Sniffing felt-tip pens might sound like a bizarre way to lose weight, but an Ilkley women believes it is the way forward in the diet world.

Liz Paul is the only person in the country to be marketing the Slims-Scents Aroma Pens which have been developed by the Smell and Taste Research Foundation in Chicago, and have taken the US by storm.

The idea is to sniff one of the seven sweet-smelling pens each day before and after eating, or if you feel hungry.

Liz also launched Diet Scent Patches - patches that give off a sickly sweet aroma which is supposed to help banish cravings for sweet foods.

"Sniffing pens sounds like a strange idea but it really can work," she said.

"The good thing is Slim-Scents is not a diet and it's not a drug.

"It uses the body's sense of smell to make you eat less and feel fuller.

"There are seven pens with different smells including green apple, spearmint and banana," said Liz.

She added: "Each pen is marked with a day of the week and you sniff one pen a day, three times before you eat anything and if you feel hungry.

"Ideally you should sniff about ten times a day.

"The pens use natural smells which trick the brain into thinking you've eaten so you eat less.

"The good thing is that you don't have to stop eating your favourite foods, you eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full.

"If you used the same pen each day it loses its effectiveness so you get seven each with a different smell."

A pack of seven pens, which last for about a month, costs £19.95 plus £2 package and posting.

For more details telephone 0870 7070123.

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