Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Our long weekend in Memphis
The last time we went to Memphis, I took one look at the booths and chickened out because I wasn't confident I'd fit in them. I wish I'd known they had a whole side room full of tables with armless chairs! Oh well, note for others and am proud to say we slide in and out of booths with ease!
These are Arcade's Sweet Potato Pancakes, a Food Network Favorite according to their menu. A big favorite according to my hips. I ate them 3x over 5 days. Don't judge me.
We went to the National Civil Rights Museum where Martin Luther King Jr was shot. The Lorraine Motel was kept the same on the outside and a wreath placed on the balcony where he was shot. They also purchased the building across the street and recreate the room of the shooter.
The black window behind it is part of the museum where you can actually look out over the spot where MLK was shot. This is made 100x more heart wrenching after viewing the magnificent documentary The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306. Every human being should be required to go here.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Every little taste counts
Licking the spoon was one of the first habits I broke. When I am preparing something I turn the hot water on and get the bowls and utensils immediately washed off or soaking so I'm not tempted to sneak a taste. In the olden days, there was no way I could have extra anything lying around. Frosting? Forget it. A spoonful here, a spoonful there which is at least 100-150 cals depending on how heaping. As I was trying to get things together, I would put chili powder in it when I threw it away because I honestly didn't trust myself not to take it off the top of the heap if I was having a desperate moment. Now? I rarely have it in the house but when I do, it often ends up in the back of the fridge and forgotten about for months. I never would've believed you if you'd told me that a few years ago.
So as the holiday season approaches, try to break this habit if you find you're a taste-as-you-cook/bake person. Your waistline might thank you for it!
Are you a member of the clean utensil club or is it not a temptation/reflex?
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Monday, November 28, 2011
Overcoming my fear of the Brussels sprout
So I've seen you can roast them in olive oil with a little seasoning or add a little bacon for flavor. I am anxious to try Colin Cowie's recipe for this slaw kind of thing but am hoping y'all can give me some tips for your favorite ways to prepare them before I delve in.
What's your favorite way to prepare brussel sprouts?
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Saturday, November 26, 2011
Why I'm cool with the gain - Weigh In
Given the morning after we got back the scale had me up 9 lbs (which I know from past experience is water weight from ungodly amounts of sodium) so getting 8 lbs of the official vacation gain off in in 4 days is awesome. I will take that! That's with only having 4 "formal" workout sessions over our usual 5, my system being completely screwed up with no release until today after weigh in if you get my drift AND a Thanksgiving holiday thrown in there that was much more carbalicious (but not over the top) than our usual Thursday fare. We came back got right back to exercising, eating right and getting in the water. We even stopped at the grocery store on the way home from Memphis after a horrific, long drive to get fruit for the rest of the week for lunches. So I'm officially declaring it a success even if no one else does!
The workouts have been really taking their toll on us this week. It's not like we were inactive on the trip. I don't call walking 4-7 miles per day inactive but there you have it. I have no doubt I'll be back to my low weight and beyond soon. Life is about loosening the reins every now and then and knowing that you have to tighten them right back up and that's what we did. So I'm good with it.
Welp, hope everyone has a great weekend!
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Friday, November 25, 2011
How I know this is a TRUE lifestyle change
Wednesday night was a close one. I was running around like a chicken with it's head lopped off and things were taking longer than they should have. By the time it finally slowed down and we got the Christmas lights up and the things for Thanksgiving as pre-made as possible, it was about 7pm. We were both SOOO tempted to skip exercise. We still had a few small things to do but we went downstairs and did our Tae Bo. We both felt much better for it and I didn't think I was going to burn much but I got 900 calories in. But the true way I knew this was a lifestyle change was we got up Thanksgiving morning with muscles SCREAMING in pain from the previous 2 formal workouts after getting home from vacation and dreading it we chose Power 90 Original since it's short and sweet and got a 1000 calorie burn on. I was in such a good mood for a few minutes afterward you know before reality set back in but it was so worth it! I was able to have everything I wanted and even dinner later on when I got a little hungry. For the first time we even went on a walk after dinner with some cousins. It was really hot in the house so the cold felt nice and it helped get the food moving instead of sitting like a lead balloon.
I know for most of our lives we never exercised on days surrounding holidays much less the holiday itself. But if it's a normal exercise day for us, it's getting done. I am so thankful for that. It puts me in a much less stressed state of mind even taking that 30-40 minutes for myself to focus on ME and not everything else that needs done. Speaking of which, I have a Turbo Fire 55 calling my name and a Christmas tree asking to be put up before a holiday concert tonight. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.
Do you exercise on holidays or allow yourself a 'skip day?'
