My mother wants to eat all the time. Anyone else experience weight loss in elderly family members even though they eat regularly?

This is from WebMD and mentions heart issues:
“Cancer
‌Stomach or intestinal disease
‌Depression
‌Dementia
‌Diabetes or other endocrine disorders
‌Heart problems
‌Alcoholism
‌Kidney disease
Side effects of medication (can include loss of appetite) 
‌Financial issues
‌Problems with finding nutritious food or feeding oneself
‌Not getting enough food (malnutrition) 
‌Late-life paranoia
‌Dental issues
If none of these apply to you, you aren't alone. The cause of unintentional weight loss is still unknown for up to 28% of patients. “

https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/is-it-normal-to-lose-weight-as-you-age

Have her thyroid checked. I lost 10 lbs earlier this year even tho I was eating everything in sight and was always hungry. Turns out I have Graves Disease which is a hyperactive thyroid.

There is an Ensure Light w no sugar.

My dad came out of the hospital near starved to death he lost a dramatic amount in just a few weeks..so I got quite creative in ways to fatten up little things. They recommended ensure too which is pretty much just a sugar shake and my dad does not react well to eating a lot of sugar, I make my dad a milkshake with plant milk, mct oil powder (great for the brain) a multivitamin protein powder, nut powder, banana and some berries. I can get it up to 400-500 calories. Avocados are good too in shakes but it depends on what your mum likes. two high calorie shakes a day helps a lot! It also seems to have a calming effect on him too

Someone else also mentioned STRESS. I have always been tall and thin and during periods of stress I have lost weight. 2021 has been a horrible year for me and I lost 13 lbs in a short period of time which is over 10% of my pre-loss weight. I have been unable to put the weight back on. Please give serious consideration to having your Mom on anti anxiety medication - which unfortunately, is not recommended for me.

I personally think that sugary foods are killers, but Ensure seems to be the standard way of giving extra nutrition to seniors. If she has congestive heart failure, this does not get better. You can research if there are healthier nutritional supplements, but does it really matter, as long as she's willing to take the Ensure, and hopefully enjoying it?

Vjg6727: Imho, perhaps she should be seen quite soon by her specialist as to why she is losing weight.

Yes - and I would put her back on the ensure which is balanced in nutrients with the sugar to provide the calories. I don't know why you think hospice isn't real medical help - personally I would go with what those who look after many elderly people recommend and not put my own ideas of what elderly should eat above their experience. To be honest unless she is diabetic and Dr disagrees what does it matter if she is getting a lot of sugar.

There's a diabetic version of Ensure you can give Mom. It has less sugar in it but still has the calories and protein she needs. It might be another brand, but same meal supplement concept.

I don't really see what the problem is with the sugar if she's not diabetic. If Ensure is the only thing she's eating as was the case with my mother, she could develop gout. My mother was drinking three Ensures a day with 28 grams of sugar in each one, and she developed terrible gout in her hands and elbows. Her hospice nurse did some research, figured out that it was the Ensure causing it, and once we took her off it and switched to the diabetic version, she was fine.

Papa’s doctor said any calorie is a good calorie when they get to this stage. If all they want is sweets, then sweets it is. The taste for sweet outlast the other taste buds.

The goal is weight gain - you can’t do that on a healthy meal plan. Let her have whatever her little heart desires, seriously. She will only gain weight with a high calorie count each and every day.

We made calorie heavy milkshakes - ice cream, Ensure, malted powder or peanut butter powder (protein) - then mix it up other days with fresh fruit or chocolate.

My Dad is losing weight - was 198 in March and 176 today at doc. He had a brain bleed (stroke) in March and heart attack in 2007. He is 85. I did a little research. Following a stroke pre-albumin levels could show issue. I looked at his bloodwork, his albumin is low. Doc says may not be absorbing protein and will need more tests to see what is going on. I hope this helps - it's in the vascular realm. Good luck - I need it too.

