My third anniversary since starting my journey is tomorrow. I am, as of today, 124.6 pounds down; and what a journey it’s been.

My first post on this journey was First Day of the Last Diet Ever , which I just re-read. In that post, I talked about my plans and my hopes, after having dieted successfully in the past but not keeping the weight off. I haven’t looked back on that initial post in quite some time.

123 pound hamburger — I’ll take one with a Diet Coke to go, please.

Sometimes, you have to climb that mountain — and pause to look down behind you. It’s not always easy; admitting my weight, my size, my defeat in past efforts to the world was one of the bravest things I’ve done, and I have no regrets in doing it. Because, from this vantage point, there are things I see clearly that I only hoped for, back then.

For one thing, my goal that I’m claiming, today, means that one-third of me is gone. Not a third of my weight lost; a third of my original weight! I always try to post a photo of something that’s the same weight of something I’ve lost, and for quite some time, now, I’ve been able to post photos of people. Grown-ups. Both men and women, no less! I’ve come a long way from posting pics of fish, dogs, and bowling balls. Today, I could have claimed I’ve lost Taylor Swift — but the huge 123-pound hamburger seemed a lot more entertaining. (Sometimes it’s a real challenge to find something that weighs exactly what I’ve lost.)

I’ve mentioned many times that I lost 140 pounds a number of years back; it took about a year and a half, and then I went into a stall that lasted about another year and a half. Well, then — look at me, three years in, going strong. Yes, it’s taking a lot longer than back then, for a lot of reasons, but I’m learning to be thankful for that; I have learned so incredibly much over the course of the past three years. My next goal is to beat that 140.5-pound loss; only 16 pounds to go, and I know without a doubt I can break that goal, too.

Not only that, but I’m still following that basic plan I set forth, that first day, and it’s still working. My methods may fluctuate as time passes, but the goal and basic methods of my journey stay the same.

A child born on the day I started this last-ever diet would now be in preschool, hopefully potty trained, maybe learning letters and numbers, full of possibilities. I wouldn’t call myself a patient or determined person, but I’m learning that I’m both. Age and wisdom have taught me things I refused or couldn’t learn on previous attempts, and with each passing day, I can visualize the future; both over the weeks and months to come and down the road.

How amazing it is to me to remember that woman, three years ago, who struggled in nearly everything, who was a prisoner of her own environment and her own making. Then, I could barely take a step and a breath without fighting for it; today, my world has grown by leaps and bounds. When I look back at my photos, I see the pain in the early ones; I just didn’t have very much to smile about. These days, I smile a lot. I’ve even allowed myself to be just a little bit proud of what I’ve done — but not too much, because there’s still work to be done.

Some would call this a birthday instead of an anniversary, and perhaps it is. Perhaps I’ve finally given myself the single most important gift I can give — the ability to not just extend my life — but actually live it.