Crushed Appetite, 90g Protein, Stalling Lifts — What Gives?

I’d keep protein near 1.6 g/kg and cut sets first. 130 g for 82 kg is reasonable; 90 g for hard 4x/week may be too low.

1.6 g/kg isn't a law. On low-appetite days, 100 g plus keeping training intensity probably beats choking down shakes every day.

How many meals are you actually getting? I had the same thing and 3 bigger meals plus one shake was way easier than six small ones.

Liquid protein is an instant gag. Yogurt sits way better.

Creatinine 1.02 while lifting hard and eating meat is pretty normal. Albumin looks fine, so I wouldn’t panic over the bloods.

I went through this on a cut. My lifts held when I kept total sets around 10 per muscle per week and protein near 1.8 g/kg. When I tried to keep 18-set leg days on 90 g, my squat tanked. Not saying that’s causal, but volume and protein both matter. What’s your weekly set count, and are you tracking bar speed or just top-set weight?

10 sets per muscle is my sweet spot too. Above that on low appetite and my joints complain before my muscles do.

I'd vote drop a set or two per lift before pouring 400 calories of liquid into the day. Appetite tends to come back around on its own eventually.

Protein powder in coffee is the only reason I hit 120 g on bad-appetite days. Tastes weird but disappears.

The scale and bar speed matter here. If sleep and stress are off, a 2.5 kg bench dip isn’t a protein puzzle. I’d track morning weight, waist, and reps before changing much. 85-95 g is low, but six weeks of low appetite isn’t automatically a disaster. What’s bodyweight doing, and how’s sleep? When my appetite was crushed, I kept protein at 120 g with two shakes and cut my weekly sets by maybe 20%. My squat tsopped sliding, though bench took another month. Not saying that’s your fix, just what I’d look at.

If sleep is trash, I’d cap hard sets and keep protein easy. Shakes aren’t mandatory. Yogurt, eggs, whatever you can actually eat.

Have you checked whether you're just under-eating overall? I had the same crash—protein looked okay-ish, but my total calories were down because I was full all day. I started logging 3 days, not daily, and it was obvious. A quick fix for me was a plain PB sandwich with whole milk after training, no powder involved. Also, our local pharmacy sends grocery coupons every few months, which helps when I’m buying easy calories. Not glamorous, but it unstuck my squat. What’s your total kcal looking like?

Honestly, Hi, total newbie here (week one), so forgive me if this is obvious. Are you tracking total calories or just protein? I ask because

I’d check whether your 4 sessions are in the same gym. I stalled my squat for 2 weeks, then realised hotel racks had different bars, plate brands, and bench height. Same load felt awful. Now I film one top set and compare bar speed, not just kg. Are you rotating gyms? If yes, maybe retest at your home gym before cutting volume. Travel gyms can fake a plateau.

Tbh ugh, the appetite crash is real. Been there—hang in there.

Maintainer here. Six weeks in, I’d zoom out: what’s your weekly average body weight doing? If it’s flat, the 85–95g protein is probably a symptom, not the cause—you’re just not in enough of a surplus. I stopped forcing protein and started adding easy calories: olive oil on rice, granola, whole milk in oats, a handful of nuts. Also, a 3-week squat stall plus bench dip often means accumulated fatigue. I’d consider a low-stress deload week before cutting volume—sometimes you need less total work, not less protein. What’s your weight trend over the last 14 days?

Are you tracking total calories, or just protein? On travel weeks my protein looks “fine-ish” but my carbs/fats crater, and that’s usually what tanks my squat/bench before actual recovery does. Hotel hack: find a supermarket near the hotel, grab rotisserie chicken, microwave rice, fruit, eat it cold if needed. Also check the gym setup—my “stall” once was just a thicker bar and higher bench at a hotel. Before cutting volume, I’d compare weekly calorie averages and do heavy days at a familiar gym if you can.

fellow cafe owner here. My appetite dies when I’m around food all day—constant micro-tastes add up, then I can’t face a real meal later. What finally moved my intake was setting two “protein slots” between rushes, 10am and 3pm, and sipping something soft: plain Greek yogurt thinned with milk or blended cottage cheese. No chewing required. Are you eating by hunger or by clock right now? If it’s hunger-led, that 35–45

Before dropping volume, I’d check whether your sessions have quietly crept past 60–75 min. When my appetite tanked, cutting accessory junk sets—not the main lifts—and finishing with a short walk instead of more work helped hunger come back. Track weekly average weight and waist; if weight’s flat and lifts are down, it’s probably recovery, not just protein. What’s your current set count per muscle group and how long are you in the gym? That’d show if it’s volume creep or genuinely needing less.

