Our dinner times are interrupted affairs, especially now that it's summertime and at least one of our kids wants to always be outside playing. So the kids will eat in shifts, my husband and I may eat standing in the kitchen and chatting while he's still cooking and then while I'm cleaning up. In the late evenings, after the kids go to bed, my husband and I will often sit down to watch a DVD, and at that time I do have a planned/portioned treat while watching. And still other times I use the computer while I eat, or I am reading while I eat (like on my lunch break at work).

To be honest, I think the "mindful eating" advice is often a little fetishistic. I enjoy my food no matter what else I'm doing, and it satisfies me. But I don't need to worship my food or make it the sole and holy focus of what I'm doing at any given time. It's just food.

My husband and I do have an ongoing joke about how long I'm able to nurse a cup of homemade hot cocoa or nibble on a piece of dark chocolate, though. He just can't do it, but I know how to milk it for the greatest possible enjoyment!

If you have worked out your way of eating so that watching tv while you eat isn't a trigger, then I wouldn't worry about it.

But I am surprised that so many couples/families eat meals in front of the tv, I hadn't realized it was that common. My son does better eating with the tv (like Michelle's son, he has ADHD, but for my son, the TV gets him to stop and sit still long enogh to actually eat a meal, if I try to keep him just at the table, he only eats a few bites before he wants to up and moving around again). But if there is another adult around, we'll eat at the table with the TV off.

For us it would be that we are often so busy with other things that sitting down and eating together is the only time we sit long enough to watch tv. And we like tv enough that we would like to watch a show or two here and there and if we didn't watch tv while eating, we just wouldn't watch tv at all.

We eat dinner at the dining table as a family - it is the way I was brought up, and I have brought my children up to do the same thing.

We moved in with my fiancé 2 weeks ago and over the previous few weeks before we moved on, we turned his former office into a formal dining room. I get the impression that in his previous marriage they had always eaten in front ofthe TV in the living room, and when we came to stay at weekends we also ate in front of the TV, but I gently made it clear that when we moved in I wanted us to eat as a family at the table, and he was fine with that.

I make the children eat breakfast at the table simply because cereal is messy and I want them to sit up to the table to eat it. Lunch is generally in the living room though with the TV on, although that is only at weekends.

If there was something in particular we wanted to watch that was on while we were having dinner we would simply record it and watch it afterwards. I have never been one to have the TV on just for the sake of having it on. If there is something I want to watch, it's on, if not, it's off.

Oh, if only my husband could be on board with such a plan!

We eat family meals at the table, which is dinner most every night and there's no TV on at that time. The rest of the day is fair game. I'm guilty of frequent popcorn eatings! Everything I eat is portion controlled so I don't feel like the TV packs extra weight on me. Even the popcorn is part of what I plan to eat for the day.

My kids however...it's a bad habit.

Nelie, your posts sum up exactly what my husband & I do, and like.

I've told the husband that we won't do that when we have kids, because that's not how I was raised ... but for now, just us, it's what we like. We watch the news or a netflix tv show. (Drinking wine on the back porch / cooking dinner is for our 'dinnertime' talking hour stuff.)

After eating 'round the table, with food serving dishes still in eyesight, I finish my planned portion and then feel like having more ... because even though I am sated, it tastes sooo good.

After eating in front of the tv, I also feel like eating more, but it's more because I still feel like being engaged in the act of eating (this is where the 'mindless eating' comes from, surely).

But no matter: Either way I only eat my pre-planned portion of a meal. I really enjoy eating in front of the tv -- and for me there simply is no more mindless eating.

Oh and I should also say we either watch a DVD (we own a few tv shows) or Hulu. We don't have cable and although we do have rabbit ears, we never set them up because we rather watch specifically what we want to watch.

I'm not much of a tv watcher, but I ALWAYS eat my lunch AND my breakfast while in front of the computer (I work out of my home). Dinner varies depending on the day of the week and who's home and at what time. Several nights a week I eat with the family and several others, I don't.

I think this line of thinking, this *rule* (not to eat in front of the TV, computer) is to PREVENT the mindless eating and therefore taking in too many calories.

Well, this is just not the case for me. I've pre-portioned out my foods, I know EXACTLY what I'm eating and HOW MUCH of it. It's not mindless - it's mindFUL. I personally don't want to solely focus on my food. For me, breaking this *rule* works.

Oh and there are lots of other weight loss rules that I break too, it doesn't stop with eating in front of the computer. I think it's really important to let go of what we *think* we should be doing and do what works for each of us.

I always eat with the tv and computer on. If anything, it takes me longer to eat my meal, so long that it gets cold, which I don't mind. It actually helps me realize that I am full and do not think that I have to go get something else.

I normally eat all my meals at the TV or computer with no issues. I hope you can get something figured out for you soon :hug:

We eat supper in the kitchen. Maybe try eating there with a radio going for background noise? My father always ate in front of the tv, but the rest of us sat at the table. I'm personally bad for READING while I eat.

I love the noise and company of the t.v. when I'm eating. I don't think it's affected me negatively.

We have been torn about this (It's just my husband and I) for a couple of months. Every once in a while I make a nice meal at the table and it's special, with nice dishes, real napkins, candles.. etc.

We truly love it but enjoy eating on our trays in front of the TV MORE!

I guess it's a sign of our times.
I did buy nice trays, and a place mat for each tray and we use the nice dishes and napkins AND I portion control for us (I put away leftovers before I serve us).. it does seem to make the meal more of an event but it's in front of the TV for us.

I honestly had the opposite problem from all the "Experts". When I was younger we would eat at the kitchen table. EVERYNIGHT. No excuses. No exceptions. No food allowed in the living room period. Only very rarely would the little 5" B&W TV in the kitchen be allowed on. I was overweight from about 6th grade on.

Jump to Present day. My BF and I do not eat at the table in our dining room. Never really have. Since April 30 I have lost nearly 20 lbs. All while eating in from of the TV.

I guess it goes back to a previous post about portions. I weigh my food in the kitchen, take my plate into the living room and eat. I hardly ever go back for seconds usually as I have already written down and figured points for it, or we only cooked enough for two.