TV is hard to watch without eating

13

Replies

  • Reaverie
    Reaverie Posts: 405 Member
    I have that issue when I do watch. For the most part, I HATE tv. It's too boring and time consuming. But sometimes in very rare cases, I will find something decent to watch and sadly my desire goes straight to snacking. Must be the conditioning learned from going to movie theaters and buying popcorn. I dont have cable. For me, its a waste of money when I can find anything I want to watch free online. I havent had cable since I was 18. My kids took after me in this regard. Even as toddlers they had zero interest in television. They prefer books, games, or in my sons case, coding.
  • bogie538
    bogie538 Posts: 1 Member
    Make a habit of not eating in front of the tv, if you have family, have everyone eat together at the table.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    Kdewit03 wrote: »
    I am finding it very hard to watch tv and not eat.....how do you guys do it?
    Eat lower calorie snacks. Personally I eat popcorn (Smartfood Delight lite white cheddar).

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • It's not really a better habit, but I've got my phone in my hand the whole time. Busy hands = not even thinking about what's in my kitchen cupboards.
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
    I walk on my treadmill while watching TV. Have it set up in my basement with headphones so I can hear it without annoying everyone else in the house. I've gotten to the point it feels weird to sit on the couch and watch.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited February 2017
    Machka9 wrote: »
    If you still want to watch TV, try this:

    Get up at each commercial break and do something ... load the dishwasher, put a load of clothing into the washer, vacuum a room, sweep the kitchen floor, fold some laundry, prepare for tomorrow, lift some weights, do some crunches or planks or whatever other core work you do ...

    This is what I used to do when I suffered with commercials. Now, thanks to Netflix and Amazon Prime, the only show I watch that still has commercials is The Walking Dead, and that only if I am not willing to wait a day to get it on AP.* And, we start it at 9, put it on pause for 15 minutes, and then fast forward through the commercials.

    *TWD is not free on Amazon Prime, but I get credits when I do No Rush Shipping and use them to pay for the episodes.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Kdewit03 wrote: »
    I am finding it very hard to watch tv and not eat.....how do you guys do it?

    When my meals have a good balance of protein, fat, and fiber, I don't get the munchies. I sometimes plan for a low calorie snack.
  • readytobeatfat54
    readytobeatfat54 Posts: 91 Member
    Can you airpop popcorn? It has very few calories, has fiber, and you can flavor it with spices. If you want to get to know how a spice tastes this is a great way to go about it!
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    You can save calories for it or do something else like play on your phone, do a puzzle, lay out your clothes for the next day, plan your workout for the next day, etc.
  • CTcutie
    CTcutie Posts: 649 Member
    edited February 2017
    I stopped watching as much TV in general a few years ago when I started MFP. I also took up knitting, so I do that while watching Netflix. I also feel more productive- because, hey, I just made myself a SWEATER!! Now when *all* I do is watch Netflix for more than 30 minutes, I get bored most of the time :blush:
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    stop watching tv. it kills your brain cells, anyways.

    Could you please post a scientific study on this statement? lol

    have you SEEN the general public. i think its case evident LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    everher wrote: »
    It's just a bad habit you have to break.

    I would suggest finding something else to do with your hands while you watch tv.

    Great idea, and cut back on the screen time.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I want to know how people pay attention to a movie or TV show while doing all these card games, knitting, and squats etc... Also are all these saying they exercise really doing this exercise for the duration of the movie or TV show some specify that they do these things during commercials, but others seem to just be doing it through out.? I don't know how healthy it would be to keep up cardio or squats or whatever for such a very long time. I could be wrong though. It could be totally healthy to do such at length on a regular basis. I don't sit down to watch TV often, but when I do my attention can either go here or there. If I try knitting or crochet while watching TV I always either mess up my project or forget to watch the show, if I exercise I also fail to watch the show, card games too. Sometimes just relaxing and watching that show you have waited all day or week for could just be that. Relaxing and resting and enjoying the show.

    I pay attention better if I have something for my hands to do or if I am moving my body a bit actually. That is not the case for everyone but some of us feel better and more relaxed moving something.
  • jeanmariemcp
    jeanmariemcp Posts: 17 Member
    I focus on how thin and fit the actors/actresses are and how much I'd like to look and feel like that.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Kdewit03 wrote: »
    I am finding it very hard to watch tv and not eat.....how do you guys do it?

    The average American watches 4 hours of TV every day....and people don't "have time" to exercise...haha
    As for your question, I gave up TV.
    I have those 4 extra hours....

    WE HAVE A WINNER.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    stop watching tv. it kills your brain cells, anyways.

    Could you please post a scientific study on this statement? lol

    Watching TV does not kill brain cells. I would say it causes them to atrophy due lack of use, like muscles do when one just lies around instead of moving.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    stop watching tv. it kills your brain cells, anyways.

    Could you please post a scientific study on this statement? lol

    Watching TV does not kill brain cells. I would say it causes them to atrophy due lack of use, like muscles do when one just lies around instead of moving.

    But what if you're watching Nova on PBS? :sunglasses:
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    Yes all those starving people on tv .. I need to stop watching stuff like naked and afraid .. alone . And the wheel lol they make me hungry

    Good luck
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited February 2017
    pinuplove wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    stop watching tv. it kills your brain cells, anyways.

    Could you please post a scientific study on this statement? lol

    Watching TV does not kill brain cells. I would say it causes them to atrophy due lack of use, like muscles do when one just lies around instead of moving.

    But what if you're watching Nova on PBS? :sunglasses:

    Look at the ratings for Nova vs The Bachelor or other trash tv and I think you'll find in the vast majority of cases tv is weakening more brain cells than its building
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I realized that I just really don't enjoy the food I eat while watching TV as much as the food I eat when I don't.

