This was a very emotional week for Ruby, both on the high end and the low end.
We’ve known for a while that her beloved dog Lucy was not well, as her kidneys were failing. Each night Ruby lovingly gave her shots for treatment, and she and friends prepared for the worst. The relationship Ruby has with her dogs is as definitive of man’s best friend as you’ll find. “I don’t think I’ve ever had love like they give me,” Ruby tearfully remarks.
Her roommate and close friend Jeff said that Lucy’s loss would be “like losing a child for her.” In this episode, Lucy does leave Ruby and it’s one of those emotional hurdles that has Ruby questioning if she’ll end up throwing away all of her hard work thus far.
Friends gathered for a memorial service for Lucy, and Ruby’s ex-boyfriend now turned friend, Denny, arrived to help her cope. He said that Ruby always told him that the dogs have no concept of how much bigger she was than other people, and that they just offered unconditional love.
Best friend Georgia was proud of Ruby, as she said this time Ruby “didn’t fall into a big pot of spaghetti, instead she fell into church.” Which is exactly where the two friends went the night after Lucy’s funeral. Ruby is confident that this time she’s going to deal with the pain and the emotions, rather than turning to food.
On the high end, Ruby got to enjoy one of her favorite evenings – Women’s Fat Night. It’s a support group of friends who are each battling their own weight issues. They meet to talk through mishaps and successes and gain motivation and support from one another. Ruby has the bright idea that their next meeting should be an extended one and they’d call it the first Women’s Fat Night Workshop.
In the first part of the workshop, the women shared diet gimmicks that didn’t work, like the sexy stripper workout or the Thighmaster. Then, they each shared a diet tip that has worked for them, like eating more slowly and stopping when you start to feel full. Another woman started a quilt, and for each pound she loses, she adds a square.
Next, Ruby’s doctor, Dr. Bradley, volunteered to host the event in his home and have the OurLife Health chefs attend to show the women how to prepare fast, simple, delicious and healthful meals. They enjoyed sampling the food prepared by Gene and Blair, who recommended the use of olive oil, fresh herbs, and making sure meals were colorful (meaning more nutritious).
Finally, at Dr. Bradley’s recommendation, the women were joined by Sandy Baker, a food addiction specialist who has herself lost 135 pounds and kept it off for more than four years. She taught the women that emotional eating is when you eat instead of feeling. The women vowed to continue to support one another.