Apply for a Free Health Hot Seat Coaching Session

Jan. 9, 2026

Mike Loses 30 lbs in 100 -Day Fat Loss Challenge - Here's How - 43

Losing 30+ Pounds Through the Holidays with Accountability and a Different Approach

In Episode 43 of the Driven for Health Podcast, Coach Brian sits down with Mike Trenk, a men’s mental health counselor and host of the DadEnial Podcast, for a real, unfiltered conversation about sustainable fat loss, mental health, and doing things differently.

This episode is a recorded crossover conversation from Mike’s show, where the roles reverse and the focus turns to Mike’s own transformation. After joining Coach Brian’s Call to Rise 100-Day Fat Loss Challenge, Mike lost over 30 pounds while navigating work, family life, and the holiday season. No extreme workouts. No rigid dieting. No starting over every Monday.

You’ll hear exactly what worked, including:

How accountability and weekly group calls changed everything
Why walking, simple food structure, and portion awareness beat gym obsession
The mental health impact of progress without burnout
Why flexible nutrition beats restriction, guilt, and GLP-1 shortcuts
How sustainable habits carry over into family life and leadership

This episode is especially relevant for men over 40 who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated by years of false starts and short-term fixes. Mike’s story proves that fat loss does not require perfection. It requires structure, support, and consistency.

If you are tired of white-knuckling your health and want a process that fits real life, this episode will hit home.

Connect with Mike Trenk

Website: https://miketrenk.com
Podcast: DadEnial Podcast
Mike focuses on men’s mental health, fatherhood, identity, and breaking unhealthy cycles. If you are a dad trying to do better for yourself and your family, his work is worth your time.

Ready to Lose 20+ Pounds in 100 Days?If Mike’s story resonates and you want the same structure, accountability, and results, learn more about the Call to Rise 100-Day Fat Loss Challenge.

It's designed for driven men with demanding careers who are READY to lose 20+ lbs and FIX bad blood work without sacrificing family time or work.Through a proven system of strength training, personalized nutrition, and radical accountability, you’ll drop 20–30 pounds and rebuild confidence from the inside out. It’s more than a fitness program, it’s an body transformation experience with a Brotherhood of like-minded men committed to showing up, leveling up, and leading in a body they are excited about.

This is your wake-up call to rise.www.thecalltorise.com

Want help applying this to your own health, weight, energy, or lab numbers?

Coach Brian Parana offers Health Hot Seat coaching segments for men who want a clear next step with nutrition, fitness, weight loss, blood pressure, cholesterol, A1C, or daily consistency.

Learn more about The Call To Rise, a 100-day coaching program for driven men over 40 who want to lose weight, improve their health, and rebuild confidence:

www.thecalltorise.com

To connect with Coach Brian:
brian@brianparana.com

Disclaimer: This podcast is for education and coaching support only. It is not medical advice. Always work with your physician before changing medication, treatment, or medical care.

