Some metabolic claims are supported by human trials, while others rely on small or preliminary studies with limited validation.
Original: I Replaced 16:8 Fasting With This and Everything Got Better
TL;DR
Evidence for the protocol's core claims is mixed, with strong support for protein leverage and energy flux, but weak or absent evidence for cortisol rhythm disruption and olive oil's fasting-mimicking effects.
Quick Answer
The creator replaced daily 16:8 fasting with a weekly fasting strategy that includes 3–4 longer fasts (18–22 hours) per week, while eating breakfast on the other days to protect circadian cortisol rhythm. He combined this with two key principles: Energy Flux (G-Flux)—eating more and exercising more on feeding days to boost metabolism and reduce hunger—and the Protein Leverage Hypothesis—frontloading high protein intake (40–100g) at the first meal to suppress appetite. He also introduced olive oil fasting (1 tablespoon of high-phenolic olive oil) on fasting days to activate autophagy without breaking the fast.
Claims (10)
1. When two people consume the same net calorie deficit, their resting metabolic rates and hormone levels may differ depending on how much total energy they are expending through activity and metabolism.
2. When people reduce the amount of protein in their diet to 10% of their total calories, they tend to eat more total calories without trying.
3. When the body processes a large amount of energy from food and physical activity, it burns more calories at rest, breaks down more fat, and reduces feelings of hunger, regardless of whether total calorie intake exceeds or falls short of expenditure.
4. Human eating behavior is controlled by a set daily amount of protein needed, and feelings of hunger continue until that protein amount is consumed, even if enough calories have been eaten.
5. Eating protein and carbohydrates can lead to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol by influencing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
6. Going without food for 24 hours can increase the daily fluctuation of cortisol levels, and doing this every day may change how the body's stress response system functions over time.
7. People who fast every morning over a long period show a less pronounced daily rhythm in cortisol levels and are more likely to have insulin resistance and metabolic issues.
8. A compound found in olive oil, called oleuropein aglycone, triggers a cellular cleanup process known as autophagy by influencing the AMPK and mTOR signaling molecules.
9. Diets eaten by humans before industrialization provided more protein for each calorie consumed than the diets commonly eaten today.
10. Alternating between three to four longer fasting periods per week, totaling 80–90 hours, provides the same overall fasting time as fasting 16 hours every day, while potentially reducing the frequency of physiological stress responses.
Key Takeaways
- •Problem: Doing 16:8 fasting every day keeps your stress hormone (cortisol) high in the morning, which can mess up your metabolism and make it harder to lose fat over time.
- •Core methods: Do 3–4 longer fasts per week (18–22 hours), eat breakfast on other days, eat lots of protein at your first meal, train hard on eating days, and take 1 tablespoon of olive oil on fasting days.
- •How methods work: Longer fasts trigger deeper fat-burning and cell cleanup (autophagy); eating breakfast lowers stress hormones; eating lots of protein early stops you from overeating; exercising and eating more on feeding days boosts your metabolism; olive oil has a compound that tricks your body into thinking it’s fasting.
- •Expected outcomes: You lose fat sustainably, feel less hungry, have more energy, avoid metabolic slowdown, and protect your hormones.
- •Implementation timeframe: You’ll start noticing less hunger and better energy within 1–2 weeks; hormonal and metabolic improvements build over 4–6 weeks.
Overview
Daily 16:8 fasting can disrupt circadian cortisol rhythms by repeatedly suppressing the morning food signal that normally lowers cortisol, leading to metabolic dysfunction over time. The solution is a weekly fasting strategy combining extended fasts (18–22 hours, 3–4 times per week), high-protein, high-energy feeding days with intense exercise (G-Flux), and olive oil fasting to enhance autophagy—all while avoiding daily morning fasting to protect hormonal health.
Key Terms
How to Apply
- 1.Perform 3–4 extended fasts per week lasting 18–22 hours (e.g., skip dinner one day and eat the next day at noon).
- 2.On the other 3–4 days, eat breakfast within 2 hours of waking, ideally after training, and consume 40–100 grams of protein in that first meal.
- 3.On feeding days, train hard with resistance or high-intensity exercise and eat at maintenance or slightly above to maximize Energy Flux (G-Flux).
- 4.On fasting days, consume only water, black coffee, or tea, and add 1 tablespoon of high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil to activate autophagy.
- 5.Avoid eating anything else during fasting windows, and maintain a weekly net calorie deficit by adjusting intake on feeding days if needed.
You will experience reduced hunger, improved energy levels, better hormonal balance (especially cortisol rhythm), enhanced fat burning through autophagy and G-Flux, and sustainable weight loss without metabolic slowdown or muscle loss.
Studies from Description (10)
Claims (10)
1. When two people consume the same net calorie deficit, their resting metabolic rates and hormone levels may differ depending on how much total energy they are expending through activity and metabolism.
2. When people reduce the amount of protein in their diet to 10% of their total calories, they tend to eat more total calories without trying.
3. When the body processes a large amount of energy from food and physical activity, it burns more calories at rest, breaks down more fat, and reduces feelings of hunger, regardless of whether total calorie intake exceeds or falls short of expenditure.
4. Human eating behavior is controlled by a set daily amount of protein needed, and feelings of hunger continue until that protein amount is consumed, even if enough calories have been eaten.
5. Eating protein and carbohydrates can lead to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol by influencing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
6. Going without food for 24 hours can increase the daily fluctuation of cortisol levels, and doing this every day may change how the body's stress response system functions over time.
7. People who fast every morning over a long period show a less pronounced daily rhythm in cortisol levels and are more likely to have insulin resistance and metabolic issues.
8. A compound found in olive oil, called oleuropein aglycone, triggers a cellular cleanup process known as autophagy by influencing the AMPK and mTOR signaling molecules.
9. Diets eaten by humans before industrialization provided more protein for each calorie consumed than the diets commonly eaten today.
10. Alternating between three to four longer fasting periods per week, totaling 80–90 hours, provides the same overall fasting time as fasting 16 hours every day, while potentially reducing the frequency of physiological stress responses.
Related Content
Claims (10)
Eating protein and carbohydrates can lead to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol by influencing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
People who fast every morning over a long period show a less pronounced daily rhythm in cortisol levels and are more likely to have insulin resistance and metabolic issues.
Going without food for 24 hours can increase the daily fluctuation of cortisol levels, and doing this every day may change how the body's stress response system functions over time.
Human eating behavior is controlled by a set daily amount of protein needed, and feelings of hunger continue until that protein amount is consumed, even if enough calories have been eaten.
Alternating between three to four longer fasting periods per week, totaling 80–90 hours, provides the same overall fasting time as fasting 16 hours every day, while potentially reducing the frequency of physiological stress responses.
Studies (10)
Increasing Energy Flux to Maintain Diet-Induced Weight Loss
DOI: 10.3390/nu11102533
Effects of Intermittent Fasting on the Circulating Levels and Circadian Rhythms of Hormones
DOI: 10.3803/enm.2021.405
Protein appetite as an integrator in the obesity system: the protein leverage hypothesis
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0212
Increasing energy flux to decrease the biological drive toward weight regain after weight loss - A proof-of-concept pilot study.
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2015.11.005
The Window Matters: A Systematic Review of Time Restricted Eating Strategies in Relation to Cortisol and Melatonin Secretion
DOI: 10.3390/nu13082525