Winter's coming, and that usually means a quiet time for TV, but there's hope for us yet. Ruby on the Style Network has all-new episodes through December and into January and if you haven't seen it yet, it's one of the heartwarmingest reality shows in a long time.
Savannah, Ga., resident Ruby Gettinger stars in the documentary about her effort to lose hundreds of pounds with the help of a team of professionals, but more importantly, with the help of her friends—including her SoCal BFFs Brittany and Cynthia Daniel (Sweet Valley High, The Game), who are pictured above and who make appearances throughout the series.
I just talked to Ruby about her journey and got her thoughts on her most important discovery so far about successful weight loss.
According to Ruby, the most surprising realization she's had about her health so far is, "When I thought about doing this journey, I thought it was all about eating right and fitness, and I never thought—ever—it was a mental thing, and one of the biggest surprises for me is when they said they wanted me to see a therapist and I was like, 'I don't know.' And after going to a therapist—he had me crying inside 10 minutes—I realized the main part of this is mental, and I never thought that before."
Luckily, she's got great friends to support her, including Cynthia and Brittany, who brought Ruby's idea for a documentary to the Style Network in the first place. Ruby and Brittany met at Billy Blanks' gym several years ago, when Ruby was still living in L.A., and they've stayed fast friends ever since. (Look for Brittany to return for the penultimate episode of the season, on Dec. 28, and some major giggles when Ruby and Brittany go for makeovers and doubles tennis.)
Sweetheart Ruby—she really is as mesmerizing in person as her friends testify—also says that she's blown away by the community that's grown up around the series. She tells me, "I have a MySpace, I have a Facebook, and of course the biggest one is on the Style Network message boards. So many people are saying they feel like they are on this journey with me, and I always said that—this isn't just my journey alone. If you read the message boards, there are people from 300 pounds to 500 pounds, from all around the world, going through the same thing, suffering, trying to beat this addiction. So now they're doing baby steps, starting with the walking—they call them Ruby walks."
As for Ruby the series, Ruby says that the best is yet to come: "I'm excited for everyone to see the weight loss—it's a huge difference—and the difference in everything with me. The mental, the spiritual and the physical." Holler.
Ruby airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on Style Network. Are you watching? What do you think? Post in the comments!
—Additional reporting by Jennifer Godwin