Slim like an Egyptian: Can tying a simple cord around your waist like the ancients help you lose weight for summer?

I want a band! It’s all natural, green and oh so wholesome! A special band that will encourage you to hold in your tummy. Why not? It’s a clever invention that just might help slim your midsection just in time for summer.

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Slim like an Egyptian: Can tying a simple cord around your waist like the ancients help you lose weight for summer?

• Ancient Egyptians, Indians and Americans tied a cord at the waist to slim
  

• Modern day British brand Malory Band produces cords for £25-£40

• The silver cord can be worn 24 hours a day
  

• Designed to provide a ‘timely tap on the shoulder’ in case of overindulgence

• Founder Penny Mallor claims it uses the psychology of constant awareness
  

The country remains in the grip of an obesity crisis despite the reams of faddy new diets launched every week, so maybe we need to look at the history books to find the answer to our ever increasing  waistlines?

A new British company hopes to help the nation slim back to health with a simple, old-fashioned gadget used by the ancient Egyptians.

So simple in fact that it looks just like a piece of string.

Worn around the middle, the polyester band provides a gentle reminder of when you’ve had enough to eat. It provokes a state of constant awareness and motivation to eat less and more healthily.

Waist measurement is seen as a reliable indicator of general health and the Malory Band is designed to be a continuous reminder of how wide our waistline is.

It’s a centuries-old concept used by ancient civilisations for getting back in shape after childbirth or reducing the waistline.

Ancient Egyptians, Indians and Americans were all fans.

Unlike ordinary string the Malory Band claims it won’t stretch, fray, rub, rot or retain water. It can be worn 24/7 as its fabric is washable and durable – meaning it doesn’t need to be removed for the shower.

The band has a unique button-hole system where a round button goes through one of the button holes and the band lies at a comfortable tension around your middle, allowing it to be made smaller as you lose the inches.

As your waist loses inches, the ‘tail’ becomes longer as you move the button up the button-holes to a smaller size.

You can stop the inches creeping back on by continuing to wear the band after reaching your healthier target size.

A spokesperson said: ‘The Malory Band is pretty and not something you would worry about anyone seeing under your clothing. But essentially, the band is a piece of cord – so if you’re happy with a bit of string, then go right ahead! It’s the psychology of constant awareness which string could give just as well.

‘The band is not a magic potion – it simply motivates the wearer to eat more healthily, eat less, stand tall and hold their abs in and helps the wearer getting any bigger – it’s a constant gauge of size.

‘Some of our case studies wear the band having lost a great deal of weight through diet and exercise and are fearful of putting it back on.

‘The Malory Band puts them in control and does off with the need for calorie counting, food grouping or omission and an unhealthy relationship with a pair of bathroom scales.’