Meeting a protein target on a suppressed appetite posts 31–45

Narrowing post #29, because the general version has more than one answer.

The mechanism is not mysterious. Substantial energy restriction with inadequate protein and no resistance stimulus loses lean tissue as well as fat.

I have deliberately not rounded that, because the rounding is where the argument starts.

Protein sources: animal sources (meat, fish, eggs, dairy) are denser and easier to hit targets with. Plant sources require higher volume. Neither is nutritionally superior; volume and personal preference matter.

That is the version I would defend. It is not the version I started with.

The reports here that describe what actually worked, in specifics, are far more useful than the ones stating a target.

I have separated what I observed from what I concluded, which does not always happen.

Distribution across the day appears to matter less than total for most outcomes, and it matters practically because a single large meal is harder when appetite is reduced.

Timing of protein: spreading protein intake across the day, with some at each meal, is more practical than trying to hit the whole target at one sitting on suppressed appetite.

I would put this at better than even and not much better.

Maintenance changes the calculation and almost nobody revisits their target when they get there.

Adding this to the thread rather than to the wiki, because I am not confident enough for the wiki.

Where intake has fallen a long way, protein is usually the first thing to fall because it is the least appealing macronutrient when appetite is reduced.

Thank you — that answers what I came here to find out.

Meeting protein targets on suppressed appetite: this is where the practical difficulty lies. Eating more protein when appetite is suppressed is genuinely hard. Front-loading the day, prioritising density over volume, and accepting this is a problem worth solving all help.

Post #39 describes the usual case. This is about the unusual one.

Renal considerations around higher protein intake apply to people with existing renal impairment and are frequently generalised beyond that population.

Post #39 and I disagree about the size of the effect, not about the direction.

Protein targets during weight loss: the standard recommendation is 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight. Individual requirements vary but that range is a reasonable starting point.

Adding a source would improve this post and I do not have one to hand.

Taking post #39 at face value and following it one step further.

Micronutrition alongside protein: eating protein foods that are also good sources of micronutrients (iron, B vitamins, zinc) solves two problems at once.

Not disagreeing with anyone above, just adding the bit I keep having to look up.

Adequate protein during a substantial deficit is the part of this conversation that gets least attention and probably deserves most.

Fibre and fluid tend to fall alongside protein when intake drops, and the constipation reported here follows from that as much as from the mechanism.