Decreasing Screen Time to Decrease Calories Michelle Bell, Dale Meitzler, Ashley Pittman, Leah Wilson

The Calorie Box Do you eat or snack when you watch TV? Do you eat or snack when you watch TV? One study from Yale has shown that children who watched TV with food commercials snacked 45% more than children who watched the TV without the food commercials. This can lead to about 10 extra lbs of weight gain per year! One study from Yale has shown that children who watched TV with food commercials snacked 45% more than children who watched the TV without the food commercials. This can lead to about 10 extra lbs of weight gain per year!

Mindless Eating Eating without paying attention to the food is called mindless eating and has become a problem in our society. Eating in front of the TV causes us to lose track of the amount we eat in one sitting. Overtime, our pants get a little tighter and we are confused as to how it happened.

Small Changes = Huge Weight Loss Begin keeping a journal and write down what you eat as you eat it. This can help you see when you tend to eat more and can help you control it.

Portion your food out before you sit down in front of the TV so that your hand doesnt mindlessly continue to return to the bag. Small Changes = Huge Weight Loss

Portion Control The plate planner is made up of food in seven sections. These sections cover the general recommendations of serving sizes for the groups of the food pyramid.

Portion Control

Eat off of a smaller plate. This makes your plate look fuller and will prevent you from eating more. Small Changes = Huge Weight Loss

Want to cut down on household TV time? Turn off the TV when you arent watching it. Do NOT put a TV in your childs bedroom.

Spend more time outdoors! Set a good example for your family!

Make TV Time, Exercise Time Only allow yourself to watch your favorite show if you are doing something active during it. For example, ride a stationary bike or do sit-ups during the show.

The Proof is in the Pudding! The University of Tennessee conducted a study comparing the energy expended during sedentary TV viewing and active TV viewing Sitting on the couch: ~81 calories Stepping ONLY during commercial breaks : ~148 calories This is almost TWICE the amount of calories burned with sedentary (inactive) TV viewing. Stepping during commercial breaks translates into almost the same number of steps one would take when walking 1 mile on a treadmill at a pace of 3.0 miles per hour!

Ivy League Wisdom A study from Stanford School of Medicine suggests that decreasing TV time has the potential to increase physical activity levels, possibly resulting in weight loss. The study showed that when adults decreased their TV time by half, they burned more calories per day, resulting in a negative energy balance (meaning, they burned more calories than consumed).

Its All Simple Math! Lets do the math: One pound = 3,500 calories. There are 7 days in a week. If you divide 7 days into 3,500, you get 500 calories per day. Therefore, by reducing your calories by 500 per day (or decreasing screen time and burning 500 extra calories per day), you should lose one pound per week.

Remember…

Try the TV Super-Challenge! Commit to keeping the TV turned off for a week- or longer. This will allow you to spend more time with family and give you more time for your favorite hobbies. For more information about Screen-Free Week, visit

Points to Take Home If you are going to watch TV while eating, remember to control your portion sizes BEFORE sitting down. Keep a journal to monitor your progress. Use smaller plates to help control portion sizes. Make TV time, Exercise Time Decreasing your TV time = Increasing Caloric Output Turn off your TV, and turn on your life! Enjoy it! Get outside! Losing weight isnt magic, its math! If you burn more than you take in, the weight WILL come off! Commit to a Screen-Free Week. Youll surprise yourself at how much fun you and your family can have without it!

Most importantly… Stay positive!!! A positive attitude translates into positive results!

Now Go Do It!