Diala Jamaleddine of "HIT" Debunks the Most Common Weight Loss Misconceptions

Diala Jamaleddine is an ex-tennis champion, a passionate yogi and a certified ISSA fitness nutritionist in progress. She believes fitness is all about the community, where everyone on your side pushes you to beat your weaknesses and challenges you. Adding to that, Diala is also a coach at Hit Egypt.

We asked Diala about the right way we should be eating in order to lose weight, and the answers were surprising. Everything you thought would make you lose weight turned out to be wrong. So keep on reading, and find out about the misconceptions of weight loss, straight from the expert.

Would skipping meals and eating one meal per day really make us lose weight?

Well, maybe for some people yes, but it's hardly possible for most people. One of the many reasons people fail at diets is simply because they get hungry. See, eating small meals throughout the day keeps the fire of our metabolism burning, it keeps us from that feeling of hunger, which we all know causes us to shift into an animal existence and eat everything in sight. Also, it  helps you consume all nutrient foods that your body needs, whether to survive, to recover, to be active, to be focused, or to have good skin,hair and nails.

Skipping meals or having one meal per day has many negative effects. It leads to a slowed metabolism and certain weight gain throughout time. It develops headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and lack of concentration due to the low level of glucose in your blood. It increases the risk for developing low blood sugar; since our bodies are very smart when it realizes that it's not getting the appropriate amount of nutrients, it decreases the metabolism. It increases the risk of developing gallstones, and a lot more problems that most people aren't aware of.

Cutting carbohydrates and sweets out of our diet to lose weight is very common. Can this work with everyone?

Cutting sweets is a must, it's one of the most important and fastest ways to lose weight and be healthy. As most of your hormones slowly get back to work normally, which makes your body have a very strong immune system and raising your metabolic ratio. Cutting carbohydrates with high glycmic index such as (white pasta, white bread, white flour, cereals, fries, etc.) is definitely a must, as well if you want to lose weight. But it's crucial to consider including complex carbs, fruits, and vegetables in your diet, as they are full of fibers and vitamins and they keep you full for a long period of time, and they decrease our cravings towards unhealthy food. It's all about balance. Try to include those carbs during the day with small portions, and cut them after 6 pm.

If we workout, we can eat as much as we can whenever we want. True or false?

Absolutely false. Individuals are different from one other, so are their goals. How much they eat? What they eat? How much they workout? How fit they are? You can never generalize the answer. But I can definitely say that no one, not even athletes who train 8 hours a day, can eat whenever and whatever they want. For example, they can't eat things that increase joint infections, slow down muscle recovery, cause insomnia, and increase the risk of high blood pressure, cancer, insulin sensitivity, leptin resistance. Many more health problems are caused by either starvation or overeating bad food choices or eating right before bed time.

Some people live by counting calories before they eat! Does this actually maintain a healthy weight?

It definitely does. It's considered the most accurate way to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight. But let's be real. Not everyone can do it. What you can do is to workout at least 3 times per week, always go for the healthiest food choices, and to control our meal's portions.

Photo Credits: Shady S.Lewis