Communications Expert Invents 'Knife and Forklift' to Help Overeaters Slow Down Enough to Get Message They're Full

News provided by

Sep 13, 2010, 08:46 ET

BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Much of the overeating so rampant in today's fast food culture stems from a communication breakdown between our brains and stomachs, which occurs particularly when we eat too fast, according to communications expert Tom Madden.

So Madden, a reformed speeder eater himself, invented Knife and Forklift as a sort of "training wheels" to help rapid eaters slow down. The combo of 1.5 lb dumbbells and utensils enable overeaters to practice eating more deliberately. "This way they have a better chance of getting the message they're full before too much food has gone down the rapids into their stomachs."

It's also important to decipher messages accurately, he said. "Am I feeling hunger or do I just want something entertaining to do with my mouth?"

Madden's invention encourages overeaters to exercise restraint, while also serving as a reminder that eating can put weight on and exercise can take it off.

Overeating causes countless health problems. "If you're eating over the speed limit, you need to slow down before your doctor writes you a ticket," said Madden, who has studied a variety of communications problems starting as a graduate student at The Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned his master's degree.

"Overeaters have to stop treating their digestive tracts as if they're race tracks," said Madden, who has helped large organizations like AT&T, NBC, Kellogg's and the City of New York solve communications problems and now is helping overweight individuals solve theirs.

According to Madden, many people are emotional eaters who wolf down much more food than what's needed to satisfy true physical hunger.

"Have you ever been interrupted while dining perhaps by a phone call and noticed when you return to table you're not that hungry anymore? Well that's what happens when you eat slower," said Madden who is CEO of TransMedia Group (www.transmediagroup.com), a leading communications firm serving clients worldwide.

Good tasting food is the ultimate stimulus package, he said. "Wolfing it down may please our pallets and ease our stress, but the pleasure is temporary and it will hurt you in the long run. So better to eat in the slow lane."

More information about Knife and Forklift is available at www.knifeandforklift.com. Media contact: Adrienne Mazzone 561-750-9800 x210 or [email protected].

SOURCE TransMedia Group