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Guest post by: Thomas J. Madden Become an Author

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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.

So to slow down the process of eating, a communications expert came up with the idea of a Knife and Forklift, a sort of "training wheels" to help rapid eaters put on the brakes. 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," said the inventor, a Florida senior who calls himself a recovering speeder eater.

But how do you get the point across memorably and succinctly? One way is to borrow a famous phrase and adapt it to the new mission. So this Annenberg School of Communications graduate paraphrased the famous line Bill Clinton threw at his opponent, then President George H.W. Bush, that made a telling point to voters that Clinton knew what was on their mind of voters during the recession in 1992.

"It's the economy, stupid," was the phrase that helped Clinton win the Presidential election that year.

So our inventor revised the phrase to: "It's the velocity, stupid," which helped him get on over 500 radio stations to talk about his product.

While it's essential to deliver the right message that hits the right note, it's also important to decipher messages accurately. "Am I feeling hunger or do I just want something entertaining to do with my mouth?" This was another phrase our expert invented.

And when CBS debuted its new news TV comedy series Mike and Molly about a fat couple falling in love, he invented this line which infused new publicity power behind the Knife and Forklift. "A spoonful of humor helps the calories go down."

Knife and Forklift is a fun product that just like Mike and Molly delivers a serious message in an entertaining way by encouraging overeaters to exercise restraint, while reminding that eating can put weight on and exercise can take it off.

Overeating causes countless health problems and to make that point. Here's another line the inventor invented: "If you're eating over the speed limit, you need to slow down before your doctor writes you a ticket."

"Overeaters have to stop treating their digestive tracts as if they're race tracks," said the inventor, 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.

Many people are emotional eaters who wolf down much more food than what's needed to satisfy true physical hunger, he said.

"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 owns a communications firm serving clients worldwide.

Good tasting food is the ultimate stimulus package, he said. "Wolfing it down might 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."

So who is this colorful phrase-making gadget inventor? Why me, of course, the writer of his delightful article.

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