Writeup: Measuring Me Take 2

Diagrams (please view pdf to see drawings)

I decided to track my habit of mindlessly overeating, a behavior I’ve wanted to understand and improve for a long time because I know it affects both my physical and mental health. I logged this habit across two time periods —Saturday from 5–6 PM and Sunday from 9–10 PM— making sure to note when urges arose, what I ate, how I felt beforehand, and what seemed to trigger the behaviour. Actually logging the behavior made me more aware of how automatic it felt; I noticed the urge to snack came like a strong wave rather than small little currents.

The connection circle was especially helpful in showing the why behind my actions. I had always assumed stress was the only trigger, but mapping everything out showed me that simply having snacks in my room created its own loop of mindless eating. I also realized how strongly anxiousness reinforced the cycle–something I think I always knew in the back of my head but didn’t really want to come to terms with.

The Fishbone diagram pushed my reflection even further. It encouraged me to consider less obvious arenas—like my mindset, personal expectations, and even my environment—which all subtly contribute to my overeating patterns. Seeing these influences laid out made me realize this habit is more complex and interconnected than I originally believed.

In the future, I would track this habit for a longer period of time and at multiple points throughout the day. I think this would help me capture more variability, notice additional patterns, and better understand how context (location, emotions, hunger levels, time of day) shapes my behaviour. I would also try logging in real time instead of reflecting afterward, because noticing the habit as it happens seems like an important step toward changing it, and it can even help me alter the behaviour in the moment!

Food Log: