Ilir Bitici is shrinking, and he couldn’t be happier about it.

“I’ve always been ‘big boned,’” he  said, chuckling. But Ilir has lost 22 pounds since Labor Day, along with a 15.5 percent decrease in body fat.

“Oh man, I feel great,” said the co-owner of Fiorino Ristorante on Maple Street. “It’s the best motivation you can have, to see results, because then you just want to keep steamrolling forward."

But Bitici is not losing all this weight for his health, or at least not just for his health. Bitici, along with Millburn’s deputy mayor Tom McDermott and Martini’s owner Teddy Stampoulous, is taking part in the Can Do Challenge.

The Can Do Challenge, McDermott’s brainchild and named after Can Do Fitness in Short Hills where all three men train, is more than just a $1,000 bet to see who can lose the highest percentage of body fat. Each contestant has chosen a charity to which they will donate if they win, and all three are soliciting “per pound pledges.” Friends, family and customers promise a certain dollar amount for each pound the contestant loses, and at the end of the contest, around Christmas, the pledges are tallied and donated.

McDermott will donate to United Way, while Stampoulous supports the Opportunity Project, which helps victims of traumatic brain injury lead normal lives. Bitici has chosen the Susan G. Komen Foundation as his beneficiary. Credit goes to his wife, Loreta, for making the suggestion.

“I was going to go with something that had more to do with food, or feeding hungry people, because of the tie-in with the restaurant,” he said. But Loreta, who takes part in the Komen Races for the Cure, suggested he look into them, and when Bitici walked into Komen’s North Jersey headquarters on Springfield Avenue, he was immediately impressed with their organization and dedication.

“Before I even left the office, I knew I would go with them because they really know what they’re doing,” he said. “They’ll take whatever money I raise and make it work.”

The ladies at Susan G. Komen are ecstatic that Bitici chose them.

“We love to have somebody come in off the street and say ‘Hey, you guys are really doing a great job, and I’m going to raise money and I want to give it to you,’” said Janet Janelli. “That tells me that we’re doing our job.”

Bev Cohen, communications manager, thinks the Can Do Challenge is fantastic.

"I think it’s a great idea," she said. "It’s generated a lot of awareness and enthusiasm in the community.”

Bitici said he relies on fresh fish and salad to stave off hunger, and exercises at least four times a week. But how hard must it be to operate a fine Italian restaurant while on a diet of 2,500 calories a day?

“It’s a gift and a curse,” claims Bitici, “because I do have access to the freshest produce, the freshest fish. It’s about making the wise choices, the better decisions.”

Bitici has been getting support from all sides, and not just monetarily, although he’s managed to rack up at least two dozen per-pound pledgers.

“The guys on the kitchen are on board, so they know what to prepare for me. Even if I tell them to surprise me, they know what the criteria are and they never fail."

Even Bitici’s father John and his brother Mentor, both co owners of Fiorino, are getting into the act.

“They’ve been great,” he said. “They’re eating lighter…they’re becoming more health conscious as well. They’ve been very supportive.”

Who’s winning? Or losing? At the most recent weigh-in, Bitici and McDermott were neck and neck, with Stampoulous nipping at their heels. But all three men and all three charities are already winners.

To keep abreast of Ilir’s progress, follow him on Twitter at Twitter/fiorinos.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ilir.bitici. Stop by Fiorino to pick up a pledge card, and tune in to Hometowne TV for “Martini’s with McDermott,” a video chronicle of the Can Do Challenge.