Episode 43, Driven for Health. I'm welcoming Mike Tran. He is a men's mental health counselor. And in our episode, we talk about how he lost 30 plus pounds in my call to rise 100 day fat loss challenge. Mike, I was actually on his podcast and that's what this is going to be is a recording of our conversation.
I met him as a guest on his initial podcast called Dad and Neil. Definitely check it out. I highly recommend listening into it. From there, he was interested in what I had to offer and he joined my program and over the course of probably October, November, December going through the holidays, he lost 30 pounds.
We're going to talk about the tips, tricks, the strategies, the things that we implemented so he could be so successful. And he did it differently than you might expect. And that's the cool part. Listen in, check it out. And if his story inspires you to lose 20 plus pounds in a 100 day challenge, that's what the culturize is.
I would love to have you check it out. Here we go. Let's jump in right now. Hello everyone. Welcome to Dead O'Neal. I'm your host Mike Tran, licensed clinical mental health counselor. And today is a kind of a special uh followup from one of the prior episodes. So if you've seen from the season, I had on a guest named Brian Piranha.
He's a coach and he has this program called the call to rise. And after talking to him and hearing the podcast doing it, I felt like this is my chance to try something different cuz you know as many males of we just kind of get stuck of well I have to get to the gym. I have to go to the gym certain number of days a week.
I have to do this kind of fitness which I used to do maybe 20 years ago and I just couldn't get it done. So I want to thank coach Brian Piranha first year for getting me involved in the call to rise. Ryan Pana, how are you doing today? >> I'm doing excellent and Mike, it's been awesome working with you and so happy for our progress and the the momentum that we've been able to build going into this holiday season and you are continuing to do regardless of it being again the holiday season which so many guys fall off track here and they just
let oh it's Christmas time I'll just get back to in January. So I want you to talk a little bit about it but first I wanted to mention of for me the big difference was every Wednesday night you have a call to rise meeting where even though you're in a different state than I am it doesn't matter you can be any one of the 50 states and beyond and through our world of technology that we have a support group we get to meet up and you give us questions to to answer beforehand you know if how you're doing if there's questions to ask during the
group meeting >> right >> which I felt was probably the most invaluable part along with the fact that your program that you constantly have an app that we text you and you text us of haven't heard from you, what's going on, send me a picture. >> Yeah. >> And just that accountability was I feel like the biggest difference that I've seen in your program, but I want to hear more about the program so others can hear about it and reach out to you.
>> Well, what was the pro Let's talk about the pro. Let's hook them in. What was the results for you in terms of of course brass tax, how much weight did you lose, right? That's what everyone wants to know. And then uh you know what was one easy takeaway that has really made a difference for you? >> Yeah.
So in all fairness and honesty, nothing to hide here. This is you know 100% dead on. I was at about 340 lbs. And the biggest thing in my mind, even though I'm a therapist and I I have so many tools to manage feelings and emotions and and how to help people and lose weight, I just always had this vision of like until I get to a certain weight for me was like 210 220.
I can't get to be where I feel like I should be in life, >> right? and uh just being stuck there for so long and so for so many years really started to weigh on me literally and figuratively. But your program offers just something different of it's not going to the gym, it's not how many reps do you do, it's literally you simplify it down to it's what you eat, you know, what you take in and how many steps you do. Yeah.
>> And just breaking it down for me was just like, "Oh, okay. Well, I haven't, you know, I can do that." >> And just doing that. And >> my new addiction now is smoothies. I have about two or three to four a day of [laughter] fruit, vegetables, and that's what I do when I'm hungry. Instead of looking for snacks or >> Yeah.
>> Uh my ADD kind of getting in the way of like I just need something now and end up going to a fast food drive-thru. >> That's made the world of difference. And just that accountability that that you provide through the call to rise I think is is the biggest difference that it's not having to get up get to a gym figure out time to to do that.
It's >> right >> your own time but and you can we can reach out to you anytime on on the call to rise app that you have. I think that >> yeah what was the weight loss? >> Oh so right now I am at 310. So 30 lbs down right now. >> That's incredible. >> So trying to get Incredible. >> First goal is being under 300.
Seeing the scale of in the 290s, it has been way too long. I I can't even tell you how many years, but um you know, it's uh it's a good feeling to know making progress and getting >> I'll be the second one to welcome you under, right? You'll welcome your with your wife first, right? Yay. Big milestone.
And then I'll be the second one to celebrate with you >> on that because it's coming. It's just a matter of time now, right? It's not a matter of if, how, why, or any of that stuff. It's just, okay, I have a process. I have a plan, and all I have to do is these simple things day in and day out for consistency, and then I get a better outcome.
