I have compiled 101 lose weight tips that are healthy and reasonably simple. I have done that because too many people struggle with dieting. Yet losing weight need not be a difficult undertaking. The lose weight tips are designed to help you kick start your weight loss journey. They aim to help you lose weight, to maintain your weight loss, and finally to help you achieve permanent weight loss.
Some of the lose weight tips are expanded in the articles posted on the site. A link will be provided to you for easy access to the articles. Please take advantage of these posts as they provide a deeper insight or more comprehensive information about the particular tips to lose weight.
Please make sure that you discuss your desire to lose weight with your healthcare practitioner.
Easy Lose Weight Tips To Help You Lose Weight Permanently
1. Use the BMI calculator and find out if you need to be concerned about your weight. Body Mass Index ( BMI ) is a ratio of a person’s weight to his/her height. Currently, the index is one the simplest yet accurate indicators for body fat of most people. It allows you to determine if your weight is within or outside of the healthy range.
2. Set your weight loss goal. Set it in small increments. Suppose you need to lose 100 pounds. That may seem like such a huge and unreachable goal that you may be too frightened to even start. However, if you break your desired weight loss into reasonable increments, such as losing 10 pounds in 4-6 weeks, it suddenly appears doable.
3. Set a time line. A reasonable goal for losing 10 pounds is 4-6 weeks. You may lose the first 10 pounds much faster, maybe in a week. Subsequent pounds though, will come off a little slower, between 1-2.5 pounds per week . After each 10 pounds re-asses your time line.
4. Do a little math. Based on your personal information, sex, age, weight and height and your physical activity calculate how many calories you will need to lose on daily basis to reach your goal. Use the weight loss calculator to find out how many calories you need to consume to lose weight. Remember, if you increase your physical activity you can eat more!
5. Create a fan club for yourself. Nothing is more encouraging than a good support from your friends and family. If this is not possible join an online forum where you will meet people who are in the same situation as you are. This is one of those weird lose weight tips, but it is important!
6. Purchase a scale if you do not have one already. The best ones are the digital ones. You will want to weigh yourself once per week or two at the initial stages of your weight loss. At this stage do not weigh yourself more often then that. Later, at the maintenance level you may want to weigh yourself as often as once per day.
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7. Drink water. 8-10 glasses of water per day are generally recommended. Water will help you get rid of toxic waste. Water is absolutely essential in order for you to lose weight. Most people do not know that water helps the body get rid of toxins and metabolize fat. Many people also are not aware that if they retain water, drinking plenty of water is actually the best natural treatment for water retention. Almost every article on lose weight tips will include drinking water as one of the most crucial tips. It is that important!
8. Have water as soon as you wake up. That first glass of water will start your metabolism going.
9. Have water every time you eat. Drink it before a meal and during the meal. It will dilute your blood after eating and that will prevent you from feeling sluggish after you eat. As, well it will make you feel full.
10. Drink water if you feel you are hungry. Whenever you think you are hungry, first have a glass of water. Wait 10 -15 minutes to see if your feeling of hunger subsides. Often we mistaken thirst for hunger.
11. Filter your water. Water may contain chemicals that can sabotage your weight loss efforts. In rural areas, pesticides from farm can leach into water. Plastic water bottles are also an issue.
12. Stop drinking juices and pop. They are full of sugar which contributes to your weight problem.
13. No diet drinks or sodas either! Commonly used artificial sweeteners in soft drinks may not contain any calories but they cause you to gain weight. (see below).
14. Drink ice cold water or beverages. Drinking ice cold drinks boosts your metabolism. It is not a huge amount but it helps.
15. Read ingredient labels very carefully when purchasing food. Believe me this not one of those frivolous lose weight tips. It is essential for weight loss. You will realize the importance of this tip as you gown this list.
16. Stop eating refined sugar and sugary foods. Sugar has no nutritional value. I is laden with lot of empty calories. Sometimes sugar is not avoidable, please check ingredient list and chose the product withe least amount of grams (g) of sugar.
17. Minimize foods that contain ingredients ending with "ose". All "ose" ending ingredients are sugar. The most common ones are: high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), maltose, glucose, fructose (natural fructose, as in fresh fruits is exempted), dextrose, saccharose, sucrose, xylose.
