7 Ways Your TV Is Making You Fat

Your TV is making you fat. In fact, it’s killing you. And your children too.
While watching television is not inherently hazardous—unless you accidentally roll off the couch onto a hard floor—TV viewing time is associated with weight gain, an increased risk for weight-related disease and a shorter life. An Australian study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that every single hour of television watched after the age of 25 reduces the viewer’s life expectancy by 22 minutes. By comparison, smoking a single cigarette reduces life expectancy by about 11 minutes. Long term, that means an adult who spends an average of six hours a day watching TV over the course of a lifetime can expect their, ehem, season finale to come 4.8 years sooner than a person who does not watch TV.
But wait. It gets worse: The results hold true, study authors say, even for people who exercise regularly. There are a number of reasons why the boob tube is not only hindering your weight loss, it's making you and your family fat. Here are 7 of them:

It Frees Up Your Hands for Munching

Computers, TVs, smartphones, tablets, game systems: all can be blamed for keeping us sedentary and mesmerized by a screen, but only the television, researchers say, is responsible for weight gain. A study in the journal Pediatrics showed teenage boys who reported paying the most attention to what was playing on television weighed 14.2 pounds more than teens who reported paying the least attention. For girls, the difference was 13.5 pounds. On the other hand, focusing on video games or computers was not linked with a higher body weight. Why? Researchers note that unlike typing or texting, watching TV frees up our hands to grab at snacks, which are often promoted during commercials. While it may not be practical to shun screen-use entirely, just being aware that the risk of being overweight increases with television use can help shape media use. You can wean yourself–and your kids–away from the TV with more interactive devices and content.

It Makes You a Sitting Duck

Most of us–unless we’re half-arsing a cardio workout at the gym–watch TV while sitting down. Or lying down. Or otherwise engaging in “sedentary” activity that researchers say poses a significant risk for weight-related diseases like diabetes. One study in the journal JAMA, for example, followed more than 50,000 middle-age women for six years. For every two hours spent watching TV each day, women had a 23 percent higher risk of becoming obese and a 14 percent higher risk of developing diabetes. A more recent analysis of similar studies found that for every two hours spent watching TV, the risk of developing diabetes, developing heart disease, and early death increased by 20, 15 and 13 percent, respectively. Scientists are still figuring out exactly why sitting is so detrimental to health, but one obvious and partial explanation is that the less we move, the less fuel we require; the surplus blood sugar floods the bloodstream and contributes to diabetes and other weight-related risks. In addition to generally cutting down on TV time, make a concerted effort to get up off the couch while you watch. For instance, challenge yourself to non-stop jumping jacks during the TV commercials (and pushups for every food-related ad!).

It Makes You Choose the Wrong Snacks

It’s a fact: The more hours we spend watching TV, the more unhealthy foods we eat. But why the correlation? According to a study in The International Journal of Communication and Health that investigated the psychological reasons for strong association, people who watch more TV have both a poorer understanding of proper nutrition and a more “fatalistic" view toward eating well. In other words, TV-fanatics are more likely to hold the belief that nutrition is too difficult to understand, compared to those who watch less. The study author suggests that because consumers are inundated food ads and conflicting messages as to what they should and shouldn’t eat, they develop these poor attitudes toward and knowledge about eating well. The good news is understanding nutrition has never been easier with the Eat This, Not That! newsletter. Sign up today and get the straight-forward, practical advice you need to keep you and your family healthy, straight in your inbox.

It's a Total Food Pusher

You weren’t even hungry. But then Paula Deen pulled something deep-fried and chocolate-dipped out of the oven and now you’re driving to the (next) nearest bakery for (another) slice of something sweet. That’s the devilish genius of food TV and commercials: they give us the munchies while suggesting foods that, more often than not, are particularly unhealthy. One study in the journal Appetite found people who watched a cooking program while snacking (on M&Ms) ate 34 percent more than a group that watched a nature program. And a study by the University of Liverpool found people who watched commercials for junk food on TV were more likely to then order high-fat and high-sugar foods from a menu–even when given the option to eat something healthier–compared to those who watched commercials for non-edible products. And, unfortunately, the food porn is hard to tune out. In fact, researchers say children and teens are exposed to at least one food ad per day, and nearly all (98 percent) of them are for products that are high in fat, sugar or sodium. So turn off Food Network and be mindful of the strong subliminal messages that are sent via food commercials. If you’re truly hungry, pregame your viewing session with a protein- and fiber-rich snack—away from the television.

