Fasting Protocols

Time-restricted eating improves insulin sensitivity, recalibrates the microbiome, reduces inflammatory load, and improves sleep regardless of whether measurable ketosis is achieved. Protein fasting achieves mTOR downregulation similar to the fasting mimicking diet without requiring full caloric restriction. Early time-restricted eating is presented as metabolically stronger than late time-restricted eating. The 16:8 fasting protocol uses a 16-hour fasting window and an 8-hour eating window. The 12:12 fasting protocol uses a 12-hour fasting window and a 12-hour eating window. The 5:2 protocol involves normal eating five days per week and restricted eating twice per week. The protocol recommends breaking the fast with 20 to 30 grams of protein first. The protocol recommends a 20-to-30-minute walk at the start of hour 12. A 12:12 eating window is a useful entry point for people new to fasting who are metabolically inflexible. The protocol recommends shifting the eating window earlier when possible and ending it no later than 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. Intuitive fasting is not a single protocol repeated identically every day; variation between different fasting depths is where the benefit lies…