Mike Lost 30 Pounds in a 100-Day Fat Loss Challenge

Mike Trenk had Coach Brian on his own podcast first. A few months later he joined Brian's Call To Rise 100-day challenge and lost more than 30 pounds through the busiest stretch of the year. Here is exactly how he did it.

Mike Trenk had Coach Brian on his own podcast first. A few months later he joined Brian's Call To Rise 100-day challenge and lost more than 30 pounds through the busiest stretch of the year.

Mike's Wake-Up Call: Guest Turns Client

Mike Trenk is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and host of the DadEnial Podcast. He had Brian on his own show as a guest first. After that conversation, Mike decided to try Brian's Call To Rise 100-day challenge for himself.

The Weight Mike Carried: Starting Point and First Goal

Mike started the challenge at about 340 pounds. He worked through the challenge across October, November, and December. That stretch included the holidays. He dropped to 310 pounds. His first goal is getting under 300 pounds.

The MFP Protocol: Movement, Food Choice, Portion Control

Brian's plan for Mike centered on three things: movement, food choice, and portion control. Movement meant aiming for more than 10,000 steps a day. Mike went to the gym occasionally. Daily gym sessions were never the requirement.

Food choice meant building each plate around a quarter protein, a quarter starchy carb, and the rest vegetables. Portion control meant stopping at 80 percent full instead of clearing the plate.

Smoothies Instead of Snacks: Mike's Go-To Habit

Mike built a new habit around smoothies. He drinks two to four fruit-and-vegetable smoothies a day. He reaches for one instead of snack food or a fast food run when he feels hungry.

Weekly Accountability: The Wednesday Night Call To Rise Group

Every Wednesday night, Mike joins a Call To Rise group call with other men in the program. It does not matter what state anyone is in. Brian also uses an app to text check-ins, asking for updates and progress pictures.

Mike says that accountability made the biggest difference in his results. He also adjusted family meals so his two young kids would eat the same healthy food he was eating.

Why Mike Walked Away From GLP-1 Shots

Mike tried a GLP-1 shot the year before joining Call To Rise. He says the stomach pain was severe enough that he could not focus on work, and it made him not want to eat at all for days at a time.

When the effect of a dose wore off, Mike says his hunger came back hard and he overate to make up for it. He calls the pattern a bad cycle, and it is part of why he chose Brian's program instead.

A Surprising Wake-Up Call in His Blood Work

After Mike had already lost weight in the program, he got blood work done. He found new A1C and glucose numbers that he had never had a problem with before, even though he weighed less than he had in months.

Mike says the finding gave him more motivation, not less. He now treats it as an early flag to manage rather than ignore.

Mike's Advice: Reach Out and Try Something Different

During the same 100-day stretch, two other Call To Rise clients were working with Brian alongside Mike. Lucas lost 30 pounds by tracking his food and joining a running group. Andy lost about 30 pounds through a long streak of hitting 10,000 steps a day while traveling for work. Together, the three men lost 90 pounds in 100 days.

Mike's advice for other men is to reach out and have a real conversation about trying something different, instead of waiting for a better time to start.

Listen to Episode 43 for the full conversation between Brian and Mike.

Common Questions From This Episode

Who is Mike Trenk and how did he meet Coach Brian?

Mike Trenk is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and host of the DadEnial Podcast. He had Brian on his own show as a guest, and a few months later he joined Brian's Call To Rise 100-day challenge.

How much weight did Mike lose in the 100-day challenge?

Mike started at about 340 pounds. He dropped to 310 pounds during the challenge. It ran through October, November, and December. His first goal is getting under 300 pounds.

What is the MFP protocol Mike used?

MFP stands for movement, food choice, and portion control. Mike aimed for more than 10,000 steps a day. He built each plate around a quarter protein, a quarter starchy carb, and mostly vegetables. He stopped eating at 80 percent full.

What role did smoothies play in Mike's weight loss?

Mike drinks two to four fruit-and-vegetable smoothies a day. He reaches for one instead of snack food or a fast food run when he feels hungry.

How did accountability help Mike stay on track through the holidays?

Mike joined a Wednesday night Call To Rise group call every week and got regular check-ins through an app, including requests for progress pictures. He says that accountability made the biggest difference in his results.

Why did Mike stop using GLP-1 shots?

Mike tried a GLP-1 shot the year before joining Call To Rise. The stomach pain was severe enough to affect his work. When a dose wore off, his hunger came back hard and he overate to make up for it.

What did Mike's blood work show after he started losing weight?

Mike found new A1C and glucose numbers he had never had a problem with before, even though he weighed less than he had in months. He treats the finding as motivation to manage the issue early.

What is Mike's advice for other men over 40?

Reach out and have a real conversation about trying something different, instead of waiting for a better time to start. Mike also points to two other Call To Rise clients: Lucas and Andy. Each lost about 30 pounds in the same 100 days using different approaches.

Read more of Brian and Mike's conversation on the Driven For Health blog.