It's a Mealtime Menace

Parents who let their teens watch TV during family meals tend to serve less nutritious food and have poorer family communication, according to a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Researchers say reinforcing healthy media habits, especially around mealtimes, can’t happen soon enough. In fact, a recent study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting found watching-while-snacking during pregnancy can set the stage for childhood obesity, as expectant mothers who regularly watch TV while eating are more likely to continue the habit during their baby’s feedings and miss the subtle cues that indicate their child is full. Enforce a no-electronics policy at the dinner table, and encourage conversation instead. Study authors say given the opportunity, most children will talk about themselves and their lives at mealtime, leading to better family communication.

It Distracts You While You're Snacking

It’s right up there with drunk driving: distracted dining. OK, hardly as deadly, but eating in front of the TV is dangerous to your waistline. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that people who eat while watching television often miss satiety signals and consume 10 percent more in one sitting than they would otherwise. Not only that, distracted diners go on to consume an average 25 percent more total calories over the course of the day than those who dine unplugged. High-action television is particularly fattening. A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found people consumed 65 percent more calories from snacks while watching a high-action, high-volume Hollywood flick than viewers who munched while watching an interview. Researchers say the more distracting a TV show, the less attention people pay to eating, and the more they eat. So turn off the tube and savor a meal in silence. It’s one of the pleasures of mindful eating—a form of food meditation that’s associated with weight loss.

It Interrupts Sleep

About 71 percent of adolescents have TVs in their bedrooms, and that poses a health risk, researchers say, because basking in the nighttime glow of a TV screen can seriously disrupt sleep, throwing off hunger signals and natural biorhythms that can cause weight gain—especially among children. One study in the journal Pediatric Obesity found that kids with access to a TV in the bedroom were 1.47 times as likely to be overweight as kids with no TV. That increased to 2.57 times for kids with three electronic devices. A second study found that children who slept in bedrooms with TVs gained about one extra pound of weight each year over the course of four years than kids without TVs in their rooms. Simply moving the TV out of the bedroom is one way to limit kids’ TV time, especially around bedtime. It’ll burn some calories too!

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Confidence-Boosting Strategy to Help You Lose Weight

Many factors can impact the success or failure of a new diet or exercise program. We often spend a lot of time researching and choosing the best weight loss program, finding the most effective workout, buying trendy weight loss supplements and researching the right foods.
But there are also psychological factors that can affect whether or not you lose weight. One of these factors is self-efficacy, and it’s easy to change. Learn how to train your inner voice to make your weight loss process faster and more effective.

What is Self-Efficacy?

Self-efficacy is your belief that you can successfully carry out a specific task. If you start your weight loss journal with the words, “I can lose weight!”, your self-efficacy with regards to weight loss is probably high.
Self-efficacy generally relates to a specific goal. For example, you may have strong beliefs that you are capable of skipping a high-calorie late-night snack. That means your self-efficacy regarding late-night snacking is high, but you might have doubts about whether you’re going to get up early the next morning to work out. Your self-efficacy regarding the morning workout is low.

Self-Efficacy vs. Self Confidence.

It might seem as if self-efficacy is just another version of self-confidence, but that’s not true. Let’s use an example: say Carol is a graphic designer who has worked her way up the corporate ladder to become the head of her department. She's proud of her accomplishments, comfortable in social settings, strong but respectful in dealing with her boss, and positive about her personal relationships. Carol has a strong sense of self-confidence.
But let’s say that Carol is overweight. She's tried dieting repeatedly, has worked with personal trainers to stick to an exercise program, and has even gone to weight-loss camps to shed her excess pounds. Nothing has worked. Carol now believes that she just can’t lose weight. So even though Carol is self-confident, her self-efficacy about her ability to lose weight is low.