Quick thought: any chance caffeine or pre-workout is tanking your appetite? When I was sipping a big coffee all morning, I’d hit noon with zero hunger and only ~20g protein. I started eating a real breakfast before caffeine, then a protein + carb snack right after training, and got from ~90g to 120g without feeling stuffed. Also, what’s your weekly average body weight doing? If it’s flat or down, I’d sort intake before cutting volume. If it’s climbing and lifts still stall, then volume/recovery is the suspect. You’re already tracking and noticing—small win.

Cafe owner here, so I feel this. When my appetite vanished, I’d taste-test all shift and then wonder why I couldn’t face a real meal. What helped was treating protein like a prep task: one 30g-ish shake or Greek yogurt before opening, then a set “staff meal” at 2pm instead of random bites. Made 130g feel less like force-feeding. Are you tracking the tasting spoons, or just actual meals? Those little bits can either save or sabotage your total.

Appetite ghosted, so I stopped debugging lifts and started debugging meals.

Long-time thread reader. Quick question: are those 4 sessions back-to-back, or spread with rest days? In past threads, squat stalling on a lean-gain block often came down to stacking lower-body stress, not protein. I’d also look at bar speed/RPE—if squats feel grindy at 100 kg but warm-ups are fine, that’s recovery, not appetite. When mine cratered, shifting my biggest protein meal to 2–3 hours pre-training and keeping post-training lighter helped me get closer to target without force-feeding. What’s your weekly split look like?

One thing I’d track for a week: weekly average bodyweight and waist, not just protein. When my appetite cratered, I was eating enough on paper but lifting tanked from under-recovery—bodyweight flat, resting HR up, bar speed slow. If you’re on one of the appetite meds, that blunting can be real. Are your warm-ups feeling heavy too, or just top sets? That distinction would change whether I’d tweak volume or just ride it out a bit.

Not sure if this helps, but when my appetite nosedived I switched to “drinkable dorm meals” instead of fighting solid chicken. Cheap blender hack: 1 cup milk, ½ cup oats, scoop unflavored protein, big spoon peanut butter, frozen banana. Sip over an hour while studying. That’s ~40g protein and enough carbs to not feel like death under the bar. Are you getting any carbs around training, or has that dropped too? My squat stalled until I added a lazy pre-workout bowl of instant oats + yogurt. Not medical, just broke-student trial and error.

Three-year regular here. The lifts dropping and appetite gone makes me wonder less about training volume and more about whether you’re actually in a surplus. What’s your weekly average weight done over those six weeks

before you cut volume, what’s your sleep and morning HR/HRV doing? When my appetite tanked, my squat stalled from under-recovery, not too much volume—sleep was 5.5h and resting HR up ~6 bpm. I kept 4 days but made one session a “minimum effective” day (top set + backoffs) and sipped a carb/protein shake during/after lifting. Lifts came back in about 10 days. Also, are the stalled sets grinding or just feeling heavy? If they’re heavy but smooth,

Appetite vanishing mid-block is such a mind game. Hope you find a few easy wins this week.

Nice work still landing 85–95g when your appetite is MIA — that’s not nothing. Protein timing might be the next lever: when I couldn’t face meals, I did 3-4 smaller “anchors” (Greek yogurt + berries after waking, shake with oats mid-morning, eggs/cottage cheese at night) and got from ~90g to ~125g without feeling stuffed. Are you spreading protein out, or is most of it hitting at dinner? Also, how’s sleep and daily steps? My squat stalled for 3 weeks when sleep dropped to 6h and stress was high. Just my n=1.

Been there—when appetite ghosts you, even hitting protein feels like a PR attempt.

Small-town pharmacy-counter take: before you chop volume, check sleep and daily steps. My squat stalled at 100 kg too when I was averaging 5.5 hrs and my step count quietly doubled with spring yard work—appetite went flat and lifts followed. I started treating protein like a little schedule: 30 g at breakfast, 25 at lunch, 25 at supper, Greek yogurt before bed. No giant meals, just easy anchors. Are you actually getting 7+ hrs, and has your step count jumped lately? That answer would tell me whether to trim volume or just protect recovery first.

The lifts dipping with no appetite screams underfueled sessions to me. Before touching volume, I’d look at pre/intra carbs. When my appetite tanked on a lean-gain block, an easy carb snack 60–90 min before squats (rice cakes + honey, or cereal) and sipping a sports drink during the sessin brought my top sets back without force-feeding meals. Protein stayed the same. Are you going into squat day relatively fasted, or just low on total carbs?

