​It’s not you, it’s the system that was designed to fail you. ​The reason is simple: Rigid meal plans strip out joy. ​They force you to eat in isolation and collapse the second real life shows up. ​Client dinners ​Kids' birthday cake ​Spontaneous weekends away ​They require you to have a life that doesn't exist outside of a self-help book. ​💸 Welcome to the 'Bank Account Diet.' ​This is the system that works with your life, not against it. ​The concept is simple: 2,000 calories = 14,000 calories ​Weekly calorie target = Weekly Budget. ​You are in charge of how you spend it. ​Save some "money" (calories) during the week to splurge guilt-free on the weekend. ​It's based on two things: flexibility and sustainability. ​🤓 A 2017 study found that flexible dieting led to significantly greater long-term success than rigid plans. Because people could actually stick with it, they didn't have to feel guilt when eating that office donut to celebrate Sandra's birthday. ​Thrive365 Tip: The Freedom Framework ​This isn't about another diet. It's about building a system that works when life gets messy. ​Slot in the Joy. Start with the meals you already love and eat with your family. ​Upgrade, Don't Cut. Upgrade staples instead of cutting them out (Yes, even dessert gets a place). ​Focus on Progress, Not Perfection. The goal is to ditch the ‘all or nothing’ mindset forever. ​My goal as a coach isn't to retain clients. It’s to enable them to live a life free of self-sabotaging diet mentality. To finally break free and start striving for progress over perfection. ​Stop die-ting. Start LIVING the lifestyle.

Most people don’t fail at losing weight. They fail at keeping it off. Crash diets. All-or-nothing plans. Motivation that lasts two weeks then disappears. Quick fixes are like sandcastles. They look solid for a moment. But the tide always comes in. It’s the same with weight loss injections. Yes, they work short term. But unless you change your behaviour, you’ll be back where you started. Research shows that up to 80% of people regain the weight within a year once they stop. Which means one of two things: You stay on them for life… or you build the habits that make results last. If you want results that last, stop chasing hacks. Start building habits. Here’s what I know works: 1. Start small, build strong One brick at a time. 25g protein at lunch. 7k steps a day. 7hrs sleep. 2. Systems > motivation Motivation is unreliable. Systems keep you consistent. Trainings scheduled like board meetings. Meals prepped like deadlines. Weekend planning. 3. Track, don’t guess Scales show part of the picture. Energy. Waist. Photos. Sleep. That’s the full report. 4. Consistency > perfection 90% over months beats 100% for 2 weeks. Missed a workout? Not failure. Just feedback. Think of it like laying bricks. Do it daily. Do it right. You’ll build something that stands for years. 💡Thrive Tip: Write down 3 small actions you’ll commit to for the next 30 days. Stick them where you’ll see them. Do them daily. Stack them. That’s how real transformation happens. What’s the one habit you know would change everything for you if you stuck with it?

The one ingredient wrecking your digestion isn’t fat. It isn’t carbs. It isn’t even gluten. It’s sugar. Hidden in over 70% of packaged foods. Bread. Sauces. “Healthy” cereals. Protein bars. Flavoured yoghurts. Even salad dressings. Why does this matter? Because sugar doesn’t just hit your waistline. It feeds the wrong bacteria in your gut. Over time, the gangs take over, fuelling inflammation, leaky gut, fatigue, and low immunity. 🤓 A 2018 study in Nutrients found that high-sugar diets reduce microbial diversity and increase gut permeability. Translation: fewer good bacteria, more chaos. Think of your gut like a city. The good bacteria are citizens. The bad ones are gangs. And sugar? It’s free weapons. 💡Thrive365 tip: Check labels. Sugar hides under 50+ names (fructose, maltodextrin, rice syrup). Keep added sugar under 30g a day. For sweetness, go wholefood: berries, apples, or a square of dark chocolate. Your gut doesn’t need more sugar. It needs stability. Always read the label!

Bloating after every meal isn’t normal Most men brush it off. “Just part of eating.” It isn’t. That heavy, swollen feeling after meals. It’s not just uncomfortable, it’s feedback. Your gut is waving a red flag 🚩 And it’s costing you more than comfort. It’s costing you energy. It’s costing you focus. It’s costing you confidence in the boardroom when you’re sat there shifting in your seat. It typically happens when... • Eating too fast → you swallow excess air • Low stomach acid → food ferments instead of breaking down • High FODMAP foods (garlic, onions, beans) → feed bacteria your gut struggles with • Ultra-processed foods → gums and additives irritate your gut lining 🤓 A 2014 study in the World Journal of Gastroenterology found poor enzyme activity and bacterial fermentation are the leading causes of chronic bloating. When digestion stalls, so does energy and focus. Think of your gut like business operations. If the machinery breaks down, bottlenecks build. Output drops. That’s bloating. 💡 Thrive365 Tip: • Slow down, chew each bite 20 times • Swap fizzy drinks for still filtered water • Add bitter greens (rocket, chicory, dandelion) before meals to naturally boost acid and enzymes Bloating isn’t normal. It’s your system asking for support. That's why I've put together the 2nd program in this group, Gut Optimisation. Who's doing it currently?

Being really enjoying getting back into cooking and prepping for the week…bringing back in the extras….thought I’d have today slices of sourdough spread with avocado and then topped with tomato/ capsicum and feta and a sprinkle if salt & pepper….. it was yumm Had a parting of ways with ChatGPT…. I didn’t want to pay for it..so I’ve changed to M365. Copilot which came as part of Microsoft package…… duh… should have used it sooner. Have attached my meal plan for this week… sorry for the number of pages… but I wanted to show what can be produced… and this is a basic design. I have included 3 of the recipes in my plan for this week. And it is suited to the foods that I like and the serving size has been adjusted for one person.