I'm sure many of you have already tackled this problem. My dh has two obcessions - wine and ice cream. I hate to always have to say no to what he likes (sound like all the mothers in the world??). Anyway, he loves his wine and his ice cream. I have the wine under control - he has to have it each night but I only have one out and that's it. Ice cream, though, he will eat 4-5 or more bowls until he goes to bed. He has developed a basketball belly and he's been tall and thin his whole life. I can't give him too much fruit because of what that will produce the next day and I can only hide ice cream in the freezer. If it isn't here, he wants to go to the store and get some and is not very pleasant if I say "no". So, I'm wondering what creative ways you have all come up with to feed the "sweet" monster that will not give him diabetes?
My dh's doctor told him to eat as much as he wants and whatever he wants,whenever he wants.Says it will not make much difference in the end.She plans on doing just that for herslf.
My DH's doctor also said to let him have anything he wants - and I do. He loves ice cream also. I do buy the sugar free/low sugar sometimes and mix it, or the frozen yogurt and mix it in. At least he lets me fix it for him, so I can give him portions I'm satisfied with.
My dh has also developed the big belly and has always been very thin. The doctor said not to worry about it and let him eat whatever he wants. The dr. also said some of the meds he is on does the big belly thing.
The problem (if you want to call it a problem) is that it is so difficult to find pants that fit him. If they are big enough around the waist they are really baggie in the hips. Ohhh...well...minor things in the total picture.
Is diabetes so bad at this stage of the game if he loves his ice cream so much? I don't know the answer to that. But, I do know it wouldn't bother me much with all the things my dh has wrong with him....I am a sweet eater too and have been for years...I never worry about diabetes. Did the dr. tell you this is what would happen?
My DH eats anything sweet. Candy, chocolate, cake, cookies, ice cream and anything he can get as long as it's sweet. He has been doing it for the past 2 years or more and does not have diabetes.
BUY the sugar free or frozen yogurt. tastes good and they may not even notice. if he does say that brand no longer is on sale!
i agree at this juncture i say give them what they want unless they are diabetic. the one thing that gives them pleasure. plus they tend to lose alot in the latter stages.
The "sweet" taste is the last to go. I know it's hard in our weight conscious society, but if someone already has a terminal dx, why not let them eat whatever they want? There are so very few things that can bring them pleasure. My husband's weight was always stable before dx, but then the Seroquel made him go from a size 36 waist to a 42. Later, he has lost about 30 lbs and is thinner than I've ever seen him, due to disease progression. He still eats a lot and I bring treats to the ALF to give him. Athletic pants with the elastic waist have been a great solution to the up and down.
I am also inclined to let him eat what he wants, he's already had so much taken away. He is currently very healthy except for the AD and he takes only Celexa and BP meds. I've read about the pharmacy that many of your spouses have to take and I am so thankful that we are not there. That's the way I'd like to keep it - I don't want to have to treat for diabetes and cart him to even more doctors.
I know that what I am about to say, you have all gone through, as well, and may still be there I'M SICK AND TIRED TO CONSTANTLY ADJUSTING MY LIFE TO ACCOMMODATE THIS DAMN DISEASE - I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR MOTHERHOOD AT 60. Okay, I think I may have that out of my system for now, ahem.
So, I will look for frozen yogurt, maybe those little cups of ice cream and try to hide them so he can't just help himself. He looks so damn funny with no butt at all and a bowling ball above his belt that is straining to contain his gut. I know, small thing in the greater scheme of things. Thank you all, again and again. T
What is it with Ice Cream! My DH wants a dose daily but he is good about not eating too much. He is diabetic and that is the problem..his idiot doctor ( pcp) thinks it would be good for his heart to lose about 7 more lbs..he is now down to 171 and 165 was always his fighting wt..the damn doc keeps hammering on this and I have told him that ALZ will grab the wt soon enough...that he doesn't eat much now.. He has lost so much muscle mass...it isn't fat...sheesh...the neuro didn't want him to drop too much...knowing he will need it later.. But my former fruit eater now wants IceCream so to prevent plumbing problems ( his) he will get it with more fruits and since summer ( we hope here on the Left Coast where it is still pretty cold) coming it will be a nice change. Oh he has to have a toddy too at night..and night starts at 3PM..groan..but that is under control too...
Check out skinny cow in the grocery ice cream section..it is really good and it carries WW points for those of us trying to maintain...and not go over those Alz 50 we hear about...The ice cream cones are really good...they satisfy.
I buy the gallon & a pint plastic bucket of ice cream at Walmart. I get the Neopolitan so he has 3 flavors (not that I think he notices). He always has a bowl about an hour after dinner, but now he wants some in the afternoon too (he doesn't remember when he has it). So now I am buying the ice cream sandwiches to give him in the afternoon. (I might cut them in half & see if he notices).
Eating sweets doesn't cause diabetes. It is usually the weight gained by overeating that is the culprit. My DH has always loved sweets and his weight never varied. Always 150. Now he is down to 140 and eats more sweets than ever. Like many of you have stated, I just let him eat all he wants. Not the best thing for him but he seems to crave sweets more than ever. I think the senses don't work properly when they have AD. Hearing, smell and taste are all affected. The day is coming when I will wish I still could see him enjoy his sweets.
