eating like crazy..... - Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia Message Board

brokenhearted2 · 11-11-2008, 05:59 PM

I feel "crazy" to be writing this since a few weeks ago I was writing concerned about my mother's weight. My mother has been home almost a month or just a little more from rehab after breaking her hip. When she came home she had lost alot of weight (she was tiny to begin with since alz.). Well, for the last week....she can not get enough food. For breakfast she eats a bowl of fruit, 2 muffins, a danish, crackers and cheese, coffee and a glass of boost. She has gained 8 lbs. (our measurement- probably not 100% accurate) since she has been home. Before she would pick at her food. She eats constantly thru the day now and all she says is that she is hungry. She has not changed medicine. Her spirits are good. Should we be concerned? Should we be watching what she eats or just bulk her up? It is almost ridiculous the amounts of food she has been putting away. :-) We are glad that she is going this way, though....instead of how it was before when we were praying that she would eat something.

Martha H · 11-11-2008, 06:19 PM

Is she gaining a lot of weight? If so you could cut out the Boost (I assume it is a kind of liquid protein meal in a can?) If she is not getting overly fat, it may just be that her ''I am full" reflex stopped working. Give her nutritious meals, and if she says she is still hungry, give her fiber rich foods like celery, broccoli, raw carrots etc. to munch on.

Yet, when I think of how short the life expectancy is when one has Alzheimer's, I wonder if it makes a whole lot of difference, as long as she is happy...

Ask her doctor. Maybe there is no harm in it.

Love,

Martha

brokenhearted2 · 11-11-2008, 06:37 PM

She has gained 8 lbs. in about a month. Then again...she had lost approx. 12 lbs. in about 2 months of rehab.
The thing that makes us "nervous" is that she is constantly hungry this past week and she has never been like this before. No medicine change to account for it. All she says is "when are we going to eat?" even if she just finished off a breakfast that 3 men could have eaten. :-)

Gabriel · 11-11-2008, 07:23 PM

She's got what my Dad has..... A broken full button!! He truly has no feeling of full and doesn't remember that he has eaten. He will get up from the table, go into the den, and before the dishes are done he is asking when we are going to eat. Mom swears she doesn't eat as much as Dad but that's her memory!! Both have gained weight since they have been in AL.

Just make sure that what she is eating is healthy and not sugar coated or carb loaded. Martha is right, you might want to drop the boost if she is eating a healthy diet. If she's just eaten a huge meal then give her a little snack or delay it for a while. Sometimes just a cheese cracker is enough. Just something to let them know they have eaten lately.

I did find out that if I left the empty plate or ice cream bowl where Dad could see it then he figured he must have just eaten and didn't ask to eat quite as often. If he did I could just point to the place and he was satisfied.

You can check with the doctor but I say... let her eat. A time will come when she can not eat and it will serve her well

Love, deb