When you contract, you are contracting for the act, which may include a (fleeting) connection. You are paying for a fantasy. It's not real. Dating is much more complex, and potentially more fulfilling (if it leads to something permanent). Don't confuse the two!
Oh, and most of those apps....are hookup apps, not dating apps. If you want to date......find a hobby, volunteer for a gay cause, join a gay bowling, softball, cycling, swing dance, book club.........<insert activity>. I might be old fashioned about this, but I still think real connections happen in person, and the pressure is taken off when you are not in forced situations, like speed dating "it's just lunch" pick-up bars or trying to wade through an app where 90% of ppl are looking for a fuck, not a BF.
As for the hot body, it doesn't hurt but....also not what everyone is looking for. There's someone for everyone in this big world. Be true to yourself. But, there is nothing more attractive than confidence. So if taking care of yourself gives you confidence, go for it.