I'm the one with the sweet tooth in our family...I LOVE ice cream...I'll have to check out Skinny Cow. Dh loves SALT...adds it to everything, he's only 55 kilos, was always small at 5'4"..but this is the smallest he's at now
My DH was exposed to AO during two tours in Viet Nam...and the diabetes and heart and vascular diseases are related to that, other issues are service connected... He was never overwt and was very physically active and strong ..played football and was a gymnast. AT 50 may Marines much younger than he could not beat him on the PFT ( physical fitness test) and could not run as fast as he did..He did so many of the things recommended to stay healthy and he was not a big sweet eater other than for fruits... Now it is ice cream or brownies or banana bread anything like that. I can still get fruit in him but not as often but the chat about ice cream and the new fruits coming in now may help not only with healthier sweets for him but more fiber so we don't have pooper problems...
If your dh is constipated and craving ice cream, try Edy's lowfat frozen yourt with active cultures (lactobacillus acidolphilus). If not struggling with constipation, AVOID THIS!
Mimi - I think we're married to the same fella - mine will continue filling his bowl with ice cream until it is gone or he falls asleep, and by 3:00 he's pacing around wanting to get into the wine. Since he knows I disapprove of drinking that early (and he gets belligerent if he drinks too much) he tries to pour and hide it from me. I started buying non-alcoholic beer because it tastes just like the real deal and this satisfies him until it is a more civilized time to go for the wine (4:00 :-)) - he thinks the beer has alcohol in it and is somewhat satisfied with it. He's getting his cataract removed at the end of the month and I hope this doesn't blow my little scheme with the beer :-) - right now he can't even read the label.
I have to be careful about giving him fruit because it gives him the runs and that is most definitely a big pain for me. I've kept his incontinence at bay now for at least 2 months (yey).
Think I'll go buy some Skinny Cow tomorrow and keep it out in the frig in the garage so it will lst more than one day.
My wife has gained 20 pounds in the last 1-2 years, mostly due to eating sweets (and no longer exercising). With her it's now Hershey w/almond bars, as well as M&Ms and choolate chip cookies each night while watching TV. Snickers had a good run for a while, too! But I also feel as some who commented above ... at this point, why not? She doesn't have diabetes, so why not let her eat whatever she wants to eat?!
I feel exactly like you. Let the spouse eat what he/she wants unless there is a strong medical reason not to do so. My dh suffered a heart attack in 2002, told not to lift more than 20 lbs or shovel snow. He insists on doing both. PCP says LET HIM! DH seems none the worse for all that; he is doing what he want. Life is too short for restrictions that may/may not do any good.
"The art of rendering care is the art of knowing what to overlook" I can't imagine why you would want to deny a LO suffering from AD anything. If it makes her happy, she can have, that is my philosophy . I don't perceive my role as a care giver as a contest between extending her life to the last excruciating minute medical science can provide and immediate gratification. I see no need to provide my wife with a super healthy, vegan diet so Diabetes or other manifestations of overweight are avoided. She's already got a death sentence now If she wants ice cream my only thought is what flavor: Same with candy or cookies. My primary focus is to make her a happy person in the present, Our Md's couldn't care less, their comment. "let her eat now, they'll come a day when we wouldn't be able to get a morsel down her throat, your job is to make her happy."
I join the "Let them have whatever they want" crowd. My lo wants dessert every meal doesn't matter what it is. We have apples for lunch and he has cookies with his :) I have found no sugar added brownie and cake mix so I try to keep something like that baked for him. He is not severely diabetic so occasionally he has regular desserts. He too wants ice cream and I get the no sugar added and can't tell the difference. Popcorn and flavored coffee has taken over for the snacks in the evening. He is very thin about 150 his usual weight before was around 180 and up.
I agree to let them have what they want. I buy the little small cups and give him one when he wants ice-cream. This is a very small amount but seems to satisfy him. The skinny cows are also very good.
Well, we saw his PCP the other day and she was totally unconcerned about the 9 lbs he has gained or that he eats so much ice cream. I asked her about the use of Lorazapan when he drinks wine at night and she said it's no problem if he keeps his drinking down to 1-2 glasses of wine/night and I've been mostly successful with that lately. As he has been getting more agitated lately (especially in the morning), I think I will put 1/2 tab in his coffee and see if it's helpful. When I've given his a whole tab, he just falls asleep.
Okay, I got totally off the point I was going to make above - which is .... I will not worry about what he eats or about him gaining weight and just do my best to keep his drinking to a minimum without making a fuss. How's that for controlling my control gene??
Mothert: If he's more agitated in the AM, in addition to the Lorazapan, try switching to decaf or half caf half decaf coffee and if he uses sugar, get the Splenda in the container, not the envelopes, it looks like surgar and tastes very sweet to most. The reduction in caffine and sugar may reduce his AM aggitatiion.
Thank you, I'll give that a try. He's just been waking up kind of cranky lately. He's been such a sweetie for so long that I've gotten pretty spoiled. I know I'm probably living on borrowed time that's why I finally kicked into gear and made the appt with the NeuroPsych in June.
Thanks everybody for your sage advice - my dh thanks you, as well.