My stepfather is eating everything, I already know this is part of his dementia however, I would love some suggestions on decreasing this.

Is this mostly snacking, or eating real food?
If the latter, is there something he loves, that is "relatively inexpensive" make, that can be put in separate containers in fridge for him to grab and heat? Chili? Lasagna? Beans with chips? Something he can help you prepare for him?
It is hard in these tough times when things are so expensive to come up with much other than popcorn for snacks, and the digestive systems of elders (mine included) often aren't receptive to some of that stuff.
I sure wish you luck. Prezels from costco, as well as tortilla chips come in massive bags for a few bucks. I sure hope others have ideas for you.

my Mom is getting there. If she sees food she thinks she's hungry. Even if we had just eaten. But, I'm almost to the point of putting child locks on the cabinets.

hug!!

sometimes a side-effect of certain medicines is feeling hungry all the time.

sometimes it’s a phase that lasts a few weeks/months, then goes away.

we locked things up.
we also got rid of certain medicines.

the hungry phase lasted a few weeks.

normal and good appetite now.

My MIL went from independent living to AL a couple months ago. For about six months now, we keep her stocked up on single serve puddings. You can get 4 for .87 cents at Walmart on the snack ailse. Refrigerated ones are more expensive. Sam's had a 30 ct for $5.87.. Comes to .20 cents a serving. She could live on these and pretty much does. She throws so much food away at AL, but will always accept a pudding. She will get up during the night and take two back to bed with her. All she cares about at this point is sweets and this solves the issue.

Is he overweight? If he is, he must cut down his constant eating. If his weight is normal or below, it will be alright to continue eating provided that his eating is really for necessity and not as a crazy compulsive ritual. Give him to eat a lot of vegetables, they are healthy and will give him a sensation of fullness.

Hey everyone, thankyou so much for your suggestions I'm going to try them. I honestly just went into the kitchen to get a little serving of the Blue Bell Egg Nog ice cream I had just gotten and instead found the container in the garbage. I know this sounds silly but I wanted to cry. I never am angry towards him, I just get so frustrated and keep it in. I also wanted to answer that yes he has gained a lot of weight in his stomach area mostly (like a beer belly). I'm living at home with my mother to help her with him, this has been about 3 weeks now. He had a doctor's appointment right before Christmas and he went from a 20 to a 10 mentally in a very short period of time. Thankyou all, I just want to do my best by him and my mother without going crazy myself.

I have to say this one more time, thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it so much, it feels so lonely even knowing so many people are experiencing this horrible disease. It feels less lonely here. ❤

Don't leave him access to any food. Have locks installed on the cabinets and the fridge. He eats when you or your mom feed him and that's it.
Believe me you're going to end up with worse than a few mice if you allow this situation with food all over the place to continue. You will get roaches and they are very difficult and very expensive to get rid of.
I've worked in elder homecare for a very long time. I have had many clients who became obsessive/compulsive eaters from dementia. The families had to put locks on the cabinets and on the fridge. When their demented loved ones were no longer allowed to eat 24 hours a day, they adapted to only being fed at meal times only or when someone gave them a snack.
Put locks on the cabinets and the fridge.

It is my understanding that the disease of Dementia causes large calorie burns and that some patients lose weight. If your father is not gaining weight let him eat. My husband is not that bad but noticed he eats more ice cream and drinks more milk which is fine. Our doc wants him to eat as he has lost weight. I get it with cost of groceries. Talk with your medical doctor and see what he/she suggests.

i would leave only healthy food available, like vegetables (carrot sticks, celery sticks), fruit (apples. oranges, grapes), fruit roles, yogurt, protein bars with zero sugar for the between each meal craving. this way this extra food will not be so fat/sugar sustaining and therefore help him get rid of the belly fat and provide healthy nutrition. I suppose he doesn't get exercise either? You have to be his brain. The extra food that i recommend will give him good nourishment, good intestine health and help restore a healthy mind and nervous system. it's really very easy. keep everything else locked up.

Lock up what you can.
Leave out healthy things like apples, oranges and a few other snacks that you can control.
There are locks for refrigerators.
There are hidden locks (magnetic ones) that you can put on cabinets so that he can not get into food that is in a pantry or cabinet. (for a pantry use a simple hook and eye lock and place it very high up, most people do not look up)
2 Things can happen with dementia.
1. They forget to eat so there are missing meals and spoiled food left.
2 They forget that they have eaten so they continue to eat.

