Real dieters offer their best tips!

June 24, 6:47 PMNY Women's Health ExaminerAmy Capetta

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Need a boost? Grab that iPod and go! (Shai Coggins: Flickr)

Have you ever realized that sometimes the best pieces of advice come from everyday people (as oppose to the all-knowing knowledgeable pros)? Below are three wise women who tapped into effective weight loss strategies, and three dieting experts who, well…couldn’t agree more with their tips for taking-off-the-pounds:

Real-Woman: Yvonne, 48, Crawfordsville, IN: Lost 42 pounds
Her tip: “I took salt out of my diet and tried not to eat anything processed.”
The expert weighs in: “Cutting the amount of salt that you eat can be an effective way to lose weight,” says Lawrence Hosannah, fitness expert and author of 12 Weeks To Beach Body Abs (AuthorHouse, 2007). “Excess salt consumption can lead to excess water retention, which makes your face and body look fatter.”  He explains that the combination of reducing your intake of high-sodium foods, like cold cuts, pizza and potato chips, and increasing your intake of low sodium foods, such as turkey, crabmeat and skinless chicken, will do wonders for reducing water retention.

Real-Woman: Kara, 36, Chicago, IL: Lost 217 pounds
Her tip: “When eating out, I’ll take my knife and divide the food down the center of my plate, which means, ‘Do not cross that line!’”
The expert weighs in: Weight-Loss coach Linda Spangle suggests living by a concept called the “half off special.” “That simply means eat half as much as you normally would or take the half the amount you actually want.” She advises to apply this rule with at least five foods in your life, as well as at restaurants and banquet meals. “By eating half, you’ll get to appreciate all of the tastes but won’t walk away having overeaten or feeling stuffed.”

Real-Woman: Judith, 49, New Rochelle, NY: Lost 80 pounds
Her tip: “There are some songs that always pump us up, that bring up your energy level and mood. When you need an instant energy and inspiration fix, play these tunes and get moving!”
The expert weighs in: Studies over the years have concluded that listening to music while exercising can improve motivation and energy levels. More recently, Dr. Costas Karageorghis, an associate professor of sport psychology at Brunel University in England, has concluded that the secret lies in the song’s tempo, which he says should fall between 120 and 140 beats-per-minute or BPM (and yes, most dance and rock songs land in this range). Why do these tunes work? Because their BPM closely coincides with the average person’s heart rate during a 20-minute workout.