Is there a Thrive overview I can read?

Interested in checking out the Thrive program, but all that I can find published is on the marketing page: "GB Thrive is based around building meaningful nutrition habits rather than simply giving a diet plan and expecting it to be followed."

This doesn't really say anything but scratch at one of the physchological underpinnings. Is there an article about the program that gets into a few of the nutritional habits, why it's a good approach, how it differs from other nutritional plans, etc.? I just want to read the dust jacket and flip through the table of contents before I decide to buy the book. Thanks!

Ryan, 

Here is three links, hopefully they will help. The first one is the main GB Thrive page the second is the Thrive Nutritional Pyramid and the third is a collections of bogs related to Thrive. If you still have questions please let me know. 

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/gb-courses/gb-thrive/

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/thrive-nutritional-pyramid/

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/?s=thrive

Hey Jeff, thanks for the speedy reply. TBH, those links don't help much. 

All I can glean is that Thrive is a nutrition program focused on building healthy habits and enhancing performance, without an emphasis on making restrictions. 

I have hardly any idea what it is.

You will have to complete certain "nutritional tasks" such as "eat x for breakfast". Each day, you have to log if you actually did the tasks and - upon successfully completing your current ones for a certain number of days in a row - you will unlock new tasks. And by permanently making sure you actually did what the program asked you to do in order to see what your next assignment is, you build the habits mentioned (without even realizing it). And since the program works progressively, it's pretty simple.

Each task - the "do this"-part, so to speak - is coupled with a "lesson" (both of which may or may not be directly related) so you will be provided the background information regarding the "and here's why you do it" of the course as well as some very handy info on other nutrition-related topics.

"Enhancing performance" is the sum of a variety of things the program will help you achieve through proper nutrition - get leaner, build muscle, provide energy, you name it.

That makes more sense

Leonhard - Thanks!

Ryan - To follow on what Leo said Thrive is a step by step program that requires action from you the user. We effectively designed the course to make you put your money where your mouth is. Each step has two components a nutritional habit and a lifestyle habit/education. Each component has a video explaining clearly what the step is, why this, why now. The video is followed up by a essay with amplifying information on the topic. 

I believe in doing things in a logical order and removing all food coloring from your diet does not come before adding vegetables (assuming you eat less than you should) for example. Adding the high value items first, establishing those high value items as habits and moving on to the next.

Guys, very helpful. Thanks. That gives me some color on the structure of the program and the habitual aspects it addresses.

I'm still a bit in the dark on the core nutritional aspects, however. To the extent that none/some/all of these apply, what are some of the core principals around the foods encouraged/discouraged, macros, calorie targets, cycling, etc.? To what extent is it similar/dissimilar to known diets like paleo, zone, fast carb, lean gains, IF or others?  

Not saying this to be rude but, to get the core nutritional aspects you will have to get the program to find out. The above posts explained the idea of the program pretty well. If we were to answer all those details there would be no point of going through the program. Even as you go through the program you never know all of the core principals at once. That is the point though. Thrive is not a program you just read through to learn about nutrition, although you will learn stuff through the essays and steps. It is a program you learn by actually doing. You focus on one "core principal" at a time and by the end you will know all the core principals that make up Thrive 1. There is no way of telling how much you will learn because everyone's knowledge about nutrition is different but the worst that can happen is that Thrive made you really focused and disciplined for the next 12 weeks and who knows maybe you will have found a way of eating that you can enjoy for the rest of your life. I would say take a leap and get the program. I did and was very happy with the results in the end. 

No sweat, that's not rude at all. Thanks for sharing your experience.

It's not nutrition-related, but I spend $99/year on Ben Thompson's Stratechery. It's an email newsletter that's sent 4 times weekly, with 1 of those 4 being published for free. I'm not an internet marketer, but not giving away just a taste is antithetical to anything I've ever read on how it's done successfully. That's how you build credibility. On the nutritional side, I became interested in Lyle McDonald's work by exposure to the wealth of articles he's published online as well as all the content in his open forums. I went on to buy 3 of his e-books. I've bought more books on nutrition than I can count, after sitting down with them in bookstores, reading dust jackets, table of contents, first and last chapters and deciding they offer the kinds of things I want to dig into.

I operate by investing my time (and my meals for that matter) into philosophies I've discerning curated. I'm not probing around for a free lunch. I'm quite confident that if I bought the program and didn't like it, the guys would give me a refund. I know in this context Thrive is selling by association with GST, where credibility already exists. I'm still just finding it really unusual that a nutrition program is being sold without one written word about food shared up front.

My two cents on why I started the thread. If it's the philosophy of the business to keep it super black box until folks decide to pay, it's not my intent to try to convince otherwise.

7 hours ago, Ryan McKillen said:

I went on to buy 3 of his e-books. I've bought more books on nutrition than I can count, after sitting down with them in bookstores, reading dust jackets, table of contents, first and last chapters and deciding they offer the kinds of things I want to dig into.

I operate by investing my time (and my meals for that matter) into philosophies I've discerning curated. I'm not probing around for a free lunch. I'm quite confident that if I bought the program and didn't like it, the guys would give me a refund. I know in this context Thrive is selling by association with GST, where credibility already exists. I'm still just finding it really unusual that a nutrition program is being sold without one written word about food shared up front

Ryan. You do not need more nutritional information at this time as you already have many nutrition books.  You have enough information for you to succeed from your prior research. 

