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I came up with this milk shake because he only ate a half baked potato with cheese and bacon that I buy frozen at Safeway, with 2 strips of bacon. I was desperate because he was losing weight, so I make a milk shake with vanilla ice cream, banana, peanut butter, half and half, and milk and he loves it. It is loaded with calories and calcium, potassium and protein. Lots of orange juice also. Can he survive on this diet if he really likes it?

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Pretty much you can live off nothing.
You would be surprised, when we attempt with VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking) to avail ourselves of a final exit, how little we can live on. VERY LITTLE.

You don't tell us your hubby's age. I am 82 and really only eat a meal a day at this point. My partner at 84 is even worse. Terrible GERD and eats like a bird (hey, I am rhyming?). Weighs nothing. Yet when recently he fell ill of sudden incident all were all compliments about his health, no plaque on vessels they scammed, perfect balance with eyes closed and on one foot, no edema, low pressure and on and on until I got sick of hearing it.

Facts faced, both partner and I are well beyond our sell-by dates and someday SOMETHING is gonna get us. I would like a chocolate shake (you can beef it up with high protein ensure if you like) and a strip of bacon in my hand when the time comes.

Take care.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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Cheryl19 14 hours ago
80 years old, mild dementia, walking unsteady but otherwise 100% healthy!!! Thank you for your answer. I'm 79 and 100% healthy enough to care of him. Aren't we lucky, I think so!
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He will need fiber... does he get any? Does he take any vitamin supplements?
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Reply to Geaton777
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Be creative which is what you are doing. The point about fiber is good. You can add that to his milkshake and vitamins and electrolytes if needed.

I suspect he could do fine on that for quite while.
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Reply to golden23
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Please look into adding protein powder, It's an easy fix and there are many on the market. I'd also want to be sure he doesn't have a cholesterol problem with all that fat :-) but you're on the right track. Peanut butter is a great ad.
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Reply to Moondancer
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Anxietynacy 10 hours ago
To add to moondancer, I recently bought something called PB2, it's protein powder that doesn't raise cholesterol. Also it taste really good sprinkled on many things. Bananas, yogurt, anything.
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One of the ladies in my caregivers support groups mother lived on ice-cream and cashews for the last 5 years of her life and she lived to be 102.
So I say since your husband now has dementia, let him eat whatever the heck he wants, as it may be the only pleasure he gets out of a day.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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Throw in some vitamins, and you should be good.
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Reply to PeggySue2020
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"An 80-year-old should consume 0.45–0.55 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily, or about 68–83 grams for a 150-pound person. This is about 50% more than the recommended amount for adults, which is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight."
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golden23 1 hour ago
Glad you brought this up Geaton. As you get older you need more protein. It's easy to add it in one form or another. There are a variety of protein/collage powders that mix well in shakes.
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