Facing losing 60 kilos was just the beginning of Selina's health challenges

Selina Carey was in constant pain when she was told she'd need to reduce her weight before her double knee replacement surgery could proceed.

As she phrases it, she was pretty much told she was "too fat" for surgery. Selina, 40, admits to feeling a bit miffed, but that feeling was quickly replaced by determination.

"I wanted to do it for me and I wanted to be around for the kids," the Queensland mum tells 9Honey.

Selina says she had always been bigger than her peers and previous attempts to lose weight had failed in the long run.

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By now she weighed 156 kilograms. She was told she would need to get to 99 kilograms or to a BMI of 40, "whatever happens first."

"I was always large. I can remember my sister was too and then she had weight loss surgery."

With her knee operation already on the horizon, weight loss surgery wasn't an option for Selina.

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She knew she needed something foolproof, something she hadn't tried before. Having developed an unhealthy habit of comfort eating in front of the TV, it isn't surprising that it was on TV that she found the solution.

"One day I was stewing on it all and I was feeling so angry and I've always been a comfort eater, and then an ad for The Lady Shake came on the TV one day. I thought 'f-ck I'm gonna do it.'"

Keen to do it right, Selina also went cold turkey on her favourite sugar-loaded caffeinated soft drink. Selina says the "first couple of weeks were hell" as struggled to adjust to the abrupt change.

"I had headaches but now I can't stand the taste," she says.

Selina began her health kick on August 23, 2021, sharing updates on The Lady Shake social media channels. She would drink shakes for breakfast and lunch, eat their snacks and then have a healthy dinner.

She even switched to The Man Shake products, enjoying the flavours and finding them better for her digestion.

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"I started at a size 26-28 and then a year later, on my 12-month anniversary, I weighed 105 and was wearing a 16-18, so I had lost 52.9 kilos." Her BMI was also below 40.

Selina decided to keep going.

"By January 6 I had gotten to 92.9 kilos so I had lost 60 kilos. I was so proud of myself," she says.

"It took me a year and five months."

It was then that Selina was dealt another blow.

She was told she may have ovarian cancer but instead, when she went in for surgery they found she was cancer free, but suffering from severe endometriosis.

She has now been referred to The Mater in Queensland for treatment and is waiting for her appointment before she joins the waiting list for knee surgery.

The stress of the situation has caused Selina to resort to her old habit of comfort eating and a 10 kilogram weight gain, but she knows what to do to get back on track.

"I've had a full conversation with myself," she says. "No more!"