Jeff went out of his way to lay out 3 sources of information for you.  If you read them, they do shed light on some of the foods and the philosophy of the Thrive 1 course. One of the powerful components of Thrive (that was missing in my prior researched nutrition approaches) has been the implementation of consistency through excellent instruction and a structure that rewards the success of built habits in a team atmosphere. 

It is a course, not a book as you previously mentioned. 

It is a "Go-Live" time where one gets current feedback on the forum from the coaches which is worth way more in my opinion than a purchased book. 

It is a time where you can drop the books for a while, stop the theoretical, and master the basics of the practical. 

When I find something interesting, I never stop learning. It's been years since I nailed down an approach that has kept me fit and lean and I knew very little at the time. I just always have a curiosity to always be learning more. Think I've got it on the program now. Value is in the behavioral structure and turning the good widely known science into sustainable habits. Guess I could have grok'd that from the beginning, but took a few days of forum exchanges to get there. Many thanks to all for your comments.

I couldn't have said it any better than Ryan [Bailey]. 

I'm giving it a go... I would have thought with a 30 day money back guarantee there's nothing to lose?

@Ryan McKillen, I've been a skeptic since Thrive was announced. As you say, it's sold by association with Coach Sommer's GST program, and marketed as a black box with posts of Jeff standing with elite pro athletes. Lots of sizzle ... but $100 worth of steak? There are lots of nutrition programs on the internet, all touting their information to be the best, all with before & after pictures of folks (who are more like me than James Harrison, btw) realizing success, some of them really well done (LeanGains). What makes Thrive stand out? Why is Thrive worth paying for, in the face of so much free information (like Lyle McDonald's essays)? Why should I choose Thrive for 3 months, instead of investing in Alan Aragon's research review for 10? Why should I program hop to Thrive, when Coach Sommer specifically bashed program hopping? (heh). 

These are all questions I've asked myself, and have been hoping to find answers to, via posts like yours and others like it. 

@Ryan Bailey, @Leonhard Krahé, your responses on this thread have helped me come around to thinking that there IS value here -- that my money, focus, and commitment would be well spent. Thrive is going to be my next investment. @Jeff Serven, I'm looking forward to reading your internal posts... the stuff not fit for these public pages.

@Ryan McKillen one question for you: How did you find your way here? You clearly have an informed background. 

@William Marler via @gymnasticbodies on Instagram

Hi, I'm thinking about buying the thrive program as well, but i'm in similar place to Ryan - there is very little info about it online. Of course in order to know what are the actual advices I have to buy it (what i'm willing to do), but for $99 , there are few things I would like to understand upfront.

These are my concerns:

- is this a full-scale nutrition program (meaning that I can only eat what it will suggest and I will get all the micro/macro nutrients needed and feel there is enough variety)? Will it tell me actual foods/portions/recipes..? I just want to make sure that i'm not paying for program that will tell me eat more vegetables  I want something that will gradually transform what i'm eating into something nutritional, healthy, facilitating my athletic goals.

- is it practical in terms of execution? I'm a busy professional, I can't spend every day 1hour shopping and 1hour cooking. I'm happy to maybe spend 1-2h/week with food prep and order groceries online and bring the food to office in boxes. But I really can't spend every day hour+ in kitchen.

- is it suitable globally and budget concerned? I'm currently living in Central Europe. Therefore advices such as get a fresh coconut after workout and fresh mango for your breakfast would work very well in Thailand (i've tried :)) but not here!

- is it focused on something particular? (e.g. weight-loss, muscle-gain, health?). I would like to go for health first, then muscle-gain. I'm already eating plenty of veggies a day, and i'm a bit fan of raw vegan ideology, but them i'm struggling with muscle-growth.

- do you take body type (i'm 2m+, 95kg), workout intensity (train daily) into account?

Thanks upfront for the advices. I'm a huge sport & nutrition fan and I want to take it all to next level and i'm hopeful that your program can get me there. I just want to make sure we are aligned in the goals before I make the purchase.

Cheers, Peter

@Peter Varga Thrive works as a set of guidelines to help you become smarter about your nutritional choices. It does not tell you specifically what to eat, rather it directs you towards ideal eating habits. By following Thrive's programming you will master the fundamentals of nutrition.

2M+ is almost 7 feet tall? 

Indeed! i'm around 6'7"(8")

I agree that 1 hour a day shopping and 1 hour a day cooking is probably too much. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

@Peter Varga, I've been through the program and I'd say you it is in alignment with your goals

 By the end of the program, you know how to put together your meals for athletic performance/general health. There's flexibility based on your size and where you live (people are following Thrive in Australia, India, Italy, Poland, etc).

And food prep/shopping time depends a lot on you, how efficient you are, and what you enjoy eating. I like to do all my cooking on Sundays or Mondays and have my meals ready to go for the work week so all I have to do is heat stuff up. I'm sure you can find a strategy that works for you!

Tx Julia - that was helpful! Ok, i'm sold - i'll give it a try

Yeah, buddy! It's the forum with the best sense of humor, so definitely read up on historical posts as you gain access. 

I'm interested so far in all that GB has to offer. Is this a beginner program? I'm curious about the content, but I already stick to a fairly strict cyclic ketogenic diet, eat lots of variety, and plenty of meat and fat.

I rarely eat breakfast and fast often (1-3 days each week). Would checking this out even make sense for me?

Hi Michael, 

I would view Thrive as the Foundation course of nutrition; you may be good at some of the components but the course will ensure nothing is lagging.

Here are some links with Thrive information:

 https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/gb-courses/gb-thrive/

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/thrive-nutritional-pyramid/