Ron Lester weighed about 508 pounds; he was battling obesity for a long time. He was obese in his childhood as well. In one of his interviews, Ron said that ever since the bypass surgery where he lost over 300 pounds, the acting opportunities dropped too. It was a lifesaving operation procedure but years after that his organs failed.

How old was Ron in Varsity Blues?

He was 45 years old in the movie Varsity Blues. He played the role of an obese and loud lineman. He was put on a ventilator, but it was said that he was recovering. He gained popularity from this role who was able to do both drinking and rallying. He underwent surgery after this role and as soon as his weight went down so did the roles. He was known as the funny fat guy, he even said that if he was given a chance to do it again, he wouldn’t.

Is Varsity Blues a real story?

It was a fictional story about a football club in a town in Texas called West Canaan. During the game, the quarterback gets injured in the knee, which puts him on the sidelines. To develop a good strategy, teenagers must regroup and rethink their actions. In this case, team integrity is questioned, and the leadership qualities of the team are discussed. Football is considered a ritual in this town, and defeat is not an option.

What happened to Billy Bob?

Since he was a child, Ron Lester had been obese. At his heaviest weight, Lester weighed around 500 pounds. He underwent surgery that caused him to lose approximately 310 pounds. The procedure resulted in a large loss of fat, and he had to undergo 19 different types of skin surgery to get rid of the loose skin that remained after the surgery.

His organs were affected again later in life, which led to another hospitalization. In addition to his liver and kidney failure, he also flatlined.

Ron’s surgery procedure

Ron weighed about 508 pounds, this was getting very unhealthy, so Ron decided to go meet a surgeon and get a consultation. The surgeon qualified him and the next day the surgery procedure started. This procedure involved taking 75% of his stomach through his naval. The first surgery was difficult, the actor lost his pulse. The doctors gave a break and continued again, where the aim was to reroute the rest 25% back to the large intestine.

After these surgeries were performed, he started shedding a lot of pounds, he had a total of 6 surgeries performed on him. 

How would you describe the actor’s life?

Ron was an athletic kid who was very loving and a good company to be around. He played football and wrestled. He could not date anybody due to his obesity, it was emotionally scarring on him. Dating is a huge part of anybody’s teenage years, this lowered his self-confidence. His family was very supportive and loving, but they couldn’t help him much because of the tight budget they had. They sent Ron to the clinic to help him with his eating disorder.

How did his diet change after surgery?

Ron started his day with 3 big bowls of cereal, a bagel, cream cheese, tomatoes, and red onions. He drank a lot of carbonated beverages too. For lunch, he ordered two Big Macs, large fries, and more.

After the surgery, he was on IV and he lost around 25 pounds. The doctors allowed him to eat soft things and soup. After that, he was moved to small portions of food. After he had small portions, he would already be full for most of the day.

Did the actor ever exercise?

He had two gym memberships, but he never went to any of those gyms. He lost hope in exercise because he was sure a treadmill wasn’t going to do many transformations for him.

He said that it is quite normal for most people to exercise after the surgery but to him, it wasn’t. He went walking and sometimes even hiking. He was very insecure to go the gym because he thought he would be judged and at times, he even considered hiring a personal trainer. He was not sure about a personal trainer because it would take a lot of time and effort to get him back on track.

Regrets regarding the surgery

His only regret was that as soon as he lost some weight, he stopped acting in films as well. Though he was worried about making people like him in those days, he is glad he lived out those days to the fullest. 

He put a couple of hundred dollars on his life-changing surgery and he is glad he did it. For a few years, he could afford to stop working and care for his mother who had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. He went back to work in 2007 after his mother passed away.

He is glad that he took this risk and came out alive because he believes both of his parents are watching over him. Even though he misses the fame and popularity that comes with being fat, he would never trade the healthy lifestyle he chooses for himself. 

He is survived by his fiancée, Kate, with whom he has spent his last days. His death at the hospital was thought to have been a peaceful one. The liver and kidneys started failing in June 2016, and he died one day later, on June 17, 2016.