TomFromTexas said:

The RDA is the wrong reference and it is worth understanding why.

DEXA scan update relevant to protein intake:

Scanned at months 0, 6, and 12. Here are the body comp numbers:

Lean mass preserved — actually GAINED 1-2 lbs thanks to progressive overload + 1.4g/kg protein. The protein intake discussion needs to include body comp data, not just scale weight.

A narrower follow-up, since the general answer is now clear:

How people are hitting a protein target on a genuinely suppressed appetite, because volume is the binding constraint rather than willingness?

jason_paloalto said:

DEXA scan update relevant to protein intake: Scanned at months 0, 6, and 12.

There is a second half to this that has not been said yet. Most of what circulates confidently in this community traces back to one summary of one study, and the qualifier was dropped somewhere in the third retelling.

Closing the loop on my own question.

Reporting back — setting the target on reference weight rather than current weight turned an impossible number into a boring one.

jim_asheville said:

Most of what circulates confidently in this community traces back to one summary of one study, and the qualifier was dropped somewhere in the third…

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.