Health Month

In order to stay on track during the month of decadent dinners, office fiestas, cake, pies, and merriment (ie booze) I have joined a team at www.healthmonth.com. The concept is simple, you pick several “rules” to follow for a healthy month, log your points each day, and see how you do! Here is what I have pledged for the month of December.

Your 6 Rules

1. 
   

   Eat raw fruit at least 6 days a week

   +6 Difficulty Points for putting in the effort

   +1Hidden Fruit Point from the Polar Bear

   +1Challenging Point from the Crane

   +1Noble Point from the Crane

   9 points per day

2. 
   

   Allow processed food 2 days a week

   +8 Difficulty Points for putting in the effort

   +1Hidden Fruit Point from the Polar Bear

   +1Flight Risk Point from the Lizard

   +1Hard Labor Point from the Polar Bear

   11 points per day

3. Go to the gym at least 3 days a week

   +8 Difficulty Points for putting in the effort

   +1Hidden Fruit Point from the Polar Bear

   +1Flight Risk Point from the Lizard

   +1Hard Labor Point from the Polar Bear

   11 points per day

4. Run at least 10 miles a week

   +5 Difficulty Points for putting in the effort

   +1Low Hanging Fruit Point from the Crane

   +1Easy Breezey Point from the Fox

   +1Noble Point from the Crane

   8 points per day

5. 
   

   Do some kind of relaxing activity at least 2 days a week

   +5 Difficulty Points for putting in the effort

   +1Low Hanging Fruit Point from the Crane

   +1Easy Breezey Point from the Fox

   +1Noble Point from the Crane

   8 points per day

6. 
   

   Take a multivitamin every day

   +4 Difficulty Points for putting in the effort

   +1Low Hanging Fruit Point from the Crane

   +1Boring Point from the Polar Bear

   +1Hard Labor Point from the Polar Bear

   7 points per day

 

Im playing with several pals and looking forward to a happy and healthy December! I will be updating the blog throughout the month with the game’s progress.  How are you staying healthy this December?

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Naughty and Nice…Two Thanksgiving Recipes

Moderation is a key term for weight loss and it’s going to have to be a key theme for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. I don’t need to go into the details of not blowing your eating plan on a holiday. We’ve all heard a million times to just have a touch of the more caloric items or to pick and choose with care (taking your favorite item but leaving something you can get anytime such as a dinner roll). However, since I am dining with a group of both dieters and non-dieters tomorrow I chose to make one crowd pleaser and one diet pleaser. Here are the recipes for my Naughty “Mac and Cheese Lorraine”, a Rachael Ray recipe, and Nice “Banana Pudding”. Happy Thanksgiving!

(Naughty) Mac and Cheese Lorraine

This Rachael Ray Recipe is a wink and a nudge to one of my favorite dishes, quiche Lorraine. Due to its super high calorie content (I doubt I will even eat this tomorrow) plus it’s pretty high price tag (wine and gruyere isn’t cheap friends!) I only make this dish once or twice a year.

-In a skillet crisp up a pound of chopped center cut hormone free bacon (use a touch of olive oil to get it extra crispy)

-Shred an entire block of gruyere cheese and prepare your whole grain pasta per the box’s instructions

-After the bacon is crisp remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add 2 chopped organic onions to the same pot. Allow the onions to cook 10-12 minutes to caramelize. Then add ½ dry white wine and allow it to cook out for one minute.

-As the onions cook, in another pot heat up 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. Once this has cooked up (1 min) add 1 cup of chicken stock and one cup of whole milk. Salt and pepper to taste.

-After this mixture thickens and begins to boil add the cheese one handful at a time stirring in a figure 8 motion. Once you have added the cheese also add 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a touch of nutmeg.

Combine your pasta, onions, bacon, and cheese sauce and enjoy!

(Nice) Banana Pudding

-Get a fancy desert bowl and line the bottom with reduced fat vanilla wafers

-Prepare your sugar free vanilla or sugar free banana crème pudding with skim milk and set aside

-While the pudding firms up slice up several bananas

-Fold ½ container of fat free cool whip into the pudding. This makes it really smooth and fluffy.