18. Avoid other sugars. In addition, the following words on a nutritional label mean "sugar". Avoid them as much as possible: corn sweetener, corn syrup or corn syrup solids, dehydrated cane juice, HFCS, maltodextrin, malt syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, raw sugar, rice syrup, syrup, treacle, turbinato sugar.
19. Read the ingredient list on prepared foods. The ingredients are listed in the descending order of predominance by weight. For example, if the ingredient list indicates that sugar is int the top three spots you can be sure that the food you are buying is going to be sweet.
20. Do not consume artificially sweetened food. Artificial sweeteners are nothing but BAD news! They are really bad for you and rather than helping you lose weight, they actually help you pile those unwanted pounds on. Not only are they toxic, (which interferes with fat processing), they are linked to increased hunger, especially sweet cravings" signals to your brain. This leads you to overeat. Some commonly used artificial sweeteners are: aspartame, equal, sucralose, Splenda, saccharin. This is one of those lose weight tips that you really need to take seriously. Not only for the weight loss but for your general health as well!
21. Use natural sweeteners if you want to sweeten your food. Unlike artificial sweeteners, they are not toxic and they do not cause body reactions that would lead you to gain weight. You can use 100% pure Stevia (found in health food stores) or Truvia, a recent product made from Stevia (available at your supermarket).
22. DO NOT stop using salt in your diet. Salt, namely sodium, the element found in salt, is critical for life. Salt-free diets are dangerous and low-salt diets may also adversely affect your health. Consume the right kind of salt! ( see below).
23. Reduce/eliminate the intake of refined salt. Refined salt, or as generally known table salt, is the everyday salt that is readily available at the supermarkets. It is processed and contains additives that are unhealthy and cause health problems including water retention.
24. Use unrefined sea salt. Laden with minerals this salt offers a perfect balance of minerals, nutrients and sodium that the body needs for optimum balance without the side effect common with refined salt. The best sea salts are found in health food stores and are organically certified. Make sure to read the label because refined sea salts are hitting the common supermarkets and are refined. The unprocessed Celtic sea salt or Redmon’s real salt are your best bet.
25. Eat fats sensibly. Fats are essential for our body to function. We must consume fats.
26. Reduce the amount of fats in your diet. In a healthy diet, fats should not exceed 30% of our daily calorie intake. To lose weight you could reduce the amount of fats you consume to 20- 25% daily calorie intake. Do not reduce the fat intake below 20%. That could pose danger to your health.
27. Understand fat content on food labels. Food manufactures generally assume that your normal fat consumption is 30% of your total daily calorie intake. If you are on a reduced fat intake plan make sure you understand that.
28. Eliminate the unhealthy fats like hydrogenated oil / "trans fats" (trans-fatty acids) from your diet (french fries and doughnuts are loaded with hydrogenated oils), including margarine and shortening.
29. Use only quality fats for cooking. Coconut oil is excellent because it also withstands high temperature. Other fats to use are olive oil (unfiltered, organic, extra filtered), canola oil and unsalted butter (raw, organic).
30. Incorporate foods rich in omega-3 fats into your normal diet. Foods rich in omega-3 fat are fish, fish oil, seeds (especially flax seeds), avocados, and nuts (especially walnuts). Eat the nuts raw. Make sure you exercise strict portion control when eating these fat rich foods.
31. Beware of low-fat or fat-free foods. In order to reduce fat in a product, the product needs to be altered to produce a taste and a consistency equivalent to that of the natural product. The fat component in these foods has often been replaced with carbohydrate additives. As a result, the calorie equivalents for the natural versus altered product often do not differ by much. In some instances the fat-free versions have in fact more calories than the natural version of the products. please read labels carefully.
32. Avoid eating processed foods whenever possible. These foods are believed to contribute greatly to the problem of obesity. Processed foods strip away the natural and important nutrients that our bodies need. In stead they are replaced by substances that our bodies often cannot digest. These are then turned into fats. Please, consider this as one of those lose weight tips not to be taken lightly!
33. Do not skip meals. Do you know what sumo wrestlers do to gain all that weight. They eat the bulk of their calories in the evening. Then on the heavy stomach they go to sleep. It works well for them and for million of Americans who have weight issues.
