Tonight Style Network debuted its newest show, “Ruby.”

Ruby is Savannah, Georgia resident Ruby Gettinger.  She is smart, fun, and has a great circle of family and friends.  But Ruby is almost 500 pounds.

In the premiere episode, Ruby’s doctor told her that if she didn’t make serious lifestyle changes, then she risks sudden death.

Though her friends and family want to help her, many of them are actually enabling her because they all enjoy fatty southern cooking.

Enter actress friend Brittany Daniel.  Brittany helps Ruby begin a healthy journey by going grocery shopping with her and trying to find a healthy cookbook so that good friend Georgia can make healthy recipes.

What I love about this show is that she is not making excuses for her weight.  As her family and friends try and help her and change their lifestyles as well, it is clear that Ruby is still in control.

She knows that she needs a team of people to help her, including a personal trainer to push her past where she thinks she can go.

We can all learn from that.  You don’t have to weigh 500 pounds to realize you need help to make lifestyle changes.  Whether you are just overweight or morbidly obese, none of us can achieve our goals alone.  We all need help at some point.

Folks, there is no doubt that this nation is experiencing an obesity epidemic.  But the solution doesn’t just lie in a certain diet or working out 7 days per week.

The best thing is a combination of healthy diet and exercise.  And that exercise needs to include both cardio and strength training (yes, ladies, strength training).

If you need to get a personal trainer to get you set on the right path, then that’s one step closer you’ve made to getting yourself better.

If you think you have an addiction to food, consider seeing a counselor to help deal with underlying issues that may be holding you back from success.

Remember that you want to have to do this for you and your health.  It can’t be because anyone else wants you do.  Do it for your family.  Do it for your quality of life.  But make sure you are doing it for yourself.  For this you are allowed to be selfish.

Most of all, I want to make sure that people don’t feel they have to be a certain size or a certain shape because healthy looks different on everyone.

Leave a comment and share your weight loss struggles, successes and questions.