Fad Diets

When it comes to exercise and eating healthy, it's pretty clear what we have to do. But we don't, and so we're tempted to turn to the endless stream of ever-evolving fad diets. Right now, it seems everything (including coffee?) needs protein. Soon, protein will be out, and good fat will be in. Or maybe carbs are bound for a comeback.

This thrashing and churning is a clear sign that these fads don't address the actual problem. People jump on the fad because there's evidence that it works (for some). But somehow, it doesn't work for them. That's when they jump to the next fad.

What's going on in here? How come it works for some, but not for others? In such a situation, there's a hidden dimension that matters much more than the outwardly visible part. For example, based on the magazine covers in the checkout aisle, fad diets are overly prescriptive about what you should eat and conveniently neglect how much of it you should eat. Without going too far into contentious territory, let's agree that it's possible to overeat on just about any food group. The "how much" is the hidden dimension that's far more important for success than the "what.

Sometimes, that "hidden dimension" is actively missing from the advice. Sometimes it's just being ignored: A software company that tried every Agile framework under the sun, to no good effect, has likely neglected the crucial parts that underpin any good Agile approach, like cross-functional teams and highly empowered contributors: You can sneak the old "waterfall" process into any framework, whether you're outwardly adopting Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or what have you, and then it just won't work.

So whenever you get the feeling that you've tried everything but nothing works, look for that hidden dimension. It could just be that all your previous attempts could have worked if only they'd been correct in that one dimension.