Woman lost 4st after hypnotist convinced her of gastric band fitting

A woman lost almost 4st in weight after she was hypnotised into believing she had had a gastric band fitted.

Marion Corns, 35, spent £780 on five sessions with a specialist hypnotherapist after her weight rose to 15st 6lbs.

She was hypnotised and talked through every step of the medical procedure as if she were in an operating theatre.

She was also told that her stomach was the size of a golf ball and now feels full if she tries to eat anything other than a small portion of food.

In four months since the treatment at the Elite Clinic in Marbella, Spain, her weight has dropped to around 11st 7lbs and her dress size from a size 22 to a 14.

Mrs Corns, a mother-of-three from Whiston, Merseyside, was living in Spain at the time of the treatment.

"I have tried every other diet and exercise plan the world has to offer," she said.

"I've tried tablets, WeightWatchers, Atkins, Slimfast, milkshakes and even a personal trainer, but none of them helped me.

"Now I am able to shed up to three pounds a week because I believe I have had a band fitted into my stomach.

"Bizarrely, I can remember every part of the 'procedure' - including being wheeled into theatre, the clink of the surgeon's knife and even the smell of the anaesthetic."

Jacqui Lowdon, dietician and spokeswoman for the British Dietary Association, said she could see why the treatment would be attractive to a lot of people.

"This is quite a novel idea and I've certainly never come across it before," she said.

"Gastric bands are available on the NHS to those who have problems with their weight, but there are a lot of side effects.

"If this works and people can achieve the same kind of weight loss without surgery, it is important they are getting the correct dietary advice as well. It is also important to have a target weight and to know what your ideal weight is."