“If I had not gotten healthy, I would’ve never viewed losing my job as an opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a firefighter and I wouldn’t have been in the condition to make it a reality.”

Growing up in a food-conscious household, I was counting calories as soon as I could add. I was active in high school, playing softball and basketball and participating in the drill team. From a young age, I dreamed of becoming a firefighter, but lost sight of my goal as I lost control of my health.

After graduating high school, I stopped playing sports and began to overindulge in the food and drinks that were off-limits when I was young. I was a stress eater, a bored eater, an emotional eater and a social eater. I tried every "quick fix" in the book and lost a marginal amount of weight, but nothing lasted.

This cycle continued for 20 years. I hated how I looked and, more importantly, I wasn’t confident in my own skin. I knew I needed to make a change, but was so overwhelmed that I didn't know where to begin. Finally, in December 2018, I connected with a friend-turned-independent OPTAVIA Coach about the program, but I was hesitant to start.

Four days into 2019, I ended up in the ER with heart issues. My cardiologist told me I had to make healthier decisions, or I might not be around for my next birthday. A few days later, I contacted that friend and told her I was ready to start my OPTAVIA journey.

Early in my journey, I went on vacation and lost weight!* That’s when I realized that I could actually do this. Because of the holistic approach I was taking, my mindset completely shifted. I started learning to adopt healthy habits beyond healthy eating and truly believed this time would be different. And it was different this time — I lost 160 pounds!* Beyond losing the weight, I was gaining healthy habits, confidence, self-respect and love, and the motivation to tackle even more goals.

Then the pandemic hit, and I lost my job. I felt overwhelmed and started reverting to some old, unhealthy habits. After having a heart-to-heart with my OPTAVIA Coach, she helped me realize that I had the biggest blessing of a clean slate and the foundation of health — I could do anything I want.

I kept thinking about my dream of becoming a firefighter, and how especially meaningful it would be to help others in this way during the pandemic. I started incorporating exercise and seeing a trainer to build muscle. I connected with the fire chief, met the qualifications to join my local fire department, and started training with the fire academy.

If I had not gotten healthy, I would’ve never viewed losing my job as an opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a firefighter and I wouldn’t have been in the condition to make it a reality. Today, I am currently in the fire academy as a volunteer firefighter and am working to complete my certification.

I’ve always loved helping others and, as a firefighter and an OPTAVIA Coach, I’m now able to impact lives in ways I never could have imagined.

Read more about Penny’s story on GoodMorningAmerica.com and People.com.

*Average weight loss on the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan^® is 12 pounds(5.4 kg). Clients are in weight loss, on average, for 12 weeks.