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 arithmetic that makes it tractable: reference weight in kg times 1.6 gives the target; divide by four for a per-sitting figure; then find four foods that hit that figure in a volume you can actually finish. Most people need two of the four to be liquid or semi-liquid early on.
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.
Numbers rather than impressions, if you have them.
Taking the question as asked, rather than the general version of it. The RDA is the wrong reference and it is worth understanding why. 0.8 g/kg is the intake at which nitrogen balance is not negative in healthy weight-stable adults — a floor for deficiency prevention, not an optimum, and derived in a population that is not in a deficit. In a substantial energy deficit, protein requirement rises because amino acids are being oxidised for energy and because muscle protein synthesis is blunted. The literature on preserving lean mass during weight loss lands around 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg of reference body weight, which is roughly two to two and a half times the RDA.
Correct me if the detail matters more than I have assumed.
BethLabQueen said:The RDA is the wrong reference and it is worth understanding why.
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.
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Shop Reference Standardsraj_cambridge 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…
Can confirm the pattern raj_cambridge describes. 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.
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 | 247 lbs | 212 lbs | 194 lbs |
| Fat mass | 97 lbs | 67 lbs | 44 lbs |
| Lean mass | 150 lbs | 146 lbs | 151 lbs |
| Body fat % | 40% | 32% | 23% |
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.