A size 24 woman who was left mortified after being unable to fit into an aeroplane seat has lost more than half her bodyweight.

Liz Hiscutt, 40, who would gorge on chocolate, crisps and takeaways every night, had been overweight her whole life and hit 18st after surviving on a diet of unhealthy food.

Miss Hiscutt, of Gravesend, Kent, said her turning point came on a holiday to Portugal when cabin crew were forced to get a seatbelt extension to stretch over her stomach.

Liz Hiscutt, 40, dropped from 18 stone (left) to nine stone (right) after she became too large to fit an aeroplane seatbelt around her size 24 frame

Her holiday horror prompted Miss Hiscutt to lose 9st 3lbs and she shrunk from a size 24 to size 8.

She said: 'I couldn't wait for a bit of sunshine as we jetted off to Portugal but my excitement turned to shame as I struggled to pull the plane seatbelt over my bulging belly.

'I was mortified as the cabin crew fitted a seatbelt extender and was embarrassed for the rest of the three-hour flight.'

Liz, an administrator, has struggled with her weight since she was in school. She said: 'I wasn't obese as a child, but I was not the slimmest. As I got older and moved away from home I started eating more and more.'

Her holiday horror prompted Miss Hiscutt to lose 9st 3lbs and she shrunk from a size 24, left, to size 8, right

She would tuck into mounds of crisps and chocolate every day before spending the evening on the sofa next to fiance Richard William, 48, for a takeaway every evening.

Before she knew it, Miss Hiscutt tipped the scales at 18st 3lbs and she was forced to hide her frame under size 24 clothes.

She said: 'I used to eat a lot of food - I didn't believe in small portions. I feel like I have never had an "off switch" with food - I will eat whatever's put in front of me. It doesn't matter how heavy or fattening it is.

'I hardly ever exercised - I even struggled to get up the stairs. It's a miracle I never developed any life-threatening conditions as a result of my obesity.'

The final humiliation came on a flight to Portugal in 2011 when the cabin crew had to find a seatbelt extender after Miss Hiscutt struggled to stretch the standard belt around her waist.

Now Miss Hiscutt weighs 9st 1lb and can fit into size eight clothes. Since her dramatic weight loss, health conscious Miss Hiscutt has completed several 10K runs and plans on completing a half-marathon before the end of the year

She said: 'It was quite upsetting, but the cabin crew were very professional and gave me a bigger seatbelt without anyone laughing. I knew I was overweight so I had resigned myself to being fat for the rest of my life.

'Moments like that make you think about changing.'

Before losing weight, she would tuck into mounds of crisps and chocolate every day before spending the evening on the sofa

On the same holiday, Miss Hiscutt faced further embarrassment when a cafe owner replaced a plastic chair with a reinforced metal one in case the flimsier chair collapsed under her weight.

She said: 'For the whole holiday I stayed in my frumpy clothes, I didn't dare to bare my flesh on the beach in a swimming costume or a bikini.'

Her holiday convinced her to finally shed the pounds and in May 2012 she signed up to her local Slimming World group.

The determined slimmer ditched curries and cakes for fresh vegetables and sweet potatoes, following a carefully constructed diet plan.

Before her weight loss, Miss Hiscutt would tuck into a McDonald's egg McMuffin for breakfast with two hash browns and a coffee. She would skip lunch but snack on crisps and chocolate throughout the day. In the evening she would eat a takeaway tandoori mixed grill and bombay potatoes with rice, poppadoms and naan bread.

Now, she eats fresh fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, a salad and jacket potato for lunch and a veggie burger in a wholemeal bap with a salad for dinner. Throughout the day she snacks on fruit.

A month after starting her weight loss journey she had lost a stone through diet and attending Zumba and yoga classes.

She said: 'I couldn't believe it. I knew I could keep going and lose more. I managed to lose six stone without putting on any weight at all, it just kept dropping off. I still ate tons of food, but the food I was eating was much healthier.'

Now Miss Hiscutt weighs 9st 1lb and can fit into size eight clothes. Since her dramatic weight loss, health conscious Miss Hiscutt has completed several 10K runs and plans on completing a half-marathon before the end of the year.

She said: 'I still can't get my head around the fact I can fit into size eight clothes - I have to take a skinny person with me so they will stop me buying massive dresses. I still think of myself as a fat person.

'I can shop anywhere, I can pick up a T-shirt which looks like it's the size of a hanky to me and it will fit. When I look in the mirror I still can't believe it's me.'