In September 2025, I learned I had insulin resistance and signs of prediabetes. I knew weight loss could matter, but six months of trying produced disappointing results.
The commitment contract changed the stakes
On April 1, 2026, my partner and I started a challenge. My starting weight was 85 kg (170 jin). The monthly goal was to lose 2.5 kg (5 jin), eventually aiming for 60 kg.
If I missed the month's target, I would pay my partner ¥3,000 RMB. If I reached it, my partner would pay me ¥2,000 RMB. The amounts were meaningful enough to make the deadline real.
The process was not neat
At the beginning of some months, I ate many foods I had been thinking about. At the end, I worked very hard to hit the target. That pattern got results, but it also showed me where the plan was brittle.
A deadline can create action. It can also encourage last-minute restriction. A safer version keeps accountability while judging a trend, behaviors and clinician-approved pace—not one weigh-in.
Reflection made hidden patterns visible
I used ChatGPT to list possible actions by importance, then kept comparing the advice with my own data. I had not understood how much late nights affected the process. When I slept late, progress often felt harder. Earlier dinners seemed to help too.
Those observations are personal correlations, not proof. Their value was practical: they gave me a hypothesis to test instead of a vague feeling that I lacked discipline.
The idea that reduced pressure
Only guarantee that you will do the current moment well. You do not have to guarantee the whole future.
Thinking about months of perfect behavior felt heavy. Thinking about the current meal, walk or bedtime felt possible. The challenge supplied the reason; focusing on today reduced the emotional cost.
What I would keep—and change
- Keep: a clear commitment, a real review date and an accountability partner.
- Keep: regular data and written reflection.
- Keep: ranking actions instead of trying everything.
- Change: reduce the restrict-and-rebound pattern at the edges of each month.
- Change: use trend weight and habits alongside an outcome goal.
- Change: involve a clinician when metabolic health or medication is part of the picture.
The original context matters
This happened in China. The challenge used Chinese jin and RMB, so this page provides U.S. conversions for comprehension while preserving the original figures. It does not relocate or fictionalize the story.
Original figures: 187 lb; 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) per month; 27.6 lb (12.5 kg); ¥3,000 RMB (about US$420 at the time) / ¥2,000 RMB (about US$280).