Television and temptation ... they go together like Martin and Lewis ... Lucy and Ethel ... chocolate and peanut butter ... vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce … uh, oh, I see where this is heading ... I better stop with the food analogies, because I’m getting very hungry ... the point is, for most us, they go hand in hand.
Not only do we have a habit of enjoying a snack while we tune in to Lost to see what those gorgeous (and suspiciously well-groomed!) castaways are up to this week ... we don’t pay attention to how much we're eating while we’re following Jack into the jungle, either.
In fact, research has shown that we automatically overdo portions when we snack in front of the television, especially on the foods we tend to eat too much of anyway like straight-out-of the bag potato chips. So, we’re eating more than usual and we don’t even realize it.
Let’s take a look at some tips that will help your weight loss efforts survive your time on the island:
- Eat a meal as close to TV time as possible.
- Divvy a portion of your snack into a single serving bag ahead of time.
- Or, always use serving bowls instead of eating straight out of the package.
- Don’t watch TV in a room next to the kitchen.
- Forget you have a Tivo. Being able to pause TV gives us way too muchsnacking potential. I mean, who hasn’t hit the pause button to go whip up a PB&J sandwich or two? Or is that just me ...
- Keep a large bottle of water at your side and sip, sip away.
- Snack ... but only during commercial breaks. That hand doesn’t go back into the bag once your show returns!
- Paint your nails. You may be looking at your hands instead of drooling at the screen during Sawyer’s next shirtless scene, but you’ll surely look as well-groomed as he does (Seriously … where does the man plug in a blowdryer?!).
- Chew flavorful sugar-free gum. Pop it in at the beginning of your show. Not only will it keep your jaws busy, but if you take it out to nosh, I’ll guarantee you your chosen snack food won’t be so tasty and you probably won’t keep going.
- Choose something that takes a long time to chew like apple slices dipped in caramel or something you have to work for like peeling string cheese or shelling pistachios.
Continued: Smart Snacks for TV Time >>
