she was extremely bottom-heavy), which made it very difficult for her to get around. She got down to 160lbs. after the surgery and stayed there for a year, but wound up gaining 50 lbs. back. She is still not morbidly obese, obviously, so it was still of benefit, but she constantly struggles with eating properly (you have to be very careful about eating well to get proper nutrition into a tiny stomach)because she never learned good habits.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I feel very strongly that we should be compassionate for these people, whatever route they take, because some people are simply too beaten down to do it any other way, like my aunt. But, also like my aunt, there is just no way around learning good eating and exercise habits.
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She’s on the halfway mark. Good for her. Screw the haters.
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Vex, she’s not losing the weight for her ex. To his credit, he was a personal trainer and loved her as she was, but kept begging her to lose the weight for her health. He didn’t want to watch her die, and that’s why he left after seven (?) years. They’re having a reunion on the show, I hope to catch it.
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Yay! I’m a Savannahian and have seen Ruby out and about on several occassions. It’s good to see a local girl do good.
Overcoming the “addiction to food”, ESPECIALLY as a Southerner, is one hard road. The vast majority of our culture is built around food and eating: overeating is *expected* and it’s more eyebrow-raising if you’re a Kate Moss than a Ruby. We’re a traditionally agricultural and economically poor culture; this translates into food that sharecroppers and people who spent the day plowing and burning all their calories could afford to eat. Thus high-fat high-salt, etc. -
Interesting comments Rio. I also notice hot, muggy areas of the country are prone to be overweight since outdoor activity during that time is unpleasant.
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Even though she’s stilll heavy, losing as much weight as she already has is impressive.
She’s been through way too much to not let this work out, and I’m touched by her motivation.
She has a pretty face too.
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SHANE - You are ABSOLUTELY on the mark with your comment. Granted, not everyone who lives in those climates are like that. I moved here to Florida a couple of years from NC. In NC we normally have dry, albeit hot, summers. BUT I could definitely go out and do my thing in the summers, which is how I could stay down to a size 5-7. Now…here in Florida it’s so &^$!! humid, miserably so to me, that I basically stay indoors with my AC on and no exercise done, which is why I’ve gone up to a size 10-12 and which is why, also, my depression has skyrocketed. We are currently looking for jobs back up in NC. I love it here but it just isn’t worth it. On another note, it boggles my mind when I see people out running, biking, skating, what have you in the summer in the middle of the day. I want to call a paramedic for them just in case!
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People who want gastric bypass surgery usually don’t understand the problems with it. It is really just intensive behavior modification. If you eat too much, you can develop problems with vomiting or you develop dumping syndrome, uncontrollable loose bowel movements. Also, nutrients are no longer absorbed well so people may develop malnutrition despite taking vitamin and mineral supplements. People can die from side effects of this surgery and often have a significantly shorter life span. And you can regain the weight by consistent overeating, so it still comes down to changing your habits.
I’ve never watched Ruby, but she sounds like she’s got the right attitude. She’s just doing what the gastric bypass people would do, but when she reaches her goal, she’ll have a lot more money and probably be healthier.
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She seems to be quite a lovely person from the one show that I have seen. She will be lovely at any weight, but for the sake of her health I hope she makes it down to her target weight and has a bit of the bubbly with her bubbles.
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Hey Elishia…
It is Brittany Daniel. Ruby used to live in LA & worked at a gym as a receptionist that Brittany used & that is where she met her & they became friends!
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I dated a wonderful woman like Ruby. My babe got up to about 477 pounds. I must admit that it was a different experience dating a SSBBW (supersized big beautiful woman). I was a member of NAAFA for many years before I dated my SSBBW. NAAFA was a big help with education and self-esteem aspects. My babe did the gastric bypass surgery. My issue with that is that many folks don’t get a handle on the food obsession FIRST. With the surgery, you eat less because your stomach won’t hold much. Fix the food addiction FIRST them the surgery works best. Many simply want the quick fix of being smaller. Hey, it took years for Ruby to get big! Shouldn’t it take years for Ruby to get small?! Too many issues after the surgery too, like the pills you have to take because man wrecked what God created.
