Fitness For Too-Busy Guys

Reading Time: 4 Minutes

Hey Brothers,

Welcome back to the LenDentonThrive Letter. This is where I write every week about the ThriveLife - my food-first, gym-optional approach to lose weight, get fit and stay fit for life!

Are you a super-busy, overweight guy who wants (needs?) to lose 20, 30 or more pounds? And, are you so busy that you don’t have the time or energy it takes to get into better shape?

If that sounds like you, then this week’s edition of the Letter is for you! In this short, 2-part series, I’m going to show you how you can lose the weight and get into great shape without spending untold hours in the gym. 

Let me begin by saying: “I understand your situation!” 

Because 12 years ago, I was You! I was a super-busy business guy - 70 pounds overweight with a cholesterol reading that was through the roof. And, life was busy - 50+ hour weeks; 10-15 days a month on the road. 

Then one day, my doctor told me that I was a “poster-child for a heart attack or stroke!” 

That was life changing!

Just seven months later, I was 70 pounds lighter and my cholesterol was 60 points lower. 

I was still a super-busy guy. I just found a way to make healthy changes that helped me lose weight without having to totally re-invent my life or spend hours a week in the gym. (In fact, I didn’t spend a single minute in the gym.) 

You can do it, too. 

First, the key is to understand what drives your obesity and the best way to stop it. Then, as a second step, you can put your energy into the best ways to get rid of the fat for good. 

Obesity - Root Cause and Cure

There’s been an ongoing debate for years about why we’re getting so overweight and obese. American guys are more obese than ever, and the trends are getting worse every year. Obesity rates have tripled since the 1960s.

One side of the debate claims that obesity is rising because people are living more sedentary lifestyles - not getting enough exercise. The other side of the debate claims the cause of obesity is an overall increase in calories - we’re eating too much. 

This debate has been playing out in our media for years. To be fit, we need to spend more time in the gym. Or, the counter-argument says we need to join WeightWatchers or start taking GLP-1 injections for the rest of our lives! 

But, recent research has settled the argument!

Studies from 2025 (shown here and here) clearly show that the main driver behind our current obesity explosion is our diets - specifically the increased amount of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) we’re consuming. Note: the average American gets more than 57% of their daily calories from UPFs.

So, this means that the first key to defeating obesity in our lives is to focus on our diets. That doesn’t mean that we need to go on a diet! Or, just spend more time in the gym or on a treadmill.

We need to change the way we eat! It’s not about eating less food. It’s about eating different, better foods. 

We need to eat smarter!

Stop These 3 Things Now!

Here are three things that you should stop doing now to permanently eliminate obesity.

Skip Calorie-Restrictive Diets 

There are lots of diets that tell you to cut back on calories to lose weight. And, most of them work - while you’re doing them!

The problem is the benefits of these diets stop the moment you stop doing the diet. And, the weight comes roaring back - often with more pounds than you lost. Most diets are designed to be temporary, not permanent. The benefits of the diet go away when the diet does. Instead of temporary diets, healthy sustainable lifestyles are a better choice.

Diets also frequently fail before you achieve any useful results. 

There’s a reason for this. Your brain hates diets because your brain hates deprivation. Your subconscious brain is programmed to protect you. And whenever it senses a prolonged loss of calories (like during a diet), it interprets that calorie loss as a starvation event! It senses that you might be starving! So, it goes to work to counter the effects of starvation by slowing down your metabolism. Your brain is actually trying to sabotage your diet! (And, you thought that was just a myth!)

Ultimately, diets have two undesirable characteristics: they’re designed for short-term success and your brain works to render them ineffective. 

A better solution will be a food strategy that works over the long-term and avoids your brain’s starvation defenses.

So, let's skip the diets!

Stop Eating Ultra-Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods are industrially manufactured foods such as pizzas, chips, soft drinks, and similar items that we typically buy at the grocery store or our favorite fast food place. These are packaged foods that usually have a box and a brand associated with them. Think: McDonald’s, Pop Tarts, Swanson frozen dinners, Oreos, and similar foods. They are cheap, convenient, tasty, and unhealthy! These are familiar brands that most of us grew up eating.

When you eat ultra-processed food, you trigger a dangerous cascade:

Your blood sugar spikes rapidly.

Your pancreas floods your system with insulin to manage the glucose surge.

This insulin shuttles nutrients away from being burned and toward being stored as fat.

Your energy crashes, triggering hunger again – often within hours.

You reach for another quick fix, and the cycle continues.

Research has linked ultra-processed foods to more than 30 health conditions. Men consuming the highest amounts face a 39% higher risk of developing high blood pressure and a significantly increased risk of heart disease.

The problem isn't just calories – it's what these foods do to your metabolic system. The highly refined carbohydrates alter your insulin response, making fat loss nearly impossible. Many of these foods contain additives that trigger inflammation and digestive issues. And, the high-intensity flavoring agents override your natural satiety signals, causing you to eat more without feeling full.

As you think about a fitter, healthier future for yourself, imagine yourself enjoying healthier foods on a daily basis.

Don’t Drink Your Calories

Sugary drinks are a big part of our daily lives. Soft drinks, craft beers, energy drinks, coffee lattes and similar beverages are all around us. 

And, they are a big source of hidden calories that most of us seldom consider. The free refills of our sodas at our favorite restaurant may have more calories than the entire meal we ate! That nice caramel latte at the coffee shop might have 500 calories or more.

It’s easy to overlook the calories we consume in our drinks. 

So, make sure that your normal, go-to beverage is calorie-free. Switch to diet sodas, black coffee, etc. 

Conclusion

You’ll never outwork a bad diet. 

The key to beating obesity is to understand what’s causing it, then taking steps to stopping it. 

And here’s the key: once you get your food right, everything else gets easier.   

That includes weightloss, losing belly fat and building muscle. 

So start here by stopping these three things:

Skip the diets

Stop eating ultra-processed foods

Stop drinking your calories

In Part 2, I’ll share what to START doing to lose weight, get fit and stay fit, in as little as 30 minutes a day.

And remember, God loves us. He wants us to thrive. So, let’s go!

Thanks for reading this week.

I write this newsletter to make a positive impact on the lives of men and their families. If you found this information useful, please consider subscribing to receive new editions each week. And, please share this with friends or family that would benefit from the ThriveLife!

If you’d like to share a thought, a question or comment with me, you can simply reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you!

Follow me on the socials for daily tips and strategies for living your ThriveLife: