Weeks 5-6 - Increase Autophagy

<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.blocks.tabbed_index.alt_text.skeleton_purge_pull">Skeleton Purge Pull</span>

Purge
Mesocycle
Weeks 1 To 9

Weeks

1-2

Start Intermitten Fasting

Weeks

3-4

Start Pesco Keto

Weeks

5-6

Increase Autophagy

Weeks

7-8

Vegan Keto

Weeks

Water Fast

Weeks

10-11

Vegan High Protein

Weeks

12-13

Start Mediterranean

Weeks

14-15

Peak Muscle Growth

Weeks

16-17

Lock-In Real-World Strength

<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.blocks.tabbed_index.alt_text.strongman_grow_push">Strongman Grow Push</span>

Growth
Mesocycle
Weeks 10 To 17

Weeks 5-6

Increase Autophagy

Weeks 5–6 introduce daily protein restriction to intensify the purge phase (pull-phase). The fasting window, calorie deficit, and keto foundation remain, while lower protein availability introduces a fresh stimulus.

Goal 1: Intensify the stimulus for cellular recycling.
Reduce protein to 1 g/kg of body weight daily, maintaining 18:6 intermittent fasting and 90% of maintenance calories. Within Calicen, this restriction is intended to further support autophagy—the recycling of damaged or unnecessary cellular components.

Keep nutritional quality high.
Continue the high-fiber, dairy-free ovo-pescatarian keto diet, with smaller portions of eggs and seafood. Mushrooms gain prominence, alongside low-carb vegetables, avocado, nuts, and seeds. Target 5% of energy from net carbohydrates, maximum 10%. Follow the recipes to maintain variety and micronutrient intake.

Goal 2: Counter the tendency to conserve energy.
During sustained calorie restriction, the body can reduce spontaneous movement to conserve energy. Two daily VILPAs are especially important: deliberately counter this tendency and increase daily energy expenditure. Within Calicen, this metabolic stimulus reinforces the purge strategy.

Maintain one weightlifting session and four cardio sessions weekly—Zones 5, 4, 3, and 2.

Deepen your meditation practice.
Train concentration and stillness through the guided meditations. If ketosis brings mental clarity, use it to deepen your practice.

Prioritize hydration, sleep, and recovery. Stay precise with nutrition, purposeful with movement, and consistent with meditation.

At A Glance

Protein Restriction to: 1 g/kg daily
10% calorie deficit
Net carbs: target 5% of energy, max. 10%
High-fiber, Keto ovo-pescatarian keto
Dairy-free; emphasis on mushrooms
18:6 intermittent fasting daily
4× cardio/week — Zones 5, 4, 3, and 2
1× weightlifting/week
2× daily VILPAs
Daily meditation — train stillness

What changed

Compared with the previous block

It's about deepening Autophagy. The squeeze on protein and calorie shall compensate for density loss and increment autophagy beyond compensation.

Compared to before

Fasting		Same 18:6
Cardio		Same 4x/week
Hypertrophy		Same 1x/week
Carbohydrates		Lower calories & stay at ketogenic levelåç
Protein		Lower to 1.0g/kg
Fat		stay keto

Nutrition & Fasting

Protein (g/kg)	:	max. 1
Protein (%)	:	max. 15
Carbohydrate (%)	:	max. 10
Fat (%)	:	75 ±10
Fiber (g/kg)	:	min. 0.6
Energy (%)	:	max. 90
Fasting (h/day)	:	min. 18

Fats 75.0%

Carbs 10.0%

Protein 15.0%

Note: Fiber stays high throughout every block of the Calicen Protocol.

Exercise

Cardio (days/week)	:	4
Hypertrophy (days/week)	:	1
VILPA (session/day)	:	2

Note: Learn the difference between structured exercise and VILPA. click here.

Week's Focus: Cardio

Wellbeing

Yoga (days/week)	:	1
Meditation (days/week)	:	2.5
Breathwork (days/week)	:	2.5

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

= Breathwork

= Meditation

= Yoga

Suggestion Note: Feel free to mix and match the activities as you see fit.
Go your own pace and listen to your body. Daily adherence matters more than specificity.

ToDo

Buy grocieries for the week
Schedule your meal plan (check out 'suggested day routine')

Avoid

Avoid oversumption.
Avoid free styling your recipes. Most likely you overshoot in calories or carbs.
Avoid skipping your VILPAs and meditations.

Challenges

Calorie oversumption happens fast. Mostly because of snacking.
The time restriction possibly interferes with social dinners. Let friends know of your attention, so your friends can become your support circle to adhere to the protocol.

Tips

When feeling slightly hungry before bed time, that is an indicator that calorie restriction occurred. Celebrate small hunger feeling.
Meal-prep can simplify a lot your daily schedule.
Have prepared your snacks before-hand. In the moment of a "snack-attach" it is hard to estimate calorie consumption. When in a satisfied state, it's the best moment to decide over meals and snacks.

Suggested