	With the rapid advancements in technology the ability to track everything you do is an increasingly practiced trend. It gives the individuals the power to manage and evaluate themselves. What often times gets overlooked is it also shifts the work from that of the paid professional to the individual. As a college student interested in the field of data, I have been fascinated and practiced the concept of self-tracking for many years now. Over the past week I have decided to track my protein levels compared to the way that I feel on a day-to-day basis. 
	My goal in measuring my protein levels and how it affects the way that I feel on a daily basis was to see if there is a direct correlation between low protein intake and low energy. My interest in protein is due to the fact that I only have one kidney and recently had a doctor’s appointment where I was informed that my protein levels in my urine were 9 times higher than what they should be. Protein in your urine can lead to kidney disease, especially for an individual who has only one kidney. I was put on medicine and informed that I needed to keep my daily protein intake under eighty grams a day. Over the past few months while on the medicine I have noticed myself with less energy but never put the time in to figure out why until now. 
	The self-tracking method that I used to conduct this experiment was self- tracking to elicit sensations. According to Ginn Neff and Dawn Nafus’s book Self-Tracking self- tracking to elicit sensations is when “data becomes the ‘prosthetic of feeling,’ something to help us sense our bodies or the world around us.” I felt this was a good fit for myself in this situation because I was looking to understand how my body was reacting to differing volumes of protein. I could have gone with the monitoring and evaluating technique but I don’t feel that would have provided the answers that I was seeking. It isn’t about reaching a certain number; it’s about studying each number that I’m at and figuring out how and why I feel that way.  To track this information I went with a simple pen and paper method. I’ve always been one to track data simplistically and shied away from using apps and fancy websites because I feel that these devices, while providing advanced features, deviate one from their true goals and understanding. 
	When referring to self-tracking to elicit sensations Neff and Nafus mention “These types of projects can generate ideas about causes and effects, which sometimes leads to a hypothesis.”  and I find this especially true in my case. In this study I allowed my goal to shape my data collection and then form my opinions based on how that data made me feel. The technology was used as a simple tracking device and nothing more. I didn’t need any features to enhance the tracked data, just a method of having each daily protein intake written down and the way that I felt at the end of the day. 
