Everyone is looking for the best way to lose weight. I accidentally stumbled on a way a few weeks ago that has proven very effective for me, though I have to admit, it probably isn’t the best way to lose weight.
I wasn’t looking for a way to lose weight, let alone the best way to lose weight. Actually, I was just trying to eat my dinner and enjoy a show on Netflix or Hulu. That’s when it hit me.
What Really Happened
Actually, what hit me was a pain in my right side. I still have my appendix, so when the pain didn’t go away after a little while, and eventually got worse, I went to the emergency room. I wasn’t going to take any chances if this turned out to be appendicitis.
After a CT scan and some waiting they finally told me that I had an 8mm kidney stone stuck in my right ureter. I did the math in my head. 8mm is almost a centimeter and there are about 2.5cm in an inch. That put my kidney stone at about 1/3 of an inch. That’s huge. Also, according to Wikipedia, a ureter is only 3 to 4 mm wide, so it isn’t likely that I was going to pass it on my own.
My wife found a video of Jeff Foxworthy on YouTube describing what it’s like to have a kidney stone. The video should automatically start at 34 minutes, 30 seconds.
(the original video is gone, but he shares the same story with Jimmy Fallon here)
Jeff’s description is dead-on accurate. I believe he is speaking from personal experience here.
I think his stone was a bit smaller than mine because they gave him the time to pass it on his own. Also, like he said in the video, kidney stones only hurt when they move. Other than the initial pain that sent me to the emergency room mine didn’t hurt too much. That meant it wasn’t moving. No amount of cranberry juice or jumping on a trampoline was going to change that.
They shattered my kidney stone with sonics and went in after it just like Jeff described in the video. Fortunately I was sound asleep and have no memory of it. Unfortunately, the stent they left behind is no more fun than the stone was as far as my comfort goes.
What Does This Have to Do with Losing Weight?
Everyone likes to tell you that they know the best way to lose weight. They usually talk about what you should eat or should not eat to lose weight fast. It’s more than just what you eat.
Fluids and exercise, or the lack thereof, are contributing factors to both weight gain and developing kidney stones.
I spend my time sitting in front of my computer working on my business or sitting with my kids working on their school work (I homeschool). I don’t try to avoid exercise. When I get focused on what I’m doing I just lose track of the time.
Drink More Water
I have a great water filter and I have written about it here many times. The thing is though that it does no good for your body if you don’t actually take the water out of it and drink it from time to time.
There are many theories about how much water you should drink during the day. Some say that everyone should drink 8 cups. Others say that you need a half ounce for every pound of body weight. I don’t know the right answer, and I know it is different for everyone. My goal is to get at least the 8 cups, or 64 ounces. That’s a good start and I will increase it as my body gets used to being properly hydrated again.
I used to have a WaterMinder app on my old iPhone that reminded me every so often to get a drink of water. After you drink water you can record how much you had toward your daily water intake goal.
I dusted off my old iPhone and reinstalled the app about a month before all of this happened. Unfortunately, kidney stones don’t just appear overnight, so it was too late to avoid this episode.
The WaterMinder is great for helping you stay on track with your water intake as long as you pay attention to it.
Get More Exercise
My in-laws gave my wife a Fitbit for Christmas last year. She loved it but there were some features on a higher model that she wanted, so she saved up for it. It arrived a couple days before my surgery and she gave me her old one.
I really wasn’t interested in having a Fitbit until this kidney stone thing happened. At first I just thought I would use it to see how much I moved around during my normal day with taking care of the house, cooking lunch and dinner, and other normal activity.
The Fitbit works similarly to the WaterMinder. Every hour it reminds me to get up and move around. Just like the WaterMinder, it works best if you don’t ignore it.
The best thing for dealing with the discomfort of the kidney stone, and now the stent, is to walk. I regularly get between 10,000 and 15,000 steps during a day without even leaving my house. That’s somewhere between 5 and 7 miles for me. If the weather is decent one of my kids, or my wife if she’s home, will go for a walk with me.
Is a Kidney Stone the Best Way to Lose Weight?
Good gosh no! I do not recommend it. It does serve as a very effective warning to help you get back on track though.
According to the doctors office and hospital visits I lost about 15 pounds in the 2 weeks or so between when the kidney stone dropped and when it was removed. BTW, getting weighed in a hospital is great. Their scales are in kilograms and it strokes your ego nicely when you see that you weigh less than 100 kg. Then you get home and convert it to pounds and, well, it was nice for a little bit.
The quick weight loss is mostly because I don’t feel like eating when I’m uncomfortable. Sleeping is another way to get through the discomfort, so I got plenty of sleep during that time too. According to my Fitbit I have slept 8 or 9 hours most nights.
My stomach has shrunk some since I haven’t been eating as much. As long as I can keep myself from overeating, keep getting plenty of sleep, and continue to pay attention to my WaterMinder and Fitbit to get enough water and exercise, I should be able to keep the weight off. Better yet I will continue to lose weight slowly and and eventually reach my goal.
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Did This Help?
Like I said, I don’t think getting a kidney stone is the best way to lose weight. I don’t recommend it at all.
I do recommend eating reasonable portions at meals, getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water and getting exercise. That should keep you moving in the right direction, and hopefully avoid any kidney stones in your future too.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed my story. If you found it helpful, please leave a comment below and share my post with your followers on social media.
Hi Ben
I am sure the above tips would work. But I think it mostly depends on which kind of fat you have.
I have seen people loosing good amount of lbs in a few months and some getting even more weigh by trying harder to loose the same.
Thanks for sharing. Water is life, it can definitely help
Thanks for the comment Erika. You’re right, there are a lot of factors to consider. How long you’ve carried the extra weight can be a factor too.
Hi Ben,
These are interesting ways to lose weight, that’s for sure.
Water and exercise are essential to good health in general, and are certainly a part of losing weight effectively.
I love the WaterMinder app… never heard of it but it’s such a great idea.
-Donna
Thanks for visiting Donna. Yeah, I really don’t recommend getting a kidney stone (or 2, I have to go back in for surgery again in about 3 weeks) to help you lose weight, but you have to take what you can from every experience, right?
Ben