Consistency helps Lubbock couple retake control of health journey
While 2020 may go down in history for all the wrong reasons, Mike Abbe will remember it as the year he took control of his health.
Facing family-related stress and health-related anxiety, the 68-year-old Abbe saw his weight gradually increase over time until it reached 265 pounds and he decided to do something about it.
“I had been a caregiver for my mother and my mother-in-law,” the 5-foot-7 Abbe said. “My mother-in-law passed away last December, and I’m still taking care of my mom. With this COVID deal, we’ve been isolated from seeing her, and I felt like it was time to reverse my life a little and get my health back to where it could be.”
Last February, he began a program that helped him become more mindful of diet and exercise, allowing him to commit to, create and reinforce healthy habits. One aspect of the regimen was walking 10,000 steps per day.
“I started out with 500 steps and finally got up to walking five to five and a half miles a day,” he said. “I’ve been doing it ever since April and still do it.”
The results have been nothing short of remarkable. Through a consistent commitment to healthy eating and regular exercise, Abbe lost 45 pounds from mid-February through June. That was only the beginning, though. By year’s end he had dropped 80 pounds while his wife, Allene, has lost almost 70 over a slightly longer time span.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Allene, who indicated her health journey started in October 2019. “It’s been really nice. People at church say we’re just wasting away and shrinking before their eyes because we’re so skinny. I’m not skinny yet, but I’m getting there.”
About five years ago, Mike Abbe said he was working through some health challenges, and his physician advised him to walk five miles per day, but the rigor took a physical toll in terms of bursitis, and he was forced to stop in 2017. Three years later, he took another run at getting back in shape.
“We try to walk six days a week when the weather is nice,” he said. “I walk five miles in about an hour and a half. I have an app on my phone where I keep up with calories and weigh each day, and I’m mindful of everything I do.”
The Abbes altered their diet to include more fruits and vegetables while trying to stay away from high-calorie, high-sugar foods. The goal is approximately 2,000 calories per day, although sometimes the caloric intake is higher and the walking distance greater.
Because Allene does the majority of the meal preparation, she found herself along for the ride, eating the same meals, exercising in a similar manner and enjoying the lost weight.
“I have a friend who walks with me,” said the 60-year-old Allene. “Mike walks so fast that I can’t keep up with him. We try to walk three and a half miles per day. When we started at the first of the summer, we were happy with one and a half to two miles, and we built up during the summer.”
While both credit new habits for the progress they’ve each made in their health journeys, they also said faith has been instrumental in their success.
“The main thing is my walk with the Lord,” Mike Abbe said. “I have a prayer life with him, and I spend time in the Bible every day. I read it through three times a year. It keeps me motivated to keep on doing what I’m doing. I’m also doing it for my wife, my kids and my grandkids. I want to be around to see them as long as I can.”
Both say they feel better than they’ve felt in years thanks to the dietary changes and weight loss.
“Mike went to the barber shop about two months ago,” Allene Abbe said. “He walked in, and it had been a while since they’d seen him, so they asked if he’d been sick or in the hospital. He said he had just lost some weight, and they said he’d lost a lot of weight and wanted to know if he’d lost it on purpose. Things like that make you feel really good.”
The Abbes say the secret isn’t really a secret. It’s simply a matter of paying attention to food intake and committing to regular exercise while maintaining a positive outlook on life.
“The main thing is to be mindful of your surroundings and what you’re doing,” he said. “Stay focused and be encouraged. Be uplifted and be able to see the big picture at the end. Set your goals and imagine what life will look like when you meet those goals.”
They are also realistic that a healthier lifestyle is an everyday battle with ups and downs along the way.
“If you gain a little, don’t be down on yourself and get discouraged,” Mike Abbe said. “They’re just numbers that you can work on. Be motivated in everything you do and believe in yourself knowing you can do it. Be accountable to yourself and keep the right attitude.”
Allene Abbe added that consistency and optimism are their own reward.
“I look forward to walking three and a half miles every morning now,” she said. “If someone had told me that at the start of last year, I’d tell them they needed to be in a rubber room. I hated walking, but now it’s the first thing we do. Start out small and keep on doing it. Do what you can do and go from there in little steps.
“It took a while for this to soak in, but consistency compounds. Consistency in what we eat, what we do, those things will pay off big time.”
