On the Weight Loss Journey with Ruby

Gems of wisdom from the 500-pound Style Network star who’s on a quest to lose the weight and reclaim her life.

Since she was 10 years old, Ruby Gettinger has struggled with her weight. At one point, she weighed 700 pounds; she currently weighs close to 500. Her weight problem cost her the love of her longtime boyfriend, and it has caused health problems from diabetes to sleep apnea. Now her doctor is telling her a simple but chilling fact: if she does not lose the weight, she will die.

As Ruby gets serious about transforming her life and realizing dreams from the simple (taking a bubble bath) to the profound (finding her soul mate), The Style Network is following her on her journey. Ruby spoke to Beliefnet about her life, her faith, and what keeps her going day by day.

Click to discover the first step of Ruby's journey.

"Ruby" airs Sunday nights at 8 ET/PT on The Style Network. All photos of Ruby courtesy The Style Network.

Holly Lebowitz Rossi is Beliefnet's Health editor.

What Was Your First Step?

The first step was I was changing the stations, and I saw Oprah. And there were these people on that were not as big as me, but they were big and they were suffering with obesity, too.

And they were talking about how they never go out of their house. They were crying. They don't go anywhere. They go to fast foods if they're going to go eat somewhere. They don't go to the mall because of the way people stare at them and treat them.

And it broke my heart because I'm totally different. I still go out. But, I was like, there's something wrong with this. What is going on, that we can't beat this?

I thought, is this just a hand to mouth motion? Is this just some eating habit that we just do not know about, or is this mental, physical, spiritual? I just wanted to find out the truth.

Watch: 'The World's Not Made for Me'

How Did the Weight Affect Your Love Life?

I fell in love with this guy, and I totally got off-focus of Ruby. And before I knew it, it was all about him.

And then, he was leaving me because I couldn't lose the weight. I tried for him, and that was when I was like, "Okay, you're about to lose the love of your life after eight and a half years. This is so much bigger than you. You're letting him go because you cannot beat this."

How Did You React When the Doctor Said, "You Will Die?"

At first when he told me that, I was like, "Well, maybe I'm meant to die." I went to a place in my head where I was like, "Maybe this is meant to be," because I've lived--I've been happy. I've had limitations because of the weight, but I've really generally been happy, and I've laughed so much and I've really had a great life.

But, there's another life I know nothing about. I'm a romantic. I believed in the impossible. I believe you can do anything, I’m the person that never gives up. I still believe that I can defeat this. I believe in the soul mate. I believe in all that stuff.

That part of me kicked in, and I finally said, "You know what? I'm going to tell my truth. For me--I'm going to beat this for me and for everyone out there that's suffering, because this is so much bigger than somebody just over indulging in food."

Watch: 'If I Die Tonight...'

What's at the Heart of Your Weight Problem?

People think that we're sitting around just eating and eating. It's not about that. I've had so many people say, "Why don't you just go on a diet? You know, just diet. Just eat right." And I'm sitting there with them going, "If this was as easy as that, I would have been small and had my dreams before now."

This is so much bigger when you're losing the love of your life, when a doctor's telling you you're dying, and you still are sitting there thinking, "I can't beat this."

It is so much bigger than people realize. People put these little nametags on you. They would tell me, "I'm just so shocked because I always thought overweight people were, dirty, nasty, smell. And here you are a clean freak, and you smell good all the time. You know, you don't really eat like I thought you would eat."

You know what? Everybody battles their own demons, but you can't see theirs. You can see ours, so we are an easy target. And I know that people just do not understand this, but I wanted to make--I want to bring it out there and correct the misconceptions.

How Does Your Faith Come into the Process?

If it wasn't for God, if it wasn't for my faith in God, I don't think I could have survived this. I love Him, and it makes me feel like I could do anything. It makes me not give up, you know, and it makes me look at people differently.

I look at people and, I think about what God has gone through and things that other people that have faith have gone through. They've gone through so much more persecution than I could ever imagine, and that He could sit there and say, "Well, they don't know what they do. Forgive them."

So, I look at people and go, "They really don't know." I really do. I understand they're staring at me. I understand that I'm not a normal person to walk into a room. I have to go, "Maybe they're hurting from something." And I'm not going to sit there and judge them just because they're judging me.

That's my faith. It just makes you stronger. Your belief in God makes you stronger, and you believe that anything is possible. And it gives you strength to go that extra mile. It gives you strength to walk into that place, because God is with you.

I have passion for people. And I really believe that there are more good people than bad people in the world.

Watch: "The Last Time I Wore Jeans"

How Does Your Sunday School Teaching Help?

There's a lot of things in the Bible that I try to teach the kids. I try to teach them, "You are about what you are inside. Anything's possible with God. You love who you are." I'm trying to teach them not to judge somebody no matter what their flaws are. And that is my biggest message because, if we could teach the kids, we could change the world. I really believe that.

Where Do You Find Everyday Support?

I pray. I'm a pray-er. I pray every day of my life, and I have people praying for me. And unless you believe, unless you know the power of prayer, you can't go here. When you know that people are praying for you, it gives you a strength that I cannot even explain.

Watch: Reborn in the Water

What Do You Do When Doubt or Negativity Creep in?

There are days where I feel like, "Oh, I can't even get on the treadmill." My bed is right here, and the treadmill is right next to me. And I'm going, "I can't do this." Literally for 30 minutes, I'm going, "What is going to motivate me, because I can't motivate myself?"

So I start praying, and I say, "God, You've got to help me. I can't do this. I can't do this." And then I have talks with God. Sometimes I get mad, going, "Why did you create me where my body can stretch this big?"

And then, it kicks in. It's like this faith kicks in like, "You can do this. You can do this. You have to do this. This is your life." And you have to believe there's a purpose. I believe that everyone was born for a purpose. I really believe that.