Water before meals aids weight loss

Have you tried out every trick in the book to lose weight - crash diets, gyms, or simply starving yourself?

Now, try a simple trick - drink a glass or two of water before meals, as that's the best way to curb appetite and shed those pounds - says a new research.

Scientists have reported that just two 8-ounce glasses of water taken before meals, can lead to weight loss.

"In this recent study, we found that over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water intake," said Brenda Davy of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

The simple reason is that it fills up the stomach with a substance that has zero calories. People feel fuller as a result, and eat less calorie-containing food during the meal.

And it gets even better if you replace sweetened calorie-containing beverages with it.

Although there's no exact amount of water one should drink, experts advise that most healthy people can simply let thirst be their guide.

The general recommendations for women are about 9 cups of fluids - from all beverages including water - each day, and men at about 13 cups of fluids.

Eat less, don't exercise, shed flab

Those wishing to shed some pounds should simply eat less rather than doing exercise, a leading surgeon has claimed.

Lord McColl of Dulwich also criticized the UK government's focus on promoting exercise as the key to tackling the obesity epidemic.

His comments came despite the scientifically proven fact that regular exercise results in a lower risk of many chronic diseases - including heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

And his view also flies in the face of research that shows it can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy - as well as reduce risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

"We are in the middle of the most serious epidemic to have hit this country for 100 years - the obesity epidemic. The cure is free - you just have to eat less," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.