It is possible that it is boredom.
Is he able to go to Adult Day Program? That will give him something to do, keep him active and engaged.
Who is watching him during the day? Can they get him out for a walk? Go for a ride? I realize at some point getting out is difficult and can get dangerous. But if it is safe it will give him something to do.

Just like all of us if he consumes more calories than he uses he will gain weight. This can make caring for him more difficult in the future. Trying to help a 180 pound person up out of a chair or into the car is difficult enough but if that person is 250 it is more difficult. And dangerous for both the care giver and the recipient.

This is a horrible situation for many families. I know of not nothing that can be done except to find ways to lock up all food with a lock and key and leave nothing out in sight or it will disappear. Check with the doctor and feed him good meals. If he does not eat it, well, there is nothing that can be done - accept it. BUT DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ALLOW FOOD TO BE WHERE HE CAN GET IT.

Change the types of foods you have available for snacks so if he overacts, there is no problem.

A person in my household is suffering from anorexia, so at home we have to do the opposite. That is hard too.

My father is in a wheelchair, but he would be in the fridge if he were able. He has no short term memory and he doesn't know that he just ate. I think eating is the only pleasure he still gets that doesn't require understanding things (like TV programs) or remembering anything.

Here is a link to managing overeating with dementia, from the Alzheimer's website:

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/daily-living/overeating-dementia

Here is a brief list of suggestions, but there are many more links to click on if you go directly to the site linked above:

Ways to help manage overeating

Ensure that the person has something to do, so that they don’t feel bored or lonely.

Divide the original portion into two and offer the second one if the person asks for more.

Fill most of the plate with salad or vegetables.

Make sure the person is well hydrated as they may be mistaking thirst for hunger. Ensure they have a drink with their meal if possible.

Leave bite-sized fruit or healthy snacks, such as chopped bananas, orange segments or grapes, within reach for the person to snack on when they want to.

Offer the person a low-calorie drink instead of more food.

Consider not having certain foods in the house, or substituting them with low-fat or low-calorie versions. 

If the person has developed a strong preference for particular foods, and is not eating enough of other foods, or if they are struggling with excess weight gain, ask the GP for referral to a dietitian.

BreeFitz80: Imho, perhaps you could lock away all food stuffs, including those in the refrigerator and freezer. Put out healthy snacks for your stepfather. Of note, he should be seen by his gastroenterologist since his gut and g.i. tract will not be able to process so much food; yes, I did see that he suffers from dementia. I suggest that he see his gastroenterlogist as soon as he physically can because he may have created g.i. issues with the overwhelming amount of food that his gut is trying to process. He could also be seen by a dietician.

Omg, I went thru this Very same thing with my husband. He would forget he ate and eat again. Was constantly hungry and looking for food all night long. He gained 40 pounds in 4 months and that made it harder for me to shower and dress him as well as all his clothes were too tight. He ( and I) were up ALL night. I had to shop differently and buy sugar free and low fat foods. ( he’s also diabetic)and hide extra things to pull out later. It got very expensive with fresh fruits and veggies. His favorite was sugar free popsicles but he was up eating them all night. Sadly, he needed more care than I could safely provide as he was falling and I couldn’t lift him. Fell out of bed ( with a side rail on) 4 times in a week. He’s currently in LTC facility and I visit every day. Now, he’s the complete opposite. Sleeping at night and refusing meals or eating very little. Complains of nausea lot and coughs when he eats. Lately, I’ve been helping him eat by cutting foods into small pieces and putting it on the spoon or fork. I noticed him chewing food then spitting it into a napkin. This worries me that he’s sliding further downhill and now I feel bad about hiding food. Try keeping rice cakes around. They crunch and are low cal and seem to satisfy that need to chew something when he wants to munch. Good luck. I think it’s one of the phases of dementia that passes with progression of the disease

To be honest I would probably have the food put away if use to leave it out (we use to have our sweets and bread out on the counter because of space issues) . Have a set routine for when they eat and where. We have have our food in pantry but the doors don’t have handles yet because we just build them and we may leave them off until we are able to get my grandmother in a memory care home. She isn’t allowed in the kitchen at all. Mostly for safely because of the stove. But as hash as it seems I would lock up snacks if able. Especially sweets as I read sugar makes them pee at night more, if you are having that issue also. We just kept reminding her. I leave what food she can snack on on table if I leave the home. We haven’t had a issue. But I would be direct with him even if you have to explain all the time. “It’s not time to eat right now” “ we are eating at this time for lunch” and “when your having snacks without us knowing you aren’t cleaning up and we are getting mice.” He may make comments but in the end your doing what is right for him and your home .