Week One
Weight: 8st 7lb
Waist: 28in
Three litres of water is just over five pints, which sounds like an awful lot. I visit my local GP in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, to be sure there can be no adverse health implications to upping my water intake so dramatically.
He is very encouraging. 'I suggest you have a big jug of water in the morning, then another in the afternoon and another in the evening,' he says. 'Your kidneys, which filter waste products from the blood before turning it to urine, will quickly feel the benefit, as they will be getting a good flush through.'
Hangover headaches result from dehydration: the body's organs try to make up for a lack of water by stealing it from the brain, as a result of which it actually shrinks.
Headaches result from the pulling on the membranes that connect your brain to your skull. Ouch. Luckily, I escape all this and wake up hangover-free.
For years I've been doing ten minutes of yoga every morning straight after I get up, but I've been feeling stiffer over the past six months. Yet since I started drinking more water my flexibility has improved. Gemma Critchley, from the British Dietetic Association, confirms that water helps lubricate the joints.
Week Two
Weight: 8st 6lb (lost a pound)
Waist: 28in
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My complexion is improving and my skin tone is more even. I still have wrinkles under my eyes, but they look less crepey and shadowy than before.
The blotches on my face are diminishing, and the shadows around my eyes are less pronounced.
I feel pleased when my sister-in-law tells me my skin looks clearer than it did a week ago. I have a busy week with lots of time away from home, so I stock up on half-litre bottles of mineral water I can carry around in my bag. A week's worth costs just over £8. If I spread my water intake over the day, that's half a litre when I wake up, another with breakfast, one with lunch, one in the afternoon, one with my evening meal then another before bed. It sounds like a lot, but I'm finding it manageable.
Today, I've noticed my breath smells less 'breathy', maybe because I've ditched tea - I decided water was better for me. I'm certainly not missing the sweet, milky taste it left in my mouth.
Gemma Critchley says: 'Water is obviously the best choice since it has no calories and will hydrate you efficiently.' I say I might try juice instead of water sometimes, just for the taste and variety, but she warns me not to.
'If you drink a large glass of juice, you could be consuming more energy than you need,' she says, which would mean weight gain.
I haven't had a headache for over a week now, which is unusual for me, and I'm delighted that my bowels are working so much better. Result!
I went shopping this afternoon in Leeds, but having to find a lavatory three times in five hours was irritating - they always seem to be in the most hidden corner of every shop.
I'd expected my stomach to feel bloated with all the extra water but it's actually flatter than usual. And my husband says the cellulite on my bottom and thighs has vanished.
Surely this is too good to be true?
Week Three
Weight: 8st 6lb
Waist: 27.5in (lost half an inch)
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The dark rings and wrinkles under my eyes have virtually disappeared, and my skin looks plumper and more nourished. My friend, who is a beauty therapist, says this is because the water is helping my skin cells regenerate more efficiently.
I've noticed I've stopped rubbing my eyes when I wake up in the morning. They used to be dry and full of sleep, but not now. All this extra water must be keeping them moist.
I'm feeling guilty about all the plastic bottles I've been using so I'm back on Yorkshire tap water, which I carry around in a re-usable water bottle.
I have to take a long train journey and I realise afterwards how productive I felt and how easy I found it to concentrate, rather than having my customary snooze.
Dr Emma Derbyshire, senior lecturer in nutritional physiology at Manchester Metropolitan University and adviser to the Natural Hydration Council, says: 'Our brain is 73 per cent water, so poor hydration can affect how it functions. Dehydration can reduce our ability to concentrate as well as our cognitive performance.'
The downside was having to use train toilets. Dreadful.
I'm eating less because drinking water with meals makes me feel fuller quicker. I used to snack, but I was reaching for food when I was actually thirsty. Studies show 37 per cent of people mistake thirst for hunger.
When I put on eye make-up, my eyes seem less wrinkled. When I rubbed an eye-shadow applicator over my eyelid, it used to drag the skin with it, too, but now my skin seems to have more elasticity.
