‘This is my life, a life I’m trying to fix’

Ruby Gettinger is a sweet, rambunctious Savannah gal with a big support system of friends and family.

Not long ago, she was also tipping the scales at 477 pounds.

The Style Network decided to train cameras on Gettinger this year and chronicle her personal “Biggest Loser”-style journey.

“I want to fix the problem; I want to find a cure,” Gettinger said this week over lunch at McCormick & Schmick’s at CNN Center, where she nibbled at a low-carb meal of sockeye salmon with mixed vegetables and a mixed-green salad. “Is it mental, physical or emotional? Or is it all three? I’m learning eating for me is like an addiction, like alcoholism.”

Last Sunday’s first episode of “Ruby” introduced the world to Gettinger and her efforts to change her life as she began work with a dietitian, a fitness trainer and a psychiatrist. The show drew 565,000 viewers, the biggest debut for an original series in Style Network’s nine-year history.

“I was shocked how big I was,” Gettinger said after watching herself on TV. “I look in the mirror and see myself as big but not that big. I didn’t know when I walk, I wobble. What is that?”

A military brat who eventually settled in Savannah, Gettinger said she began gaining weight at age 10. “I never ate meals,” she said. “I ate snacks. Pop-Tarts for breakfast. Sweet rolls. Milky Ways. Love Milky Ways!”

Gettinger, who won’t reveal her age, said that as an adult, her weight has fluctuated over the years between 350 and 716 pounds. In the mid-1990s, she met a fitness trainer and fell in love. They moved to Los Angeles. She lost 150 pounds. But that wasn’t enough. In the end, he ultimately couldn’t marry her, she said, because of her weight.

About that time, she saw an “Oprah” episode on fat women and decided to do a documentary about herself. The idea never quite congealed.

She moved back to Savannah around 2001. Over the years, she worked as a pharmacy technician and helped burn victims with stocking fittings. But a couple of years ago she had heart issues and had to go on disability.

At the time, Gettinger still had the idea of documenting her life in some way. A friend hooked Gettinger up with a producer friend, who sold the concept to Style Network. Thus the show was born.

Seven months after that initial episode was filmed, she said she’s down to 364 pounds. She’s learning to break bad habits, such as skipping breakfast and eating only when she’s truly hungry. Now she’s eating on a schedule, whether her stomach is growling or not. Though Style has yet to commit, a second season is a virtual guarantee after solid first-episode ratings.

“My goal is to reach a healthy weight in two years,” Gettinger said, though she’s not sure exactly what that might be. As for “Ruby,” the TV series, “I don’t see it as a show. This is my life, a life I’m trying to fix. And I hope I can help others, too.”

TV SUNDAY

“Ruby,” 9 p.m. Style Network