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Daniel Finney On Weight Loss, Anxiety, and Sharing His Journey Online

Daniel Finney on Talk of Iowa

It’s been about three months since Daniel Finney wrote his first column in the Des Moines Register about his efforts to lose more than 300 pounds. On this edition of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe speaks with Daniel Finney about his weight loss journey.

"The little things are a tremendous life improvement," says Finney, referring to walking to the mailbox and household chores. "You go from dreading simple basic daily tasks to not really thinking about them, and you become really grateful of the fact that you are on this journey to recover."

Charity talks with Finney about his experience so far, how mental health issues affect his ability to lose weight and his progress.

Also Dr. Bob Spanheimer of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics explains why more physicians need to talk with patients about weight loss and the health risks of obesity; and Dr. Todd Eibes, a bariatric surgeon from Belmond, talks about when surgery is an option.

"You don’t want to set too high of a goal; you want to take it one step at a time," says Spanheimer. "I think that it’s daunting to many patients to begin that journey. Accepting that 'moment of crisis,' as [Finney] describes it, is very important and you can’t succeed without it."

Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa