Senior citizen help
 

My husband is 82 & is losing weight he doesn't need to lose. He's otherwise in good health. He doesn't eat wheat or sugar (except an occasional treat), has perfectly normal bg & blood pressure, but he simply isn't eating enough to keep his weight up.

I cram as much fat into his diet as I can, but it has to be "hidden" as he doesn't care for the taste of most fats. He does like the coconut oil/peanut butter fat bombs I make for him & he adds creamed coconut & heavy cream to his daily oatmeal. The oatmeal is one of the things he doesn't want to give up, but his serving size is smaller by at least half of what he used to eat. I make our own salad dressings - he doesn't like the olive oil based ones, so I usually make ranch for him. We eat fatty meats & I add butter to almost everything.

I know I haven't covered everything, but any suggestions to keep him healthy & to stop losing weight?

Hi Bonnie, I could come up with all sorts of ways to increase the fat stores of your husband, but the first question I have is whether he's seen a doctor to rule out anything else that may be causing weight loss and lack of appetite. Since he seems to be normal regarding BG and BP, is there an underlying cause that hasn't been detected yet? I would pursue that first just to be safe.

As for feeding him fat, the general consensus is that 80% of fats available for storage are produced by the liver and are typically produced from eating carbohydrates. Feeding him additional fats without knowing what else is going on may be futile at this point. I sincerely hope you get this resolved. Best wishes.

He sees his doctor regularly & has an appointment coming up. I might just go along for the ride to make sure he's telling the doc everything & is remembering everything the doc tells him. I like this doctor - he's the one who agreed a few years ago that husband shouldn't be taking statins. :)

As for carbs - he does eat oatmeal almost every day & some fruit, either fresh or canned. But he's eating less - he used to eat a whole apple, then 1/2, now he's down to 1/4 per day. Tho sometimes he'll eat another 1/4 if he's peckish in the evening. And of course some sort of veg every day.

At his age this could all be perfectly normal. But I was expecting it much later - his dad lived to 89, but then, his mother died at 80.

We've both been praying for quick deaths for some time now - we have a horror of nursing homes. I'm reading "Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande - it's making my prayers much more fervent!

I have no suggestions, just to say its wonderful that he is still enjoying food, even if its small compared to the past. Wishing you both all the very best!! I've liveed most of my life in countries otherthan the US, my mother andfather spent their final years in WA, the adult family home model that they have in WA was great for us. Of course you have the wonderful advantage of still being together. with love.....

Too much fat could be decreasing his appetite; he may be able to eat a bit more carbs, less fat than we are. 1T CO in coffee makes me feel sort of nauseous, as does taking vitamins on an empty stomach.

And how are his teeth? Loose teeth or dentures can hamper eating. Applesauce (stewed, mushed apples, with or without added berries) is easier to eat.

Both my parents lost weight after 80 (got thinner, but not underweight), but it was easier on their joints and they lived to 88.5 & 90. My mother had severe rheumatoid arthritis, and giving her flatware that was easier for her to hold and lightweight mugs & glasses made it possible for her to eat more before her hands/wrists got tired or painful.

Fortunately, his teeth are fine. But you may have a point about the fat. It keeps him regular, but maybe he could do with a bit less & more veggies & fruit.

For someone who has never had a weight or blood sugar problem, I wonder what sort of grains would be good for him. He eats rice on occasion when I think to cook it for him (he doesn't cook anything except his oatmeal) - perhaps I should be giving him more? He does like it.

Any suggestions? He's ridiculously easy to please when it comes to food. ;)

I'm thinking if you just stop trying to add extra fat, he might have the appetite to eat more of his apple or other fruit vegs. ~1T less fat replaced by ~100 cals of carbs may be all it takes to increase his appetite. If someone isn't eating much, it is best for what they do eat to be as nutritious as possible. Grains contain anti-nutrients, so I wouldn't push those. Is there anything he used to like that he misses, like potatoes, squash, carrots?

As deirdra experienced with her parents, my parents were the same when they hit their 80s in that their appetites decreased progressively. They still enjoyed eating, but less of it than at younger ages.

Potatoes & squash are 2 of his favorites. I'll cut down on the fats & add more of his favorite veggies & see what happens. Tho it means more cooking of things I can't eat - but at least with simple things there's less temptation to taste "just to see if it tastes OK." ;)

A big bowl of oatmeal mixed with protein powder did wonders for putting on the pounds ;) when I didn't need it.

What about a type of weight gain smoothie? Start with a can of full fat coconut milk, protein powder, banana, greens, seeds, nuts, PB, frozen berries make it taste like a milkshake. Some of these use raw egg (visions of Rocky :) ) also avocado http://scdlifestyle.com/2013/04/5-r...akes-paleo-scd/

And adding legumes to the grains? Chili? Lentil salads?

He wouldn't touch a smoothie! But he does like avocado. He taught me to like it. I used to not care for it, but he told me to put salt on it - yum! :yum:

Cheese is my suggestion.
My mother once went to the doctor and he told her to cut back on her cheese but I didn't think she really need to loose weight but boy did she loose and not in a good way. It hit me when I saw her shoulders getting boney and asked her what's going on.
So feed him cheese but cut back on the fat bombs because that isn't giving him the nutrients he needs.