Women tell 474 lies a year

It was only a small portion," is women's favourite untruth, and one of nine lies told weekly by the average woman.

It is followed by "I'll have a big lunch so I won't eat much after this", and "I only treat myself once in a while."

Claiming always to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, never eating biscuits and only drinking one glass of wine a day are also common falsehoods, according to a study released by Timex.

Women often claim to be only "eating the kids' leftovers" or "testing the dinner" when indulging, the watch manufacturer found.

Other questionable claims include never eating fast food, only drinking to toast a special occasion and claiming that red wine is healthy.