I Had AI as My Personal Trainer for a Month — Here’s How It Went

Dr. Sonez Barnard did an article called “Can AI Really Help You Lose Weight and Be Fit?” and, I won’t lie, it got me curious. I’ve always struggled with weight, so I decided to test it myself.

Let me take you back a little. 2020 happened. COVID-19. I gained so much weight it was ridiculous. I was at my heaviest, over 100 kg. The wake-up call came when my favourite dress no longer fit. I tried to make it work with a tummy belt, thought I looked cute… until I saw the pictures. Not cute. Big, big. That’s when it all started.

I told my friend I wanted to lose weight, and we made a pact to start running. Which was funny considering considering we were more pizza and ribs girlies, not running girlies. Still, we started small; slow evening walks, nothing heroic.

At my heaviest... sobbing...

Then life shifted. I landed my first job, which meant leaving the house after months of isolation, meeting people again, and dressing in real clothes instead of loungewear. If I was stepping into a new chapter professionally, I wanted my health to follow.

So I did something completely unplanned: woke up one morning, pulled on an old oversized t-shirt, and track pants that barely fit, and went to the running track. I found a community there, people who showed up consistently, running laps like it was second nature. It was intimidating. Some were sprinting up stairs like they were training for the Olympics. I took my first shaky jog and immediately felt nauseous. My chest burned, I could taste blood, and for a moment I genuinely thought I might pass out.

But I didn’t.

My first “run” was barely three kilometers in an hour, but I felt amazing, not physically; my legs were jelly and my lungs hated me but my mind felt clear and I was happy.

Running became daily. Milestones came. Clothes fit again. Even my longest-university crush noticed me and asked for my number. Spoiler: I ghosted him. Fast forward to joining a gym. The first visit was intimidating; everyone seemed to know exactly what they were doing. But I was fortunate to have a personal trainer assigned to beginners.

Together, we tackled cardio, conditioning, and strength training. I learned to vary my routines: treadmill, incline walking, elliptical, rowing machine, burpees, renegade rows, box jumps, and dumbbell presses. Some exercises terrified me, like box jumps, but the combination of fear and exhilaration made the gym addictive.

At my fittest...still sobbing..

Before I knew it, it had been a year and I was 73 kg, muscles forming, fat decreasing. I became Burnt Studio’s biggest customer, buying gym clothes every month. Then I got comfortable. A full year passed with zero exercise, eating without thinking. Weight crept back up.

October 2025 came. I didn’t want to be unhealthy anymore. I created a 60-day challenge inspired by 75 Hard but adapted it for my life. No nearby gym this time, so home workouts it was. Enter ChatGPT. I typed:

"Act as an advanced personal trainer. I want to lose fat, gain muscle, and be toned. I’m 96 kg, 165 cm, female. I get bored and overeat, especially on weekends. I can train six times a week. I have dumbbells, treadmill, skipping rope, medicine ball, and a kettlebell. Help me."

ChatGPT didn’t play. It gave me a full plan, which I tweaked slightly. Funny enough, I hadn’t even mentioned my past experience with conditioning, and yet AI suggested it as part of my plan. And with that my journey began.

Mornings were dedicated to conditioning and lifting as heavy as I could, with cardio as a warm-up. Warm-ups included jumping jacks for a minute or skipping rope for five minutes. At first, both left me gasping and needing breaks. By the end of the second week, I could do a full minute of jumping jacks without stopping and skip 100 jumps straight through.

Conditioning workouts included squats, presses, kettlebell swings, burpees, renegade rows, and more. I tweaked some exercises, adding favourites I had enjoyed before, because AI doesn’t create the same exercise combinations a real trainer would, so I had to step in. On days I got bored, I’d mix in my own variations, sometimes taking inspiration from Instagram. AI helped at first with the plan and tips, and as I continued my “gym brain” took over. I adapted routines, went on autopilot, and ended up doing things my way.

My first 4km run!