34. Eat often. A good strategy is to eat at least 5 meals per day. 3 main meals and two snacks in between.
35. Eat smaller portions. Learn to eat less food at each meal. Have smaller portions. Use smaller plates. A meal portion on a large plate make look small and may seem insufficient. The same portion on a small plate will appear large tricking your brain into thinking that you have a enough to satisfy your hunger.
36. Eat breakfast. Never skip breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day and this is one of the most important of the lose weight tips in this series.. Eat breakfast within the first 30 – 45 minutes after waking up. When you skip breakfast you make poorer choices during the day and suffer many snack attacks. Breakfast curbs your appetite. Breakfast boosts your metabolism. Research indicates that a majority of the successful weight losers eat breakfast regularly. The article Get Thin With A Breakthrough Weight Loss Solution, in simple terms, summarizes the research and provides a guideline for an effective breakfast.
37. Stop eating after dinner (evening meal). Give your body a chance to optimize digestion and lose weight. If you must snack at night, make yourself an herbal tea and eat raw veggies, like a green pepper. Apparently by following this lose weight tip you can shed a few pounds in a week.
38. Avoid mindless eating. Often, while reading or watching TV we eat. Sometimes a full meal and often a snack or two. At these times we are not even conscious what we are eating. When you eat mindlessly, you tend to overeat. When eating a meal try to concentrate on the meal only. Do not distract yourself with anything else.
39. Add a variety to your diet. Do not eat the same foods day after day. Variety is the spice of life and a boost to your metabolism.
40. Allow yourself to cheat. When your diet is strict it is very hard to maintain. Allow yourself to have cheat meals that consist of foods that you really like. To ensure that you will not use cheat meals as an excuse to indulge in "forbidden" foods in a moment of weakness make sure that your cheat meals are planned. Exercise portion control.
41. Diet mistakes. Mistakes will happen.There will be times when you will overindulge (going out with friends, festivities). Do not berate yourself. You are allowed to to overeat once in a while, that is a part of life. Just accept it, re-group and next day get back on track.
42. Eat protein at most of your meals. Proteins are essential macronutrients to sustain life.When you eat protein, your body secretes a hormone called glucagon, which facilitates the breakdown of fat. Your daily intake of protein depends on your age and physical activity level. It is safe to consume 20-30% of your calories from protein sources (eggs/egg whites, fish, legumes, lean meat, and dairy products). The higher percentage of protein intake pertains to a greater physical activity level.
43. Do the protein math. 1 gram (g) of protein is equivalent to 4 calories. If you are consuming a diet of of 1600 calories, the protein intake at 20-30% of the daily calorie intake would be equivalent to 80g – 120g of protein respectively.
44. Eat eggs. Only 70 calories per one large egg. Is a source of 6 grams of high quality protein, 5 grams of fat and 1 gram of carbohydrates. More over, eggs are full of essential vitamins and minerals. They include zinc, iron, choline, lutein, folate, riboflavin, vitamins A, D, E, K and B12 among their arsenal of goodies they offer.
45. Focus on complex carbohydrates. You will find complex carbohydrates in fresh fruit, fresh or cooked vegetables, legumes, and whole grain. These foods are full of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
46. Eat a diet rich in complex carbohydrates. At least 50% of your energy intake should come from carbohydrates and most should come from complex carbohydrates and not from simple sugars. Complex carbohydrates are starches and fiber. Fodds include grains, vegetables, legumes and fresh fruit.
47. Consume sufficient amount of fiber. FDA set a daily value for fiber consumption at 25g. The American Dietetic Association recommends 20 – 35g of fiber per day. In North America people currently consume less than 50% of their daily recommended amount of fiber. Eating fibrous foods helps you lose weight. Fiber consumption creates a feeling of satiety, helps to regulate the passage of food through the gastro-intestinal system and it slows down glucose adsorption. The main sources of fiber include grain, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
48. Eat calcium rich food. Calcium is not only important for strong bones and teeth it is also important in helping to dispose of the extra fat you ingested. Some of the calcium rich foods are milk and milk products, broccoli, salmon, sardines, black strap molasses, beans, turnip greens, almonds, amaranth, sesame seeds.
