‘Death was staring me in the face’: Kelly Grayson’s no-BS guide to getting healthy

In honor of First Responder Wellness Week, Inside EMS hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson go beyond the surface-level tips and dig into what true wellness looks like in this profession. Spoiler: it’s messy, personal and sometimes terrifying.

Kelly shares his deeply personal journey from a spinal surgery and a near-fatal pulmonary embolism to dropping over 140 pounds and reclaiming his life. At his heaviest, he was 410 pounds. Today? He’s neck-and-neck with Chris on the scale, rocking a 40-inch waist after shedding a whole foot from his midsection.

But this episode isn’t about bragging — it’s about honesty. Kelly gets vulnerable about depression, self-doubt and EMS culture’s toxic relationship with self-care. He also drops hard-earned advice on meal prepping, smarter snacking and how to make real progress without crash diets or guilt trips.

If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and not liked what you saw — or felt the creeping realization that this job might just break you — this one’s for you. Kelly’s story isn’t just about weight loss; it’s about survival, resilience and building a new life, one lap at a time.

Memorable quotes

• "EMS is not an active profession. It’s 23 hours of boredom and an hour of blind panic."

• "It’s not simply a matter of willpower, but support, attainable goals, and short increments add up over the years."

• "You have to get serious about what you want to feel like, what you want to look like."

• "I said, 'What are you doing this for? Are you doing this to die, knowing what killed you?'"

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