Running became part of my routine too, and pilates took a backseat because I was hooked on lifting and running. My schedule: mornings I did strength training for 45 minutes, evenings I ran for 30 minute. Week one, I ran 1 km. My chest felt tight, and the next day I felt like I’d been hit by a bus. Week two: 2 km. By the end of the month, I ran my first 5 km. I can’t give AI all the credit—I picked up a running buddy along the way who helped me with being consistent and with breathing techniques. AI did help clarify running terms from my health app.

My eating habits? Let’s just say, not great. I love food. Vacations can turn into nonstop eating so easily, and I am not complaining. I’m also someone who eats when bored, my breakfasts were loaded with processed meats too, so that didn’t help either. I know what a healthy meal looks like: rice, protein, vegetables but I either get bored of it or never manage to stick to it. My only diet success before was a Japanese-style plan, which worked wonders but was too much work to maintain daily.

ChatGPT’s nutrition advice was simple:

• Keep a small calorie deficit to lose fat.

• Eat enough protein to build and protect muscle.

• Stay full and energized to avoid mindless snacking.

AI helped me realize that tracking calories is my best chance of losing weight. Empty calories are my nemesis; Like, why is a single blueberry muffin almost 500 calories? That’s basically a full meal: chicken, rice, and veggies. From that moment, I became a full-on food-tracking girl, paying attention to portions and what I was eating. Tracking meals changed everything, combined with my workouts, I dropped 3 kg in just three weeks.

But, of course, I’m still a woman—PMS and luteal phase hit me hard. Suddenly, reason flew out the window. Cake, ice cream, and nik-naks took over my entire being for the whole weekend. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I weighed myself a few days later… and I had gained 4 kg, basically undoing all the progress from the past three weeks.

Week four started with guilt and frustration, but instead of giving up, I leaned on my personal trainer (AI). It reassured me: “It’ll come down after your period,” even though it didn’t. What mattered is that it gave me the courage to keep going. And here’s a pro tip: to everyone doing cardio on Mondays after a rough weekend? Try lifting heavy instead. That’s what my AI trainer told me to do, and I did. Honestly, it completely changed my week, lifting first gave me energy, reset my body, and made me feel like I was taking control after a weekend of indulgence.

I stuck to my routine: lifting in the mornings, running in the evenings, tracking my food. By the end of the week, I had already lost 1 kg. Even after the weight gain during my luteal phase, my strength was intact. I could still see shoulder muscles peeking through, my upper tummy was getting snatched, and exercises felt easy. Sure, my eating stumbled, but I didn’t quit. In my world, that’s a WIN!

My Nutrition Plan:

• Breakfast: Avocado toast with scrambled eggs (407 calories)

• Lunch: Burrito bowl—sweet corn, brown rice, mashed avocado, chicken or pork, boiled eggs, lettuce, black beans (515 calories)

• Dinner: Brown rice, oven baked chicken & potatoes, and broccoli (461 calories)

• Snacks: Mostly frui (berries, banana, pear, apples, or peaches with greek yoghurt)

• Weekends: Big family dinners—intermittent fasting when needed or meal swaps (potato mash instead of pasta)

• Protein shake after morning workout session (165 calories)

Key Lessons from My AI Training Month:

• Track what you eat

• Move your body (walk, run, lift, dance; anything counts)

• Bad days happen. Recover quickly, start again, don’t reset completely.

• Lift even after overeating.

• You’re allowed to start over, and over again.

• Watch what you drink, beverages have high-calorie intake.

• Start at a level you can sustain. Don’t try Arnold Schwarzenegger’s workout as a beginner; consistency matters more than intensity.

Working out with AI definitely helped here and there, but if I’m giving credit where it’s due, it goes to my tracking app, my running buddy, and most importantly: myself. This experiment worked because I stayed consistent, and let’s be real, seeing results made it stick. What really opened my eyes, though, was realizing how bad my eating habits were.

I used to think, “I don’t eat much, so why can’t I lose weight?” Turns out, it was all those sneaky empty calories sabotaging me. And honestly, having AI there when I slipped made a massive difference. I probably would’ve given up without that little nudge. It gave me a surprisingly real sense of encouragement, and sometimes that’s all you need to pull yourself back up.