Woman who went on 164 first dates in two years breaks down how she managed it

Online dating can be a tricky and treacherous business; going on countless dates, many of which go absolutely nowhere, spending money you don't have in the hope of finding 'the one'.

It is a thankless quest almost all of us embark on to some degree or another, trying desperately to cling to another human liferaft and not die alone. Or maybe that's just me?

But no matter how long you've been in the game, the chances are you've not put in nearly as much graft as this woman.

Taking to Reddit to share her story, the unnamed romantic revealed that over the course of two years, she went on an incredible 164 first dates.

"After spending my entire 20s in two long-term relationships that didn’t pan out, I (then 30F) turned to dating apps in search of the real deal," she explained.

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"I gave it 150 percent effort and treated it like a job. It was a two-year whirlwind of love, lust, disappointment, hope, frustration, insecurity, confidence, and general exhaustion."

Now, that's a pretty bold claim, I mean, how on Earth does anyone have the time or the inclination to meet that many people?

Well, luckily, she kept a very detailed spreadsheet of all her would-be suiters.

And if you think 164 is a lot of dates, you've seen absolutely nothing yet.

Replying to one user, the woman explained: "I went on 164 first dates. Of those, 107 (65 percent) asked for a second date.

"I went on second dates with 50 (30 percent), third dates with 34 (21 percent), and 4+ dates with 24 (15 percent of them).

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"I kissed 48 of the guys. I went into 49 dates (30 percent) feeling notably excited or hopeful.

"Sunday was my most common day for dates. The most I ever did in a day was four.

"The highest number of first dates I went on in a given month was 22. (Looking back, I am SO tired just thinking about that)."

In total, she went on an incredible 446 dates over the two years.

To put that stat into some kind of perspective, it equates to around a date every other day.

I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

But what was it all for? Was it just some frivolous dalliance or was she actually looking for love.

Well, the 164th first date was with her now husband, so that's pretty good going.

"I know how annoying it is to hear 'when you know, you know', but… that was kind of my experience," she explained. "I got butterflies in my stomach during our first date.

"My husband does know I dated a ton. It doesn’t bother him, and it shouldn’t! I’ve seen what’s out there and I’m deliberately choosing him because I know how special he is."

So get out there, guys, perseverance pays off.

Topics: Sex and Relationships, Reddit

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom