Here’s a suggestion for losing weight…<\/p>\n
Unplug the TV.<\/p>\n
Or, if you want to live a little more dangerously, pull a “Keith Richards,” and heave it off the balcony (checking first for innocent civilians below), or empty a couple of shells of double-ought buck into it from a safe distance away (the living room?). Whatever you do, it’s time to bid good riddance to this benevolent monster.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
OK, OK, all silliness aside, there is method to my madness. Uh-huh… it may well be that the TV — yep, the good old “boob tube” — is your biggest hindrance to weight loss — and even worse, a\u00a0major cointributor to obesity. Now I’m sure for most of you, this isn’t going to come as a surprise. However, you just might be a little shocked at how much more TV you watch than you think. For instance…<\/p>\n
According to data compiled by AC Nielsen<\/a>, the average American watches 4 and a half hours of TV a day! 4 and half!<\/strong><\/em> The TV, in an average household, is “on” for over 8 hours! This data doesn’t “jive” with the most common\u00a0excuse I hear for failing to implement a proper diet and exercise\u00a0program…<\/p>\n “I don’t have time.”<\/p>\n \u00a0Obviously, most people do<\/em><\/strong> have the time. They either…<\/p>\n Frankly, I think its the latter; I suspect TV eats up a lot\u00a0more time than most people think. 4 and half hours a day is 31 and a half hours per week. That’s only slightly less than the average work week. In that much time you could easily prepare proper meals and workout. Heck, you could even\u00a0learn a new language and start a small business on the side.<\/p>\n And\u00a0TV ain’t helping your children either. In fact, studies show (see Obesity (Silver Spring). 2006 Nov;14(11):2034-41<\/a>) that the more TV a child watches, the greater the likelihood he or she will become obese. Other studies show (see Int J Obes (Lond). 2007 Apr;31(4):644-51. Epub 2006 Sep 12<\/a>) that this is even more likely if the child has a TV in his or her room.<\/p>\n And it even gets worse. This study<\/a> concludes…<\/p>\n “Our findings raise the possibility that greater exposure to TV and videos may influence preschool children’s consumption of unhealthful foods.”<\/p>\n\n