It sounds like the kind of news of which women dieters can only dream. A pair of caffeine-impregnated tights which, if worn every day, are claimed to reduce the size of your thighs by half an inch in three weeks. But do they work? Femail challenged three celebrities to put them to the test, with encouraging results. 

TOYAH WILLCOX: BEFORE: waist 27in, hips 35.5in, thighs 21in. AFTER: waist 26in, hips 34in, thighs 21in. 

Singer and TV presenter Toyah, 46, is married to Robert Fripp, a musician. She lives in Worcestershire. She says: 

For the past three weeks I have been sat at a computer screen all day, every day, writing my book. And wearing the new coffee tights. 

Because my workload has been so heavy, I have abandoned my usual two hours of aerobic exercise a day in favour of endless typing, so if anything I expected to put on weight. 

That's why I was astonished to discover I have actually lost inches off my waist and hips. I'm convinced this is down to the tights, because I haven't altered my diet at all. 

Even though I've been wearing them up to 14 hours a day, I didn't find the tights uncomfortable.They were quite tight, but I'm used to wearing a lot of Lycra for my work on stage in musicals and so on, so that wasn't a problem for me. 

They look and feel exactly like the hosiery you buy on the High Street - they're not particularly attractive or good quality, but I wear trousers most of the time, so no one even saw them. 

My biggest concern was that the caffeine might keep me awake at night. I don't ever drink tea or coffee so I was worried that having all that caffeine going into my system would stop me sleeping. 

The skin is the biggest organ in the body so I was convinced that covering almost half of it with something containing a stimulant would have an effect. But, to my surprise, it didn't at all. I felt no physical difference so it's nothing short of a miracle that they've actually worked. 

Overall I am happy with my figure. I've weighed 7st 13lb for the past 25 years and my exercise regime keeps me a dress size 10. But what woman wouldn't relish the option of losing a couple of inches with absolutely no effort? 

I don't think there are any short cuts to getting a healthy, happy body and the tights could never be a replacement for physical exercise - it's not as if they're going to keep your heart fit - but they're an excellent cheat before a big night out or special occasion. 

The one area they had no effect on was my legs, which was odd considering this was cited as one of the main benefits.They've always been very muscular no matter what I try so I didn't expect to see a difference there, but I am thrilled with the results overall. I think the majority of women are going to love them. 

Daily Mail
27th May 2004