A NEILSTON jet-setter was inspired to shed an impressive amount of weight after she was unable to fasten her seatbelt on a plane.

Laura Mechan, 24, is finally bikini ready after losing four-and-a-half stones with Weight Watchers and is now enjoying a healthier weight and lifestyle.

The globetrotter, who works in administration, was 18st 8lbs before seatbelt stress provided the motivation to join her local slimming group and kick-start her weight loss journey.

Laura, who now weighs in at 14st 2lbs, admits she was horrified when she boarded a plane for Thailand in 2015 and found she struggled to even fit in the seat.

As soon as she returned home, she signed up for a session with Weight Watchers coach Phyllis Templeton at The Bank Café, in Neilston.

The unrecognisable photographs and the travel stress triggered Laura into taking action about her ever-increasing size.

As travel had always been important to Laura, she knew she was missing out on all these experiences because she was embarrassed about her size.

A few of her friends from the village had already had huge success at the local Weight Watchers meeting so she decided, with renewed enthusiasm, to come back and give it another go.

Laura said: “I had tried other weight loss plans in the past, with little or no success. I felt they didn’t promote portion control or swap options like Weight Watchers do. I found Weight Watchers easier to follow.”

The year that she joined Laura went on three trips abroad and still managed to lose two stone.

And as she started to regain her confidence she booked another six trips the following year.

To keep up the momentum she would set herself mini goals to achieve before each trip.

“The weekly meetings are more like a community, we all support each other in every aspect and there are always wee tips to learn and new recipes to discover.

“I have always found it pretty easy to stick to the plan. It's simple, stay within your Smartpoints budget and you’ll lose, go over and you won’t.

“My mindset has changed since I joined and Phyllis is the most positive and inspirational coach.

“I feel that having a good coach is definitely a key aspect to being successful and reaching your goal.”

Laura has another big trip booked for September, when she will jet off to Hong Kong, Singapore and Bali.

And she hopes that, by continuing to eat healthily and do some exercise, she can reach her target weight by then.

Laura’s top tips for success are to take weekly photographs, whether you lose weight or not, so that you can see how much your body is changing.

She also cites having everything in moderation, getting the balance right and always staying positive as keys to success.

To find out more about Weight Watchers, call Phyllis on 0750 070 7145 or visit the website at www.weightwatchers.co.uk.