TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY
My name is Anne Martin Tramontana. I’m 58 years young and a nurse from the bayous of south Louisiana. I grew up as an overweight child from the 3rd grade on and obesity continued into my adult life. I have two children, ages 31 and 35, and three adorable grandkiddos. My 31-year-old daughter is vegetarian.

WHAT HAPPENED IN YOUR LIFE THAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE A CHANGE?
My husband and soul mate of 34 years, Ralph, passed away at age 57 in October 2013. He had suffered from chronic disease as a result of obesity and had gastric bypass surgery a few years before. Ralph did lose some weight following the surgery and went from 412 to about 295 pounds. He had even done a 6-mile run/walk race. But, he was totally addicted to sugar and sweets and his weight was back up to about 340 pounds when he passed away as he slept at my side.

I was depressed and felt that there wasn’t much to live for. I just figured at my age of 53, I would be heavy and continue gaining weight for the rest of my life. At that time, I weighed 212 pounds. Then my weight ballooned to 255 pounds.

WHAT CHANGES DID YOU MAKE?
After much prayer and reflection, I came to know that my husband would have wanted me to stick around here for our kids and grandkids. So, I decided I was going to do my best to get healthy. I’m the only grandparent of my sweet grandkids and I realized after going from 220 to 255 lbs., I was on my way to joining him. But, I really wanted my grandkids to have a grandparent and I wanted to see them grow.

In January 2016, my co-worker and I decided to lose weight together. At that time, I was 5’2” tall and weighed 255 pounds. I began following a lower-carb diet (the carbs I ate mostly consisted of wheat bread and brown rice) and lots of lean meats, dairy and olive oils. I did a little walking here and there, but wasn’t very active.

WERE YOU SUCCESSFUL WITH THIS NEW DIET PLAN?
By July 2017, my weight was down to 189 pounds and I was feeling better, but my lab work showed that my cholesterol level and LDL were still too high. My blood pressure continued to be elevated even though I was taking three different anti-hypertensive medications and I was still suffering with occasional heartburn and acid reflux. I was still on an anti-anxiety/anti-depression medication too. I was a little more active then and could walk a mile or even run from one mail box to another once in a while. Although I was feeling much better I thought perhaps I still needed to change something.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST START LOOKING INTO A WHOLE FOODS PLANT-BASED LIFESTYLE?
On July 2, 2017, my prayers were answered!! I was bored and decided to surf Netflix documentaries. As a nurse, the movie picture of a doctor’s hand with a fork (instead of a scalpel) on “Forks Over Knives” caught my eye. When I was done watching I sat there with my mouth open wide. . . 😳 I never knew any of this!!! Then I proceeded to watch “What the Health” and “Plant Pure Nation”. Well . . . that was it!!!

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
I called my vegetarian daughter Bethany to say, “Ya momma’s going vegan!” I knew she wouldn’t have a clue what whole food plant based was, so I used the term vegan instead. She of course said “what??!!” I told her what happened and the next morning I took every piece of meat in my freezer and stuck it in the fridge to defrost. On July 4, 2017 I had a huge family BBQ and I didn’t eat one bite of meat!! Within a couple of weeks, the dairy was gone from my fridge too.

WERE THERE ANY FOOD ITEMS YOU HAD TROUBLE GIVING UP?
I did continue to eat olive oils, vegan butter and mayo for a while. But after further research about the effect of oils and the cardiovascular system, I did away with those food items. I found that veggies sauté well using water or veggie broth. I used to eat lots of nuts, but now eat them in moderation, due to them being high in caloric density, (just a sprinkle of walnuts in my salad or in my oatmeal is perfect).

HOW ARE YOU DOING 15 MONTHS LATER?
As of October 12, 2018, I now weigh 155 pounds . . . and I’m still 5’2” 🤣 I’ve lost 100 pounds and have gained back so much!! My last doctor appointment revealed that all my labs are within normal limits and all my blood pressure meds have been cut in half. I’m no longer on anti-anxiety or anti-depression medication, nor do I take any over the counter heartburn antacids or stool softeners. My swelling and discoloration in my legs are gone and I no longer have to take pills to help me sleep.

HOW HAS THIS WHOLE FOOD PLANT-BASED LIFESTYLE CHANGED YOU?
I’m able to play and keep up with my grandkids and I’ve participated in a couple of 5K races thus far. Not only can I now run from one mail box to the next, I can now run 4 miles in 60 minutes! I’ve gone from a size 24 to a 10 and went from a size 2XL t-shirt to a medium. I’m still in shock about how great I feel! I was always a chubby kid and I now weigh the same amount I did in high school. I just had my 40th class reunion this past weekend and it was wonderful to feel healthy and confident about my body!

FOOD IS A BIG PART OF THE CULTURE IN SOUTHERN LOUISIANA, DO YOU HAVE TROUBLE STAYING ON THE PLANT-BASED PLAN?
In this area we eat LOTS of meats, stews and fish . . . it’s all part of our culture and heritage. But so, so many of our love ones have passed away with complications of obesity caused by these dietary choices. Many of the recipes can be modified and I do make seitan sausages to use in gumbos and jambalaya. My gumbos consist of a roux made with oat flour browned with no oil.

We now have a plant connection pod in this area and we meet once a month to share information, recipes and support each other. It’s all so wonderful and I look forward to a long healthy life!!! 😍

DO YOU HAVE ANY HELPFUL HINTS TO SHARE WITH MY READERS?
Some people say it’s too expensive to eat WFPB, but actually it’s very cheap. Meat is expensive and so are fast food take outs. I rarely eat out any more and if I do usually stick to sides like baked potatoes and sautéed veggies. I bring my own salad dressing with me just in case I decide to order a salad. We have a Chinese restaurant in our town of Thibodaux that has a big grill. I load up a big plate of raw veggies, ginger, garlic, Jasmine rice and Sriracha and get them to sauté it with no oil just water! It’s so delicious and filling. I don’t miss the buffet at all!

WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER?
My suggestion for a person looking to better their health and life is to watch “Forks Over Knives” and other documentaries and then make changes accordingly. Take one day at a time and if you “fall”, learn from it – don’t beat yourself up. Get right up and start again. In my case, walking and then running has been a mood enhancer and has helped me tremendously (I don’t advocate anyone getting off anti-depression or anti-anxiety meds without approval from their doctor). Start your lifestyle change just one step at a time and gradually progress forward.

ANY FINAL WORDS?
Give it a try and have the best, healthiest, happiest life possible. I have been on so many diets in my 58 years – too many to count. I lost weight only to regain it back when I “got off the diets”. But I have finally found the answer. The whole foods plant based lifestyle is the way for me and many others and it may just work for you!

I’m not pushing religion, but for me it’s 🙏🐸💞 PRAY… FROG (Fully Rely On God) and LOVE YOURSELF AND OTHERS. Hugs and luv to all of you. If my story inspires just one person to change their life for the better it would mean everything to me. 😍

ANNE’S SALAD DRESSING RECIPE
Easy Salad Dressing

CLOSING
A big thank you to Anne for sharing her heartfelt story with me and congratulations to her on her good health!  Her husband’s death related to his obesity was a tough thing to face, but her perseverance is truly inspirational. I hope you found her story as touching as I have.

Thank you for sharing! 💚