S.T.O.P. Technique

I was at a conference last week and listened to Joseph McClendon III. He is one of the most sought after Ultimate Performance Specialists in the industry. He is an expert in coaching business professionals to overcome behaviors and inner and outer obstacles that may impede their results and affect their bottom line.

One of the things that he taught us was the STOP Technique. The STOP technique isn’t necessarily designed to use with Food choices, but the more I thought about it the more it can help you. The S.T.O.P. Technique helps us turn any pain into an action signal. I use the STOP Technique when a negative thought arises. I don’t get too many of them, but I am still learning and working on myself along with you. Now I’m sure you must be wondering how this relates to Low Carb and Keto. Well I’m going to tell you. Every time we go out to eat or are faced with a temptation of eating the wrong things – this Technique can work.

So let’s say you are at a theme park and we all know what that food can be like. Mostly carbs and sugar and we need to make intelligent decisions as to what to eat. We can tempt ourselves into saying “oh one cheat day won’t hurt” but mainly that just turns into another and another and another. So the STOP Technique can come into play to help.

S – Say STOP! – (Pattern Interrupt) When you are tempted to eat the wrong thing then you can just say STOP. You want to interrupt the train of thought you are having of being tempted or telling yourself it won’t matter. You can say any emotionally charged word – STOP, YES, BOOM, CANCEL or whatever else you can think of. It is all to interrupt the path you are on.

T – Take a Deep Breath – (Physiology) So immediately after saying STOP or whatever word works best for you – Take a deep breath. My favorite thing is to take a deep breath while saying “WOOSAAA”. It is a stress reliever for me. Then if you are sitting you can jump up or if you are standing you can start walking. Walking in place works as well. Anything to change your thought process and get you back into your “Low Carb Keto Lifestyle Mood”.

O – Outcome – (Focus On What You Want) You know you don’t want to cheat with a whole meal or even with a few too many carbs just for that meal. So if you immediately focus on what you want then it will help put you back into the right frame of mind – so instead of selecting a chili dog with the bun and french fries – you go for chilli dog without the bun and a side salad or some fruit. Then pat yourself on the back for making a decent selection.

P – Praise Yourself – (Reward) So pat yourself on the back or shake your booty as a reward for making the right decision. It allows you to relate something exciting and rewarding to making decisions on food. Thus it takes the pain away. Stop punishing yourself for every little thing. (Go back and reread last weeks post about Negativity)

This technique is designed to take a negative thought that comes into your mind – acknowledge that you are having it, stand up, take a deep breath, put a smile on your face, pat yourself on the back and shake your booty to turn that negative into a positive. You may have to do it a couple of times to shake the negativity (temptation of picking the wrong meal choices) but get faster and faster. The next time you have a negative thought or can’t decide if you want to cheat or not. Give it a try. I guarantee that it works every time.

I like to use this technique when my mind drifts along and wants to think about how a situation may work out. Stop with that. Why worry because it will probably never even happen.

This technique can be used in all facets of your life – food choices, negative people, negative thoughts, reliving the past over and over again. Anything to interrupt the pattern of thought and put yourself back into a positive and happy mood.

If you have any questions please feel free to get hold of us. Thanks and have a great week.