Weight loss, eating everything, yes, and I have no dementia. I am a Caregiver. When I began taking care of Mom, she was on 13mg of high blood pressure meds, and too much blood thinners. Talk with her doctor (I have her MPOA at 94) removed blood thinners, and all but 2.5 HB meds. Started her on real salt with iodine. Vitamins, E, L-lysine, ck google. Fix foods she wanted but not too much of any one thing. And made the plate as colorful as I could. Purple beets, red strawberries. You get the picture. She began to have entergy. And gained weight a little at a time. We began to play computer games on her tablet. I learned one thing, I treated her like she was living, not dieing. She died 4 months later. Your Mom or Dad is your family, sit down and eat as a family, kitchen l, bedroom, livingroom you determine what is best.

I will answer your question. I am 68 years old 5'8" and have always been on the thin side, small boned, 112-115 pounds. My weight dropped to 98 and that's where I still am. I have bad circulation, and after many doctors telling me there is nothing wrong with me. I did my own extensive research with my symptoms and I have Chronic Venous Insufficiency. One thing that is plant based that has helped me is Anthocyanins. Very Well Health has a good explanation on the benefits. I have never had to count calories, but I do now, trying to eat things high in calories, like potatoes, pasta, etc. There are 510 calories in 1 cup of mac and cheese! I stay away from sugar also, sugar feeds cancer cells. My husband was on chemo and I made sure he drank plenty of water to help flush the poison. Others in the chemo ward were drinking soda pop and not faring well. Although I have not gained my weight back yet, I haven't lost anymore either. And I feel great. I hope your mom stays well and Blessings to you for keeping her well.

Have you considered creating your own special "high protein shake" - Use half-n-half as the base, add protein powder, banana, yogurt, a scoop of frozen orange juice and even ice cream, if you wish. Tastes a lot better and healthier than "Ensure"

She may also like cakes and cookies - if so, let her eat as much as she wants. Again, you can add healthy ingredients, if you wish.

My dad has mixed dementia and eats so much and has lost 50 + pounds . He is a skeleton and they said they don’t know why . Nothing shows up on blood work . They supplement with ensure ans it doesn’t help . One dr suggested it was loss of muscle mass from lack of movement in his environment . He is in the system and wasn’t allowed to walk due to instability and forced to a wheel chair . This too played an influence . I was told that they don’t know why some people with dementia loose a lot of weight. I would love to know how to put some back on him

You might want to ask an internist or gastroenterologist to take a look at her. A CT scan may reveal something else, in addition to the cardio problem, that causes the weight loss. If it turns out that it is only cardo problem, and you said she's not diabetic, then the increase in sugar isn't going to create glucose problems. Ensure does have a lot of calories to increase weight.

Just wondering - if there's no diabetes problem, why are you concerned if she drinks something full of sugar? That's what you said in your post: The problem is ensure being full of sugar.

Also, you say she eats regularly, but is her food intake consisting of high calorie foods or does it lean more toward a healthier diet that someone trying to maintain or lose weight would eat?

Was she always on the leaner side during her life? I'm skinny, so a day or so of not feeling well and not eating can cause me to drop pounds quite fast. I can start filling up on sweets, ensure, etc and get it back on - but it does take a bit.

Google found this: Cardiac cachexia is unintentional severe weight loss caused by heart disease. The weight loss might be life-threatening. It can happen to people who have severe heart failure. Even with a very good appetite and high calorie intake, some people lose muscle mass.

For my mother - Weight loss may also be attributed to retention of fluid when heart not pumping well enough to rid it from body. Feet swell. If her heart dr put your mom on some kind of med for swelling, the weight loss you see might be fluid that cleared out.

I do let her eat anything and anytime she wants. Why are you talking about pureeing foods? Not at all a problem I am facing. I know what the purpose of Hospice is. Did you even read the question I had? Seems not.

I am no doctor but I do know things happen with the body that we cannot control or change. I wish I could lose but the opposite happens. It is age and its related process. Take the ensure - it is better than nothing and has good nutrition. If she was on hospice, it sounds as if the end is near. Please take care of her as best you can - I don't think you can fix this.

Please have your mother evaluated by a doctor with specialty in internal medicine. Your mother needs a through evaluation - including labs - to see exactly what her problem is. My first thought is that she may have developed diabetes and needs insulin to move sugar from her bloodstream into her cells. This may be why she is so hungry all the time and not gaining weight.