Why Does Self-Efficacy Matter?

Researchers have found a strong link between one’s beliefs in her ability to successfully perform a task, and her completion of that task. Quite a bit of research has been done with regards to self-efficacy and weight loss — most confirming a relationship between strong beliefs (either negative or positive) and actual success.
To see why it matters, let’s go back to our example of Carol. Let’s say that Carol’s new diet coach has identified a weak link in Carol’s diet: she's good for most of the day, but she tends to eat too many of the cookies and cakes that are left in the lunchroom at work. Let’s say that Carol has never been able to pass up those treats in the past, so her belief that she can do it now is minimal. When she's faced with a tray of brownies, she's not likely to muster the willpower to walk away, because she knows that she always fails anyway. Her attitude is, “why bother to make the effort?”, and she eats a brownie. Carol’s beliefs about her abilities have become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
But let’s say that her diet coach was able to build her self-efficacy. The coach was able to remind Carol of the many other situations where she has successfully passed up treats in order to stick to her diet. He tells her that he believes she can do it. Now, when Carol is equipped with the belief that she can, in fact, walk away successfully, she's more likely to do so when she's faced with the tray of brownies.

How Do I Build Self-Efficacy?

So how do you turn a negative belief system into positive thoughts? Researchers have identified four things that impact self-efficacy: mastery of experiences, social modeling, social persuasion, and emotional responses.  But if weight loss is your goal, here's how you can improve each self-efficacy factor to lose weight.

4 Ways to Improve Self-Efficacy to Lose Weight

1. Set and reach small goals. To improve your mastery of experiences, you want to successfully complete small goals that will act as stepping stones to larger accomplishments. Break each long-term goal into smaller achievable goals, and as you complete each one, acknowledge it in your journal and remind yourself of your success. The completion of each small task will build your level of self-efficacy for completing larger tasks in the future.


2. Surround yourself with positive messages. If the people that surround you are successfully completing the goal that you want to achieve, you're more likely to believe that you can do it, too. Find friends that have some habits you admire. Skip the lunchroom snacks and spend your break with a crowd that eats a healthy meal. Instead of going to happy hour with your buddies, find a few friends that want to hit the gym and exercise. You can also surround yourself with positive messages electronically. Sign up for newsletters that provide healthy messages, fill your Facebook feed with posts from weight loss coaches and successful dieters, and follow health-oriented Twitter feeds.
3. Social Persuasion. Talk to your family and friends. Let them know that their encouragement and positive messages make a difference. Then, make it a habit to acknowledge the compliments when you get them. If your friends and family are not supportive, this is another area where social media can help. Several recent studies have found that positive messages sent electronically can help people lose weight.
   
4. Learn to Relax. If you have intense emotional reactions to situations, your self-efficacy with regards to your ability to handle that situation will probably be low. Take some time to identify the situations that cause you to react strongly. Then, learn relaxation techniques that will help you to manage them with a calm demeanor.

If the concept of self-efficacy is new to you, don’t worry. Simply your awareness of your positive and negative beliefs may help you change the things you need to adjust in order to lose weight. Remember to start small, make changes gradually, acknowledge your successes and move forward from there.

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Ways to Lose Weight When You’re Crazy Busy

We understand in the DC metropolitan area, your schedule is totally insane. Between a full-time job, getting the kids to soccer practice and squeezing in time to see friends, it may seem like there’s not enough hours in the day to hit the gym or cook a healthy meal–let alone lose weight. But if you want to trim down, there’s absolutely no reason your jam-packed life should stand in the way. No matter what the roadblocks may be, we’ve got ways for you to work around them and meet your weight loss goals.

