And it turns out the procedure is an actual thing. Much like a gastric band, which restricts the stomach and creates a pouch that can only hold a small amount of food, a hypno gastric band makes the patient believe they are fuller quicker.
In fact, 34-year-old TOWIE star Gemma claims she cannot eat more than four mouthfuls without ‘feeling so full she can’t breathe’.
Essentially the person is hypnotised into believing they’ve had band fitted, while managing to avoid the side-effects, risks and surgery.
Gastric band operations have become increasingly popular in the UK over the past few years, with a reported 240,000 people currently waiting for thew surgery.
While the surgery is successful for most, it’s reported that 80 per cent of patients will experience some side effects, including regurgitation of food. Some bodies may even reject the band, resulting in more surgery.
A hypno gastric band ‘operation’ mimics actual surgery to make it feel as real as possible, with the patient lured into a sense of extreme relaxation – like being under anaesthetic.
It’s thought that the use of hypnotherapy can help a person struggling with their weight to address the issues causing this, helping them to keep their weight down after the treatment.
And, as with any surgical procedure, there is aftercare, during which you can have the band tightened or loosened.