Anyone watching 'Ruby' on Style?

Am watching the show 'Ruby' about a woman trying to lose 300 pounds. She started at 475 (ish) and is now down to 375 ish.

Ruby (Gettinger) lives in Savannah, is just full of love and joy, and is a very beautiful redhead. 

She has a team (am certain at the expense of 'Style') made up of a Nutritionist, an MD, a Personal Trainer, and Therapist (she can't remember any part of her childhood before the age 13).

Her struggle is an inspiration and a reminder that we can all 'do it'.

You go Ruby!

yeah, i'm rootin' for her. She's such a sweetie with a big heart.

It was not surprising to me that the trainer and the MD were in conflict about her diet.

I just started watching it.  If you catch the Style network at the right time, you can watch them one after another.

It is very inspiring, and she is just so caring and funloving that you can't help but love her.

I've only seen it once but would love to watch it more.. I just can't ever remember what day/time it's on so I can DVR it.  She's a sweetie though and I wish her success!

Original Post by kathygator:

It was not surprising to me that the trainer and the MD were in conflict about her diet.

 Oh, I was so not happy when they had her eating 1300-1500 calories.  I was like "WHAT??"  I eat more than that.  I mean, I know she has alot of weight to lose, but 1500 calories just seems to me that they are setting her up for a big plateau.

The trainer wanted her to eat more calories but reduce carbs and do her own cooking.

The doc wanted to keep her on the 'Hourglass' pre-packaged meal program. Finally they had a meeting and decided to stick with the meal plan but up the calories to 1700 a day.

Ruby was, as we all are, nervous about the idea of upping calories to lose, but she followed their advice and finally made it to the 100 pounds lost mark.

It's so frustrating to hear different recommendations from different sectors of the 'healthcare' and 'fitness' community.

Yeah.  I forgot that they raised her to 1700.....but still...1700 is my maintenance intake on my sedentary days.  So I find it hard to believe that she's only eating at a 1000 calorie deficite by only burning 2700 a day 

But then again, people on tv are notorious for going on way more harsh diets than the rest of us.  Ruby eating a 1000 calorie deficite and losing slow and steady really doesn't make as good of a program as her losing it more rapidly than most of us would suggest.  But, I feel I also have to remind people that she's under a doctor's very close supervision and most of us here on CC don't have that either.

She's so obese that the health risk because of her weight is very very high. Which I'm sure makes a difference in their decision.

Also I think the math is different for the extremely obese than it is for folks that need to lose say 50 or 60 pounds.

More research would certainly be appreciated but it will be a long time coming.

I've watched several episodes and it's really great that she's losing the weight.  It must be so hard for her to see her friends and family eating this fatty and tasty food when she's on a meal plan, but it is something that she will have to deal with especially after losing the weight if she wants to keep it off.  I believe she can do it!

If anyone had a dedicated team like that, it would be so much easier to shed those pounds!

I'll be the dissenting voice. I tried watching it and found her extremely annoying, from her whining voice and demanding behavior to her friends' and family's frequent enabling.

I wish her well and hope she has great success and good health, but I won't be wasting my hours watching her on TV.

Love her!  What a beautiful woman...inside and out. 

It's obvious the kittenish behavior has been a defense mechanism for her in her life. A way of keeping the love and indulgence of her friends.

But if you watch it long enough you see the true woman underneath the pseudo-petulance. There's a look on her face sometimes that breaks your heart because it is just so familiar.

That awareness of how big she is, the knowledge that she is responsible for getting herself well, the fear that she isn't strong enough to do it. The fierce commitment to the process. She believes this her last chance and that if she gives up on herself, she'll die of obesity.

I watch it, and I just love her spirit. I just don't understand how she don't remember her child hood. I do like the fact that she got some clothes ( Fashionable Clothes) made for her. She has a pretty face, but all of us or most of us has heard that one.. Cute face, but can stand to lose a little weight. I heard that line one too many times, but she's cute. And she is so fun. I can see the life beaming in her. I'm with her 100%, and I really do like this show better than the biggest loser. I do love the biggest loser. I just like the fact that she's doing this slowly, and know one is kicking the weight off her body. She just lost a total of 104 pounds. I'm so happy for her.. I'm cheering for her.. I go to her blog.. Has anyone read it.

Edit changed a line.

I loved it that those design students created some clothes for her. They looked like they weren't too in to it at first, but by the time they got to know Ruby, they were all about trying to help.

I think it should be a part of the curriculum for kids interested in fashion design. Just to put it in their heads that everyone, no matter their size, might love good clothes.

Ruby is the best and has the kindest heart. Go Ruby, does anyone know what her goal weight/size is?

I've seen the show a few times. In one episode, she is visiting friends who are giving her Praline Cheesecake. In another, Ruby's ex-boyfriend shows up and plays around with her mind. She needs to forget about him. (He left her before when he told her he would marry her if she lost weight. Then she found out he was seeing someone else.) I admire her spirit and anyone else who has the determination to change their life. As for her inability to remember her childhood----that situation is usually due to some form of trauma.  It may also be part of the reason she gained so much weight. I hope all goes well for her and she succeeds. She comes across as a gentle and kind person.

She's fairly tall - looks like she's about 5' 7" or so - am guessing her goal would be close at 170 or so.

Hope Style pays for any cosmetic surgery she might need as well. :)

I don't know what her size goal is either, but you can go to her blog on Styly Tv Ruby. You can even leave a message there for her.

Is anyone as fed up with her friends as I am???  Ruby HAS to lose this weight, but they take her to lunch at her favorite pizza place and eat it in front of her?!?  They need to be as supportive of her efforts as possible and it's almost like they're trying to sabotage her sometimes!  Lordhavemercy...Why would you even put temptation in front of her???  I understand that they're not on this diet with her (maybe they should be) but you wouldn't take an alcoholic to a bar, would you???  "Don't mind us - you drink your water while we have a couple rounds..."

Willpower is overrated, because you will eventually fail if it's staring you in the face.  Aaarrrrgggggghhhhh!  I just want to shake those people!

She's got to be able to live in real life. The difference between an alchoholic and an overeater is that one needs food to live. She needs to experience being exposed to that kind of food and turn it down.

I think it's better for her in the long run if she faces those temptations and resists. She learns to self-monitor. Then the 'splurge' becomes half a fruit smoothie instead of half a pizza.

Plus we're only seeing the edited version. They might go weeks and weeks eating right, but we only see the moments of stark temptation and how she reacts. You know?