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I’m Breaking Up With The TV (Okay, Only When I Eat … )

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Yes, I had to include my shih-tzu, Henry, in the pic.

TV and eating — they seem to go hand in hand at the Morgan household. I remember the days when my family used to sit down for dinner and there would be a debate between my sister and I about who had to set the table. We actually had conversations about our days and enjoyed the food we were eating. Oh, how times have changed …

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My work station (aka the kitchen table).

My sister moved out when I was 13, leaving only myself and my parents. Everyone was on different schedules. The idea of sitting down at the table just became impossible, and I sure wasn’t about the sit-down at the table by myself. No, instead, my new companion became the good ol’ (evil) television. Any time I ate something, I had to watch TV — and that eating-in-front-of-the-TV habit never stopped. Sadly, it only got worse.

Any time I eat, I have to be watching TV. Any time my family eats, we sit in the living room, TV on, and eat away — helping ourselves to seconds on commercials. Do you remember in Matilda how the family always sat down in front of the TV to stuff their faces, in the dark, with their food trays for every meal? Yep, that’s my family. Our conversation mostly consists of who gets to choose what to watch that night. It’s so sad and quite honestly, something that is quite embarrassing. It has become a habit that I can’t break. The thought of not watching TV while eating, well, seems … unrealistic. I know why I do it — I’m bored. Period. I’m not even hungry the majority of the time!

So after some real soul-searching, I have come to conclusion that this is a habit that I need to break. Like now. I have decided to go on a 21-day journey — a cleanse from this toxic relationship between television and eating. Any time I eat a meal, I will have no distractions. No TV, no phone, no computer, nothing. I will sit my junk in the trunk down at the dinner table and enjoy every. last. bite.

I will be sure to update y’all at the end. I will be recording my weight, how much I eat in comparison to eating while watching TV, and how it affects my life in general. You will hear the good, the bad and the sure-to-be struggle. I’m sure I will also be filled will tips galore at the end.

Am I the only one who does this? Or can anyone else relate to this terrible, terrible habit of eating while watching TV? —Erika

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Comments

1 Comment
  1. Gretchen says:

    This sounds like a great idea! It also sound very scary…Can I read a magazine or a book? Most of the time I eat dinner alone and being alone with my thoughts seems scary. Maybe I can challenge my dog to a staring contest while she waits for me to drop something.

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