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Not sure whether to try juicing or low carb? Well youre probably better steering clear from both if you want a trimmer figure.

New research has revealed the most effective diet for achieving and maintaining weight loss and it doesnt even involve milkshakes or skipping meals.

The extensive study by Ticketgum.com quizzed 1,245 slimmers about which diet plan they follow and whether or not it helped them reach their weight loss goal.

It turns out a whopping 83% of people admitting to hitting their slimming target by following the Paleo diet and 89% achieved their goal weight by combining the caveman eating plan with exercise.

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Avacodo - includes monosaturated fatty acids that are more likely to be used as slow burning energy than stored as body fat

Furthermore 67% of people said they maintained their goal weight by sticking to Paleo principles.

The second most effective diet was Slimming World, which helped 78% of people drop pounds, followed by Weight Watchers which worked for 73% of dieters.

On the less successful end of the scale, just 17% of people managed to lose fat with Slim Fast and only 11% got lean by juicing.

We spoke to Paleo diet specialists Keris Marsden and Matt Whitmore, who answered all your burning questions about the prehistoric eating plan.

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Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Online, the pair who co-authored The Paleo Primer: A Second Helping explained the principles of eating Paleo.

What is the Paleo diet?

Essentially the Paleo diet or the Paleo-ish diet as we like to call it is a diet based upon predominantly unprocessed foods including meat, poultry, fish, fruit, herbs, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

The principle benefit to favouring these foods is the fact that they're some of the most nutritious foods available to us in terms of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant content, plus these foods have always been the foundation of the human diet.

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APRICOTS - Calorie content: 12 kcals per apricotEating apricots is said to help reduce the risk of strokes, and heart attacks. They're also full of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fibre, which all promote good heart health

How can the Paleo diet help you lose weight?

One of the biggest factors is the reduction in processed foods, most of which are loaded with poor quality fats, refined carbohydrates, excess salt and food additives all which make them highly palatable, difficult to portion control and can lead to an energy excess in the body.

Replacing these with natural, nutritious ingredients, especially more vegetables, means your calorie consumption is effortlessly reduced whilst still eating a similar volume of food.

Furthermore the foods emphasised on the paleo diet are loaded with micronutrients that fuel your metabolism including zinc, magnesium, iodine and B vitamins, plus the increase in protein and fibre provide more satiating meals which allows you to increase the gaps between meals and eliminate snacking.

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Can you drink alcohol on a Paleo diet?

Sure you can with our flexible approach, you can also eat cake or cookies too, the key is moderation.

As the saying goes it's not a diet its a lifestyle and the reality is there are numerous occasions you don't want to be weighed down by restrictions.

You can join in and celebrate birthdays, holidays and meet friends for a few drinks if that's what you enjoy, then just start the following day with a nutritious breakfast and continue your usual tasty, healthy meals.

If you are looking to lose that belly fat, try these simple easy to follow tips that will help you on the road

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Eat every three hours - Passing on breakfast will send your body into starvation mode, meaning your body starts to store everything youve eaten as fat, and youre midsection is the first to suffer the consequences

Do you have to stick to a certain amount of calories per day?

We offer guidance on calories and macronutrients, however, we dont believe in counting calories on a daily basis.

Your calorie consumption is effortlessly reduced whilst still eating a similar volume of food

Educating yourself so you have a better understanding and awareness of foods is essential as this allows you to meet your basic needs and establish healthy portion sizes.

Some people will need to adapt things slightly once in a consistent Paleo-ish routine and possibly increase their protein intake or limit carbohydrates depending upon their body composition and lifestyle.

It's important to note that sleep, exercise, sunlight exposure and stress management play a fundamental role in health and fat loss, we call these maxi-nutrients.

Does the Paleo diet improve your overall health?

The Paleo-ish diet can have an astounding impact on overall health.

The increase in healthy macronutrients plus extra vitamins, minerals and antioxidants improves mood health, enhances energy levels and digestive function.

It also supports a healthy immune system by lowering levels of systemic inflammation in the body and therefore your risk of chronic disease.

Ideally these nutritional changes are implemented alongside increased physical activity, sufficient sleep and a means of supporting mental health with mindfulness and relaxation techniques.

We have helped numerous individuals use the paleo diet as an intervention for type-2 diabetes and other inflammatory driven diseases and achieved great results.

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83% of people lose weight on THIS diet without exercising - Daily Star