AN engineer has found love after shedding nearly half his bodyweight.

Andrew Broughton lost an impressive 14 stone in just 18 months by quitting booze and fatty food.

He turned his life around after realising he would never be able to have a family unless he dropped some of his 29st 7lbs mass.

Mr Broughton had a staggering 54 inch waist and drank up to 20 pints of beer on a weekend and ate unhealthy takeaways before going tee total and taking walks around his hometown.

His weight affected him so much he even stopped going on holiday after a trip abroad left him red-faced and having to ask a flight attendant for a larger seatbelt.

He said: "Everything was a struggle – buying clothes, walking up stairs, even going on holiday.

"Once I went to watch Liverpool play a European game and I had to ask for a bigger seatbelt. I was mortified.

"I didn't have a girlfriend. Psychologically I didn't want to speak to girls when I was out with mates because of my size – I had no confidence.

"The turning point for me was when I was at my brother's house for a barbecue and I was playing with his little lad and my friend's child. I was knackered after a few minutes.

"I knew I wanted a family in the future but this made me realise there was no way I'd be able to like I was."

The 33-year-old electrical engineer ditched his beloved beer and started eating healthily and within weeks he started to notice the difference.

He said: "I started eating vegetables and lean meat and totally cut out beer. It was hard at first going to the football with my mates and drinking a soft drink, but it was worth it.

"I also started walking around Deane — then as far as Atherton. Then I started jogging. I was staggered with the results.

"Looking back it was unbelievable how big I was. I could easily have anything up to 20 pints on a weekend watching the game. Then I'd stuff my face with pizza, kebabs – any kind of junk food. I was probably heading to an early grave."

Since his transformation Mr Broughton has been back on an aeroplane – using a normal sized seatbelt – he has met his girlfriend Sarah Smethurst, aged 27, and has run his first marathon raising £1,500 for Blesma, the military charity for limbless veterans.

He added: "It's amazing how my life has changed. I feel like a million pounds. For the first time I'm happy, healthy and looking forward to the future."

Donations can still be made at www.justgiving.com/A-BROUGHTON