I reached a milestone of sorts last week. Dena took me shopping at Old Navy. Me shopping for clothes is remarkable in itself; the fact that I now fit comfortably in size 36 pants is simply astounding.

I had lost fifty pounds, from three fifty to three hundred, prior to our New Zealand vacation in December 2003. This was me at a Maori dinner in Queenstown.

I got lazy and gained back most the weight I had lost. January of this year I weighed in at three twenty-seven. Not my most shining moment. I was huge. I was always tired. I was wearing size 48 pants (do the math). I was wearing XXXL shirts. Then Dena kicked my ass. She got us both eating healthy, exercising and generally taking proper care of our bodies. While my progress is good, keep in mind that Dena has done better.

I have now officially lost over one hundred pounds. I wear a size 36 pant and XL shirts (and some of those are big on me). I can run several miles on the treadmill/elliptical machine. I don’t get winded easily. I feel good, physically. The only thing I’m still working on is my mental image. We all have a mental body image. I know I’ve lost a lot of weight (I still have 50 to go). My mental image hasn’t quite caught up with the rest of me.

When I hit the two hundred mark, I’m taking Dena to the Bahamas and relaxing at the beach for a week.