Fabricio Zambrano is one of the most dapper men you’ll ever meet. Perpetually dressed in fitted clothes and a panama hat, Fab looks, well, fabulous.
But he didn’t always dress like this. Because he didn’t always feel like this. For most of his life, Fabricio wore oversize T-shirts to hide his 5-foot-8, 300-pound frame. He subsisted mostly on fast food and did not exercise.
But after Fab hit a life-threatening rock bottom, the Clearwater resident revamped his habits. He adopted a plant-based lifestyle, started exercising and eventually lost half his body weight.
Today, the 61-year-old grandfather is known around the Tampa Bay area as "Fab the Vegan." Through Facebook, Instagram and countless media appearances, he shares his journey and offers inspiration for anyone looking to make changes.
I first met Fab when we both appeared on an episode of "Bloom" about plant-based eating. We recently reconnected for a conversation about Fab’s health journey, advice for changing one’s eating habits and how to deal with friends and family who oppose your new lifestyle.
Dalia Colón is the producer and host of WUSF's "The Zest" podcast, which tells great food-related stories that need to be told. Click here to listen to other episodes.
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