49. Watch the salads. Many people think that eating salads is healthy and appropriate for weight loss. Often this is the case, especially when you prepare the salad yourself. The salads in many restaurants are a different story, some Ceasar salads may contain in excess of 800 calories.
50. Eat spicy foods. Spice up your metabolism. Many spices will boost your metabolism and help you lose weight. The best is cayenne pepper increase metabolism and fat-burning ability by up to 25% for about 3 hours. Start with small amounts until you get used to the spicy taste. Other metabolism-boosting spices include, ginger, cumin (used in curries), turmeric, cinnamon and mustard.
51. Use onions and garlic in your cooking. Both contain phytonutrients. These break down fat globules from the food in the intestinal tract. As a result, this fat is not absorbed into the body but it is eliminated.
52. Drink green tea. Green tea is a healthy antioxidant and a natural metabolism booster.
53. Eat grapefruit before each of your main meals. Having 1/2 of a grapefruit before each meal has been shown to help shed 4 pounds in 12 weeks. It may seem like not much but over a year this may translate to almost 20 pounds. Grapefruit contains fiber and water that keeps you full and helps with digestion.
54. Don’t take pills or "fat-burning" supplements. You may as well throw you money in the garbage. The don’t work. You may lose weight but as soon as you stop taking them your weight will return. After all they do not teach you to change your lifestyle, the key strategy to lose weight permanently. As well, you may be endangering your health.
55. Eliminate/reduce alcohol. Consumption of alcohol is a controversy. Alcohol contributes to weight gain and it is mostly not good for your health. Some believe that if you want to drink switch to wine and preferably a dry red wine. Try not to have mere than 1 glass per day.
One Of The Most Important Lose Weight Tips
56. Be prepared to change your lifestyle: Losing weight is not about diets in a conventional sense and rigorous exercise that you may see on the TV’s Biggest Loser. It is about healthy eating and healthy living and once you realize that, you will be on your way to a permanent weight loss. This is the most crucial of the lose weight tips. I placed it here at about the middle of the list for a reason. By now, as you have gone through the previous 50 or so tips, you are becoming aware that you will have to make some healthy eating choices to reach your final goal. In general, 80% of the weight loss is attributed to the foods we eat and only about 20% to physical activity!
57. Plan your meals. Once you establish how much you want to lose and you became familiar with the right kind of foods to eat make a meal plan that to meets your needs.
58. Identify your ideal foods. Eating the right kinds of foods is just as important as eating the right amounts of foods. At the beginning, your ideal list of foods should also include the foods you are familiar with and the ones you like.
59. Prepare your meals and snacks in advance. We are a very busy society, constantly rushing. When in a hurry, the last thing on your mind is to take the extra time to make a proper meal for yourself. Prepare all your meals, including snacks, in advance and package them in ready to eat portions.
60. Substitute. There re thousands of foods to chose from. Substitute higher calorie foods with lower ones. For example drink skim milk instead of 2%, use feta cheese on your salad instead of the grated cheddar, eat a piece of whole wheat bread instead of a bagel or a croissant, and so on.
61. Keep a journal. Be brutally honest and include tasting and eating of your kids’ leftovers. Jot down every morsel of food you ingest. This will help you track your weak points. It will also help you identify the times you eat unhealthy. You will be able to identify your diet mistakes and take a corrective action. Another important point is that the journal will help you identify the foods that do not curb your hunger or even worse, stimulate your appetite.
62. Prepare a shopping list. Do not shop on the run. Making a list will help you ensure that the groceries you purchase are exactly those you need to prepare a nutritious and delicious meals you planed in minutes.
63. DO NOT shop on an empty stomach. When you shop hungry you make really bad choices. You tend to pick up nutrient empty foods. As well, on the way home you may dip into your cashe and munch down a half a loaf of that delicious fresh bread you just bought. Have a protein rich snack before heading out.
64. Shop the perimeter of the food store first. The perimeter of the store contains, your vegetables, meat, dairy, and breads. Inside isles are full of foods that are not the best for you. By the time you are done with you healthy foods you will want to get out of the store ASAP.
65. Do not enter the inside isles with your cart. Leave it behind. Walk through the inside isles fast just picking up the items you have on your shopping list.
66. Skip the regular checkout. Go to the self-checkout where will not be bombarded with a barrage of tempting junk foods.
