inspirational tv

it is amazing sometimes where inspiration comes from. yesterday a show premiered on style network (my favorite channel) that of course i dvrd so i could watch it tonight instead. the show is called ruby and while i am not quite sure that i would say you need to run out and watch it, i am saying i will probably be tuning in.
ruby is a woman living in savannah, ga and she weighs 473 lbs. the show is documenting her weight loss and the different struggles and accomplishments that she is going through on her journey to lose the weight. i couldn't help but find her endearing and so many of the things she talked about i related to. granted i am not as big as she is and there are things that she experiences that i have never had (she can't take a bubble bath, she can't sit in chairs with arms, and she has to support her bed with bricks so it won't break when she gets in).
one of the things she talked about was the fact that she has dreams, but her dreams are different than that of someone who is "skinny". she spoke about wanting to sit on a guys lap, to hear she is beautiful, and how she get shivers when she thinks about how she will feel when those things happen. i think this offered some sense of validation to me. there are things that i have wanted to experience that are simple things to people that aren't obese. i would love to have a guy give me a piggy back ride and i would love to not feel embarrassed by my weight when someone picks me up.
another thing that they show that will happen through the series is her relationships being tried. i think that is an important part of weight loss that is often over looked. relationships with the people in your life can be changed dramatically by weight loss. people get jealous over your loss, friends who may not be jealous over your loss now view you as a threat (for dating, popularity, etc), and then there are people who will unintentionally place kinks in your goals. plus, weight loss is a very emotional thing. with a flood of hormones running through your body and a constant change in the way you look and feel affect your mood. let's face it, if you get to the point that you are obese you also have some pretty strong addictions to certain foods (mine is cheese and sweet candy like jelly beans) that are hard to break. they are just like an addiction to drugs or alcohol. i can't wait to see how the series handles these.
the many different areas of this show cover ruby going to see a family dr, an obesity specialist, a personal trainer, a diet place (similar to a jenny craig it seems), and the most interesting one... a therapist! i think this could be a good thing for people trying to lose weight and for people in the life of someone trying to lose weight.
that's all for today. new episodes of ruby air on sundays on the style network or you can visit their website.
happy eating.