What are the four fixes, and does the order matter?

Yes, the order matters. They are listed in the sequence that produces the least friction: the first one is usually the constraint everything else is waiting on, and starting at number three while number one is still broken is why previous attempts stalled. Run them in order, give each one long enough to actually take hold, and resist the urge to add a fifth. The shortest list you will still be following in three months beats the complete one you abandon in two weeks.

How long before I see anything change?

Different markers move on different clocks, and knowing the order in advance is most of what stops people quitting in week three. Subjective things — sleep, energy, appetite stability — usually shift first. Strength follows. Waist and bloodwork are slower and considerably more informative. We do not publish weight-loss figures or timelines, because honest ones do not exist for an individual. What the research does show consistently is that adherence predicts the outcome better than which framework you picked.

Do I need blood work before I start?

You can start the structural parts — sleep window, protein floor, resistance training, reducing ultra-processed food — without any test at all. None of them require a diagnosis to be sensible. Bloodwork earns its place when it changes what you should do, or when a marker needs watching while you change your diet. If any of the items on the right apply to you, get the labs first and involve a clinician.

Can I run this while I am on medication?

Usually, but not unsupervised. Dietary change alters how much medication some conditions need — glucose-lowering drugs in particular — and that adjustment belongs with the person who prescribed them. Tell your prescriber what you are changing and when. It is a two-minute conversation that prevents the one genuinely risky failure mode in an otherwise low-risk protocol.

What happens if I miss days?

Nothing structural. This is a protocol, not a streak — the physiology responds to what you do most weeks, not to an unbroken chain of perfect ones. Missing a training session or a bedtime does not reset anything. The pattern to watch is not the missed day but the missed fortnight. If one of the four fixes keeps sliding, that usually means it was too big a change to start with, so shrink it until it is boringly achievable and rebuild from there.

How is this different from the paid programme?

The research is identical and none of it is held back. What the free protocol cannot do is sequence twelve weeks for you, read your bloodwork, or notice that your logs stopped matching your plan three weeks ago. Most people should run the free protocol first. If it holds and you want structure and human review on top of it, the programme is there — and if the free version is working on its own, we would rather you kept your money.

Starter protocol · free

The Post-GLP-1 Plateau Protocol

Recently stopped a GLP-1. The rebound is structural — here's how to blunt it.

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Fixes first

Week-one actions

Citations

01The mechanism

What is actually happening

The STEP 1 trial extension (Wilding 2022) documented that one year after stopping semaglutide, two-thirds of weight was regained and most cardiometabolic improvements reversed. The mechanism: the drug suppressed appetite pharmacologically; when it stops, appetite returns — often stronger because leptin levels are now lower and ghrelin higher (set-point defense). Linge 2024's body-composition substudy documented 25–40% of total weight lost on semaglutide is lean mass — a sarcopenia risk especially relevant for women and older adults. Jensen 2024 showed GLP-1 monotherapy reduced bone mineral density at hip and spine; concurrent exercise prevented this. The rebound is not a personal failure — it's the rule documented in trial data. The protocol substitutes structural lifestyle interventions for the pharmacological appetite suppression, plus actively addresses the lean-mass and bone deficit accumulated during on-drug time.¹²³⁴⁵

Who this fits

Two-thirds of weight is regained at 1 year post-discontinuation without intervention. The protocol prevents rebound and preserves lean mass.

Evidence base

This protocol rests on 5 peer-reviewed sources, listed in full further down the page. Where the evidence is mechanistic rather than outcome-based, the text says so.

02Highest leverage first

The four things to fix first

In this order. The first one is usually the constraint everything else is waiting on — starting at number three while number one is still broken is how previous attempts stalled.

01
Protein at 1.9 g/kg, distributed
Critical: lean mass loss continues post-discontinuation if protein and resistance training don't replace the suppressed appetite. 1.9 g/kg per day, split across 4 small meals (your appetite is rebounding but distribution still matters).
02
Resistance training 3x/week, immediately
Jensen 2024 showed exercise prevented the bone-density loss; it also drives lean-mass rebuild. This isn't optional. Compound lifts, progressive overload, 3 sessions/week minimum.
03
Drop UPF aggressively
Your appetite is now higher than pre-drug baseline. UPF will exploit it. Run the UPF Score Calculator weekly. Replace UPF anchors with protein-and-plant alternatives. This is the substitute appetite-suppression mechanism.
04
Sleep optimization is now critical
Sleep loss further amplifies appetite (Spiegel 2004). Coming off a GLP-1, you cannot afford to also be sleep-deprived. 8 hours nightly, consistent bedtime, no food 3 hours before bed.

03Start on Monday

Week one to two

Not a diet plan — a short daily list. Tick them off as you go; the point is to see how much of the protocol you are actually running before you judge whether it works.

Tick as you go

0 of 6 done today

Nothing here is saved or sent anywhere — it resets when you leave the page.

What to track

Evidence about your own body

01Weight (weekly, expect some rebound — don't panic)
02Strength progression
03Protein grams daily
04UPF % weekly
05Energy 1–10

Eight weeks of this gives you data about you, rather than an average from a study population.

04Where to go next

When to consider the full programme

This gets you from zero to functional

The starter protocol is designed to be self-run for two to four weeks. If you want the structured twelve-week curriculum — daily sequencing, meal guidance, lab interpretation by a clinician and a mentor who reads your logs — that is what the Ancestral Reset is.

See the programme Pricing

Related on this site

Other archetypes

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05The receipts

Every claim, sourced

These are the papers this protocol rests on. Follow any of them — we would rather you checked than took our word for it.

References

1.Wilding JPH et al. (2022). Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: the STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. PubMed 35441470
2.Linge J et al. (2024). Body composition and cardiometabolic effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists: changes in lean mass. Obesity Reviews. PubMed 38605467
3.Jensen SBK et al. (2024). Bone health after exercise alone, GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment, or combination treatment. JAMA Network Open. PubMed 38904957
4.Spiegel K et al. (2004). Brief communication: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Annals of Internal Medicine. PubMed 15583226
5.Phillips SM, Van Loon LJC (2011). Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. Journal of Sports Sciences. PubMed 22150425

06Before you start

Running this protocol

Questions people ask first

Recently stopped a GLP-1. The rebound is structural — here's how to blunt it. If that sentence describes the last year or two of your life more accurately than it describes anyone else's, you are in the right protocol.

Archetypes overlap on purpose — most people recognise themselves in two or three. The assessment resolves that by weighing the whole combination of your answers rather than one keyword, and tells you which pattern to work on first.

Check with the free assessment

Two-thirds of weight is regained at 1 year post-discontinuation without intervention. The protocol prevents rebound and preserves lean mass.

Timelines shown are the typical order in which markers move, not promises. Individual response varies with starting point, adherence, medication, age and sex.

Free · 2 minutes

Not sure this is your profile?

The Metabolic Assessment maps your specific answers to the right protocol — including the cases where two patterns overlap.

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Educational only, not medical advice. This protocol does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition. Consult your physician before major dietary changes or altering prescribed medication. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Individual results vary; no outcome is guaranteed.