67. Weigh yourself often. This is one of the lose weight tips that should remain your key strategy for losing weight and maintaining your weight loss permanently. Most of the successful weight losers weigh themselves frequently. Some weigh themselves every day, others, every three days and some once per week. The idea is that it is easier to correct a 5 pound gain than a 30 pound weight gain. Always weigh yourself at the same time because our weight fluctuates significantly during the day.
68. Get rid of your fat clothes. Wearing large bulky clothes is a common mistake made by overweight people. Basically you are sending a message to your brain that you are comfortable with your weight. Because your clothes feel lose your brain thinks you should eat more to fill them out. On the other hand wearing snug clothes keep sending messages to the brain that you are full and that you do not need to eat.
69. Take before and after picture. This works really well. Looking back at yourself before losing weight feels very gratifying. You can see the amazing accomplishment and the before picture is a constant reminder to you that you never want to go back.
70. Reward yourself. Celebrate every milestone you reach with a reward. Make sure that the reward is not food related. Be inventive and set rewards to motivate yourself.
71. Eliminate stress. Many people overeat to cope with stress. They turn to food for comfort. You need to identify the stressors that trigger your urge you to eat. You will have to deal with the stressors. When you feel stressed out take a deep breath and pause for a few minutes, read a good book, or go for a short walk. The urge to eat will disappear.
72. Keep healthy snacks on hand for stressful time. At a time of stress people turn to nutrient-empty, high energy (high calorie) foods such as chips, ice cream, candy bars, etc. Instead for these emergencies have on hand preppared portions of healthy snacks such as carrots, nuts, and fresh fruit. Don’t forget water!
73. Get a good night sleep. Lack of sleep often leads to a weight gain. Lack of sleep decreases the level of the "appetite" hormone leptin. When its levels are down your body thinks that you are hungry and need more food. We need about 8 hours of sleep.
74. Watch less TV. Overeating while watching TV is common. We overeat when we are bored. We often watch TV because we are bored! As well, especially after dinner time, TV is notorious for for advertising mouthwatering food and restaurant commercials. Who can resist!
75. Stay motivated. Motivation is the main ingredient of a successful and permanent weight loss. Generally, people are highly motivated at the beginning of their weight loss journey when the pounds keep flying off. When the weight loss stabilizes, in general, motivation fades. Overcome by re-thinking your motive to lose weight, call on your fan club or join weight loss forums to meet people that are in the same situation as you. Do not give up!
76. Have patience. You can lose a lot of weight at the beginning of your weight loss journey by implementing healthy eating and healthy exercise habits. After, as you progress, your weight will drop at a much slower pace. That is normal. You should expect about 1-2 pounds per week.
77. Visualize. Practice positive imagery at bed time. Each night, before sleeping, imagine and think about what it would be like to be fit and healthy. How would you feel? Will your life be different? Imagine yourself reaching your goals.
78. Don’t do anything that you don’t like. For a greater chance of weight loss success avoid things that you don’t like. That applies both to the physical activity and foods. If you do not like jogging, don’t. Substitute it with activities you like – walking, swimming, dancing. If you do not like brussel sprouts, don’t eat them. Find another veggie to substitute them.
79. Ladies, PMS is great for weight loss, if you handle it right. During PMS, due to hormonal influences, the metabolic rate significantly increases. As much as 300 calories per day! That is why many women get hungrier during PMS. If you can keep your appetite in check during that time and do not give in to the snack attacks you can lose almost one pound doing nothing. How great is that!
80. Control your appetite with physical activity. Physical activity will help you control appetite. Contrary to popular belief, people are not hungry after exercise or another physical activity. The reason for that is that the fuels that have been released from body stores during the exercise, remain in your blood stream after the exercise. As a result you do not feel like eating.
81. Increase exercise or physical activity. A healthy lifestyle incorporates exercise/physical activity in it. When you exercise you not only lose fat, you also curb your appetite (see above). What you need to remember, however, that it does not matter how much you exercise you will not lose fat if you eat too much. Diet always wins over exercise!
82. How much to exercise. Any exercise is better than no exercise or physical activity. Even modest exercise will bring about psychological and health benefits.
