Negativity makes Oklahoman writer's successes difficult to celebrate

My wife didn't mean it in an objective sense, of course. She meant it subjectively. I'm 32 pounds lighter than I was on April 1. She'd noticed the difference.

Knowing that didn't change how I reacted to her comment. I said something like, "No, I don't." I may have ended it with: "I'm fat."

I say things like that every time someone compliments me on my progress. It has nothing to do with modesty; it's about how I see myself.

Last week, I sat down for an interview with Republican gubernatorial candidate Mary Fallin. She praised my efforts as Ken 2.0. I said, "I still have a long way to go."

"You're doing great," she said.

"I hope I can keep it up," I replied.

A day or two later, I ran into one of the newspaper executives in the break room. "How much have you lost so far?" she asked. When I told her I'd lost 32 pounds, she said something positive that ended with an exclamation point and added, "You should be proud."

I said I'm not losing weight quickly enough.