VanRx_Mike said:The RDA is the wrong reference and it is worth understanding why.
That reframing is the part I needed.
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 | 250 lbs | 210 lbs | 197 lbs |
| Fat mass | 100 lbs | 70 lbs | 47 lbs |
| Lean mass | 153 lbs | 149 lbs | 154 lbs |
| Body fat % | 43% | 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.
lisa_labSD said:The honest range is roughly 20 to 40% of total loss as lean mass without deliberate resistance training, and roughly 10 to 20% with it plus adequate…
I read this differently from lisa_labSD, on substance rather than tone. I think this board over-worries about lean mass. Some lean loss is obligatory — you need less muscle to move a smaller body, and preserving mass you no longer need is not a health outcome. The question is whether strength and function held, and mine did.
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Browse GL BiochemThe figures, for anyone assembling their own picture. For anyone reading later: the numbers in this thread are worth checking against a primary source before you act on them, including mine. Half the figures circulating in this community trace back to a secondary summary that dropped a qualifier.
Worth separating that from lean-mass preservation, which this thread keeps folding into the same question. They behave differently and the advice does not transfer.