Six Sigma and Your Diet

So how does Six Sigma and your diet connect? Well, if your diet is working, then you may be applying some Six Sigma philosophies to your methods without even realizing it — the same ones that enable significant improvements in the business world. 

Interesting, right? It makes sense. After all, you are dealing with real data that doesn’t lie (whether the weight is actually coming off). It is real for you to see. It’s a lot of work, but it is fun!

Let’s see how applying the DMAIC template to the real-world situation of a diet would work: 

Define: State the reason you want to lose weight. Outline the types of foods you want to include in your diet, and also include all the reasons you are going on this diet.

Measure: Here is where it gets fun. Go get your cholesterol, blood pressure, and  triglycerides checked — this will give you a baseline. Then weigh yourself and take measurements, including how many hours you are sleeping (there are apps available for this). Then also write down your current eating habits as well as what you do for exercise. 

Analyze: Take the above data and do a complete Root Cause Analysis. Use the brainstorming tools and the 5 Whys to get to the root of the weight gain. This alone can help you gain momentum on your weight loss once and for all. You will be making spreadsheets of all the data; this way it is easy to compare how much you have improved.

Improve: Now that you have collected all the information and have begun putting this new way of eating and exercising into action, you can start tracking the improvement. You might want to try different approaches that are easy for you to follow. Then pick the best one and try it out. If after two weeks you are feeling good and see improvement, then move to the next phase.

Control: Now that you have picked out both your eating and exercise routines, be sure to monitor it. If it is working, stay on it. After one month, take your health measurements and compare them to your baseline. Do the same with the other data.

For more information on our Lean Six Sigma courses and services, please visit 6sigma.com.