And so, what we're talking about here, everyone, we're talking about the call to rise. It's a 100 day fat loss challenge. The goal is to lose [snorts] 20 plus pounds in 100 days and start working on nutrition, fitness, your lifestyle in a supportive and accountable manner. I being the team lead hold everyone to a high level of accountability and support.
Mike will tell you there's so many times said, "Mike, let's jump on a call or text me or what you doing over there or just asking simple questions to help him understand or see what's going on around him to create his own level of accountability." All right, Brian, you're asking me this question. What do I want to focus on this week? And what was it, Michael? 80% full.
That was a big undertone that you adopted from one of from the habits worksheet that allowed you to >> not overeat, which then kept you in a calorie deficit. And then we've then found smoothies to be an easy, enjoyable way to >> keep you from overconuming snacks and calories, >> which wins. And for everyone, they did things differently.
Smoothies was just my thing, but I know it was part of that camaraderie of hearing other people of like, oh, they, >> you know, meal prepped and did this or they found new recipes. That's another thing, too. on your website that you gave us a whole list of like here's things that are easy manageable that you know you're not like going to the store to try to find specific things of it's just things that are already in your fridge and >> right >> things that like okay well because it isn't just me it's the kids it's you know making food for the family of oh
these are things I know the kids will eat too and I've got them >> on board with go over that quite a bit right okay we understand what you need to eat but how do we make sure that the kids enjoy it as well and it's something that can stick in the household with two with a young family. You have two young kids and they don't always want to eat vegetables.
So that's something that you better be ingraining in them at their young age or you will forever have that issue when they're in their teens and they really don't want to eat vegetables. >> Right. No, I don't want to discount too of there is an aspect and I see it in the horizon for myself too of like I had I still have weight you know a lot of weight to lose but it does also implore you to at least once a week couple times a week to try different basic things at the gym that aren't too strenuous and I've done that too a few times and I
don't feel overloaded of like if I miss a couple days of well that's it I got to start all over again and you feel defeated it's always that constant of no matter what that you are kind of working at it which is just from a psychology sense is is it's a lot all about the mindset that physical and mental health working together of you're not feeling defeated you're not feeling overwhelmed you're not feeling like you're not hitting the target weight when you're saying of just a pound or two like well that seems
small at my weight but that's okay I can do that and then you see that build and you feel that feeling of okay you know I want to get to the gym more I want to continue to knew this cuz not just like how I feel and kids are involved. It's it is a a mental health aspect of it that unlocks a lot.
Now I can after all these years I can finally start seeing if all right that that second part of the goal right the first part is under 300 and the next part of like all right I want to you know to lose more weight to get to the gym a little bit more to continue >> what does five years might look like and getting him in the best possible position that he can >> you know maybe five years I might be going to Turkey to get one of those hair transplants um that's that's always on the cards um depends on how I feel and how I look and you know It's it it's to
go back to like that goal I've had for probably being honest about 15 years of >> where I am like what I'm doing in my practice of it's just that thought in my own self of like how can people believe and trust me if I look like this no other way of putting it I guess but being honest >> real thing right the congruency >> of you doing the thing that you're practicing preaching ing and and and living and having a healthier, happier, more energetic body and energy about you comes through. And that's why you even
thought about, oh, okay, I had this guy on. He's saying these things and I guess a four-letter word. Sometimes four-letter words are good, right? Not always, but this one was. And and hope, right? Our first conversation that we had on your podcast many months ago brought you some level of hope and you're like, "Okay, can this guy actually help coach and teach and guide me through what has to happen?" Just like you do for all of your clients, you give them hope that they can live a healthier, happier life and do things
and get unlocked from the the chains that bind them in a sense that are often selfprescribed, right? yourself and selfattached and all of a sudden you feel like you're dragging this ball and chain around and and I just gave you a key to unlock it. I can't unlock it for you, but I can give you the keys and show you how to unlock that ball and chain to start moving again and start going in the direction that you actually want to live, look, feel, and experience a life that's really exciting.
>> And it's getting better, right? You're down 30 pounds. you can do more literally physically and and be able to keep up with your kids even just a little bit more. Or we talked about the the knee challenge and and that is every 10 lbs less weight is 40 less pounds of pressure on your knees. That's huge. >> Huge.
