[Beverlyjoy]

I know watching tv makes us less mindful and aware of eating. It's true - I can eat a meal in front of the TV on and not even think about the food.

I am trying to eat more often with the tv off. I just hate it. It's lonely to me when I am eating alone. The TV helps.

DH will eat only with the TV on. He is supportive of my plan - this is one thing he won't budge on. (he has no weight concerns). I would have to go into the kitchen and eat alone if I want no TV on when eating while he is home.

Many folks say that eating with the tv on is very engrained in our culture. It's best to learn to eat with it on in the most mindful way you can. Hmmm

How do you deal with TV and eating? Do you think one can be mindful about eating and have the TV going too.

[TXMary2]

I am a long time tv eater. LOL - that sounds funny. I am not used to NOT eating with the tv on. When I watch tv I sometimes find myself habitually making a cruise through the kitchen and then I realize what I am doing and go sit back down. I do however still eat planned meals with the tv when it fits the situation. I also tend to eat in front of the computer. For me, if I tried to eat and just eat I think I would eat too fast. The TV/Computer helps me to slow down.

[GirlyGirlSebas]

If I'm eating with the family, the TV goes off. If I'm eating my lunch or snack and am by myself, the TV is on. Sometimes, that is the only chance I get to watch anything. Life sure does get hectic.

[ubercast]

I only usually eat with the TV on while I am having lunch because it is on anyway. If I want to avoid the TV I just turn away from it and sit at the kitchen table. In my experience the TV is not inherently bad unless you haven't portioned out your food.

[Beverlyjoy]

Ubercast - that's true...about the portions. I portion my food, always and almost never (rarely) have seconds, too.

[TJFitnessDiva]

I have been turning my tv off & radio on when we sit down to eat at the table It was hard at first but I like it now!

[patchworkpenguin]

We eat sitting on the couch in front of the TV. We always have, when we first got married we didn't have a table so on the couch in front of the TV it was. This is also the way Hubby was raised, their family was too large to sit around the table so it was first come first sat, LOL, but I grew up with more formal dinners. When we moved into our current house, we sat at the dining room table but that caused problems also, since I had one set of expectations, Hubby another. Then two years ago, he went to a work schedule that had him coming home at 8pm, we also started renting a multi-season series from Netflix and if we wanted to watch it we had to eat in front of the TV just to watch one episode a night. So now eating in front of the TV seems normal and sitting at the table seems boring. I still try and eat 'mindfully' and pay more attention to my food than the show.

[WinterStarzz]

My DH and I are definitely TV-Eaters. I place half the blame on the fact that we are living in a teeny-tiny apartment and we don't even have a table at which to sit and eat a meal. Sooooo, we could sit on the couch together with the TV off............or we could turn it on and watch a good show together.

I know that it's really not an excuse, but it is what it is. We are moving in a few weeks, and will actually have a dining room....with a table in it! What a concept. We have already talked about eating our meals there, sans TV, and the benefit it will have on our lives.

[Cita]

We had gotten very used to grabbing our plates and kicking back on the sofa to veg-out. This was the way I was raised so it was hard-wired in my behavior pattern.

When we moved into our house a year ago, we purposfully put the TV in the basement for this very reason. Our rule is simple: meals at the dining table, period. My daughter is two now, and I'm so happy to see that she knows to climb up at the table to eat, it's automatic to her now, I don't even have to ask. Also, we talk more now.

For solitary meals when my hubby is away on a business trip, I still eat at the table, but usually bring something to do, like a cookbook and some paper for meal planning.

All of this said, we do typically have dessert while we watch T.V. in the evenings. This feels like a good compromise to me.

ETA: An interesting side note. Once we started eating at the table, we started watching WAY less TV. Before we probably watched 20-25 hours of TV a week. Now, we watch anywhere from 3-5 hours a week. Some days we just never bother to go downstairs after dinner.

[astrophe]

Never eaten with the TV on and don't plan to start.

My thing with eating alone is reading while I'm eating. I'm more apt to eat slower when I read. If I'm not, I scarf it down. Since I'm trying to eat slower, I stick to the reading.

A.

[ShylahEQ]

At home we rarely have the tv on during dinner time. Mostly because it's distracting with a toddler. Every once in a while though, we'll do living room "picnics" with pizza or sandwiches when his favorite show is on.

[sterbear]

I am a forever tv eater, haha! what I find helps me is to make my plate & portion properly and a big glass of water. I usually watch 30 min - 1 hour tv shows, I slow down my eating so that it will take the whole show to consume my meal. & I also make it a point to drink two big glasses of water during this time. hope this helps!

[Michelle98272]

My BF is the same as your DH, it is a non-negotiable. He has to catch up on the news and the sports in the evening. We actually eat in our recliners with tv trays. One positive is, the food is all the way in the kitchen. If I want seconds, I have to get up to get them instead of just reaching over to the serving dish if we were sitting at the table.

I pile my plate high with salad, have a bit of the entree or some lean meat, more steamed veggies. I usually have so much food on my plate that actually takes a while to chew that I end up taking twice as long as my BF to finish my meal.

I am not as hooked on the tv as he is. Usually, right after I'm done, I hop up and clean the kitchen, putting the food away, dishes in the dishwasher, wiped down the counters, make my lunch for the next day, wipe out the sink, turn off the light and consider the kitchen closed.

I don't find it a huge problem if I'm planning what I eat. If it's a night when we order take out pizza and the fridge is devoid of all vegetable matter, I do find it harder. It's easy to eat quickly when I don't have my salad and steamed veggies. I guess they are my "eating in front of the tv safety blanket".

When my 9 year old is over for his every other weekend Thurs pm - Monday am visits, we eat at the table with the tv off. My son has adhd and can't do anything other than stare with mouth agape when the tv is on. To get him to eat, we turn off the tv and put on boring music. Even if its rock or something upbeat, he boogies in his seat and can't eat. LOL

[nelie]

The only time TV goes on is when we are eating dinner!

We watch about 30 minutes tv/day sometimes up to an hour and maybe up to 2 hours on weekend if we decide to watch a movie although that is very rare.

We specifically bought a coffee table that raises up to be a table because we knew we liked to eat and watch tv.

I try to eat slowly and mindful when I'm watching tv and I am aware of what I'm eating when I eat dinner. I generally don't have a problem overeating dinner especially since its already portioned out. I also don't have an issue with late night eating so its not like I'll try to eat again after dinner.

So watching tv and eating dinner works for us.

[Glory87]

My post would be the same as Nelie's, except we watch a little more TV and now I really want a lift top coffee table