-Layer cookies, bananas, pudding, cookies, bananas, pudding, etc (3 times)

-Top with the remaining cool whip, add some crumbles to the top, cookies to the side and dig in!

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Cold Weather Style

With less than a month to go until my girls’ Christmas shopping weekend in New York I have started thinking about what I need to pack (yes three weeks in advance). Ahem. Anyway, considering the temperature, the amount of walking we are planning to do, and the fact that I refuse to dismiss style for comfort (though I NEED comfort on this trip) I am making a list of winter trip “Must Haves”. So far here is what has made the cut:

1. A warm stylish hat (or two). You can only take off a hat but so many times before you have a permanent case of bed head. This is why I nabbed this cute basic hat with some hardware detail. It can be worn for warmth or part of an outfit. I am also taking a slouchy hat or two just because I can’t seem to get enough of them.

2. Comfy (yet cute) boots. I can’t wear any of my boots with heels because I know after a super-sized all day shopping marathon around the big apple I would be ready to murder someone from the sheer pain but I also don’t want to wear dumpy looking shoes in New York. That is why I am thinking these Whooga Ugg style boots might be the way to go. I am dying for this woven tall boot in black by Whooga. Whooga is a company who manufactures Ugg style boots (similar to those by Emu, Mukluk, and UGG). I am also kind of loving Whooga’s lower price point. I think I might also need the short brown style to stay comfy on the train ride up (and it could even multi-task as my post running shoe of choice when it’s too cold for flip flops. Ugg style boots are very forgiving of swollen feet!) PS: Whooga is currently running a fun promotion/giveaway right now. Just sign up for their monthly newsletter HERE and be entered to win a super cute pair of Whooga boots!

(source)

3. A stylish warm coat. Since we are taking the train our luggage space is limited. I am planning to take two coats, one black and one either red or ivory. These are classic colors that will match everything including my boots and hat (look at that all coming together!) 🙂

4. Black is the new black. It is super easy to mix and match black basics with various scarves, sweaters and jackets. This is why black trousers, black casual pants, and a black dress are all going in my pink suitcase!

5. A sturdy bag with a pop of color or bold print. A midsize tote in a fun color would be perfect for carrying all of my essentials. I love this bag by Kate Spade (though I will probably carry something I already own and save my $$ for the city!)

What is the one thing you can’t travel without during the winter? What items should I add to my “must pack” list?

Where to buy:

-Winter hat by Tarnish Italy…..Nordstrom
-Vera Wang slouchy hat……Kohls
-Whooga black woven and Wh0oga short tan…….http://www.whooga-eu.co.uk/(also use the code 1060RUNNING at checkout for a 10% off discount for Running In Pink Project readers. (1 week only) Also click HERE to enter Whooga’s giveaway).
-Coats….Bloomingdales or http://www.bloomingdales.com
-Bag……www.bloomingdales.com

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A Comfort Food Makeover

There are foods that are healthy and foods that, while not healthy on their own, can be made healthier through a few modifications. Tonight, after several days of slacking in the kitchen, I decided to make the hubs an old comforting favorite- Pork Chops and Applesauce with a health conscious makeover.

First I selected the leanest cut of pork I could find. These little guys are smaller than an average pork chop and much leaner than their “bone in” counterparts. Eight ounces of meat adds up to less than 250 calories. I prepared these simply with just salt and pepper and grilled them up in a touch of extra virgin olive oil.

Next, are those yummy baked apples, a staple of pretty much any comforting meal. However, tons of butter and sugar is certainly not Weight Watchers/goal weight friendly so I also had to tweak the traditional recipe.

1. Start by chopping up 1 apple per person. I am using Fugi, my personal favorite kind of apple but you can use what you like or just have hanging around the house.

2. Add your apples to a small warming pot.

3. Drop in the smallest touch of light butter, a bit of brown sugar (just whatever you dump in your oatmeal will do), a hint of cinnamon, and 1 ½ tablespoons of apple cider per 2 apples. I also like to add a small box of golden raisins.

