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BANG FOR THE BITE

If 10,000 Biters cut their TV watching in half, in a year the hours saved will add up to more than the "man-hours" used to build the Empire State Building.

COCKTAIL FACT

Watching TV's behind only sleeping and working in terms of how Americans spend their time.

SAVE TO MY BITES

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home › tip library › Healthy Resolutions - 2007's Biggest Turnoff

How much time do you spend watching TV?

The Bite

If you're like the average American, more than 4 hrs every day. So, one day a week, turn off the tube and turn on your real life (and save a little electricity in the process).

The Benefits

Live a little. Spend time with the fam or friends, cook, go hiking, get it on... Anything besides watching another Friends rerun.
Save a little energy. TVs account for about 3% of household energy use.
Lose pounds? An Int'l Journal of Obesity study found that watching TV contributes to childhood obesity.

Personally Speaking

In '97, Jen gave up TV for her New Year's resolution after she realized how sad it was that she was turning down social invites in order to watch "Must See TV." Ten years later, she still doesn't watch TV, but it's still sad, because we now have to explain pop culture jokes to her.

Wanna Try?

Need some ideas on what to do with all that extra time?

Jan 12,2007

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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.

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Breaking Up with Seth Bulloc

My mom has a quote in her classroom, "Theatre is art, film is entertainment, television is furniture." When I first read the quote, of course I laughed. It's somewhat apropos, and really, terribly funny.

But there is one catch to my wholehearted appreciation of the sign: I love TV.

Oooooh I love it love it love it. Really, I do. I wish I could be all high-minded and proper and do my intellect a service and make you all realize that really - underneath my pop-culture obsessiveness - I'm a reasonably intelligent girl... but the fact is, I love TV.

Whether fearing for Charlie's drug addiction on "Lost" or salivating over the gentlemen (um, er) of Prison Break or getting religiously sucked in to absolutely ANYTHING that HBO confers on us (can I just say a little "AMEN" for HBO bringing us all back to quality programming?)... I'm a sucker for TV dramas. And here's the thing - they've gotten really, really good after a multi-year death march through a desert of shitty reality TV.

So it is with great pain that I adopt one of my New Year's Resolutions: to cut my TV consumption in half. It's not that I watched so much, or that it's draining my brain (I mean, really - where else would I have learned about the length of time it takes a blowfly to hatch if Gil Grissom hadn't told me?)... It's just that I assume that there is a bigger world out there to explore, and since I spend my days staring at a screen of one sort, it occurs to me that perhaps I should spend more of my evenings interacting with real human beings.

Still, I don't know how I will break it to Sheriff Bullock that we are splitting up. He's gonna be crushed.

-Heather... off to make a list of things to do with all my newfound time...

Biter Comments...

Hello. My name is JB and I'm a reality-show-aholic. I don't know why it happened, or how, or when (somewhere back in the early 90s when the Real World debuted, perhaps?) Whether it be "Beauty and the Geek", "Housewives of Orange Cty", "ANTM", "Top Chef", "Bad Girls Club" on Oxygen, or the new and terrible "Gay, Straight or Taken" on Lifetime, I have a terrible addiction. I mean, it's only a couple hours out of a day, so it's not THAT bad. I can stop anytime I want to, really... I just don't want to.

Posted by: the other JB | January 12, 2007 at 06:36 AM

I've been fairly lucky since I moved into my new place that I don't have cable... I just can't justify paying for TV. Now, I have certain things I watch; American Idol will definitely be a must, as will LOST when it comes back on, and yes, Must See TV is actually a must-see. Beyond that, though, it seems like I really don't care about TV much at all. If it's on, it's on - but I really don't pay attention. Mostly my boyfriend and I watch movies to relax or go about town.

Posted by: Dani Nordin | January 12, 2007 at 09:42 AM

Hi! I want to applaude this discussion. And I applaude Jen for her new year's resolution in '97. Giving up tv is really hard because its entertaining and it makes us feel better or at least feel distracted. To me some tv is like eating a serious amount of junk food. And giving it up feels like giving up an addiction. The brain has to remember how to make its own entertainment and when the tv goes off and silence and time stretches out before you, you can feel bored, restless even anxious. But hang in there, your brain will remember and you will find better entertainment than most tv. And you won't feel like all you do is work for a living and you will remember how to talk to that roommate, significant other, husband or kids in your life. And if it gets really good, you'll love giving up the cable tv bill every month. And you can use the money to rent the movies/shows you really want, or save it and travel somewhere. Real people watching is more entertaining than TV

Posted by: Monique | January 12, 2007 at 09:56 AM

Giving up TV was one of the hardest things I've done but I don't regret it one minute(well maybe during the Olympics). My life is so much more interesting and real. Fear of boredom drives me to try new things. I highly recommend it!

Posted by: Paula | January 12, 2007 at 12:26 PM

If I gave up tv, I'd have to start drinking heavily to take up all my free time.

Posted by: the other JB | January 12, 2007 at 01:24 PM

It's so funny that this came up on Ideal Bite, because I just fulfilled my goal of going TV free! Last weekend I swapped my TV and DVD player for a much needed futon. We never really watched it anyway, so I don't miss it one bit! I used to be a junkie myself, and I felt extremely guilty every time I would walk away after a viewing marathon. All I could think about was all of the time I was wasting and all of the things I could have been accomplishing with my time. Now that I've finally kicked the habit, I feel great! I'm actually finding time to read again, and my brain is no longer turning to mush :)

Posted by: Kristen O'Donnell | January 13, 2007 at 04:18 PM

So, I'm not a big TV watcher, but it is noce sometimes to tune out after doing hours of homework. So, I justify my TV time by working out during commercials--a few crunches, some yoga stretches, etc, and I have essentially burned all the calories I need to justify sitting on my butt for an hour being mindless.

Posted by: Raven | January 17, 2007 at 09:13 PM

The only thing I watch Smallville.

Posted by: Nathan | March 22, 2007 at 01:57 PM

5 years ago the "nice lady" at the cable company was haraguing me for a payment and Bush was on the tele screen, telling us how he is going to screw our country. The "nice" man and his climbing gear were outside by the pole. I looked at Bush, the pole man, and the $240 in my hand and I said to the "nice" lady, "You do what you have to do, tell the man outside to do what he has to do, and I am going to make a car payment!" One of the smartest decisions I have ever made! Now, I have a band. We do an open mic every Monday night. I had two books of poetry I have published, and I NEVER MISS watching T.V. ESPECIALLY since I have missed out on watching the fear-mongering and propaganda that spews from it 24 hours a day. Take back your LIFE! TURN OFF YOUR TELEVISION! Love, C....

Posted by: Carla | July 30, 2007 at 07:53 AM