Myth: Drink water to lose weight

Myth: Drink water to lose weight

I am so fed up of beauty editors and other morons on the staffs of women’s magazines who pretend to understand how the human body works.

One of their mantras is: drink lots of water. Not only will this make you thin, it will make your skin glow and – though they don’t actually say this – make you seem sophisticated when you order a glass of sparkling water rather than Diet Coke. (In the West, it also helps that the water companies are big advertisers.)

The truth is that everybody needs water because we need to stay hydrated. One estimate is that our body needs two litres of fluids every 24 hours. But what beauty editors don’t tell you is that these fluids can be taken in any form. Coke, coffee, tea, etc. all count as fluids. So does the water content of many foods.

There is one interesting sidelight, however. While research shows that water makes little difference to how hungry you feel, soup can make a difference. 

Drinking soup will make your stomach stay fuller for longer and will stave off hunger pangs. Hopefully, you will eat less as a consequence.