The "Speed Bump" method: How to stop eating just because it's there...
…a way that has nothing to do with dumping bags of chips in the trash and doesn't require white-knuckling your way through the day.
And what if I told you it takes less than 5 minutes and you don't even need the slightest bit of willpower.
Would you do it?
If so, read on…
But first, a question for you…
I'm sure you've seen speed bumps before. They're the small hill-like asphalt ridges stretching from one side of the road to the other.
You'll notice them scattered across neighborhoods as a way to slow down lead-footed drivers.
And crossing one isn't a problem... if you take it slow.
But have you ever hit one going way too fast?
Me: I haven't (thankfully), but I've seen it happen...
There was a jet black Camaro flying down the street… going at least 40 mph.
And that's not insanely fast. Unless there's a speed bump ahead.
And when the Camaro hit the bump…
...Wow. The car sprung off the ground and caught -- what seemed like -- a couple of seconds of air time before slamming back to the pavement.
The driver was obviously rattled, and so was everyone else. People rushed to the street to make sure he was okay.
He was fine. And, surprisingly, his suped-up ride made it through okay.
But what I thought was interesting is…
That was the ONLY car I saw racing down the street that day.
Everyone else knew exactly where the speed bumps were.
I'd watch them slow down, carefully crawl over the humps, and go on with their day.
And I thought…
Isn't it amazing how something so simple can be so effective?!
And I'm sure the neighborhood tried everything to slow the flow of traffic.
Speed limit signs...
"SLOW Children At Play" signs...
Electronic signs flashing your speed...
Usually, speed bumps are the LAST option.
And it left me wondering...
How can we use speed bumps in our everyday lives?
I'll show you...
In our online 1:1 coaching program, we work with clients to beat mindless eating.
And here's how it goes...
They're in the kitchen, they grab a bag of chips, turn on YouTube, and 20 minutes fly by. And the chips... well, they're gone.
If that sounds like you, what do you do?
Some people might say…
"It's simple. Don't keep chips in your house. Take what you've got and throw it all away."
And that's an okay plan… IF you think it'll work for you... AND your family doesn't mind you throwing their favorite snacks away.
(BTW: I've never seen that strategy go over well.)
Other people might say...
"Okay, see... you've got to build up your willpower. Willpower is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets."
And again, IF that plan has worked for you in the past, go for it.
But, I've been at this for 13+ years, and 90% of the clients I work with…
...Are NOT going to empty the pantry and risk waging a household battle over food.
And they know using heroic willpower is NOT a strategy they can rely on.
So what if there's another option?
What if you can use speed bumps to stop mindless eating?
Let me explain...
The problem with mindless eating is we turn our minds OFF and go into a "food trance."
You're not thinking about anything...
You're zoning out...
You're eating WITHOUT awareness.
It's mind-LESS.
To get out of the trance... what you need is a jolt of awareness.
And that's what you get with the "Speed Bump" method.
Here's how it works...
Say you open a family-sized bag of chips... and the usual routine is you start eating and keep going until you hit bottom.
But what if…
You turn the big bag of chips into a dozen smaller bags?
Now, instead of starting with an over-sized bag, you start with a mini, snack-sized version.
Make sense?
So what happens when you do this is...
You add stop points along the way. Spots where you have to slow down and make a conscious decision to open another bag.
Because when you make a conscious decision, you bring awareness to the situation.
Awareness is the antidote to mindless eating.
Let's add speed bumps to your day...
When you finish reading, grab the snack-sized sandwich bags tucked away in your closet and start turning big bags into small bags.
-- But Adam… This won't work for me. I'll finish one and immediately open the next.
Okay, so let's say you eat two bags. Is that less than what you would've eaten? I'd call that a success, wouldn't you?
-- But Adam… I know this won't help. I'll tear through them all and eat just as much.
How do you know? Have you tried?
If not, let's see what happens.
If you have, and you went flying through your speed bumps, it's important to know this…
…There's a difference between mindless eating and emotional eating.
Mindless eating is when you eat without awareness.
Emotional eating is when you eat to change how you feel.
The "Speed Bump" method works in both cases, but...
To beat emotional eating, we need to find the reasons why you eat so we can change them.
Because once you change the reasons 'why' you eat, changing 'what' you eat is easy.
And I know because that's what we do in our online 1:1 coaching program, we solve the reasons why.
We change your mindset, psychology, and habits around food, so you don't have to worry about it anymore.
So will you give speed bumps a try?
The choice is yours...