Sarah Lost 8kg and Hit Her First Pull-Up in 12 Weeks

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I’ll be honest — twelve weeks ago, I couldn’t have imagined writing this. I was the person who’d joined three different gyms in five years and never made it past the second month. I’d tried running, I’d tried YouTube workout videos, I’d tried those “30-day ab challenge” things on Instagram. Nothing stuck.

What I was doing before

My “exercise routine” was sporadic at best. I’d go for a jog when I felt guilty about what I’d eaten, do some half-hearted bodyweight squats in my living room, maybe attend a spin class if a friend dragged me along. There was no structure, no progression, no plan. I was doing what most people do — moving randomly and hoping something would change.

The real problem was that I was terrified of the weights section. The free weights area might as well have had a “no entry” sign on it as far as I was concerned. It was full of blokes who looked like they knew exactly what they were doing, and I didn’t have a clue.

The turning point

A colleague at work mentioned she’d been using PT Tracker and had started the 12-week recomp programme. She showed me her phone — every exercise laid out, videos showing proper form, sets, reps, rest times, everything. It looked like having a personal trainer without the intimidation of actually having one standing over you.

I downloaded it that evening and started the following Monday.

What actually changed

The structure changed everything. I didn’t have to think about what to do — I just opened the app and followed the programme. The first week was humbling. I was squatting 30kg and struggling. But the app tracked everything, and each week I could see the numbers going up.

Three things made the biggest difference:

The programme itself. Having a proper plan with progressive overload built in meant I was always working towards something. I wasn’t just “going to the gym” — I was following a system.

Macro tracking. I had no idea how much protein I needed. Turns out I was eating about 40g a day when I should have been closer to 120g. Once I fixed my nutrition, the results came fast. The macro tracker made it dead simple — scan a barcode, log the food, see where you’re at.

The rest timer. Sounds like a small thing, but it stopped me from cutting rest short out of impatience or scrolling my phone for five minutes between sets. I rested exactly as long as the programme told me to, and my performance was so much more consistent because of it.

The results

By week 6, I’d lost 4kg and my squat had jumped to 45kg. I was starting to see definition in my arms for the first time ever. By week 9, I attempted my first pull-up — and got it. I actually screamed in the gym. A few people looked at me funny but I did not care one bit.

By week 12, I was down to 64kg from 72kg, my body fat had dropped from 32% to 24%, and I was squatting 65kg for reps. I could do 5 pull-ups in a row. I felt like a completely different person.

But the numbers only tell half the story. The confidence I gained from walking into the weights section and knowing exactly what I was doing — that changed more than my body. It changed how I carry myself at work, how I approach challenges, everything.

What surprised me most

Honestly? How much I enjoyed lifting. I went in expecting to tolerate it as a means to an end. Instead, I fell in love with it. There’s something incredibly satisfying about adding weight to the bar each week and hitting reps you couldn’t hit before. It’s addictive in the best way.

The other thing that surprised me was how supportive the community is. I’d always assumed gym culture was judgemental, but it’s the opposite. People are encouraging. The accountability group I joined through the app kept me going on the days I didn’t want to train.

What’s next

I’ve just started a new programme — a strength-focused block to push my squat and deadlift numbers up. I want to squat 80kg by summer. Six months ago I would have laughed at that sentence. Now I genuinely believe I’ll get there.

If I can do it, anyone can. I mean that. I was the least likely person to become “a gym person,” and here I am, writing about my transformation on the internet. Start the programme. Trust the process. Track everything. The results will come.