Does anyone have an idea on how to get more calories into my husband who does not eat much? He has lost so much weight and I make what he says.

indubuque, let's not forget that as we all age we tend to lose our sense to taste. I remember getting my Mom's grocery list and the vast majority of items were those that had a sugary taste. Pies, cakes, Hostess cupcakes, Little Debbie treats, chocolate chip muffins, soft cookies, oh my gosh all the ice cream, etc.

I feel as we are older, might as well enjoy the sugary items, as long as one doesn't need to limit sweets due to certain medical reasons. The fact that your hubby likes Boost, which is sweet tasting, could be a clue.

Also, as we age, if one isn't active with sports, running, jogging, the gym, then one doesn't need as many calories. Since retiring, I pretty much sit in front of my computer, or on the sofa, I have cut back on the size of my meals.

Take all that diet advice you have absorbed through the years and reverse it. Concentrate on calorie dense food in small potions -
Mashed potatoes loaded with real butter or cream.
Ditto in soups and custards.
Everything is better with a cheese sauce or gravy.
Peanut butter or other nut butters.
Peanuts and mixed nuts and seeds for snacks, or trail mix.
Avocado if that's your thing... chips and guacamole
There are tons of smoothies - make them with full fat Greek yogurt, bananas etc
French fries, sweet potato fries and all those other diet no nos
Beverages can add a lot of calories
Dessert is always appealing

He may do better eating smaller snacks several times a day rather than trying to eat more at meal times. And those people like to diss supplements like boost and ensure but this is what they were made for and can make a huge difference.

One other thought - check if he may be having difficulty with his teeth or chewing properly or swallowing, there are strategies to cope with all those too.

My Mom likes to eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Tapioca pudding (Kozy Shack makes a decent cold one in single serving cups).

Bananas and cream (or home-made whipped cream).

Use the sweeter salad dressings (like Western, Catalina or French) to dip veggies or chicken nuggets.

Fettuccini alfredo (Butoni makes a good sauce found in the cold case). Just make any pasta and gently microwave enough sauce to cover. You can add leftover steamed broccoli and roasted chicken, too.

Salmon or steelhead trout

Chili con carne with beans, topped w shredded cheese or sour cream

Pasta (or rice) with butter and parmesan cheese

Scrambled egg with cheese or cream cheese mixed in.

Supplement with smoothies.

Sit with husband to remind, redirect, (basically nag) to eat what he's got.
He could be so distracted that he forgets to finish eating.

Now you are talking Geaton and Cwillie! You just listed my favorites!

He may be developing swallowing difficulties, so do check on that. Ensure might help, and root beer floats with whipped cream! Banana splits. Ice cream. If you only make what he says, maybe he only says what he can remember. He might respond to new recipes or favorite foods he's enjoyed before.

Here are some ideas in case you ar interested. Add hidden healthy fat like the olive oil which says "mild tasting" or a little butter if his triglycerides are not an issue. Coconut oil is great on and in baked products and popcorn, while palm oil is good during baking to keep dough moist and soft.

Avocado has a 14g fiber yet is probably 99% fat, so that could go in casseroles & he wouldn't even notice. A person can live a long time while lean but it's good to have "bribe foods" on hand, like puddings, pastries, etc... for times when he just won't eat.

Lard contains a lot of sustaining fat energy and huge amount of the hormone vitamin, Vit D, but it is high in cholesterol. So, you can add real bacon bits, or a tad of lard. My dad used to like those junk food pig ear things. I recommend a little fried liver once in a while, with sauteed onions. It is a very fatty meal.

Milk chocolate and white chocolate (cocoa butter) are loaded with fat and carbohydrates. You can live weeks on chocolate alone but of course that's not a good idea, but it tells you how valuable chocolate is. If you are using fake sugar in his coffee, might want to use honey because it is high calorie while not too bad for health. Always put a little chocolate syrup or creamed chocolate baking powder in his coffee for extra carbohydrates from the cocoa bean, which is loaded. You can make a slurry of peanut or almond butter and a few TB of coffee, then add his creamer and coffee to come out with a wonderful peanut butter latte which is full of calories and very tasty. You will save money on creamer because the creamy nut butter is creamy too already.

