[K-Diet] 163cm (5'4"), Chasing the '48kg' (105 lbs / 7 stone 7 lbs) for the First Time in My Life – Jennie’s Body Goals Challenge Day 1

Hi there! Welcome to Doughly Noted.

Do you have a dream weight you've always wanted to hit? For me, at 163cm (about 5'4"), that magic number has always been 48kg (105 lbs / 7 stone 7 lbs). For some reason, I used to vaguely think, "If I finally reach that number, maybe I’ll get married?!"

But honestly, seeing a '4' as the first digit of my weight seemed like an impossible dream. I hadn't seen that number since my growth spurt back in school. To be fair, it’s not like I was obsessed with dieting before. I was just living a perfectly normal (hopefully), and contented life. Sure, a bunch of random diets passed through my life—mostly just because a friend was doing it, or because I suddenly felt a bit self-conscious, or out of that mysterious longing for 48kg thinking it would reveal the "true me." But nothing ever stuck.

Looking back now in 2026, I’ve decided to open up my journals from last summer. In this section, I want to share my honest, raw 30-day journey from July 2025—the time I finally committed to a consistent workout routine and shifted into a much more focused, disciplined mindset. Reading through these records again is the perfect fuel for my ongoing fitness journey today.

Ever since my 20s, I pretty much ate whatever was trendy without actually knowing anything about nutrition. Eating out was a daily routine, packed with heavy, savory, and spicy Korean comfort foods like Jjimdak (braised chicken), Buldak (fire chicken), Budae-jjigae (army stew), pasta, and tonkatsu. (Hey, everything is medicine if you enjoy it in moderation, right?) My post-work ritual involved watching Japanese dramas with a freezing cold beer and delicious snacks. Before I knew it, my weight ballooned up to 70kg (154 lbs / 11 stone). My body went through so much stretching and shrinking that my friends joked I was running a bungee-cord experiment on myself.

Then, one day, I met my man, someone who is naturally lean and fit (in my eyes), loves K-pop, and is also a true foodie with incredible self-control. Honestly, his self-discipline isn't just about food; he is exceptionally controlled in all aspects of life. Because of this, things can get a little hilariously stressful for him whenever I order a massive spread of different dishes just so I can taste a little bit of everything. Since I only take a bite of each, he ends up feeling responsible for finishing them all, going, "Uh-oh, how am I going to eat all of this?!" internally.

Seeing how he navigates his lifestyle has completely shifted my own perspective on food. I realized I didn't need to starve or view eating as an enemy. Instead, I learned to change my mindset to: "If I'm going to eat, let's truly focus on thoroughly enjoying high-quality, delicious food." Thanks to his inspiring presence and this healthier view, that 48kg goal gradually started to feel so much more real, drawing closer and closer within my reach.

By nature, I am someone with a massive "reward psychology." If I push myself too hard, the rebound cravings are intense. So instead of starving, I started a manageable routine at work: a low-carb, high-side-dish lunch and snacks (which I absolutely cannot skip). Eating about one and a half meals a day helped me maintain my weight around the 56–58kg range. Eventually, I cut out late-night drinking, leveled up my workouts, and jumped into a 30-day fitness challenge hosted by my gym.

That brings us to July 7, 2025—the burning hot Day 1. Here is my record.

1. Overcoming My Gym Anxiety with 1:1 Pilates: "No Bosu Jumps, Please"

Getting into fitness and dieting was definitely not a walk in the park. I’m naturally a pretty introverted person who gets easily self-conscious around others. Group pilates classes, commercial gyms, yoga studios, and even my past attempts at jazz dance and Kendo—where you're surrounded by walls of mirrors and judging eyes—always made me so uncomfortable that I’d quit within two days. My brain knew that "nobody is actually looking at you," but my heart just couldn't relax.

The breakthrough for me was making a big investment in 1:1 private Pilates sessions. Before we even started, I set boundaries with my instructor based on my personality and limits:

"Look, I really don't want to do those intense cardio routines jumping around on a Bosu ball. I don't want my workout to become another source of stress."

Once I started exercising at my own pace, a miracle happened. Whether I went once or twice a week, there was zero stress. This allowed me to keep going for over 3 months straight! "An exercise routine that makes you happy just by showing up" became the ultimate key to my consistency.

From there, I naturally started getting curious about body mechanics and lowering my body fat percentage. On days without Pilates, I added a routine of just walking for an hour at the local gym, officially kicking off my journey toward a "slender fit" physique. Here is the baseline InBody data for my project to inherit BLACKPINK Jennie’s iconic square shoulders and rock-solid core.

2. Day 1 Body Stats & InBody Data

The most dangerous mistake you can make when losing weight is obsessing over the scale and letting your muscle melt away. To get a toned, lean silhouette like Jennie, you have to precisely track the balance between body fat and skeletal muscle mass.

• Starting Weight: 52.7 kg (116 lbs / 8 stone 4 lbs) – A massive drop compared to my 70kg days!

• Skeletal Muscle Mass: 20.4 kg (45 lbs / 3 stone 3 lbs) – The core engine driving my metabolism.

• Body Fat Percentage: 28.0% – The baseline to escape being skinny-fat.

• Body Fat Mass: 14.7 kg (32.4 lbs / 2 stone 4 lbs) – My main target to shred over the next 30 days.

At this point, my body type was a classic case of being "Skinny Fat"—meaning my weight looked normal, but my body fat percentage was quite high. This was the direct result of years of yo-yo dieting, which burned away my muscle and left trapped fat behind.