>> So there's a a level of I won't say irony, but kind of like Oprah reveal of through this challenge and journey and and the call to rise, right? It it made me reach out because it was different. I was like, well, I'll try something different. And now I'm down 30 lbs. And now I have more motivation because I wasn't things weren't feeling right in my body.
And I went to the doctor and got some blood work. And now I find out of even though I've never had issues before with A1C and and glucose, now all of a sudden I do, even though I'm down more than I was a few months ago. So the irony of that now it's even more motivation of right >> all right you know these are things that are beatable and things that are >> are manageable and I think right so many men either don't pay attention to the to this you know blood work or getting it done and I think it it is important and I think you know this this all kind of ties in of
our our health and working with men that you know we need to be more aware we need to be more accountable of our mental health, physical health and I think the call to rise that's why I wanted to have you back on is >> to kind of you know not just be testimonial but just also kind of share to once again that it is different it is manageable and if you check on your physical health and you find out that things are higher than they should be all of a sudden of like all right now I've already started now I need to
really um step it up to to not be on this kind of lifestyle for a long time like I know some men are have kind of stuck in that cycle too of >> even during our process we noticed that there were maybe a little more challenging times more demands on life. Kids were sick. In-laws were coming over for the holidays.
All sorts of different things that that get in the way of being consistent of doing what you need to keep progress going. And those are real tangible obstacles that get people tripped up and then they fall back into old behaviors. And a lot of things that I'm working on is the mechanics. It's simple. It's not easy.
Weight loss, weight maintenance, it's simple, it's not easy. And our goal is to make it as simple and easy as possible. And that's where I come into play. And what I've been doing the last 23 years is literally that phrase. I come in and make it simple and easy for you to reach your goals in whatever manner works best and for you was different than what Lucas did.
Lucas lost 30 pounds, but he did it differently than you. He tracked all his food and you didn't. He joined a running group and you didn't. And that's perfectly fine. Andy Andy has been on a terror of about 80 day streak of 10k steps and he travels a lot and he keeps his and he checks his calories.
Well, he's down 30 pounds as well. You guys all had different lives, but between the three of you, you've lost 90 pounds in between three guys in a 100 days. And that is crazy incredible. And it was just through simple conversations asking you to pay attention, asking you to make better choices than you did before, asking you to move more than you did the prior week and giving you a level of support that you haven't experienced, especially when it comes to weight loss because a lot of people try the plan, they read a book, they they do this thing that everyone's
doing or right now they're getting the shot, right? The GLP1s are prevalent and yes, they can provide an outcome, but it might not be a long-term solution. And it might just be a band-aid that ultimately balls off and then you the issue is still there. You still overeat at night.
You still get hungry in the day and choose a not so healthy option. You still get overwhelmed with what are we eating for dinner and end up going out to eat and eating too many calories. You oh, it's I'm I'm mentally tired from my day and I'm tired and I'm not going to go move my body even though that probably is the best thing for you.
And even you know from what you do activity and eating healthy are the two easiest fastest ways to improve your mental health for everyone that you talk to. >> Right. And you mentioned GLP1. >> That is a common one that gets um prescribed now by doctors and even myself. I can only speak for myself, but that is something I did try last year of all right, maybe this is a route and just speaking personally here of it really the worst two things were just of like how your stomach felt and just you know um I would kind of just track your
day and just >> you know it it it would make you not want to eat for for a lot like it would just you stare at food and literally make you sick to your stomach and >> right when you when you did after a few days of taking the shot, it would be like almost like a ravenous dog of like I was finally feel like I wasn't going to throw up or feel sick to my stomach that I would just eat >> so much just to kind of make up for it.
I felt like it. So, >> um it wasn't a good cycle to be in too. And I no >> felt was too like, you know, I can't even get work done during the day. I'm just kind of sat, you know, sitting in a chair waiting for the stomach pain to pass. >> So, that was good. >> Talk about productivity. being disruptive to your day, right, and your life and your mental health.
I feel bad when I do this thing to get to the outcome that I want. And that's something that that we focus on, you and I, but I do with everyone is how do I make this process as positive as possible? Right? You always found me with lots of energy, lots of positive go- get them attitude, lots of answers to your questions, lots of following up and and checking in on you to to make sure that you did the things that you wanted to do.
