As I teach Six Sigma in my classes, I try to create projects for myself, and often it’s the same project over and over. This time, my project was to use Six Sigma to reduce my extra weight.

In 1986 one of my clients distributed a “heart for life” goodie bag on Christmas. In the bag was a measuring tape to measure one’s waist, and that evening I measured mine. Guess what I found? My waist was four inches larger than the size of the pants I was wearing. Prior to that evening, I could feel I had gained weight, but somehow I was able to stuff my tummy into my pants.

While browsing the Internet one night some months ago, I came across the Mayo Clinic’s Web site, which has a body mass calculator and some guidelines about reducing weight. According to the Mayo site, “Body mass index (BMI) is a formula that uses your weight and height to estimate your body fat and health risks. If your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, you’re considered in a healthy weight range for your height. If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, you’re considered overweight. And if your BMI is 30 or higher, you’re considered obese.”

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