4. Cover the pot and allow the apples to bake (stirring frequently).

20 minutes later you have the perfect side for any comfort food meal. Just add some green beans or mixed veggies and enjoy!

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Sara Shops……Short Pump Shopping Center

I mentioned recently there would be several new segments coming to the blog. One of those segments will be “Sara Shops“. Sometimes this segment might be about food shopping or buying organic on the cheap. Sometimes it might be about looking for running gear, scoping out sales, shopping on a budget (I’ve often bragged I have cat like precision to finding good deals), or simply about a boutique or store I think is interesting. I think this is a fun little way to break up the food/workout monotony of the blog and also let you learn a little something about me. So please bear with my first attempt Sara Shops….Short Pump.

The above shot was taken on our way out of Short Pump on Saturday at around 8:30 p.m. We arrived at 11:30. While we did take a break for lunch and a movie I am not exaggerating when I say I could easily spend an entire “open to close” day in the this shopping center.

Short Pump is located in Richmond, Virginia. The best way to describe it is an outdoor mall (covered so you can still shop on rainy or snowy days) filled with mid to lowish-high price point stores. To put it as nicely as I can, the stores are a little nicer than what an average “shopping mall” might hold. You don’t have to weed through tons of dollar stores, random “slut gear” women’s apparel stores (I know you know what I am talking about), and otherwise obnoxious “junk” stores to get to the good stuff. This is not to say Short Pump is not shop-able for an average girl. The hubs and I are definitely budget minded and this shopping center is perfect for a shopper like me!

By that I mean someone who loves to follow fashion and trends but must keep the shopping on a pretty tight budget. The hubs and I are living credit card free (eeek!) so I am really careful about what I buy. While I might pay more for a staple item like a nice jacket, leather bag, or black pencil skirt I try to keep trendy items and accessories to a minimal cost. I love the thrill of the chase on finding a great deal and this shopping center is great for meeting all of those needs.

My “plan of attack” is to hit the larger stores first like Macys/Nordstrom/Dillards (This is always where I find the most stuff and usually the best deals) and then follow them up with some of my other faves like Victoria Secret, Banana Republic, Gap, H&M, NY and CO etc. My last stops are specialty stores like Francesca’s and South Moon Under. Can I just say when I reach my goal weight I am planning a budget be damned trip to South Moon Under to spend like a trust fund baby?

My shopping plan of action isn’t fool proof but it works for me. It was systematic enough that the hubs was impressed with it, which is saying something since shopping is his arch nemesis. This shopping center is husband friendly by the way. I think it has something to do with it being outdoors but the hubs happily snapped photos while I got my shop on.

Now, to break it down for you….

Pros: Great stores at all price points

Plenty of sales to shop

Nice Atmosphere

Guy friendly

Specialty Stores

Cons: Not Enough Parking

The food and drinks are pretty much all in the food court area (Unless you grab a bite at Nordstrom) which is annoying. Sometimes youd like to grab a cocktail or just an ice water and sit for a bit

The shopping center is really large. This is not a con for me but for some who have difficulty walking/being on their feet it would be

Some of the staff are bitchy (I’m looking at you over 40 gal at South Moon Under)

Steals and Deals:

Some of the real life deals I found (but did not necessarily buy) during my shopping day were…

Dillards- $120.00 Jessica Simpson Charcoal stiletto boots for $65.00

Macys- Extra 40% off clearance, ½ off super cute winter shaws, adorable textured $20.00 tights for $5.99

Nordstrom- Winter Boots (limited selection) 33% off or more

Victoria Secret- $10.00 off $65.00 purchases and $15.00 off $75.00 purchases PLUS a gift card with your purchase worth at least $10.00 and up to $500.00!

Godiva- Join their rewards program for a free monthly truffle

Crate and Barrel- Adorable Juice glasses for $2.50 per glass

And what did I buy??

Christmas Gifts

A New Winter Hat for my NYC trip

Fingerless Mittens (a steal for $12.00 at Aldo)

A Super cute shirt/dress from Macys. This has so much potential. I am seeing it with leggings and black boots, denim and brown boots, or as a shorter dress in the summer with Cowboy boots.