And that level of accountability and support and direction and it it all attaches a positive outcome of, oh, I can lose weight. I can eat healthier. I can move my body in a way that allows me to about this whole process and not I'm starving. I only get to eat this one page sheet of paper. I have to take this shot and it makes me feel horrible and have nobody wants food is >> love. It's happiness. It's joy.
It's also sadness and anger and pain and and those are things that that we see you and I both with the people that we work with and we want to translate food into fun, enjoyment and excitement because we have to eat to live and we might as well allow that everyday experience multiple times a day to be positive, >> right? And I think you've said it too.
You like ice cream and so do I. So it's >> not even feeling that guilt of like I can't have something or going without. It's more that mental state which I can resonate and relate to of all right if I have ice cream that's fine now I'm going to beat myself up I'm just going to have something lighter later or I might go for a walk and >> you know walk off some of these calories it's just it's it has more that mental side of oh okay I can understand the psychology of >> because I always felt like the diets or that food part of it was always like
you're going without but you're not going without you're just shifting small things and even if you do >> you know getting like ice cream or something that that you know isn't the greatest thing of there's no reason to go without there's no reason to beat yourself up it's just kind of just shifting your mindset of that's fine I had ice cream I'm going to do something else tomorrow or later that's going to even that out kind of thing so that was important factor as well >> yeah some of the simplicity just so that
everyone listening in can hear where we started can I get you to move so we have the MFP protocol movement food choice is protocol. Portion control is the third one. [snorts] Movement. Can I get you to move more than you have been? Right. And then with the idea of let's move more than 10,000 steps a day, right? Do we go to the gym or not? You did occasionally, but that wasn't an undertone of you got to get to the gym every day of the week or something like that, right? Even the other guys, they only went two or three
times a week at most, but they focus on improving their movement. So, that's number one. Food [snorts] choice. It gave you very clear understanding of what is in the food you're eating and how to combine it. So we eat the right types of food at the right times in the right amount. So it becomes easier. We have a protein, a fibrous carb, think of fruit and vegetables.
And we have a starchy carb. Those are the main players on the plate. And if we divide the plate up, it's very simple. Quarter of the plate protein, quarter of the plate a starchy carb. So those are similar in portion size. And then two or three times the amount of vegetables, right? How many times did they say, "Mike, where are your vegetables at? Can we get more? Hey, eat another pepper there, right?" It kept getting on you.
Why? Because it will fill you up on less calories. And that was the point to stay full long enough until you got to your next planned meal. And that's what we wanted to do is have a little more planning and preparation and not just winging it. Oh, I've worked eight hours in a row and I don't know what to eat and I have nothing prepared.
and we're going out to eat, right? And then the the last thing was portion control. And I I already said it inside that that that plate image, but we're eating three or four times a day, having balance meals that focus on moderation, balance, and flexibility built into today so that if an ice cream cone does come up because the kids got a good grade on their report card or there's this sporting activity or after school program that they did really well on, you want to celebrate that.
That's part of life, right? You don't want to go there and just be the the the dad. Oh, my dad's working on his abs. He never eats ice cream with us, right? You don't want that to be part of your legacy with your kids. And and that's So, everyone listening, those are some of the basics that we started with in the easiest way possible to then get Mike to buy into more. and the eating the 80% bull.
He routinely said that was a big player that he would just stop eating when he recognized a level of fullness. >> Yeah. Now I got the kids uh with that mindset of uh not 80% but they'll start like, "Oh, I'm 35% now." I'm like, "How do you go 40%?" Yes. But now they'll they'll they'll work their way up to 80%. They'll stop.
I also wanted to mention too that since we started that you started your own podcast now. What's uh where can people find you there? >> Driven for health podcast. You might see it as nutrition for men over 40. Driven for health but driven for health is the easiest way to find it. And I just literally before this I did a live stream on my 33rd episode since the end of September. So I've been on a a go.
I actually have I have a pre-in podcast interviewing a guy on spine and spinal health. I have the live stream I did on my 33rd episode just before we have this. I'm interviewing another guest that's talking about longevity going into their 50s, 60s, and 70s and so thriving later today. And then I'm on another podcast on another [laughter] place with an Australian and Vince is his name.
So, I'm doing mega podcast day today. Lots of talking to the microphone. [laughter] >> That's great that people can just listen to you and hear some of your tips that you're saying here and kind of elaborating on that in your own podcast. And I highly encourage the 100 day challenge. >> Yeah. >> And where can they find your what's what's your website? The call to >> the website is www.thecalltorise.com.