    Just think about it next time - you have no idea how many times I eat something while watching TV then realized that I didn't actually appreciate any of it because I was too busy paying attention to the TV (that being said - I like focusing on what I watch and typically won't do anything else at the same time).

    Or get a stationary bike, or run in place while you watch. Hard to eat while doing either of those things.

    Agreed. I used to watch TV and eat before I started my weight loss journey 22 months ago. I stopped doing that now. I only eat in the kitchen at the table or the bar, and I never have the TV on. I like to focus on my food. Now, I can't stand to have the TV on when I eat. When I visited family over the holidays, I asked my nephews to turn off the TV so that we could enjoy each other and our food.

    I don't watch TV much anymore either. I'm more active around the house. So, by the time I sit, I don't really feel like watching. Instead I'll look at MFP or another weight loss app that I use.

    For bedtime, I will turn my TV on, but it's mostly for white noise in the background. I still spend more time reading the apps instead.

    Sometimes, I'll sit in the living room and watch a show or two on the weekend, but I don't even turn my living room TV on through the week anymore. That is a HUGE change for me. I was a TV fanatic before I started my journey. I didn't even set out to stop watching so much. It just happened naturally.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    pinuplove wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    stop watching tv. it kills your brain cells, anyways.

    Could you please post a scientific study on this statement? lol

    Watching TV does not kill brain cells. I would say it causes them to atrophy due lack of use, like muscles do when one just lies around instead of moving.

    But what if you're watching Nova on PBS? :sunglasses:

    Look at the ratings for Nova vs The Bachelor or other trash tv and I think you'll find in the vaSt majority of cases tv is weakening more brain cells than its building

    I'm just trying to lighten up some of the TV hate in this thread :tongue: Personally PBS is a big hit at our house. I don't buy into the 'TV is rotting our brains' philosophy. It's like food. You can choose a steady diet of junk, abstain from junk completely, or find a balance that works for you personally.
  • DKG28
    DKG28 Posts: 299 Member
    ask yourself if TV watching is really entertaining you. If it's not entertaining enough without snacks, perhaps you need to replace that with a different, more engaging activity. Or find something to do while you watch. I set my laptop on my treadmill console and stream shows while I'm walking or I knit/craft. I like my shows, but I've never been able to just sit and watch - that's a good impulse - use it in your favor - not to snack but to accomplish something while you're watching.
  • crookss72
    crookss72 Posts: 1 Member
    I have a range of green teas which i drink while watching TV. Teapigs do a Liqourice and Peppermint one https://www.teapigs.co.uk/tea/featured_2/caffeine_free_tea/liquorice_and_mint.htm and M & S do a Rooibos, Vanilla and Coco Nibs one http://www.m-s.gr/product/rooibos-vanilla-4/. Both are very low in cals and give me the sweet hit I need at night relaxing in front of the box. Keep the faith and hope this helps.
  • erinmc738
    erinmc738 Posts: 2 Member
    I watch true crime shows and procedurals. Once you watch the entire series of Bones, NCIS, and a boatload of other shows dealing with gore, death, dismemberment, and autopsy... you lose the tendency to eat in front of the TV. However, I've become desensitized to the content so on occasion I will find myself having dinner while Ducky is doing an autopsy, Forensic Filesis talking about decomp or blood spatter patterns, or when Bones is having some putrid whatnot sent to the Jeffersonian for analysis.
    To keep myself from eating in front of the TV, though, I try to be doing something constructive with my hands. Working on my crochet project, doing my homework, or cleaning the house.
  • FitBody3
    FitBody3 Posts: 36 Member
    I actually find that when I watch something which interests me on TV , I completely forget about eating. Maybe its because you are bored?
  • EternalSnow627_
    EternalSnow627_ Posts: 85 Member
    I don't eat in front of tv. I never have. I have 3 meals a day and that's usually it. I watch tv to be entertained not to eat in front of.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    I rarely watch TV; I mostly only watch sport when I do, or the occasional episode of Air Crash Investigation, or some of the Highway Patrol type shows. If it's a sport I'm invested in, I'm far too invested in the outcome to be eating, and if I'm not so invested, I generally have it on as background noise while I'm tapping away on my laptop, which I bring down to the couch with me.

    The only exception to the rule is Bathurst, but I lay out the snacks before the green flag and then just munch my way through six hours of hoping Lowndsey's car doesn't break.
  • lulalacroix
    lulalacroix Posts: 1,082 Member
    ahh.. okay.

    That would drive me bat crap crazy lol.. It's why i don't own hangers and hang up my jacket or clothing in my closet haha.. i would always say to myself, im putting the coat on tomorrow.. why do i do this task.. and then hang it off the door knob lol..

    I think after a week of trying to remind myself to either do one or the other id probably just quit and eat while watching tv again lol..

    I have the same issues at work.. however its work so i have no choice but.. why do i need to date something i empty every single day and refill.. if im back tomorrow, couldnt i just put a date on it at the end of my 2/3 days there so the next person knows when it was changed? LOL.. small tasks.. not a fan haha

    Haha. That's how I feel about making my bed.
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
    You're probably eating because you want to be busy while watching TV. If I feel the need to do something else while watching TV, then the show I'm watching isn't worth my time. That being said, I will turn the TV on for noise and spend my time coloring (yes, I'm 5), doing some crafty thing, or walking on a treadmill.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    Kdewit03 wrote: »
    I am finding it very hard to watch tv and not eat.....how do you guys do it?

    I don't watch much TV. I work in the garage, go for walks, find something active.
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