A mum lost four stone after being hypnotised into thinking she'd had a gastric band fitted.

Emma Eveleigh-Anderton dropped from a size 18 to a slender size eight in just six months after the amazing therapy. Believing her tum has shrunk to the size of a golf ball under a surgeon's knife, the 36-year-old is now able to eat only tiny portions of food.

Hypnotist Russell Hemmings used cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnotherapy to 'reprogramme' her in four sessions costing just under £1,000.

Emma's weight had soared to 13 stone after the births of her daughters Antonia, seven, and Alice, six. Her weight problems got worse when the recession hit the business she runs with her husband Darren, 42.

Gorging on takeaways, Emma ballooned to a size 18 and diets and appetite suppressants failed to shift the pounds.

Then a friend told her about hypnoband therapy and she contacted Russell.

Emma said: "I decided to give this treatment a try as a last resort. Having the session was like actually having the operation, except I was in an office rather than in a theatre. "After the first session I felt hopeful but after the second I really felt positive and much more controlled about my eating habits. It has actually re-educated my mind. I was starting to feel fuller quicker and eating much less. I don't make a conscious decision to eat this way, it's habit now.

"I also started to enjoy exercise, and although I found it intimidating at first I managed to do a triathlon just months after my virtual operation. It gave me a real sense of achievement. Now I've lost four stone and I'm happier, more confident and I feel like a great role model for my children.

"After six months I went back to see Russell, and he didn't even recognise me."

Russell recalled: "She walked into the clinic and I remember thinking she was a new client making an appointment. "She said: 'You don't recognise me do you? And I really didn't. "The change in her life has just been amazing."