It's easy to see all what's happening there. The testimonials, the the pictures, but there's a ton of questions asked and answered on the website, too. It gives you very clear understanding of what we're going to do. It's 100 days. We're going to focus on nutrition, fitness, lifestyle. Regardless of however busy you are or aren't, I promise you, you're not as busy as you think you are or can you can actually set time aside for your health and actually improve it regardless of the situations that you are in. And if
you're looking for support, camaraderie, that's a huge part of this process is the brotherhood and having a small group of men that are there to support, to encourage, and if they're doing it, I should do it too type of an idea. Because when you have people in your crowd and circle that are taking care of themselves, it's easier for you to take care of yourself as well.
And you're not just having Brian who's Mr. Fit or whatever telling you to work out or something and you're like, "This guy doesn't understand where I'm at or anything." That's not true. This is the only thing I've done in my whole career for the last 23 years. So I very much understand the situation that you might be in whether it's overweight, having bad blood panels, just is met with unmet expectations.
This isn't what I was supposed to look like, feel like in my 40s. And and we're all super busy trying to play provider, trying to be a husband, trying to be a father, trying to be a an a business owner, an entrepreneur, an employee, a co-orker, whatever. We have all these roles, but if you're not taking care of yourself, then you cannot live up to the demand that you have for it or be able to thrive in it either.
It's all mask. And maybe you might have financial success, but that's great if you have a bunch of money in in the bank, but when you're 60 and you have a heart attack, it's going to drain your bank account really quick because that's a six-figure issue >> for you to deal with. So, uh, so the call torise.
com, I'd love to have a chat with you and you can fill out the form and and we can get get started. >> Yeah, definitely reach out to Brian and at least have a chat with him cuz it definitely is different. It definitely feel engaged, feel supported, and feel like, all right, this is something that I can handle. and for men and in this dad Danielal kind of world we're living in that it is a uh a great new tool and a great community to be around.
So I just wanted to share all that. I wanted to bring them back on and and show an update and share that even I tried it and it's uh it's working so far and yeah I see just a great opportunities ahead because of it. So, I want to thank you and that's why I wanted to bring you on and >> I appreciate your time, Brian.
And uh yeah, thank you for listening. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Have a good one. >> Thank you much. >> I hope you enjoyed Mike's story. It's a inspiring example of what you can do when you get help. When you seek out a professional who knows what they're doing, can help streamline the process in the easiest way possible. That's what I'm here for.
I hope that you got some golden nuggets, learned some things, understood some of the sticking points that you yourself might be having as well. If you're interested in a 100 day challenge to lose 20 plus pounds and do all sorts of other things, improve blood panels like improving cholesterol, lowering an A1C, managing all those type of things, that's what we focus on.
nutrition, fitness, the the the five pillars are the call. Your identity as a man, as a person that wants to be a healthier, happier version of yourself. We are seeking out that best version. The second pillar is the forge. It's your body. It's the exercise. It's you moving your body, getting energy, and burning lots of calories to get yourself in the best physical health you can.
Pillar three is the fuel. the fuel that's nutrition. We're going to focus on sciencebacked information implemented into the easiest way possible. We're not doing weird fads, protocols, any of this stuff. We're going to break it down into simple building blocks and start from there.
What food is and how to best make it work in your life. The fourth one is the code. It's your mindset. It's the way you think. We're going to change the lens at which you look and see and think of yourself and the world around you. taking opportunities and improving your weaknesses and turning them into strengths and taking your strengths going even further.
But the mindset is where it is. It's between your ears and behind your eyes of how you think about this to improve your health. The last one is by the brotherhood. Having a group of men, like-minded individuals that are pushing toward their own health journey and getting that encouragement. I'm leading and they are helping you stay accountable is such an important part in 2026.
I am focusing heavily on community and growing this because in our social driven world our convenience driven our society as is we are losing touch with in-person contact AI is on the rise. It's everywhere always. You probably read something AI in the last 10 minutes probably that was been AI generated. So humans are seeking out humans and that's what I want to provide.
So that's brotherhood the call to rise 100 days then a money back guarantee. If you don't get your results and lose 20 plus pounds I'll give you your money back. So there is that too. Off we go. Thanks so much for joining me in episode 43.