Been there—appetite vanishes riht when you need it. You're not alone, just keep showing up.

Not the protein question you asked, but: what’s your carb and step count doing? When my appetite crashes, I can hit 90g protein and still feel like death under the bar because I’m accidentally at 1,400 kcal and 15k steps. Squat dies first every time. For me, drinking calories (milk, juice, oats, PB) was way easier than chewing. If bodyweight is flat/down and steps are high, I’d trim a set or two of accessories before touching main lift volume. Are you doing cardio outside the 4 sessions?

When mine cratered, the tell was sleep: 5.5–6h and my warm-up weights felt like top sets. Before dropping volume, how’s sleep and stress been the last 2 weeks? Also, do you get any hunger signal in the morning, or is it zero until evening? I had better luck with a savory breakfast I could sip than forcing a big dinner. Not saying it fixes lifts—just that your stall might be recovery debt, not too much volume.

Been there. My appetite nosedived too; shakes were the only way I hit protein.

Quick travel-logistics check: how many of those 4 sessions are in yor usual gym vs random hotel gyms? When I’m on the road, my squat “stalls” because the rack height, bar, and bench are never the same, and my sleep/step count goes sideways. Before dropping volume, I’d log sleep + steps for a week. If lifts bounce back on a home stretch, it’s travel chaos, not recovery debt. Also, front-loading a real hotel breakfast (eggs, yogurt, jerky in the carry-on) is the only way I hit decent protein once dinner appetite vanishes.

Tbh appetite ghosting is the worst—are you front-loading protein in the morning or saving it for dinner?

Hi, I'm brand new here (week one, so apologies if this is obvious). When my appetite disappeared a few years back, the only thing that worked was eating by the clock—phone alarms, small boring snacks. Are you doing anything like that, or waiting for hunger? Also, how's your sleep? My bench always drops before my squat when I'm under 7 hours. Might be worth checking before you cut volume. Good luck, and hope the lifts bounce back.

I track hard sets, not just total volume. When my appetite tanked on the jab, my RPE for the same squat load crept from 8 to 9.5 over ~2 weeks, and bench dropped before bodyweight moved. Protein was 95g, not the main issue. I’d plot weekly hard sets (RPE ≥8) per lift vs 6 weeks ago. If that line’s climbing while weight is flat, you’re digging a recovery hole, not under-proteining. I cut one back-off set on squat/bench and my bench came back in

Before you cut volume, check sleep and weekly session RPE. When my appetite flattened in maintenance, lifts stalled because I was doing four hard days on six hours’ sleep and low carbs. I kept squat/bench intensity, dropped accessory sets by about a third, added a rest day, and things moved again in ~10 days. What’s your average sleep and step count right now? If those are solid, then matching volume to intake makes sense—but I’d trim accessories before touching the main lifts.

before you touch volume, what’s your total intake, carbs, and sleep looking like? I got weirdly protein-obsessed in my dorm and lived on tuna packets and Greek yogurt, but my squat stalled because I was accidentally eating 2,100 kcal and sleeping 4 hrs, not because I missed 130g. I’d track 3 normal days—not just protein—before dropping volume. My cheap fix was instant oats + milk + peanut butter, but that only helps if the rest of the day isn’t a raccoon snack pile. Are you actually in a surplus, or just protein-poor?

Might be worth checking total calories, not just protein. I stalled at similar protein when appetite vanished—turned out I was down 600–

hi, I’m brand new here (week one), so please take this with a grain of salt. When my appetite disappeared, tracking weekly averages instead of daily helped me stop panicking. Something that made a difference for me was warm broth or salty water before meals—not a fix, just made solid food less daunting. Also, are you sleeping okay? My appetite tanks when sleep is choppy. Sorry if that’s obvious!

Bloods rule out scary stuff, but albumin/creatinine/eGFR don’t tell you whether you’re in a surplus. What’s your 7-day weight trend and waist? If those are flat, you’re not lean-gaining — appetite suppression means you’re underfeeding, and squat/bench stalls follow. When I hit this, I kept volume and tracked weekly average weight; adding ~200 kcal as liquid carbs around training moved my squat before I touched programming. Also check session RPE: if it’s creeping up at the same load, it’s recovery debt, not a volume problem. Protein 85–95 g at 82 kg is probably adequate to retain, just not to drive performance.

Airport lounges are my accidental protein bar graveyard—appetite ghosted, lifts sulking, solidarity.