Nuts and nut butters are almost all fat, and very sustaining. So imagine his favorite nuts dipped in chocolate, or adding a little smooth peanut butter to his last cup of coffee each morning. Keeping those individually wrapped mini-candy bars on hand can help, too.

Soda is very fattening, and the lighter colored ones are better for our organs.

A lot of manufactured foods are prepared in oil, like sardines, mackerel, salmon, oysters, artichokes (good for lowering triglycerides), etc... For him, don't buy the ones packed in water, but get the oily ones.

Few men will turn down the most expensive canned steak chili soups, or a warmed up Dinty Moore "beef stew" either from a can or from their long-shelf-life plastic microwavable trays.

Deep frying is easy and some people use the oil a couple times so it's less expensive. Almost anything can be deep-fried, and the oils that I think are best are mild-tasting olive oil & coconut oil. Or butter, for sauteed mushrooms, which are full of Vit D and Vit B. You could make a habit of preparing some sautee (fry) food and just add it to the contents of almost any dinner recipe. For instance, a pint or two of soft, creamy fried garlic, onions, bit of mushrooms, maybe some bell pepper for flavor, celery for health - should last a week in the fridge & you can freeze one for next week. When done correctly, in sparse moderation, he shouldn't even notice anything but a little added flavor. He might appreciate the extra flavor, since older people don't get the full taste of their food due to aging of the taste buds.

Cheeses are very flavorful & sustaining. Brie is almost all fat, and buttery, so he won't even notice it melted in his food. In the stores, notice the hard cheeses, soft cheeses, individually wrapped cheeses you can set near him, shredded cheeses, sliced cheeses, and even low-sodium spray cheese in some stores. The shredded cheeses nowadays can be found as affordably as the old chunks you had to buy. Cheese can be a little binding, as can nuts, so if constipation is an issue you might need to adjust these ideas. Whenever you make a meal, use a little of your prepared stir fry base, then add the savory dish, then top it off with creamy sauces, melted cheese, crushed nuts, avocado slices. Consider making Chicken Mole once to see if he likes.

I would try adding extra protein powder or plain full fat greek yogurt in his shakes and whatever foods he will eat. Research nutrient dense foods to make the best choices. Texture is important because he may just get tired of chewing. Keep his foods on the soft side.

How are his bowels? Is there a problem with absorption? Ask his doctor about these things. If he has gastric discomfort it may be the reason he doesn't like to eat. A hiatal hernia can cause discomfort if he eats or drinks more than a small amount. In that case, he will do better with multiple small meals instead of 3 larger ones. As everyone else has advised, try to offer calorie dense foods. Unfortunately there are many GI conditions that can make it painful to digest foods that are high in fat or fiber. His doctor needs to be involved to know what is best.

There are liquid drinks such as Boost that help people either gain or maintain weight. I used it for my spouse.

If he is otherwise healthy- I add protein powder (from Costco or Walmart) in a fruit shake. Or give or make milk shakes like boost. Can take one in the morning and another in the afternoon on top of what he eats.

Calories, whatever he likes with lots of calories. We discovered after much trial and error, that my 99 year old mother who doesn’t eat much, does have a sweet tooth, she eats lots of ice cream, Boost (Strawberry Flavor), Cookies/Candy, Donuts, Root Beer Floats, Orange Juice, Lemonade. Weird cravings that we encourage.

Chocolate Vanilla or Strawberry Protein Shakes you can get at GNC like what Body Builders drink for the extra protein & bulk. Add more sugar sweetner if not sweet enough...

Boost High Calorie helped my mom.

Agree with prior post regarding olive oil. Drizzle on all his sandwiches. Sneak it in. A healthy fat! A banana will add weight - you can pinch off a piece and place in his mouth throughout the day so it does not seem like too much for him (not the chore to eat a giant banana). One thing that I think is key is to have aromas of food, the scent of cinnamon water simmering on the stove! Home baked bread with butter might awaken food memories. Start food early in the morning. Also, my mom doesn't like heavy proteins, but craves ice cream and tomato sandwiches, even waking up at night to request a tomato sandwich. I think that putting food front and center, plates of food, pictures of food, aromas of food, and I also just give frequent tastes so mom doesn't forget foods and their tastes (she's about to turn 100). If you can start early, like at arising with a snack, to set the mode for the day, is helpful.

