MY FINALE AND FINDING HOPE

Ruby on Finales and Finding Hope by RUBY GETTINGER

Hi, y'all!

It is the finale for the first season, and yes, I will let you follow along my journey till the end. Can you believe it? In seven months, I have lost 104 pounds! That averages out to be about 14 pounds a month; that is 1 pound every two to three days. YAY! I am hacky wacky about it. I still have over 200 pounds more to lose! WOW!

But I am determined to win for me and you! It is the hardest battle of my life. But this is the battle for my life. For the first time, I really got it! I really got it that this was killing—and will kill—me. It is not only about the weight, y'all, it's what having 10 to 100, to 200, to 300 extra pounds will do to you. The scary thing to me, even knowing this, is that I have to fight to beat this. This is an addiction!

Addiction is a dependence on a behavior or substance that a person is powerless to stop. The term has been partially replaced by the word dependence for substance abuse. Dependence is the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else. Substance is the most important element in any existence; the characteristic and essential components of anything; the main part.

Yes, Ruby has been doing her homework. LOL! Y'all, for the first time in my life, I am having to look at the mental part as to why I got as high as 716 pounds. And why, in my adult life, I have never made it below 350. I am facing the BEAST!

I find it strange how fearful I am of the beast. I feel he is always out to get me, that he is in hiding and will appear when I least expect him to. In the past when he appeared, I didn't know until it was too late. He has disguises on. He comes in love and beauty, and I am blindsided. Then, when I know it's him and I defend myself, I lose. Why? I do not know yet. Is it because he is much stronger and bigger than me, or is it that I get tired? I do not know yet, but I am going to find out.

There has been a lot of dispute over whether or not obesity is a disease. I do not know yet, because I am only at the beginning of my journey. That is something I want to know and find out. People have their opinions on this matter, and I have to say, I see both views.

The meaning of disease: A pathological condition of a part, organ or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful.

I do know this for a fact: Whatever this is, it's not as simple as, "Just go on a diet and lose weight." It is bigger than that! If it were that simple, I would have won a long time ago. I do know eating wrong and having extra weight on your body will kill you mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. Our frames were only meant to carry a certain amount of weight. If my knees, back, legs and shoulders could talk, they would be telling me off. Trust me: We are doing so much damage to our joints, heart, kidneys, etc.

How can our minds allow us to do this? Isn't it crazy that our bodies, minds, emotions and hearts are all one, but they are constantly battling against one another? I still do not get it all, because I am still at the beginning of my journey. This has been part one of the journey. We are about to start part two…

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COMING TOGETHER

Love from Ruby: Coming Together

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Click to see Ruby celebrate the inspiration she's found in her supporters, and get some savvy advice on changing your life one small action at a time.

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MY THOUGHTS ON FAITH

Ruby's Thoughts on Faith  by RUBY GETTINGER

Tonight's episode was about disappointment, and struggling and wanting to believe and trust in someone and finding the faith to believe in yourself. It's about finding the faith to believe there is something bigger out there than all of us.

My personal belief is that there is a God. I truly believe in God. In my young-adult life, I went out searching for the truth. I didn't want to believe in God just because my mom believed, and I didn't want to love God just because my family and friends loved Him. I felt I was not being honest. So, I wanted to make sure I believed and loved Him with all of my heart, soul and mind. The Word says, "When you search for Me with all your heart, soul and mind, then you will find Me." [Deuteronomy 4:29] And that's exactly what happened.

I receive a lot of emails asking about my religion and religious people. I agree that some are way too judgmental! I think sometimes when some people get religious, they use it as a platform to judge others and point their finger, when that finger needs to do a U-turn right back at them.

Personally, for me, I believe in God and the Bible. I am disturbed because some people make God look so bad when they judge people so harshly. My God says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" [Matthew 7:1-3]

"Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." [John 13:34-35] I would never want someone to judge and condemn me. Would you? We have no idea what another person is going through or what brought them to their today; we have never traveled down their road. People would look at me and call me a gluttoner. When the truth is, I am not.

We are all unique human beings who grew up with parents, without parents, single parents, siblings, teachers, etc. Every one of these people put their mark on us. Good or bad! Now it's time to put our mark on ourselves. It's time to believe in ourselves, even if we can't find one other person who will. You be that person who believes in you. Find the strength. Dig deep inside and find what all of us have: the will to survive. It's in all of us!

Remember your passion and climb your mountain until you reach the top. Fight your beast during the entire climb, and when you can't fight from exhaustion...sit, rest and wait and then climb again.

God is for us! We can beat this, we will beat this, we all will stand together and beat this.

Imagine what it will feel like when you climb the top of your mountain. When I reach my goal, I want to go to the highest mountain and yell, "I did it! I really did it! Oh my gosh! I did it!" and then to look at you and FINALLY be able to say, and know, "YOU CAN DO IT!!!!" Imagine the feeling of climbing the biggest mountain and at the top of your mountain is FREEDOM!!!

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