The thing that matters the most is that we had a really fun day shopping. Even though I came up empty handed at Crate and Barrell I was able to drown my sorrows looking at all of the fun holiday décor.

I hope you enjoyed my first segment of Sara Shops. Please please let me know what you would like to see me tackle in this segment in the future. Thanks to the hubs for doing the guest photography for this blog! Happy Shopping!

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Tis the Season…Well Almost

I am a huge fan of this time of year. I love all of the decorations (even if they are out way too soon), hot chocolates on cold days, and general happiness that comes with the holiday season. No matter what your religion, there is something lovely about winter and the holiday season in general. One of the things I adore is Christmas shopping for others (and myself, who am I kidding) on a gorgeous fall/winter day. I could not have asked for a more perfect setting for my date with the hubs this weekend.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a trip to Short Pump shopping center in Richmond, VA. After a quick breakfast of Eggs in a Nest we packed up the hubs SUV and headed on our way.

Although the drive was around two hours we could not have asked for a more gorgeous day. The sky was a perfect blue and we spent the drive chatting and singing along to old songs on the radio. It was possibly the shortest two hour drive ever.

When we arrived, we made a quick stop at The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. We only eat here once or twice a year due to the insane calorie content of the food. However, Saturday is my flex day so the extra calories were planned for. I ordered a lunch portion of the crusted chicken ramano of which I ate about half. The star of the meal was of course the slice of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake I split with the hubs.

The hubs and I spent a great day walking around, snapping photos, and shopping (read more in my first ever upcoming Sara Shops segment). We even took a little break in the afternoon to see the new Harry Potter movie. Anyone else out there LOVE Harry Potter as much as we do?? I was pretty much completely excited to see this movie and *no spoilers* it definitely did not disappoint. After we got our Potter fix it was back to shopping. There was plenty of ground to cover since this outdoor “mall” is two floors and gigantic.

We ended a great day with vanilla lattes, a revisit to some of the stores where I had passed up items earlier in the day, and of course a visit to the huge Christmas tree. The hubs and I are of different religions (perhaps a blog for another time) so it meant a lot to me that he came along for one of my favorite traditions. He also makes a fantastic guest photographer for the blog, don’t you think??

How do you like to kick off the holiday season?

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Eggs In A Nest

A pal of mine was recently talking about cooking “Toad in a Hole” for his wife. If you don’t know what this is essentially it is an English breakfast that involves eggs and toast (sounds innocent enough right) paired with thick sausage links and onion gravy (ie liquid calories heh) on a plate. Since there is no hollandaise or gravy on the agenda for this girl I decided to make the more health friendly “Eggs in a Nest” as a quick breakfast surprise for the hubs this morning. This is a really basic Eggs in a Nest recipe and all sorts of variations can be found online. Just a note, I am totally buying some Mickey Mouse cookie cutters during our next trip to Disney World. How cute would Mickey eggs in a nest be?!?!

In order to make Eggs in a Nest you will need:

-A thick cut of bread. (I like Natures Own Double Fiber Wheat )
-Organic Eggs
-Butter (I like “light” butter)

First you will butter (very lightly) both sides of the bread.

Next, take a drinking glass and press a hole into the center of the slice (I don’t throw these little guys away. You can toast them up and they are yummy with honey or jam).

Place your slices of bread in a large skillet sprayed lightly with a non-stick spray

After the first side has toasted flip it over, gently crack an egg, and carefully pour the egg into the hole.

Let the egg cook fully, plate, and enjoy!

(Each Egg in a Nest is approximately 4 WW points. Paring one with a side of fruit or low calorie turkey sausage makes for a great easy breakfast choice).

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Choices and Changes

Today had the potential to start off terribly. I can fully admit the first few days of starting (or restarting) an eating plan/diet/etc can be brutal. Yesterday I was craving all sorts of wacky foods (all unhealthy). I think sometimes with healthy living blogs writers tend to gloss over these moments because you want so badly to teach your body not to want those things. You want so badly to be a model of healthy choices.  However, it is only natural after years, months,
weeks, or even just days of indulging it takes the body some time to get back on track. The key in all of that is the word “choice”. You can have the desire to stay in bed rather than run but ultimately it is your choice in that equation that counts.