83. Carefully select your exercise. Whether it is aerobic exercise or pumping iron, chose wisely. If you chose an exercise program you do not like or one that does not fit into your lifestyle, you will not last. Chose one that fits your personality the most and do it regularly. Eventually it will become a habit.
84. Take your mind of the exercise while you are doing it. While exercising, listen to your favorite music or watch your favorite TV show (don’t stop to switch channels). Having an external stimulus takes your mind off the exercise and the time will pass very quickly.
85. Do mini intense workouts several times during the day. It is not as difficult as it sounds. For example, while watching TV, during a commercial break get up and jump, or do squats or push-up,or simply dance to the fast beat of the commercial ad.
86. Do cardiovascular (cardio) exercises. Cardio exercises are believed to be the best to help you lose fat. They seem to burn fat most effectively. That is why you may hear of people who for a while do not lose weight but they drop a lot of inches. Some common cardio exercises include brisk walking, swimming, jogging, skiing, snow shoeing and cross country skiing.
87. Start exercising slowly. If you were inactive, you may want to start gradually, for example one day per week. Overtime increase the amount of time you exercise. Make sure that you exercise regularly.
88. Increase your muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat does. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn per day. As well, muscle mass determines our BMR – basal metabolic rate (number of calories burnt at rest). If you have more muscle, your BMR will be higher and you will burn more energy even if you sleep. You can burn 50 more calories per day for every pound of lean muscle you add to your body. Strength training will help you build muscle mass. Simple strength training exercise include squats, push-ups and lower body movements.
89. Add burst of speed to your exercise. Again this needs to be done gradually not to strain your body. Into your routine work 2 minute of intervals of intense workout. For example if your exercise is brisk walking add up to 2 minute intervals of jogging into it. Make sure that these intervals are short and not frequent. These bursts help you burn 10% more calories.
90. Vary your workout/exercise routine. Just like a variety in your diet, variety when it comes to exercise, boost your metabolism and fat is burnt more efficiently. For example you can switch between cardio and strength training.
91. Rest after exercise. Do not over-train. When developing muscles you need your muscle fiber to grow. Over- training prevents it. Over-training releases stress hormones which are detrimental to your weight loss plan. Overdoing it will lead to a slowing down of your metabolism and will also lead to a muscle loss. To overcome these obstacles you must allow your body to rest and recover after exercise.
92. Get a personal trainer. This is a good idea, especially at the beginning of your journey and you do not have much gym experience. Personal trainers should be qualified to advise you regarding the proper exercise schedule, types of exercises for a maximum benefit and they may provide you with suggestions regarding your nutritional requirement.
93. Pull your stomach in when you walk. Nut only will your posture improve, but you will also strengthen your abdominal muscles. This is also an excellent exercise for sore backs.
94. Fidget. Seriously. Every move you do burns calories, including wiggling your toes, taping your fingers, etc.
95. Use stairs instead of an elevator. Climbing stairs not only burns a great deal of calories, but also increase endurance and that will result in increased metabolism. Start slowly, a few stories at a time.
96. Park your car away from your destination. Whether going shopping or going to work park as far as possible. At a mall find the furthest parking spot, going to work perhaps a block or two from your office. Over time the calories you burn walking to your destination will add up significantly.
97. Dance. Perhaps you do not like walking or joining an aerobic class. Join a dance class. Latin dancing is really popular and you can burn quite a few while dancing tango and salsa. How about learning hip – hop? How about belly dancing – great for your abs.
98. Clean your house. I am not kidding! You would be amazed at how many calories you can lose just by performing simple household chores. Not only will you lose weight, but your house will also sparkle. The following article How To Lose Weight Without Dieting And Exercise explains how it can be done and provides you with a calorie chart for each activity.
99. Stand and stretch if you sit at a desk at your work all day long. It is recommended that you do that at least every hour.
100. Pace while you are on the phone. Sometimes we spend a lot of time talking to friends. Well don’t just sit there, use the time to move around.
101. Get your physician’s okay to exercise. Make sure to consult your physician particularly if you are overweight and have some health issues. As well as get approval if you have not engaged in physical activity and if you are over the age of 40.
Congratulations! You have now completed reading the list of 101 lose weight tips and if you adhere to at least some of them you will be on your way to lose weight permanently. These tips will ease you into your new lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise. All you have to do is to start.
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