What I eat before squats isn't matching my afternoon output

I lift four mornings a week, usually around 5:45, and I’m trying to recomp rather than just chase the scale down. Sleep is 7–7.5 hours, protein is 150–170g, and I’m pretty skeptical of magic fixes. The lifting itself is fine. It’s the 2pm crash on lower-body days that gets me — I can feel it in my typing, not just my legs. I’ve tried a bigger breakfast, no breakfast, and more caffeine. Most of it just shuffles the crash around. The only thing that consistently helps is 30–40g carbs about 60–90 minutes before lifting and another 20–30g after, but I’m wary of adding calories when the scale is already slow. For those who train hard and are also dealing with appetite suppression: how do you sequence carbs on lifting days without turning it into a free-for-all? Do you prioritize pre, intra, or post? Curious what actually moves your energy, not what sounds good on paper.