News-n-Views is pleased to introduce a new featurure to our newsletter. Shawn Ferrando, a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Sports Fitness Specialist and Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist will be featured in a weekly fitness-based question and answer column.

In this column, Ferrando will highlight the dos and don’ts of getting in shape and staying fit. So if you want to get healthy—inside and out—but need more information on how to do it right, write to Orange County’s fitness guru, Shawn Ferrando.

Q: Will Eating after 8 p.m. make me gain weight?

-T. Richards, Rancho Santa Margarita 

A: It depends. At the end of the day it is all about calories in, calories out (how much you eat and how much you expend through activities or exercise). Contrary to belief, the snack you eat before bedtime doesn’t automatically store as fat. The important factor affecting weight gain is how many calories you eat each day, not what time it is when you eat them.

With that said, skipping meals during the day may lead you to overeat at night, which can definitely pack on weight. Skipping breakfast or lunch may set you up for eating more at night, which usually leads to higher total calorie intake for the day. Your body may have to eat more in the evening in order to feel full to make up for what it didn’t get during the day. Our body’s satiation mechanism, which gives you the feeling of fullness, may take longer to kick in because it tends to become weaker as the day progresses.

A good rule of thumb is to incorporate eating something every 2-3 hours. Your body won’t feel ravenous from missed meals and you would tend to eat less in the evening hours.

Research suggests eating five to six small meals (including snacks) through out the day. Having a larger breakfast, a moderate-size lunch, and a smaller dinner can help you consume fewer calories and reduce the over eating temptation at night.

Bottom line is it’s the total calories you consume each day, not what the clock reads when you eat them. 

Owner of Shawn Ferrando Studio Fitness, Shawn Ferrando, has over 24 years professional experience in the health and fitness industry. Shawn has numerous National certifications including the National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy Of Sports Medicine Advanced Specialization Sports Fitness Specialist, National Academy Of Sports Medicine Certified Core Stabilization Training, O.C.C. Fitness Specialist/Personal Trainer, Apex Certified Trainer, AA Nutrition Education, Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Indoor Cycle Certification. Shawn has extensive experience in rehabilitation training (post injury/pre-post surgery), sport specific training and is CPR/AED Certified through the American Heart Association. Shawn is also a member of the world’s largest associations of Health and Fitness Professionals, Idea Health and Fitness Association and the American College Of Sports Medicine.

Shawn’s Studio Fitness
30555 Trabuco Canyon Road #101
Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679
949.292.1799
Shawn@ShawnsStudioFitness.com
www.ShawnsStudioFitness.com