How Lockyer Valley mum lost 70kg in two years
FOR more than half her life, Selina Boyle has struggled with her weight.
She remembers at the age of 16 she tried to lose weight, failed and actually gained more.
The attempts were numerous and futile.
A headache that lasted two weeks drove the Regency Downs mother to see her doctor – normally her headaches only lasted a couple of hours.
“He found I had extremely high blood pressure and told me I was at risk of having a stroke,” Selina said.
“He said ‘if you don’t do something now, you won’t be here for your kids’.”
Two years later, Selina is half her size, dropping eight dress sizes and losing more than 70kg.
While she underwent gastric bypass surgery, Selina attributed her achievement to exercise.
“I started with a personal training group in Laidley and that’s what keeps me motivated,” she said.
“Having the support network there and the social aspect as well … You can join a gym but you always make excuses about why you’re not going.”
Selina’s first goal was to drop five dress sizes.
“I was a size 26 but my ultimate goal was to get to a size 16,” she said.
“Well, I’m now between a 10 and 12.”
As Selina’s journey has progressed, her goals have shifted and evolved.
She once hated exercise, but now she enjoys it.
“I’ve never been a runner at all – even when I first joined I said I would do the weights classes but I would not do any cardio classes – forget that,” she said.
But, turning up to wait for her weights class, Selina watched the cardio class.
“They do games and stuff like that so I gave it a go and I really loved it,” she said.
That’s when she started participating in fun runs.
Now, Selina is training for her first marathon.
“I want to run 42km before my 40th birthday,” she said.
“Two years ago I was 150kg and did no exercise whatsoever.”