Woman Loses 114 Pounds, Chases First Pull-Up at 50

Lisa Fuller had never worked out as an adult when she walked into a gym in Amsterdam last year at age 50. The American expat was working 12-hour days at a desk, averaging under 1,000 steps daily, and relying entirely on takeout for meals.

She almost quit within the first week. The thought of committing long-term to a training program felt overwhelming, especially when she couldn't even do basic movements like an elevated push-up.

But her trainer, Kon Konstantinos, asked her a simple question that changed everything: Why did she really want to do this? For the first time, Fuller stopped to consider what she truly wanted—to live healthier for herself and the people she loved.

That conversation built the foundation of trust that kept her showing up, even when everything felt intimidating. Within a year, Fuller lost 114 pounds and went from barely managing a supported split squat to doing them with 44 pounds in each hand.

She can now complete weighted chest-to-floor push-ups and is close to achieving her first unassisted pull-up. Her daily steps jumped from under 1,000 to between 15,000 and 20,000.

Fuller credits three simple strategies for her success. First, she broke her step goal into tiny chunks by walking around the block after every meal or snack, turning those 15-minute loops into half her daily steps without thinking about it.

Second, she kept food ridiculously simple. Instead of learning complex meal prep, she found a few healthy meals she liked and ate them on repeat until she got sick of them, then switched to something new.

Third, she ditched the massive end goal. Rather than fixating on losing 114 pounds, she set smaller targets like losing 11 pounds by a specific date, making each milestone feel achievable and keeping motivation high.

Why This Inspires

Fuller's transformation shows that starting from zero doesn't mean staying there. At 50, with no athletic background and no cooking experience, she proved that the right support and small, consistent steps can create change that once seemed impossible. Her journey reminds us that we're capable of far more than we believe, regardless of where we're starting from.

Now she's chasing that first pull-up with the same determination that got her through those intimidating first weeks.