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.
The narrow version of the question is whether the RDA is the wrong reference entirely during rapid weight loss, and what the actual target should be.
Tell me what I have not thought of.
Short answer first, then the reasoning. 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.
PurityPaulOR said:Distribution matters less than total but it is not nothing.
Agreed on the target, with the caveat that reference weight and current weight are different numbers. Using current weight at the start of a large loss produces a target that is both unachievable and unnecessary.
I would rather be corrected than agreed with, if it comes to it.
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View Resultsjim_asheville 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…
This matches mine closely enough to be worth saying so. 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.
From the other side of the consultation, briefly.
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 | 270 lbs | 210 lbs | 197 lbs |
| Fat mass | 100 lbs | 70 lbs | 47 lbs |
| Lean mass | 153 lbs | 149 lbs | 154 lbs |
| Body fat % | 39% | 35% | 21% |
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.