This morning I was in a total rush (maybe I need to facebook less and straighten my hair more) and would have grabbed a quick fast food breakfast sandwich except I reminded myself that :
1. No good is going to come from that. It will serve as empty calories only.
2. If I truly want to indulge tomorrow is Saturday and it can wait until then (I would never choose my one Saturday indulgence to be a fast food sandwich anyway, gross).
3. There is no reason to start day 3 off on the wrong note when days 1 and 2 were such a success.

Ultimately with the limited time I had I was forced to stop and grab something quick. I opted for an organic Cliff Bar and a reduced calorie/reduced sugar orange juice. I am a fruit juice lover so only having to spend 80 calories (versus 200 or so) on this little bottle made me very happy!!

I will say again just how much I love my job but truthfully it was trying my patience today. I felt like a circus freak spinning plates most of the day just hoping they would not all crash down around me. Luckily, some work pals were up for a lunch outside of the office so we headed over to The Farm Basket in Lynchburg for a quick bite.

My lovely pal Lori waiting for lunch.

The Farm Basket, like so many of our local restaurants, try to use local wholesome ingredients in the food. I strayed from my normal turkey on wheat and picked up a grilled chicken wrap with mushrooms, spinach, and a touch of Parmesan Caesar dressing. YUM!

I’m planning a healthy lean steak dinner for the hubs tonight and some yoga. I am officially ending my first week back “on track” and it feels great. I am ready to implement the changes we talked about to the blog and wanted to say a quick Thank You So Super Much to the hubs for creating a new header to go with my new attitude and new ( & improving) blog.

Have a Happy and Healthy Weekend!!

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Loss and Emotional Eating

Sometimes for those in which weight loss is a huge struggle, myself
included, there is a lurking danger of emotional eating. I never
considered myself an emotional eater because when I am upset or sad I
have zero appetite. However, I have also learned emotional eating can
be overindulging when you are feeling happy and carefree (like on the
weekends or vacation), eating from stress while at the office, or even
munching out of boredom/depression. If you are feeling depressed or
that you cannot control this issue on your own, I have to put a little
disclaimer here that you should talk with your doctor. However, if
that is not the case and you are just looking to relate, read on.

Lately, I have felt like a little island of confusion. For every
single thing in my life that is going right, there is another going
wrong. For every new friendship I have blooming, I see other older
friendships dying. It is an extremely difficult time of transition for
me that seemingly came out of nowhere. Recently, I had an
extraordinarily difficult time with one of my oldest friends. Without
shedding any light on the details (which truly don’t matter for this
blog) this person feels we should no longer be in each other’s lives.
I understand that superficial friendships come and go but there are
certain people that you just know deep down will be in your life
forever, or so you think. Losing one of these friendships is like a
punch to the soul. This friendship ending devastates me like you would
not believe (or maybe you would, those who have been there). Even with
the turmoil and issues you have with loved ones, you always feel that
somehow you will emerge with your relationship, though maybe battered,
still in tact. Seeing this relationship dissolve truly hurts my heart.

I have been thinking back to other times in my life when I have been
essentially heartbroken. I think back to my biological father who was
emotionally unavailable at best, cruel at worst and all of the
poignant aspects of my personality that were shaped as a result of his
issues.  I think back to my first “love” my senior year of high school
and all of the collateral damage that came from the wreckage of that
relationship. I think back to an on again off again “love/hate”
relationship I struggled with while I lived in Memphis that ended
dramatically and terribly. When I think back on these relationships I
am not sad about the losses. I don’t miss the people involved. I never
reminisce and wish things had turned out differently. What I do look
back on and what I do regret is the way I chose to handle myself
following each of these emotional times in my life.

My tendency has always been to look inward. I don’t consider myself an
especially prideful person but the last thing I want to do is let
someone know how much they have hurt me. In the past my instinct was
to pull away from the good things in my life (friends, family, working
out, getting out and doing things) and turn toward the bad (ignoring
loved ones, staying in, not watching calories or working out, etc).
Ultimately, each of these emotional events resulted in an increasingly
unhealthier version of myself whether through weight gain, lack of
activity, or just lack of fun.

