“My name is Daniel Finney, I’m the Register’s metro voice columnist, and I’m morbidly obese.”
So begins a three-minute video from The Des Moines Register that outlines Finney’s aspirations to lose some of the extra weight he’s carrying around, a struggle he tells viewers will take years and leave him a “healthier and fitter person.”
Finney, who also wrote about his weight loss in a related column, says he turned to readers to help with his goal in the hopes that they will keep him accountable during his diet and exercise regime. Plus, he knows some of them are fighting the same battle.
“I’m sharing this journey with Register readers because a third of Iowans are obese, something like 78 million Americans are obese,” Finney said. “So I know that I’m not alone.”
Finney discusses the series of events that prompted him to get fit in his column: Back pain that led to a doctor’s visit that resulted in a trip to a weight-loss clinic:
Finally, in late February, I went to the doctor. I knew what the problem was before I made the appointment.
My doctor is a kind woman at the Iowa Clinic who tolerates my fear of doctor’s offices and flightiness in going to appointments. The X-rays revealed arthritis and narrowing of my spinal cavity.
The cause? Well, it would be the hundreds of pounds of extra flesh I carry around every day.
The nurse didn’t say it like that. But that’s how it felt.
Readers have taken note of Finney’s efforts, which also include a guide to losing weight and periodic columns. Already, he’s received more than 200 emails.
So far: More than 150 Twitter followers, maybe 50 FB friend requests and more than 200 emails on #obesity column. #overwhelming
— Daniel P. Finney (@newsmanone) April 13, 2015
One reader tweeted that she was resubscribing to root for Finney:
@newsmanone – I canceled Dsm Register recently. You were the only writer I still read. I'm renewing to cheer you on. Go Finney! Proud of you
— Stephanie Benson (@SSBenson) April 13, 2015
In the video, Finney invited positive reader feedback and even acknowledged the possibility of vitriol from “savage” commenters.
I hope that you’ll join me. I hope you’ll cheer for me. If you’re a savage who comments on our website, I hope you’ll have fun making fun of me. But we’ve started this process and we’re going to see if we can’t come out the other side two or three or four years from now a healthier and fitter person.
Finney tells Poynter that the decision to tell his story publicly was partially motivated by a desire to continue cultivating an authentic relationship with his readers. He wanted to humanize the problem of excessive weight in a way that’s not often seen elsewhere.
“The goal of my column is always to connect on a visceral and personal level with my readers,” he said. “And one of the ways I do that is being very honest about myself.”
He also emphasized that his weight-loss plan “isn’t a prescription.” Different processes and programs are right for different people, and he’s not a professional counselor — just someone “stumbling around in the dark” trying to figure things out for himself.
“I’m not trying to tell anybody how to live their lives,” Finney said.
There is some precedent for journalists turning to the public for support with losing weight. In 2010, former New York Times reporter Brian Stelter described how tweeting his diet helped him lose 75 pounds over a six-month span.
