Obese man documents battle to lose over 300lbs without surgery

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Iowa-based writer Daniel P. Finney, 39, weighed 563lbs when he started sharing his weight loss journey a month ago in The Des Moines Register
He knew it was time to shape up after X-rays found arthritis and a narrowing of his spinal cavity
Daniel, who is already down 20lbs, is attempting to lose the weight without surgery but is terrified to give up pizza and nachos

Published: 11:33 EST, 17 April 2015 | Updated: 12:46 EST, 17 April 2015

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A morbidly obese man has started documenting his efforts to lose more than 300lbs - without weight loss surgery - after the intense back pain brought on by his size prompted him to get serious about his health.

For years, Iowa-based writer Daniel P. Finney, ignored that at 563lbs he was severely overweight - even shrugging off strangers who called him 'fatty' as he walked down the street. But after a series of health issues, the 39-year-old became inspired to shed more than half of his body weight the natural way and chronicle his journey for The Des Moines Register.

'I know I'm responsible for my actions,' the columnist wrote for the newspaper's website. 'And I'm the only person who can really fix the problem.'

Scroll down for video.

Weight loss journey: Daniel P. Finney, 39, of Iowa, is sharing his efforts to lose over 300lbs; he started out weighing 563lbs and has lost 20lbs in a month

Daniel shared that he has been overweight since high school, and over the years has gotten used to the fact that he doesn't fit into seats at most public venues or booths at restaurants. As one of 79 million obese Americans, he has also become accustomed to the emotional pain of being called 'fatty' and getting verbally abused by strangers.

In fact, even a diagnosis of Type II diabetes didn't alarm him enough to change his habits, and other health issues, like regularly pulling muscles in his calves, became a way of life.

It wasn't until a combination of intense lower back pain - caused by carrying groceries, since Daniel said he can't carry anything that weighs much more than a magazine - and trouble sleeping led him to see a doctor.

'The pain had reached a point where I was practically immobile,' he said, adding that he could walk only 150 feet before he would have to stop.

That's when an X-ray showed him that he also had arthritis and a narrowing of his spinal cavity. His doctor referred him to the Mercy Weight Loss Clinic in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Now, Daniel is working with a therapist to tackle his emotional eating issues, as well as a nutritionist and a physical therapist. He also uses a calorie-counting app on his phone to track his eating, but admitted that even though he is serious about losing weight, making major lifestyle changes isn't easy.

'I don't know if I want to go through the rest of my life eating a leaf of kale and two scoops of vitamin supplements and sipping a thimble of water,' he said. 'The thought terrifies me of no more pizza, nachos, chicken wings, Mountain Dew or fries.'

But he is still determined to try to lose over 300lbs the old-fashioned way, rather than go under the knife.

If he chose to have gastric sleeve surgery, which makes the stomach smaller and reduces the hormones that produce cravings, he could lose as much as 60 per cent of his excess weight in a year - but Daniel said he is afraid of such a drastic medical procedure, and his doctor has told him that it should only be considered as a last resort.

Working hard: Daniel is working with a mental health therapist, a physical therapist, and a nutritionist to lose weight and recover from myriad health problems

'It took me a long time to gain the weight. It will take time to lose it,' said Daniel, adding that his goal is to move slowly and lose 'maybe 50 or 52lbs a year'.

Focusing more on changing his lifestyle than dieting could be the key to long-lasting success for the writer, as a study by the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination found that more than 95 per cent of diets fail.

So far, his efforts are paying off: After three weeks working toward his goal, he said that for the first time in years he felt better about his health.

Now a month in, he has lost 20.6lbs, which he noted is equal to the weight of 'four fully grown Chihuahuas' or 'a tire for a full-sized sedan'.