The steps you are taking definitely "should" help. The thing is everyone is at least slightly different, and it can take a little experimenting to see what works.
As far as protein bars, I like them for myself, just make sure they have a decent amount of protein and calories. While your mom might be eating them instead of a meal, you might want to have them as inbetween snacks.
An experiment you can try, keep a food journal for a week. Document what you eat and when, writing it down then and there. Keep it on you and keep it up to date. Guesstimate the numbers (calories) to the closest 100 or so.
Add it up, see what you are averaging. From there you either make sure to hit that number or a larger number.
Don't weigh yourself all the time, tops 2 or maybe 3 times a week, since you think you are in health issue territory.
If you aren't seeing any difference in your weight after a week, bump up your average about 500 calories a day.
From there if you still don't see a change, I can recommend some places to look for more advice on meal timing, macronutrient break downs and other useful info. Hope this helps.