Yes to some extent. Our body weight is composed of muscle, fat, bones and water. In most of the individuals extra weight is due to excessive fat but in some they weigh extra due to water retention also. They have lot of water stored in the body which makes them look plump. For those individuals barley water helps in reducing weight. Barley water helps the body to reduce water retention and so the person starts weighing less. It has some properties in it which makes the kidneys expel more water and the water percentage of body decreases which helps in reducing weight.