Miss South Carolina 2011 recounts struggle with her weight

With her fit figure, you'd never know that before competing in the Miss South Carolina pageant in 2011, Bree Boyce weighed 234 pounds. ABC reported on her journey.

'The 22-year-old beauty lost a dramatic 112 pounds over the course of three years before being crowned Miss South Carolina.'

Boyce says she began gaining weight way back when she was just 7 years old. She told NBC she always felt overshadowed by her three older siblings, so she turned to junk food for comfort. By the time she was 17, she was wearing size 18 jeans. When her knees started hurting, Boyce went to a doctor, who told her she needed to lose weight.

A writer for CNN reports Boyce was determined to lose the weight the old-fashioned way, through a healthy diet and exercise.

She tossed out the junk food and would walk around the block, setting a goal to lose five pounds in that first month. She beat that goal and actually lost seven. A few months later, she joined a gym and began sweatin' it out in Zumba classes.

All that hard work paid off. She reached a healthy weight and went on to win the state pageant.

Boyce says winning the swimsuit portion was the most gratifying. That same year she placed in the Top 12 at Miss America.

But there was a downside: Miss South Carolina says she now understands what it means to be on the other extreme of the weight spectrum. 'I was on all these talk shows about my weight loss. I became obsessed and I formed an eating disorder.'

Boyce says she's since found a happy medium. She currently works as a reporter and anchor at WACH in South Carolina.

Boyce says she continues to share her weight loss story in the hopes that it will inspire others to get healthy.