Ruby is gorgeous! I’d like to marry a babe like her and do that journey together. She’s sweet. -
Ruby - I am a real fan of your show. I know you can do this!!! Have you ever considered Weight Watchers? You can have desserts and snacks and still achieve your goals. I have had really great success with it.Hang in there and don’t give up! You are a beautiful woman!
SE GA Fan in Blackshear -
Ruby is a beautiful woman and is so intriguing and sweet and funny that you want to watch her and want to see her succeed.
She is a whole lot of beautiful just as she is, but because her current status is unhealthy, she can’t stay that way and is doing as she needs to do.
She has pride and she understands her plight and that is a first step in her journey. She is not in denial for sure. She goes about her life, asking for bigger chairs, planning how she will sit in a plane, walking in the park, but not getting irate at others when the world doesn’t conform to her needs like a lot of other people do.
She lives in a fabulous friendly southern city where I think the whole city would come together and support her and love her. She is bringing attention to this city like Paula Deen did….people there seem like they would run to her rescue. They are so nice, like Ruby. I hope they do.
She is an inspiration to all of us that have any weight to lose.
And bless her friends for sticking by her and loving her but what is not to love? She is loveable. God bless you Ruby. You can do it.
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ruby you are beautiful and keep up the good work because you are inspiration to other big beautiful women who can do it. i can do it too.
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Ruby is inspirational. But how odd she won’t discuss her age??
She is only 45…nothing to be ashamed of!!
Ruby be proud to be 45 years old!!
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Ruby: You are wonderful! I have had a weight problem my entire life. In the mid 70’s I lost 100 pounds and kept it off until 1995 then started to gain again. Have dieted off and on since, I recently lost 50 pounds but still would like to lose 30 more. Your show is an inspiration for me. It’s the holidays and I find myself beginning to go off my diet. Watching your show helps me to stick to my diet. You go girl and I support your decision to dump your ex. Hang in there, I’ll be watching!!!!!
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Watching Ruby’s show has given me a new thought process on life. She is such a beautiful person inside and out. I have taped all of the shows and began eating without junk and fast food. Soon I will begin working out. Thank you so much Ruby for just being yourself and working hard to reach your goals! And thank you to all of her friends for helping her to stay on track. All of you are awesome!
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Ruby… you are such an inspiration to everyone who has struggled with weight loss. The fact that you are willing to share your story and put your face out there in public…shows how strong and devoted you are to your effort. I wish you well and pray that you will be successful. And I hope for the days that you will will take bubble baths, go kayaking, bicycling and get out and do the regular everyday things! Best wishes.
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Ruby,
You go girl!
I haven’t watched your show in quite awhile because they too it off my cable, but I just read that you are down more than 100 pounds and really doing well. I’m so proud of you for staying the course and keeping up with the exercise, that’s most important to keep the pounds coming off when you hit the plateau, just eat a little less and do alittle more exercise. I hope to see your show soon again because I really enjoyed it. Keep up the great work and I/m rooting for you. Keep the faith and you will succeed. sue -
Dear Ruby
I have maintained a 250lb loss for 13years.I would luv sharing with you so you can hold on to the belief that it can be done and worth the journey.yvonne,weiss@gmail.com -
Dear Ruby,
I have read and seen your videos on your web site. You have done so well with your weight loss. Don’t give up. Keep going with it. Only problem is I don’t get the style network to see you every week. Joyce -
I just don’t get it. Why is someone who couldn’t control her own obesity now a reality tv star? There is nothing inspirational about this woman. She should not have ever allowed herself to get to 700 pounds. We have so many real issues that should be brought to the forefront, so many REALLY inspirational people, and we are following a chronical of “a biggest loser” that goes on and on and on. It’s stupid.
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‘Ruby’ is a fantastic show…she’s an absolutely charming and lovely girl. Love her.
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