BMI?

    I have always poo-poohed most tests and charts that tell me what I should weigh, what my body fat is (BMI, Body Mass Indicator) labeling me overweight or obese. But this morning I stepped on the scale to read 162 pounds, the absolute lowest weight I have been in 30 years. I haven't weighed this little since I hit my 21st birthday. And one year ago, nearly to the date, I was at the heaviest I had been in over decade, and closing in on the heaviest I have ever been. A year ago I was at an emotional ebb, and stepping into the Perfect Storm of Stress that was a driving force behind a whole slough of major life changes for me. I was eating healthy, but eating too much. And I confess to nights when a shot of rum and some chocolate chip cookies dough were my dinner of choice. NOT my normal M.O. I was exercising hard, but not really pushing myself. But just looking at the scale then and now, narrowing my vision to examine the purely physical changes that I have wrought in less than a year, amaze even me. I wish I knew exactly what I had done, the "fix," the formula that finally worked after decades of trying. If I could nail down the formula I could be the next self-help health guru on the Times Best Seller List. But honestly, I can't really put my finger on what happened. I don't have any idea how I finally flipped the switch that let me reach a level of health and fitness that I had thought long lost to me. I wish I knew. I only know that whatever it is, I am going to keep doing it.
    Out of curiosity I went online and found a BMI calculator. My Body Mass Index one year ago was at least 33.7, obese by clinical standards. I say "at least" because I stopped weighing myself when I hit 235 miserable pounds. Today, by this morning's weigh in, I am at 23.2, an easy "normal." I have lost 10.5% of my body fat by shedding nearly 25% of my body weight. 25%!! It is mind boggling, really. A year ago I could not imagine that I had more than 30 or so pounds that I could lose. I would look at myself and think, "yeah, I'm a little heavy, but I can't imagine weighing what all the charts say I should." I really did not believe I could get my weight down into the "normal" range, it just didn't seem like I had that much to lose. I know this is a meandering monologue, but I am really having one of those moments where I can't seem to wrap my mind around the reality. Yes, I step on the scale every few days to make sure I'm not gaining, and every time a little song of joy erupts in my brain. But there has been a surreal quality to it all. I know this will raise the ire of many, but it does not seem like I really changed much. Sure, I cut out most sugars and refined flours after my mid-winter bout with stress induced nausea, and never reintroduced them. Yes, I do workout more than most people, but I always have. It really does not seem like I have done much more than tweak what I have done for years and years.
    It is a puzzle, and I wish I knew the answer so I could pass it along. Maybe that's all there is to it. Cut way back on fats, sugars and refined flours, portion control, get plenty of cardio, and workout every day. Is that the Magic Bullet? That there is nothing magical about it? I have always known that calories out must exceed calories in, that is simple math. These days it seems like I am eating constantly to fuel the body that I have been changing steadily over the last 10 months. I am not measuring, weighing, counting calories. I am eating natural, healthy foods in mass quantities, or so it seems. As long as my jeans continue to fit, and my body keeps making solid achievements, then I guess I am good to go. I wish I could write it all out, pin down the cause and effect, pass on the knowledge, because I feel great. And, BMI aside, feeling great is what it is all about.