He may have some food intolerances that make the usual supplements, and many ordinary foods, counter-productive. You may need to be more selective in food choices. Dairy, wheat, nuts, even many fruits and vegetables, can contribute to malabsorption and weight loss so adding them to your husband's diet will make things worse. See if a GI specialist or Dietician can give better advice.

I appreciate the grief and distress that you are experiencing watching your ill husband eat less and lose weight; your feelings of helplessness and wanting to do more, feed more, offer more are normal for one who loves and cares.

Being " present" with your husband, attentive, assuring, accepting on this journey with Alzheimer's is a most vital and important way of nurturing, " feeding" him with spiritual support, that is giving him " hope, purpose, direction";. this is equally if not more so important than edible food ...

Many illnesses, including Alzheimer's, decrease one' s appetite, patients eat less as they need less; for family members this is one of the most difficult changes to watch, and it is normal to want to make more foods etc. Offering the foods as long as the doctor says to and the patient expresses some interest, is fine. However, one must simply respect the patient right to refuse, anything, including food as they , their bodies instincts know best.

Love your husband with presence and assurance and affirmation. This is nourishing...

Practice your own good self care...eat well what you want, exercise, stay hydrated, honor other things specific to your health and needs.

Peace.

Boost makes a very high calorie version (530 calories, 22g protein), but you have to buy it online as I haven't found it available at retail stores. For my husband I also used a supplement called "benecalorie" which has 330 calories and 7g high-quality protein per 1.5 oz container. It's basically flavorless, so can be mixed into a lot of foods--smoothies or shakes, mashed potatoes, hot cereals, soups, casseroles, yogurt, puddings, etc. The calories in benecalorie are mainly from good fats. For breakfast we'd make a smoothie of the very high calorie boost, benecalorie, and several fruits, e.g. banana, frozen mango or strawberries, etc. so it would be close to 1,000 calories. My husband had a good appetite, but lost a lot of weight becasue he had esopogeal stricture so had trouble with eating a lot at one time. Liquids in the morning seemed to go down well, which is why this supercharged smoothie worked so well.

I add two Benecalorie (330 calories each) to Premiere Protein drink for my wife.

My husband’s neurologist prescribed Mirtazapine, antidepressant, to increase his appetite. He’s gained 10 lbs in three weeks. He was down to 112.

My mother would take a few chugs of a mega calorie WaWa milkshake with whipped cream when everything else failed.

Sure. When my missus didn’t want to eat, I’d mix cream cheese in with her favorite jelly or lemon curd inside an omelette to enticed her. Also cream cheese in mashed potatoes. Lots of ice cream. Costco has the best vanilla ice cream and it’s horrible for you cuz it’s 55% fat!

Sounds like he might be depressed. my Mrs. was always depressed when she came home from the hospital or rehab trip and it took 2-3 weeks for her to come around

Try getting him out a little more, favorite place of his and maybe have a heart to heart, or on the other hand, forget about everything and just really enjoy the moment.

he may be catching himself with The forgetful moments and is fearful about the future.

I’m 61, not really that old, but I’ve made more than a few real no-brainer errors lately. My son plays it off with a laugh but he really doesn’t understand how much it scares me, having been a caregiver for seven years and, realizing in hindsight, my Mr. was forgetful long before it was obvious he had a problem.

Talk to him & take care.

My husband was not demented but had problems eating and tolerating foods. He eventually lost so much weight he weighed 125 lb. although he was close to 6 feet tall. We argued a lot. He insisted he was eating a lot. I insisted he couldn't be right. Finally I counted every calorie he consumed. We were both right! He was eating constantly. That was true. However, his diet consisted of mostly salad: lettuce, aloe vera, celery, water, tea, clear soup, etc. He was getting only about 1000 calories each day. The way we turned this around was to replace some of the ingredients in his meals with higher calorie versions that were similar but more dense. For example, he liked to drink a fruit smoothie in the morning. We added ricotta, nuts, coconut cream, scoops of protein powder. Coconut milk was a key ingredient. He liked the taste--and you could consume a lot of calories quite easily. Ditto with coconut oil. If he likes salad, you can find avocado, mayonnaise, high calorie salad dressings, etc.
Since my husband did eat all his food, we didn't have the problem of not eating enough. If your husband is forgetful--would it help to monitor him to help motivate him to eat meals and snacks? He may need more personal attention during meal times.

