Elderly Mom way too thin at 85lbs...Need advice for weight gain
Hi everyone!
My Mom is 78 and unlike me, she has little to no appitite. Most of the time, she just nibbles like a bird.
She just had her yearly exam, and all her blood work looks good. Except she only weighs 85 pounds (she is 5'1) She is active and mobile. But seems like she is fading away, I was shocked to hear she only weighed 85.
Less than 2 years ago she weighed in at 94 and last year 92. So her dropping 9 pounds in less than 2 years is a lot for her small frame.
Is there anything to help increase her appitite? or foods that she can eat that will help fatten her up?
Problem being, she has a low tolerance to any meds and very picky about what she eats.
I would love to hear from everyone that can relate to this or has some helpful sugesstions. Thank you all so much!
Re: Elderly Mom way too thin at 85lbs...Need advice for weight gain
Hi how are the bowels?
A relative of mine suffered with something similar in her old age and almost died from bowel blockage. She got very thin and had poor appetite.
A doctor could check to make sure there are no other problems such as thyroid or cancers an AMAS test done twice can check for that.
Things that might help appetite might inlude tart cherries cabbage, pepper, pineapple, potato, sprouts, papaya, whole grains, salads, squash, fennel, oats, rice, carrots, seaweed, pomegranate, tapioca, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, sauerkraut, apple, cherimoya, okra
Things to avoid for stomachs sake are spices, alcohol, stimulant beverages, coffee, soft drinks, shellfish, meat, chocolate, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, sugars, ice cream reduced citrus & milk if a person has gastritis. I hope this gives a nice day to somebody!
Last edited by sjb; 02-24-2011 at 09:46 AM.
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Re: Elderly Mom way too thin at 85lbs...Need advice for weight gain
Quote:
Originally Posted by cindylou2
She just had her yearly exam, and all her blood work looks good.
Did her blood work include testing for vitamin deficiencies? Older people are often deficient in B complex, D and others.
Quote:
Is there anything to help increase her appitite? or foods that she can eat that will help fatten her up?
As people get older they tend to lose muscle too. So it might help if she would start some routine designed to build muscle. And in so doing, she might get an appetite. (Note: Some extra protein is likely needed to build muscle.)
Quote:
Problem being, she has a low tolerance to any meds and very picky about what she eats.
How many meds is she taking? People her age often take multiple medications. And these combinations can have unpredictable side effects. This may be part of the reason for her weight loss. All drugs are tested and approved separately. No drug is ever tested in combination with others. So no one knows what the result will be, including her doctor. All he or she knows is that she had a good checkup and that she says she is feeling well.
You might try taking your mother to a geriatric doctor, if you haven't already done so. Take all of her medications along to show the doctor and explain that she has a weight loss problem. She should gain at least 10 pounds to be at lower risk for health problems.
Last edited by JohnR41; 02-24-2011 at 10:55 AM.
Reason: spelling
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Re: Elderly Mom way too thin at 85lbs...Need advice for weight gain
Thank you so much for your kind replies.
Her vit. B and D was fine. Last Summer she was diag as a anemic, but her levels came back up after she stopped taking asprin and ate more protein.
She has been less active the past several months, due to the bad winter weather and not getting out as much, so there is a lack of exercise.
She has high BP, under control taking Lisinopril for the BP and 1/2 tablet of HCTZ. No other meds.
Also- another thing that has changed recently, in the past year, she started drinking a small amount of red wine at night, we were told that would help increase her appetite.
Other than the BP, her over all health is very good.
Re: Elderly Mom way too thin at 85lbs...Need advice for weight gain
Hi alcohol in my opinion is not truly good for the stomach. What is good for it in my opinion is freshly homemade unfermented grape juice taken in within 5 minutes of making it.
Re: Elderly Mom way too thin at 85lbs...Need advice for weight gain
She could try sipping on high energy food drinks like Ensure or just plain full fat milk between meals, and adding some extra fat to her meals, say some extra butter in her mashed potatoes, cheese grated and sprinkled over her veggies.
if she eats like a bird, a daily Centrum would be a good idea, just as insurance
__________________
The desire to take medicines is what seperates man from the lower animals - William Ostler
Re: Elderly Mom way too thin at 85lbs...Need advice for weight gain
Hi cindylou2 I found an article that says too much vitamin D they think may decrease appetite. I know someone who when they take vitamins do not feel any hungrier.
Ensure by the way has Carageenan in it, which is an appetite suppressant. A person would think if that is for that purpose they would remove that part of the product at least. I know someone who did not feel like eating just because they drank it between meals and it did not help them gain any weight at all partly because then it seemed there was no appetite for the meals.
Cheese often has molds in it, tyramine in it, can cause a headache and has been said is wholly unfit for food. Of course everyone's decisions are their own and they can do whatever they see fit for health.
Olive oil may help some gain a bit of weight used on whole wheat bread or toast for breakfast and lunch, a little herbs for seasoning and salt if allowed may make it taste good. I would not use lots and lots in any one meal because it is hard for the pancreas to take a whole lot of fat in any one meal and wears the pancreas out and makes it even harder to gain weight if it does not work right. If it is used a bit every day it may slowly help gain.
Are the blood sugars good?
Last edited by sjb; 03-05-2011 at 05:25 AM.
Reason: deletion made, vegan butter has saturated fat in it which may contribute to heart disease and I no longer recommend it.
Re: Elderly Mom way too thin at 85lbs...Need advice for weight gain
Hi I know there is an eagerness to fatten her up but I would also avoid the saturated types of animal and even vegetarian types of fats contained in palm oil and coconut oil in vegan butter because it has been known to contribute to heart disease. Have a nice day! I take back my former recommendation of vegan butter and would not even use the regular butter either. Olive oil with a little salt or seasoning with herbs spread on the bread still tastes very nice and may help add weight.
Elderly Mom way too thin at 85lbs...Need advice for weight gain 
