Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Los Angeles Obesity Help Convention 2008

So, I spent the Halloween weekend at the Kyoto Hotel in Los Angeles. It's a beautiful hotel and the staff is really friendly. I shared a room with a gal from the Bay Area. She was really nice. The room was nice and the beds were comfy.

I met a really nice gentleman named Ron Lester. If the name sounds familiar, it should. He played Billy Bob in Varsity Blues, Sugar Daddy Bernadino in the WB's teen show Popular, Spatch in Good Burger, Reggie Ray in Not Another Teen Movie, as well other parts in show/movies. His weight topped out at 508 pounds, and through having the Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch, he was able to lose 348 pounds. He looks amazing. I have pictures from my weekend at the convention in My Pictures. There is a picture of me sitting on Ron's lap. I wasn't the only one to do this, so don't get all twitchy on me...lol

It was great meeting people I had only spoken to online as well as meeting new people at the convention. It wa such a relaxed atmosphere and a lot of fun. If you are considering having any type of gastric bypass surgery, or if you've already had surgery, I really suggest you go to one of these conventions. The people and the support are amazing.

For Halloween one of the plastic surgeons hosted a Halloween in the Japanese Gareden at the hotel. The food was really good. The costumes were amazing. I dressed up as a gypsy. They had a costume contest and I think Sarah Palin won, but don't quote me on it...lol

Saturday it was speakers, presentations, vendors and plastic surgery consults. To hear Ron's experience was inspirational. I think several people got teary-eyed, including me. They had great vendors: Click (espresso protein powder), Mona Vie (the Aca'i Beey drink), Focus-28 (protein bars), AchievOne (protein drinks) and whole lot more that I can't remember right now. Lunch was amazing. They served sliced tuna, which was yummy. salads, roast beef, turkey, cheeses. For dessert they has sugar free cookies and lemon bars. O-M-G, the lemon bars were to-die-for!! My roommate and I had dinner at the Azalea Resaurant. The food was good. Then we went to Casino Night in the main room on the Banquet Level. It was a lot of fun. They had a Dj and he played some good music. They dessert was fruit and sugar free cheesecake, which was really good.

Sunday was more speakers, presentations, vendors, plastic surgery consults and a food/cooking demo with Michelle (Eggface) and Beth (Melting Mama). They are so funny and the food was yummy. Lunch was beef and chicken fajita with all the fixings. For dessert, there was the sugar free cheesecake and a sugar free chocolate mousse cake. They were sooo good!!Then it was saying goodbye and the looonnng drive home. I was tired but happy.

Side Note: My pill box of meds and supplements vanished from my suitcase on saturday night when I went to take them and mysteriously showed up in my suitcase when I got home and unpacked. Curious, isn't it??

1 comment:

EPandora said...

I found your blog through google search....and i loved reading about your experience at the convention. I am living in Hamburg, Germany. Unfortunately we don`t have conventions like that. I am no longer that heavy, but still a lot heavier, than I'd like to be and would someday love to go to a convention like that, because it seems like i can`t do it all on my own...

good luck to you and thank you for posting this!!!

Eileen