My appetite is suppressed enough that hitting a protein target is now the hardest part of the day, and everything I read assumes I can simply eat more.
So the question, as narrowly as I can put it: whether the RDA is the wrong reference entirely during rapid weight loss, and what the actual target should be.
Happy to be told the question itself is wrong.
This one has a reasonably settled answer, so here it is. Distribution matters less than total but it is not nothing. Roughly 25 to 40g per sitting with enough leucine to trigger synthesis, three or four times a day, is more effective than the same total in one enormous evening meal — and on a suppressed appetite the enormous evening meal is the one you will not finish anyway.
Correct me if the detail matters more than I have assumed.
NurseKim_ATL said:Distribution matters less than total but it is not nothing.
True, and anyone with reduced kidney function needs that target set by a clinician rather than a forum. High protein is safe in normal kidneys and is not automatically safe in impaired ones.
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View ResultsMounjBrad said:My appetite is suppressed enough that hitting a protein target is now the hardest part of the day, and everything I read assumes I can simply eat…
Same position here, arrived at the long way round. On a suppressed appetite the winning strategy is protein density per unit of volume, not per calorie. Isolate powders, Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese, egg whites, lean fish, and tinned tuna all deliver a lot of protein in a small physical volume. Front-load it: appetite is usually least suppressed in the first hours after waking and worst on the day or two after dosing, so get the majority in early in the day and early in the week.
Adding the clinical framing, because it changes how the question reads.
DEXA scan update relevant to protein intake:
Scanned at months 0, 6, and 12. Here are the body comp numbers:
| Baseline | Month 6 | Month 12 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total mass | 276 lbs | 216 lbs | 203 lbs |
| Fat mass | 106 lbs | 76 lbs | 53 lbs |
| Lean mass | 159 lbs | 155 lbs | 150 lbs |
| Body fat % | 45% | 35% | 22% |
Lean mass preserved — actually GAINED 1-2 lbs thanks to progressive overload + 1.6g/kg protein. The protein intake discussion needs to include body comp data, not just scale weight.