An obese teenager has lost four stone with the help of a gadget which "trains" him to eat his food more slowly.
Laurence Willshire (16), from Bristol, places his meals on a set of scales, which are linked up to the Mandometer computer.
The device then records and stores the weight loss from the plate as Laurence eats and tells him when he is eating more than he should.
It even tells him when he can have his next mouthful.
Laurence weighed 21 stone last year before taking part in a pioneering trial at the Childhood Obesity Clinic at Bristol's Royal Hospital for Children.
He is now 17 stone and is well on the way to reaching his target weight of 15 stone.
Ian Probert, a spokesman for the hospital, said the gadget worked by training the patient to eat at a slower rate.
"A lot of obese people bolt their food so quickly the stomach doesn't have time to tell the brain it's full.
"The Mandometer informs them when they can eat and when they can have their next mouthful.
"It slows the rate of consumption and, by having gaps between mouthfuls, it trains the patient to control their rate of eating, the rate slows down and the amount of food they consume diminishes."
The teenager, who is six foot seven, began comfort eating after being bullied at school and was soon wolfing down packets of biscuits and entire multipacks of crisps in one go.
His worried parents, Lydia (47) and Roy (48), who have three children, tried in vain to persuade Laurence to eat healthier foods.
He was referred to the Childhood Obesity Clinic, where 120 volunteers took part in the pilot of the Mandometer.
The Swedish-designed gadget was originally used to treat people who had anorexia, but could now also play a major role in helping people to actually lose weight.
"It's not a magic cure and only works in tandem with all kinds of other treatments such as exercise on prescription," Mr Probert said.
"Laurence was also going to the gym and burning off a lot of fat."