( CNN ) -- Every Friday , Bree Boyce dreaded her high school gym class . Students had to run a mile under 11 minutes , and those who could n't finish in time would have to walk around the track for the rest of the period . Weighing 234 pounds , Boyce never made it in time . `` There were a few times I tried to run because I was so embarrassed and afraid of what other kids might say . After many failed attempts , I gave up hope , '' said Boyce . Every day , Boyce wore a baggy T-shirt and a pair of faded , size 18 jeans to school . She ducked and dodged anytime someone tried to take her picture . She deflected attention from her weight by cracking jokes . Five years later and 112 pounds lighter , Boyce is no longer the camera-shy girl hiding inside saggy , shapeless tees . She struts onstage in body-hugging evening gowns and swimsuits . She embraces the spotlight as the reigning Miss South Carolina . And she has been a guest co-host on `` The View , '' chatting openly about her weight . Bree Boyce : Applying weight-loss lessons to all of life . `` I had struggled for so many years with my weight , '' Boyce said . `` So many girls look to beauty queens because they want to be like them and look like them . But my thing is that we 're all unique and we 're all different and not one person is going to look like the next . And somebody might be a healthy size 6 , and an unhealthy size 0 . '' When she makes public appearances , a tiara rests on her head and a sash drapes over her shoulder . She 'll compete for the Miss America crown in January in Las Vegas . Her journey from obese teenager to beauty queen is n't just about shedding excess weight , or going from one extreme to another . `` It 's more about setting a good example for the younger generation , '' Boyce said . `` If you have a dream , go for it . Do n't let others ' perceptions hold you back . '' Growing up , Boyce was chubbier than her three older siblings . Although she ate about the same foods as they did , her metabolism seemed different . As the youngest of two girls and two boys , Boyce found support and acceptance in her family and community . `` She was the funny kid , '' said Tiffany Olson , Boyce 's older sister . `` She had the best personality . '' Her personality carried over to school , where she won over friends with her enthusiasm ( she was president of the pep club ) , and impersonations of celebrities from Cher to Britney Spears . `` I tried to be very outgoing and tried to compensate my weight with my personality , '' Boyce said . When people at school talked about her or teased her , she 'd try to be their friend . `` Sometimes I made fun of myself with them , '' Boyce said . `` It was all trying to cover up and not try to expose myself too much that I was hurting inside about my weight . '' Diet tricks the pros tell their friends . Throughout her childhood , Boyce watched on the sidelines as her older sister competed in beauty pageants . She secretly hoped one day , she would compete . As a teen , Boyce tried several weight-loss gimmicks , low-carb and starvation diets . But she 'd always slip back into her old habits because the hunger returned with such intensity . Boyce 's health battle is not rare in her home state . In South Carolina , about 31 % of the population is considered obese . `` I figured that this was the body I was going to live in , and there was nothing I could do about it , '' Boyce said . `` I was just so unhappy about the way I looked , but I still continued to eat unhealthy . '' `` I would come home from school , sit on the couch for hours , and snack all day long . I would drive to a fast food place , pick up any meal I wanted to , eat it and then go back an hour later , eat it again . '' At age 17 , she went to the doctor 's office because of knee problems . The doctor did n't mince his words . `` You know , this weight has to come off , '' he told her . `` And if it does n't , then your body is not going to take care of you in the long run . And you 're only 17 years old . '' Boyce realized that he was right . `` I 'm 17 years old . I have the whole world in front of me . And it 's up to me and only me to change it . And that 's exactly what I did , '' she said . Surgery is no quick fix for obese teens . She tossed out junk food and set a goal to lose five pounds in one month . And she put one foot in front of the other . She walked around the block because `` that 's all I could do . I was so overweight . '' Then the next week , she walked a little farther . After her first month , she lost seven pounds . When you 're losing weight , where does the fat go ? After losing more pounds , she joined the gym , started dancing in Zumba classes . Then she started jogging . During her senior year of high school , an adviser at the pep club suggested Boyce try for the title of Miss West Florence , the school 's equivalent of a beauty pageant . At first , Boyce laughed it off . `` I was not thin , '' she said . `` I was still chubby , losing weight gradually . '' But Boyce gave it a shot . `` I was myself and I won , '' beating 38 other girls , she said . `` That gave me another confidence boost knowing that I could do what I set my mind to . '' After graduating in 2007 , she went to study theater at Francis Marion University . She competed for the local Miss Florence title and began a winning streak in local beauty pageants until she finally won the state crown in July . Through the years , Boyce had to unlearn a lifetime of bad habits . `` It 's all about learning a process , learning a lifestyle , and so many people think it 's an overnight quick fix . And it absolutely is not . It takes time . It took me three years , '' she said . Boyce , who could n't finish a mile in under 11 minutes in high school , can now run that distance in seven minutes . She plans to train for her first marathon once she has time after the Miss America contest . `` You do n't have to be rail thin to think you 're beautiful and want to be Miss America , '' she said . `` You need to be happy and content with yourself , get your physical activity . That 's what counts the most -- not starvation diets and being rail thin . '' Boyce meticulously schedules workouts and meals to prepare for Miss America . On a recent day , she cooked breakfast at home in Florence , scrambling eggs and slicing a grapefruit . `` I block out where am I going to eat , how am I going to eat that day , '' she said . In the pageant world , where a woman 's frame and figure are constantly analyzed , Boyce has heard the critiques : too muscular , too big , not petite enough , not a size 00 . Bree Boyce 's Facebook page . `` I love my body , '' Boyce said . `` I went from 234 pounds to being comfortable and happy and being content with the way I look . Someone says I 'm not a 00 -- that does n't mean I do n't continue to compete for Miss America . We need to give an idealistic role model . '' She said she 'd rather be on stage looking the way she does now than looking `` sick , frail and thin . That 's not the message that I 'm promoting at all . ''
Bree Boyce struggled as a teenager to lose weight and exercise . She wanted to compete in beauty pageants , but felt her weight prevented her . Boyce lost 112 pounds and heads to Miss America pageant next year .