My dad went from the mid to high 140's to 129 pounds in about 4-5 months eating regularly and healthily ... He had metastatic prostate cancer and I was told that the tumor was eating all his nutrients. It is a heartbreaking process to watch made worse by the fact that none of the many doctors he visited (neurologist for Parkinsons, cardiologist, internal medicine, dermatologist) ever told me about cachexia and that he could actually die from it. Even the oncologist that he saw during the last 2-3 months of his life when he was finally ready to start treatment for the cancer told me that cachexia is just a symptom not a disease ... from everything I read it seems to be that she was wrong ... I did place my dad on hospice and still regret my decision nearly 13 months later. Good for you for trying to keep her alive ... but let her eat whatever she wants. At 85 and with weight loss sugar content should not be a worry. If she qualified for hospice, that means that the doctors believe she has a limited life span. I know it can be hard to accept that ... but weight loss does usually indicate that the person has a limited life span.

My husband with mixed dementia ( 72), eats non stop and I have to hide food. He’s always hungry . He’s gained 40 pounds In 4 months and none of his clothes fit him. I try to buy HEALTHY snacks ( fruit and veggies). His brain is broken and can’t remember he just ate. My heart aches for him as I know this disease is terminal and I can’t deny him if he truly feels hungry. It’s sad and frustrating at the same time .

As a newly retired Nutrition {degree} clinical staff member of 27 yrs for a nursing home …yes.. weight loss can happen with many medical conditions despite good food intakes ie: Copd, Lewy Body Dementia. When a person is advanced elderly it is best to not worry about the sugar intake. Weight loss is a predictor of increased death risk. My advice was try Ensure {Glucerna if a diabetic}, even home made milkshakes with whole milk. Maintaining the persons weight outweighs the risk of sugar etc. Regular diets are recommended…no restrictions. Meds can be used to control medical conditions at this age. Good Luck

You can get organic WHEY, organic peanut butter, banana and Oatmilk and blend to make a smoothie. Full of protein!

Try getting her weight up anyway you can.
I even had my Dad's Dr tell me that they would make a weekly batch of brownies for his father to put on extra weight.
Ir's better to have the sugar than the weight loss.

For my 97 yr old Dad, I give soft food easier for him to digest.
Apple sauce, Yogurt, Banana slices, Avocado mashed and mixed with a little applesauce Sweet Potatoes and Yes Blue Bell Ice Cream too!
He loves Peanut Butter Ritz Crackers.

As people get older, they lose their taste buds but can taste sweet sugar.

Also, you really should include Ensure or any of the others brands as they have good Protein.

Yes, in my mothers case it was her high anxiety and therefore metabolism was burning away her calories. Once she was on anxiety medication she started gaining weight

My mom was diagnosed with heart failure and cachexia 5 months ago. The MD didn’t explain anything about the cachexia, I found the diagnosis in her hospital records, and all I know about it is what I’ve been able to google online. It is roughly synonymous with “wasting” and inability to absorb nutrients, often causing/caused by heart failure or cancer. Not universally progressive, I’m told by a friend-of-the-family internist. But while Mom’s been eating fairly well for the past 6 months, she hasn’t gained any weight. She seems stable on the cardiac front now, but especially with edema fully resolved, looks so frail and cachetic. I don’t expect her to have more than months. She’s also 90.

It’s rough when hospice doesn’t seem to do enough. Best of luck, hope you keep us posted.

At 85 years old and with dementia per your profile I’m not sure why you’d be worried about sugar and Ensure? I’d let her eat all she wants of whatever she wants. Dramatic weight loss often points to an unknown condition that’s causing havoc and needs to be determined or a person unable to process food for nutrition any longer.

If you want to get weight on her let her eat anything that she wants to eat.
If all she wants in Ensure or other liquid meal supplement let her have it.
You can take any food that you would normally eat and puree it and she can drink that if she is having problems with solid foods.
Hospice is for End Of Life / Comfort or choosing to no longer seek curative solutions. If you are making appointments for Cardiologists and other specialists then you are not at the point of accepting End of Life / Comfort Care for mom.