Resisting Unhealthy Snacks
For my second round of measuring me, I chose to measure how often I reached for the unhealthy snacks in my room. Ever since coming back to school last Fall quarter, I’ve noticed a decent decline in dining hall food quality which led me down a rabbit hole of ordering snacks from Costco delivery one hungry night. I chose this behavior because with the reintroduction of remote classes, I’ll be in my room even more and be more tempted to reach for an unhealthy snack. In addition, as Spring season comes around, so does the sun, and I would prefer to look a little bit more fit.
Methodology
For two days (Friday and Saturday), I decided to trust myself to log whenever I consumed an unhealthy snack. However, I intentionally let myself proceed to consume the healthy snack if I was already reaching for it, and I didn’t allow the purpose of this activity to prevent that. I tracked three pieces of information:
- Date and time of consumption
- Unhealthy snack consumed
- Activity performed during the consumption
I kept note of all the occurrences using Microsoft OneNote.
Reflections with method
My method was different from the first time we did the measuring me assignment because this time, I decided to only log the exact time where I executed the behavior, instead of keeping track of everything I was doing in a regular interval. Although I chose not to stop myself when reaching for an unhealthy snack, I did realize myself thinking about the consumption of the unhealthy snack, and I felt a little bit less enjoyment during the consumption and some regret afterwards. I also realized that the social setting and mood greatly directed my actions. As shown in the logs, on both days during my video game sessions with friends, I consumed unhealthy snacks. I believe this is because I was less conscious about snack choice then, and I more so choose whatever was close to me and felt good in the moment.
Modeling
For my connection circle, I labeled triggers for eating the unhealthy snacks. The plus (+) signs indicate whether the label increased the corresponding label, and the negative (-) sign indicates whether the label decreased the corresponding label.
The second diagram I wanted to draw was a hierarchical model. I wanted to investigate deeper into what made me do this event. I dove deeper into the patterns, structures, and then finally mental models that caused this behavior of eating unhealthy snacks.
Reflections
I never really thought about dieting or avoiding unhealthy snacks until this quarter. However, I enjoyed how this activity helped me identify the causes or activities I should be aware of so I can avoid eating unhealthy snacks.
- Unhealthy snacks aren’t always bad and avoiding them completely is difficult and almost unreasonable. I believe consuming these snacks in moderation is key, and sticking to small servings.
- Unhealthy snacks can be beneficial. For example, in my log, I identify eating a Rice Krispy bar right before the gym. This can be good, as it gives me a burst of energy to push more weight, helping me do better at the gym.
- Understanding where my urges to eat unhealthy snacks come from helps me know when to exert more energy in avoiding them.