In looking at the loss of this close friendship I see there are
options for how I am to proceed. We all know that no amount of wishing
moves life in another direction. No matter how sad I am, no good can
come from dwelling on this person’s choice.  This is why I am
choosing, maybe even for the first time when being faced with
something so emotional, to take the positive road. Instead of turning
inward I plan to use all of this hurt and anger to go forward with my
workouts and push myself just that much harder. I am going to love the
people in my life, concentrate on building new friendships, and allow
this person to do the same.

Handling a difficult issue can be character building or breaking. I
think it is so important to take the challenges placed in front of us,
dive in head first, and emerge something better than you were before.

For those who turn to food or excessive television watching or
whatever negative coping mechanism during emotional times, there are a
million ways to get through your pain and grief. It does not have to
be a self-destructive process. Only you have the power to decide how
you are going to handle a given situation. Emerge Something Better,
Someone Better. If you do this then you truly will never have to look
back with regret.

In close, there are some things you cannot control (other people) and
some things you can (not eating cookies after a bad work day). No
matter what happens it is you and you alone that lives with the
consequences of your actions. Handle life like the super star you are…

And the rest will take care of itself.

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Starting Again

This is me this morning. This is the morning that I got up and decided to start over for what feels like the millionth time. This is me on the morning I decided to change things up. There is something so thrilling about getting things in order and staring a new part of one’s journey. You just have to be careful not to get caught up in that or three months/years/decades down the road you will catch yourself having to start yet again. But, this is me…ready to take things on, ready to be candidly honest, and ready to move on.

Sometimes when you are starting a project or a phase in your life it can be too intimidating to look at the big picture. In those cases I think narrowing your focus is more than ok, it’s a lifeline. While some people might say this is a cop-out or a coping mechanism, I say it is a smart way to not overwhelm yourself into a state of doing nothing. Since I am dusting myself off from my long hard fall from the healthy living train I decided to do just this. This morning when I woke up there was no scale, no fanfare, and no declarations of grandeur. I simply thought: I am going to do what I need to do today. Ill say the same tomorrow and the next day. Stacking these days on one another are what matters.

I started off with an entire day’s worth of fruit (and plenty of low-fat dairy) in a breakvast smoothie. I could almost feel my body sigh with relief. The hubs did a little cheer when he saw me in the kitchen feverishly snapping photos of my fruit and the blender. “The blog is back” he simply stated. Yes it is.

 

 

Work was unusually hectic today and I did not pack a lunch. Instead of grabbing what I was craving (Chicfila- don’t judge those little perfectly pickled and buttered buns are all kinds of yummy) I decided to head to Subway to get a veggie lovers sub on flat bread with sweet onion sauce and salt and pepper. I don’t recall the last time I ate a salad (I know its been THAT bad) but I do know if this sub tasted as great as it did one of my warm spinach salads will be fantastic!

I was wiped out when I left the office but excited for a super speedy dinner with my pal Kristen. She happened to be in town for a brief Christmas shopping run and we decided to grab some dinner and have a chat. Panrea is kind of our go to place when we are in a hurry. While they have some excellent choices, you have to be careful. Panera can be a total calorie-fest. I ended up with one of my favorite menu items, a cup of tomato soup and ½ of a turkey/spinach/artichoke panini.

A little bit of girl time seems to always do the trick. My crazy workday was already a fuzzy memory as I headed home to the hubs and pups.

So what I am going to do now? I found myself thinking this over on the way home. My first step will be going back to WW meetings and weigh ins. I am planning to be “on plan” for one week before doing so. I hate getting a “false high” in terms of weight due to the water weight and I hate getting a “false loss” that first week due to losing so much of that excess water. I think seeing that huge number sets the tone that if you don’t lose that much every week it isn’t a success. This is why I am going to start weigh ins 1 week from Saturday and meetings 1 week from Monday. For now, I will take things one day at a time, one meal at a time, and one workout at a time. No one ever said getting back in the groove would be easy. But if it were easy everyone would do it and what’s the fun in that?

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