Wednesday Apr 1 2009

Bio Skinny Water is being hailed by some as a brilliant new way to help you diet. We asked Belfast Telegraph writers, Helen Carson and Kerry McKittrick, to submit to the slimming challenge

Helen Carson (42) thinks Skinny Water may help some but isn’t raising a glass to it. She says:

Drinking a hearty tonic is not a new idea. Indeed, every generation can nearly be defined by what ‘pick-me-up’ they favour — whether it’s a hot whiskey or fortifying chicken soup. For me it was the ubiquitous bottle of Lucozade served warm by my mum when I had a cold. Since then drinks have evolved from Diet Coke in the 80s to our current obsession with water.

Now, even the humble glass of H2O has had a makeover with fruit-flavoured, sparkling and still varieties flooding the market, turning the everyday consumer into something of a connoisseur on one of life’s essentials.

Now the Noughties has responded with Bio Skinny Water which neatly combines our desire for hydration with another — the goal of a svelte figure. But is this the ultimate diet secret bottled? I decided to get the l’eau down on Skinny Water.

Bio-Synergy Skinny Water, which costs between 99p and £1.49 a bottle, is a low calorie drink enhanced with a combination of ingredients to maximise weight loss when combined with a well-balanced diet and regular exercise, according to the blurb.

Billed as a ‘lifestyle water’ and weighing in at just 10 calories a bottle — it contains L-Carnitine that, it is claimed, assists with the breakdown of fatty acids in order to create energy. There is also chromium which is supposed to ensure fat can be metabolised and used as a fuel by the body.

The water is also said to help reduce sugar cravings. Daniel Herman from Skinny Water creators Bio-Synergy, says: “Chocolates brought round by well-meaning visitors provide a challenge for anyone wanting to temper their excesses — and the chocolates might just last until the summer if the detox is combined with Skinny Water.”

From Christmas over-indulgence to the pending Easter egg chocolate extravaganza, Skinny Water promises slimming will be plain sailing.

It’s a big claim, and I was prepared to submit to the Skinny Water challenge. Initially I wasn’t impressed with the taste. It’s not fizzy, yet a hiss of air escapes from the top of the bottle on opening. I found the flavour too sweet and artificial for my liking.

It may have been the taste and the fact my bottle wasn’t refrigerated, which I think would definitely make it more palatable, but the most I could down in a day is two of the 500ml bottles (the makers suggest three or four). I can drink a lot more ordinary bottled water. Of course, this may be the Skinny Water working as it is incredibly filling, sating any hunger pangs for a few hours at a time. Despite this, for me it just isn’t as refreshing or hydrating as plain tap water.

I put it to the ultimate test by topping up on the diet drink one evening when I knew I would miss dinner. To be fair it kept me fuelled up until after 8pm with no rumbling tummy.

The makers of Skinny Water have done their homework, however, and customer feedback points to people with a sweet tooth lapping up the drink, or even making ice lollies with it for a sin-free treat.

Still, I’m not a convert. I’m a fan of the age-old dieting trick of drinking two glasses of water before a main meal, which makes you feel fuller.

Even though I have recently returned to the gym and am watching what I eat, I haven’t shed a pound with this product. Except in my purse, that is — it costs money compared to tap water which is free, at least for now.

In addition, the market is awash with many other mineral enriched energy drinks.

Knowing the desire among most, if not all, of us to find the slimming solution which avoids abstinence, Skinny Water just might be good enough to quench that particular thirst.

It’s not just us women-folk who are increasingly body-conscious. Research commissioned by Bio Synergy and conducted by the British Market Research Bureau Omnibus on body image found that 73% of men are comfortable with their bodies but feel under pressure to maintain their weight, while 69% of women would like to change their stomachs.

And that’s a really big reason why we’ll keep on trying out pioneering products like Skinny Water.”

Kerry McKittrick (29) believes in exercise and a balanced diet, but gives the thumbs up to Skinny Water for helping shed a few extra pounds. She says:

I didn’t have the faintest idea what was going on when the cry went across the office: “Who wants to try skinny water?” However, when it was explained to me that this new-fangled drink would help me lose weight, then I, as I imagine most people would, jumped at the chance. Well, most women probably would.

The science behind it is apparently simple. It contains L-Carnitine, which occurs naturally in the body, and chromium, and it’s claimed they help burn fat and carbohydrates and reduce sugar cravings.

The recommended amount a day is between two and four 500ml bottles, and it comes in either grapefruit or pomegranate flavours.

Now, I admit, I’m a sceptic about such things. I think the best way to lose weight is simply to eat a balanced diet and get regular exercise, but then again, like many people, I sometimes find this just that little bit hard to do.

So, does it work? Well, after drinking Skinny Water regularly for a few weeks I’ve lost half a stone.

I anticipated the loss of a couple of pounds because I’m on a diet and counting calories anyway.

But I did notice that Skinny Water was an excellent way to fend off the sugar crash that can send me heading straight for the biscuit tin.

As far as taking away sugar cravings, I can’t say I noticed any change, but in the middle of afternoon deadlines and with errands to run after work, it gave me an extra hour of energy before I needed to refuel. This didn’t happen to any large extent and certainly wouldn’t work as a meal replacement, but it did give me a bit of a boost when I most needed it.

As part of a calorie controlled diet and extra exercise, Skinny Water was a big help. It steered me away from those diet-busting snacks.

Normally I battle to drink the recommended two litres of water a day but I found that if it was Skinny Water on my desk, I tended to drink more of it than I would ordinary water, which has to be a plus.

What I found most surprising, though, was the effect it had on my skin, which is prone to break-outs if I consume too much junk food or processed products.

At the moment my skin is currently spot-free and — hooray! — seems to be staying that way.”