Try Snaxercise

Between unexpected late-night meetings, happy hours with colleagues and a laundry list of errands, making time for weeknight workout sessions may seem nearly impossible.  According to research, multiple, brief, snack-sized portions of exercise may be more effective than a single, continuous workout. Why? Breaking up a workout can help control blood sugar, keeping ravenous hunger at bay. Even super busy people can spare 12 minutes in the morning and 12 minutes in the evening to break a sweat, and with snaxercise, that’s all the time you’ll need to set aside.

Break Up With The Vending Machine

Instead of hitting up the vending machine or office candy bowl when your tummy starts to rumble, keep your desk stocked with healthy snacks. We suggest Emerald 100 Calorie Packs, apples, pears and Larabars because they don’t spoil easily and are loaded with nutrients like fiber and protein that will help crush your 3 pm munchies. Bring in a new batch of eats every Monday to ensure you always have a fresh stash on hand.

Change Your Commute

If a formal exercise program doesn’t sound appealing to you, that’s not a problem! Instead, burn extra calories each day by making some tiny tweaks to your commute. If you take the bus or subway to and from your office, get off one stop early and walk the rest of the way. Travel by car? Park at the far end of the parking lot to get in some extra steps before settling in at your desk. If you work in a highrise, take the elevator half the way up to your office and then switch to the stairs. Working in bouts of activity throughout the day takes up very little time and can help you slowly–but surely–reach your weight loss goal.

Give Your Kitchen a Makeover

Toss bad foods out of your kitchen for good and restock your pantry and fridge with  weight loss staples. Swapping bad-for-you fare like sugary cereals and juices for healthier picks will ensure you always have food on hand that will help you reach your goals. Set aside time this weekend to dive into this makeover project. The effort will be well worth your while and won’t require much time to maintain moving forward.

Rethink Your Drink

Switching up your beverage is one of the easiest, least time-consuming ways to lose weight. If you drink a 12-ounce, 140-calorie cola each day, you could easily shed a pound in just 25 days by replacing your daily beverage with a no-calorie option like unsweetened iced tea, water or seltzer. Besides soda, calories also lurk in juices, sports drinks fancy coffees. Avoiding drinks like these will help you slim down in the time it used to take you to order that two-pump, half-caf white-chocolate mocha with extra whip.

Plan Workout Dates

Instead of getting together with friends for dinner or drinks after work, meet up for a sweat session. If you all like to run, hit the track; if you prefer group fitness, sign up for a strength training, spin or yoga class. Not only will you be less apt to back out of a workout when a buddy is counting on you, working out with friends ensures you won’t sacrifice quality time with them in the name of fitness. You’re much more likely to stick to your new routine if you’re not giving up something in the process. Feel bad leaving your significant other at home while you workout? Take them with you! A recent JAMA Internal Medicine study of nearly 4,000 couples found that people are more likely to stick to healthy habits like exercise when they team up with their partner.

Always Keep Food With You

While storing food in your glove box, purse or brief case may sound like a weight-loss no-no, it may actually be the key to reaching your goals. When you’re trying to lose weight, you need to be prepared with healthy foods whenever hunger strikes. If you aren’t, you’re more apt to scarf down the first thing in sight—despite its terrible nutritional profile. Mixed nuts, Three Jerks Jerky and KIND Fruit & Nut Delight Bars are all low-cal, portable protein-packed options that will chase hunger away.

Prepare Make-Ahead Meals

If you can set aside just two hours over the weekend to cook, you can easily prepare enough healthy food to mix, match and eat throughout the week. Start by prepping an overnight oat recipes for breakfast. Then make a big pot of brown rice, roast a tray of your favorite veggies, grill up some chicken and chop some fresh produce. Store everything in the refrigerator and mix and match the prepared components throughout the week to quickly pull together healthy lunches and dinners without suffering through the same recipe all week long.

Don't Try to Change Everything

Eat This, Not That! is all about making healthier choices at fast-food joints and restaurants you’re already frequenting. While it may not always be obvious, there are tons of delicious ways to cut hundreds–even thousands–of calories from your daily diet without going hungry or giving up your favorite foods. Armed with tips, you won’t have to change your current routine; ordering a healthier menu item will be quick, easy and before long, second nature.
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