10 Ways to Lose Weight With Home Decorating

Perhaps the nation’s “obesity epidemic” is something that can be cured by a few changes in home decoration.

I was reading the New York Times this morning, as I am wont to do, and I clicked on a disturbing article about obesity. It was disturbing on two counts: One, the raw data was disturbing — the New York Times reports that 66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, and that 33 percent of American women are obese. The other disturbing aspect of the article was that the author concludes that the womb, in other words innate factors in a person’s composition, are what determine whether a person will be obese or not. Americans love this kind of thinking — it’s not my fault, blame it on genetics.

Contrary to the New York Times, I believe that obesity can be avoided by changing one’s lifestyle. What’s more definitive of lifestyle than the home? Here are 10 home decorating ideas that could prevent or cure obesity:

1. Place your television in a room without a couch

This sounds ridiculous, I know, but it works. Laziness is something you can use to your advantage: If it takes effort or discomfort to sit and watch TV, you’ll spend a lot less time doing it. Put your TV in your unfurnished basement or attic. You’ll spend a lot less time sitting and watching it.

2. If you must keep your TV in the living room, unplug and cover it

One thin woman I know keeps her TV unplugged and covered by a piece of decorative fabric, with a statue on top of it. She takes out the TV and watches a video once in a while, as a treat, and then unplugs it and covers it up again.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Rita B.

3:41AM PDT on Jul 11, 2011

interesting! thanks!

send a green star

Loo S.

10:21PM PST on Feb 6, 2011

thanks for sharing.

Mara C.

7:24PM PST on Feb 5, 2011

Interesting articale but...I don't watch TV (REALLY!) and the food is always in the kitchen. There is always a bowlof fruit on the table. I am overweight anyway!

Martha N.

8:45AM PST on Feb 5, 2011

Not such a bad idea... now I am thinking about putting exercising bikes instead of the couch in the TV room. I don´t like to watch TV in the living room nor in the bedroom so I don´t have it there.

Judy E.

4:35AM PST on Feb 5, 2011

TVs are ugly anyway. i really like the idea of covering it w/a decorative cloth. Just don't make it a tablecloth. lol! :D

Karyl W.

4:05AM PST on Feb 5, 2011

1, 2, and 3 are totally impractical.

Joanna G.

2:47AM PST on Feb 5, 2011

Interesting ideas - thanks:)

Malgorzata Z.

1:02PM PST on Feb 4, 2011

pomysły fajne, ale niektóre trochę trudne do zrealizowania

Pamela G.

2:04AM PST on Feb 4, 2011

Very interesting article. My mum always had a fruit bowl in the house and so do I and my two sisters!
One other thing about the fruit bowl though.... I love oranges but they are so messy, I tend to eat more satsumas or clementines because they are easier to peel! I always make sure I have plenty of clementines, apples, pears etc. - these fruit are really easy to eat :-)

Gwendolyn K.

7:14PM PST on Jan 23, 2011

We would all probably chat with our families and read more without TV, but we would be less informed perhaps. The fruit bowl is helpful for me, but it takes more than some of these choices to create weight loss for most of us. Innovative ideas, though. Thanks.