Diets on trial: Is there really a miracle cure to weight loss?

In part two of her dieting odyssey Anna Richardson tries hypnosis, raw food and even cheerleading in an attempt to find the answer to the mystery of weight loss

Week 5: Hypnosis

Start weight: 11 stone Weight loss: 3lb Look into my eyes - and sleep. Imagine yourself as a newer, slimmer you. On the count of three you will wake up and never, ever want to eat chocolate again. Well, that's the idea anyway.

Hypnotist Marisa Peer (marisapeer.com) has for two decades treated people with eating issues.

When I arrive, she spends half an hour talking to me about my relationship with food and quickly establishes I'm an "addictive eater".

In just one session, she is confident she can vanquish my desire to overeat. Forever.

Sceptical, I lie on her designer recliner and she begins to count backwards in an odd monotone. I start to drift. And then something weird happens.

My mind spools backwards and settles on a scene in my childhood when I was about five. Marisa asks what I can see.

I tell her my mother is in hospital with my baby brother and my dad has been left to look after me.

It's teatime, and he's given me a huge plate of chips and beans. The scene is so vivid, and my desire to see my mum so strong, that I begin to cry.

I remember forcing myself to finish the entire plate because I felt I had to be a good girl for him.

The root of my overeating has been unearthed. I leave feeling shaken.

Two days later, I return to Marisa for a bonus session on how to resist chocolate and crisps. This time there is no hypnotism involved, but as we sit chatting, she takes me through a litany of the evils of fat and sugar.

We may think we're treating ourselves to something naughty but nice, but the reality is quite different. To drive the point home, she takes a crisp and sets fire to it.

Seconds later, she has collected a spoonful of melted fat.

I feel repulsed. Maybe this sort of demonstration was what I needed to make me realise just how bad these "treats" are. On my way home, I stock up on fruit and veg.

By the end of the week, I feel lighter, happier and, for the first time in years, in control of food. I want to eat healthily, and have no problem refusing fatty or sugary meals. And I've lost 3lb!

Verdict

So, what have I learned from my quest? Well, having been cut, prodded and starved, I've lost over a stone and feel younger, sexier and more energetic.

In my heart of hearts, I think I always knew there is no miracle cure to weight loss: sensible eating and moderate exercise is the only way to get and stay slim.

But doing that was the hard bit for me. My turning point was hypnosis - the only treatment which addressed my emotional relationship with food and made me realise I often eat when I am feeling emotionally vulnerable.

That has changed. It sounds strange, but I now crave healthier foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables rather than takeaways. A couple of months ago, I'd never have thought that was possible.