"I'm closer to looking like Roc than I've ever been," he says.

Dickson realizes he sounds slightly schizophrenic. But if you think about it, he says, all guys have fantasy lives. When they read comic books, they envision themselves as caped crusaders. When they watch James Bond, they envision themselves as suave womanizers with oodles of money.

"Superman, Vin Diesel -- we want to be them so badly," Dickson says. "The difference is you'll never be Superman. You're setting yourself up to fail.

"The reason Roc worked was that he was a fantasy hero of my creation, so I was already part way there. I just had to get the physical."

Iqbal says she keeps her husband from crossing the line between fantasy and reality. She's not a big fan of Roc -- she prefers her men balanced, with a feminine side. When Dickinson slips into Roc's deep voice with a "Hello, darling..." greeting after work, "I'm like 'Oh, shut the hell up,'" she says.

"I have to remind him that it is a character."

Still, Iqbal encourages him to blog and play "EVE Online" as much as possible because she knows his fans are eager for more advice on how to get fit. Plus, there's that other side benefit...

"If I said to him, 'This is affecting our relationship,' I know he would (stop)," Iqbal says. "But I don't want to -- he looks yummy!"