My husband literally forgets to eat. Suggest you speak with his neurologist and set an appointment with a Geriatric Psychiatrist who can prescribe if necessary.

Make every bite and sip count with higher nutrition and calories. There are many good suggests already listed. Another idea is to keep high calorie snacks out in the open where your husband can see them, items like cheese cubes, nuts, crackers with peanut butter, protein bars cut into small sections. He may nibble enough of these to add calories. Could even place them by his favorite seat.

This may be something you can try. A study done on meal intakes found that red dishes increased intakes. The nursing home patients in the study found the color stimulated their intakes. Elderly persons with vision problems can also get confused by patterns and color. Make sure the food is in contrasting color to the dish so they can see it. (White dish with mashed potatoes--not easy to see.) You also might want to avoid plates with a busy pattern.

Weight loss is part of the decline that you will see him have.
(as a matter of fact weight loss is a consideration factor when someone is on Hospice and they are due for recertification)
Lots of high calorie foods.
Many small meals all day long.
Yes this may be more work for you or caregivers but small portions every hour or two might help. For someone with dementia looking a a plate full of food can be a bit much but many small plates is easier.

He must be on a good diet of fats, vegetables, fruits, protein and carbohydrates. You can try Boost it should give him extra calories and up his appetite. Also Kachava has lots of minerals and vitamins. Make sure he is getting all his vitamins including vit C, E, calcium and magnesium, etc. Does he exercise? Try a very light exercize routine, even as little as walking for 5 minutes and then a few knee bends, sit ups and light hand weights once a day. You can help him with this. Also a must is sitting in the sun for at least an hour a day will help his overall health tremendously.

My mom went thru a phase when it seemed she’d lose a pound overnight! I always cooked her tempting meals but getting her to eat them was something else again. I finally talked to her doctor about it and he said she should have whatever she wanted. The point now was to get calories, ANY calories into her. So I cheated. I started buying heavy whipping cream and practically pouring it into her: on cereals, in gravies, in milkshakes. The next time we went to the doctor, he laughed and said, “She’s gained 4 pounds! Looks like you’ve cracked the code.” After that, I just gave her whatever she even hinted would taste good.

Keep 80/20 rule, 80% of good nutrition and 20% of less nutritional, anything he likes the most sweet or savoury.
My husband as well, losing weight, now deteriorating due to different diseases, Parkinson’s, then cancer, no dementia, there are tests to be done as some symptoms point to something else, so it could be medical reason as well for losing weight.
So I keep adding nutrients to many dishes like making soups by cooking beef bones and adding different veggies and sweet potatoes, purred, adding cream and cheese to his, he loves brie.
He does not like veggies as much, but eats those. I make smoothies with fresh berries, bananas, avocado, add high protein/ fat yogurts as well.
He likes gnocchis a lot, blinis, crepes, so easy to make and then all kinds of french pastries and ice cream.
So by balancing, not achieving 80/20 really but I feel nutritional needs are met mostly.

Bullet drinks (like a blender, but better).
Make it taste good . . . bananas, fruit, use coconut water for liquid
Add in: SMALL amount of garlic, ginger root, other additives, protein powder, etc.

The important thing is to get the nutrition in that he needs - however you can.
You have to work with him and what he'll take in. If it tastes good to him, he'll drink / eat it.

P.S. I make myself a bullet drink 4-5 x / week. If you want a list of ingredients, please email me at g mail ... designergena @

Having gone thru this myself with my parents not eating, all I can say is there is not much you can do unfortunately. They both had terminal illnesses in their 90's and ate less and less no matter how hard I tried to get them to eat. Make sure he gets enough fluids and eats something no matter how small. If he has an appetite make him his favorites. It is common in the elderly with dementia and other illness to eat less. It is a very sad situation.