I'm half the girl I used to be! Graduate loses 12st in just nine months after being forced to accept seatbelt extender on flight
- - Holy Hatfield, 23, from Belper, Derbyshire, slimmed eight dress sizes
- - 'Mortifying' experience on EasyJet flight last July required her to move seats
- - She needed to use seatbelt extender and school group witnessed incident
- - Embarked on LighterLife weight management programme from August - April
- - Saw a counsellor who coached her into cutting down on the carbs
- - Began exercising, taking swimming and yoga classes
- - Went from 23st 7lbs and size 28 to 11st 7lbs and size 12
By DENI KIRKOVA
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A graduate was shamed into losing a whopping 12 stone in just nine months after a mortifying flight home after her travels.
Holly Hatfield, 23, had been looking forward to travelling home from Berlin to East Midlands Airport last July after completing her studies for her masters degree in the German city.
But she was mortified when she went to take her seat and discovered that she had to move due to her size - and would need a seatbelt extender.
Holly weighed 23st 7lb at the time and was a size 28.
Holly Hatfield, 23, from Belper in Derbyshire lost an incredible 12 stone in nine months
She has since slimmed down by eight sizes to a slender 12, and she weighs a healthy 11st 7lb.
'I had always been big, but the incident on the EasyJet flight was the catalyst for finally taking action to lose the weight,' said Holly, from Belper in Derbyshire.
'I boarded the busy plane and managed to grab an aisle seat - a seat I normally chose on account of the extra space.
'I realised at that moment that I would need a seat belt extender, but when I asked for one the flight attendant explained that because I was the last row they could not have any one using an extender in those seats.
'She then asked a lady in the row in front of me if she would swap seats. The passenger had a spare seat next to her.
'The airline handled the move discreetly and without fuss. But a school group who had been sat opposite had witnessed the whole thing - it was a pretty painful and mortifying experience.'
Holly pictured on her graduation day at Keele University. She slimmed down from 23st 7lbs to a svelte 11st 7lbs
Holly had always been fond of her food and enjoyed feasting on takeaways - especially pizza.
She turned a blind eye to the warning signs that her weight was spiralling out of control, even when she used to call her dad from the bottom of the road leading to their family home asking for a lift up the hill.
But the plane ordeal persuaded her to tackle her weight once she arrived back in the UK.
'I'd always been on the big side,' she said, 'even at primary school I was always the biggest of my friends and I got bigger in high school.
'As I got older and had my own money to spend I would treat myself to a lot of fast food after my lessons.
Holly - pictured at the start of her weight-loss journey, was mortified to need seatbelt extender on flight
'The choices at school weren't great either.
'And when I got to university I continued to eat a lot of take always and didn't take time to cook healthy meals. Instead I relied on convenience food.
'I ate a lot of carbs. My meals were often all about the bread. I was definitely a boredom eater.
'When I was at a loose end I would look for something to eat to occupy my mind.
'Holly embarked on the LighterLife weight management programme from August 2012 until April, took yoga classes ans went swimming. She also saw a counsellor who coached her into cutting down on carbs'
'I wasn't an emotional eater, I've never been bullied and I never had family issues.
'If I was at home and there was something in the kitchen I would pick it up and graze on it without giving it a second thought.'
As her weight continued to rise, Holly, who attended Keele University where she also studied for her first degree in sociology and American studies, turned a blind eye to the negative impact it was having on her life.
'It just seemed like I would never be able to stop eating or slim down, so it became easier not to do anything about it,' she said.
'It did hold me back though. I realise that now. I wasn't able to do any of the activities that my friends were enjoying. If someone was going on a bike ride, I couldn't go. PE was always a nightmare.
'There are lot of hills in Belper where I live. I found it very tiring to walk anywhere, so it became easier just to stay at home.
'I used to call my dad to ask him to pick me up from the bottom of our road in his car and drive me home.
Holly, pictured with her father Ray in 2012, embarked on a LighterLife programme and started exercising
Holly pictured at the Olympic Park in 2012. She slimmed an incredible eight dress sizes after the plane incident
'It affected my social life in other ways too. At university, if we were going out my friend would offer to drive, but that would be a nightmare. She had really small car and there were five of us who used to go out together. It was a real struggle to fit me in the car. It was so embarrassing.'
The retail assistant had tried various diets before but they had done nothing to curb her obesity.
Then she tried the LighterLife weight management programme and started the diet in August 2012.
She was provided with specially formulated food packs, including soups, porridge, milk shakes and snack bars which she used for eight months until April.
She also attended counselling sessions, in which she was coached into cutting down on the carbs and instead eating more fresh fruit and vegetables. And she began exercising, taking swimming and yoga classes.
Holly's remarkable collection of photos documenting her weight loss shows her spectacular results
Holly reached her current target weight by May - and is now able to walk up the hill without relying on her dad for a lift.
She also landed her first job in retail. Holly's excess weight is equivalent in size to actress Pauline Quirke, who slimmed down to 12st from 19st 6lb a couple of years ago.
'It might not be for everyone,' she said, 'but once I decided I wanted to lose weight I just wanted it gone.
'It was quick but I did feel great throughout the whole programme. I now go swimming every week and have started doing Yoga classes with my mum.
Holly, who is now a healthy 11st 7lb, and a slim size 12, can walk up a hill without needing a lift
'It still amazes me that I can walk up a hill to my house from work without having to call my dad to come and pick me up - I could never manage the steep climb before.
'Apart from the physical changes it's changed my outlook. Now I want to get up and do things. I'm just more bouncy and energetic. Before the weight loss I didn't realise how little I did. Now I want to ride a bike and go ice skating.'
Currently working on the shop floor for a high street clothing chain, Holly hopes to develop her career in retail.
'I really like retail and I'm really interested in the psychology behind retail and how things are marketed.'
And asked what advice she would offer others looking to tackle their weight problems she said: 'I think it's a personal thing but you have to be in the right mind set. I tried diets before, but I wasn't in the right mind set, I just wasn't in the mood. You can't do it by halves.'
Holly also saw a counsellor who coached her into cutting down on the carbs and instead eating more fruit
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