My specific goals for this 30-day challenge were to bring my body fat down to the low 20s (target: 20-25%), gain about 0.5kg to 1kg of muscle, and drop 4kg of total weight. In short, the plan was to protect (or even build) my skeletal muscle while precisely melting away that 14.7kg of body fat.

3. Day 1 Meals: A Flawless Clean Diet, Followed by an 8 PM Total Meltdown

The food journal of a food-loving, non-professional dieter.

Brunch (Late Morning)

My flawless Day 1 brunch: homemade whole wheat bread, boiled eggs, and a vibrant beet smoothie.

• Ingredients: 68g of freshly baked homemade whole wheat bread, 2 boiled eggs, a detox beet smoothie, a drizzle of olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

• Whole Wheat Bread Ratio: 150g whole wheat flour, 3g brown sugar, 2g salt. (An awesome, complex carb that keeps blood sugar stable, unlike refined store-bought white bread!)

• Beet Smoothie Recipe: Beets, steamed kale, steamed cabbage, 1/2 apple, 1/2 cucumber, coconut water, and a splash of lemon juice. (Inspired by the "Berber Smoothie" recipe that was blowing up on my Instagram feed at the time.)

Couldn't resist adding a slice of mozzarella cheese... but hey, it's healthy fat!

Review: Adding a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of the heavy, nutty homemade whole wheat bread took the flavor to the next level. The beet smoothie, packed with steamed veggies and fresh fruit, is incredible for flushing out sodium and waking up a sluggish metabolism. It was a flawless first meal with a perfect balance of protein, dietary fiber, and healthy fats.

Late-Night Cravings After 8 PM (Surrendering to Fake Hunger)

My 8 PM kitchen raid. At least everything here is sugar-free and clean! 

• Round 1: Soft tofu, 1/4 can of tuna, beet/kale smoothie, whole wheat bread, quinoa, and olive oil.

• Round 2 (Completely lost it): Extra whole wheat bread, soy Greek yogurt, all-natural peanut butter, and sugar-free raspberry jam.

• Round 3 (The grand finale): Mixed nuts, quinoa, more peanut butter, mugwort soy Greek yogurt, and raspberry jam.

Review: The phantom memories of my 70kg days—where I’d enjoy a cold beer and heavy snacks after work—came back with a vengeance around 8 PM as intense "fake hunger." Before I knew it, I lost all logic, raided the kitchen, and went to town spreading peanut butter and jam over Greek yogurt. (Yes, I am aggressively rationalizing this right now 😅).

Doughly's Insight: But you know what? I refuse to call this a failed diet day. Sure, the volume of food was high, but the raspberry jam was completely sugar-free, the peanut butter was 100% unsweetened, and the yogurt was a clean soy-based Greek yogurt rather than heavy dairy. Instead of binging on ultra-processed junk like fried chicken or instant ramen, I defended myself using clean, high-quality alternatives. For Day 1, I’m giving myself a pass and counting this as a win.

4. Day 1 Workout Routine: Core Targeting & 6.4 km/h Interval Running

Going too hard on Day 1 of a diet just builds up lactic acid, making you want to abandon both your diet and workouts by Day 2. I focused on a smart balance of static core exercises to refine my lines and steady cardio to efficiently burn fat.

Private 1:1 Pilates Session (50 mins / 4:00 PM – 4:50 PM)

• Key Focus: Completely skipping the stress-inducing Bosu jumps, we utilized the Reformer and Cadillac to realign my spine and wake up my deep intrinsic core muscles. To build those long lines, straight back, and iconic square shoulders like Jennie, we focused entirely on slow, elongating movements.

Treadmill Interval Training (33 mins)

• Settings: Speed locked at 6.4 km/h (approx. 4.0 mph)

• Routine & Results: Instead of mindlessly walking for an hour, switching between walking and power-walking at a fixed 6.4 km/h speed (at 0 incline) pushed my heart rate right into the optimal fat-burning zone. Even though I only did it for 33 minutes, I was drenched in sweat—it felt like my body was pre-emptively burning off those late-night calories ahead of time!

5. Wrapping Up Day 1: The Start of My Own Race

Was that old daydream of mine—thinking I’d get married once I hit 48kg—just a silly thought? We will see, stepping out of my comfort zone to chase a number I’ve never seen in my adult life has completely changed how I look at alcohol, food, and fitness. This process is ultimately teaching me how to take care of and love myself in the healthiest, most confident way possible. And honestly, that seemingly ridiculous daydream now feels like it has a beautiful purpose. 😊

To give you a little spoiler, this 30-day challenge actually worked—I finally hit that dream 48kg mark (105 lbs / 7 stone 7 lbs) (which I’ll be revealing day by day!). Granted, after the challenge ended, I experienced a bit of a yo-yo effect and I'm sitting around 52–53kg (114–116 lbs / 8 stone 3 lbs - 8 stone 5 lbs) again today in 2026. But looking back at how I successfully reached my goal is giving me the exact motivation I need to chase that true, yo-yo-free 48kg (105 lbs / 7 stone 7 lbs) once more.

Looking back, even though I had that mini-meltdown with peanut butter and yogurt on night one, it’s a massive upgrade from the past when I’d lose myself in beers and heavy bar food at 70kg. Managing to soothe my cravings with healthy alternatives is an incredible milestone for me.

In my next [Day 2] journal, I'll be completely transparent about the "bill" my late-night binge handed me on the scale the next morning. Plus, I’ll be sharing a recipe and review for my ultimate clean reset meal: the 'Cauliflower Tuna Dip.' Stay tuned! If you want to chase your own magic number with me, let’s connect in the comments below!