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Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy your time with family! (Unless you have one of those families then may your
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Back to it
But as soon as we were home, it was right back on the wagon. I drowned myself in water, ate my "usual" for the weekdays and that was that. It wasn't always that way, especially on the long vacations for 2 weeks. We'd come home still in vacation mode and say "we don't go back to work for 3 days, we'll restart then." Then we'd be so overwhelmed at work that we didn't want to exercise that night because it was a crappy day. (If only we knew then that exercise was a great stress buster) Then the next day we'd hem haul around about going down or not eating something up to par for people trying to get back "on the wagon." Before you know it, a month or more had passed us by and what could've been a temporary gain was firmly plastered on the thighs and gut. Then depression would set in over gaining and blah blah blah. Yeesh. Sounds so foolish now but it's so easy to do if you're not in the right head space.
Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! (Or Happy Thursday, depending)
Do you get right back on track when you've indulged on vacation?
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Counting your blessings
1) My Mr. I am so lucky to be on this adventure with him. There is no greater joy than being able to share the highs and lows of this whole thing. He has been my shoulder to cry on and high fived me more than one should be required. I am so proud of him. He's my hero.
2) My Family. I have some wonderful people in my family. I realize how lucky I am as a woman my age to still have my grandparents around. There have been health problems popping up here and there with some people and you realize that the people who have been around since you were little won't always be there. Cherish every moment, take too many pictures even if it annoys people and never forget to tell people what they mean to you.
3) My readers. You have no idea what it means that you give a squat about what I write! *laughing* I am grateful if I have touched just one person or made someone feel like "if she can do it, so can I!" I know I'm nowhere near as entertaining as other bloggers but if you keep coming back, are a recent subscriber or stumbled upon me by some obscure link from a friend of a friend's blog...I say thank you for reading. I hope you'll stick around and watch me rock dis shizz!
4) Travel. This world is so big and when I was at my biggest, so much of it was unattainable to dream I would ever see it. Long plane rides overseas just weren't even in my thought process but rather put on the "someday" list knowing it wasn't really a list, just a broken promise I made to myself. Now, we have a trip to Tahiti, Paris, Italy, Costa Rica and American Samoa simmering in our minds that are actually possible. Goal trip is Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora. I can think of no better way to reward ourselves for our hard work that to not have to sit on either side of the puddle-jumper to even out the plane ride.
What are you thankful for?
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Monday, November 21, 2011
Thanksgiving traditions
These are the things that will be on my plate, *my* turkey because I make it good! (herbs and shallots under the skin), a normal sized scoop of mashed potatoes, grandma's homemade noodles on top, my stuffing (which is actually healthy and awesome!), green beans, a brown and serve roll and 2 crackers with a tablespoon of cheeseball. For dessert, I'm making my Light Pumpkin Pie Cups like I do every year. (I can't stand store bought pie which is what we end up with if I don't bring our own.) We'll have a healthy breakfast and water to drink throughout the day. After the meal, the ladies will sit at the table looking through ads making their Black Friday lists (not this lady, I'm done with my Christmas shopping and leave Black Friday to the nutbags. We'll see how many nutbags read my blog) and the men will watch football while trying not to go into a tryptophan induced nap. Eventually someone will say they're leaving and if it's too early there will be more merriment and more desserts then someone else will say they're leaving and that is the cue when everyone will suddenly get up at the same time and clear out. We come home and plug in the pre-strung Christmas lights and if I'm feeling ambitious, we bring up the Christmas decorations so we can get going early the next day with decorating for Christmas.
What will be on your Thanksgiving plate and do you have any traditions you do every year? I'm always interested to see what the staples and rituals are for others!
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Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sorry Folks...
No weigh in today...the moose out front should've told ya!
(You know you want to watch Vacation now!)
Have a great weekend!
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Friday, November 18, 2011
Transition is expensive!
Over the summer I bought this great black shirt from Avenue that was a little more than I wanted to spend but the Mr loved it and I got it along with a few other pieces. I felt settled since weight loss was going slow as hell. I grabbed that shirt out of the closet last weekend and put my red waterfall cardigan over it and I was shocked to see it was getting baggy! Seriously!? I just bought that thing like 3-4 months ago! I know I'm no longer in 22/24's at the big gal stores but some of them run smaller and I thought that was one of them. Those big old PJ pants I'm altering? It feels like yesterday that I couldn't wear them, matter of fact it was the beginning of the year. Now they're so huge on me that they look like clown pants despite my leg measurements not changing much.
It is so expensive to have transition clothes until you get to your goal weight. You have to have clothes that are flattering and I thank God I am getting close to the size where I am teetering on being able to go try on things at Old Navy or similar stores instead of relying on their plus sized depts online and hope they fit. I picked up 2 long sleeved shirts for $10 at ON that would've cost me at least 3x that at Avenue. Granted Old Navy has some crappy ass thin material they use but these made perfect around the house or layering pieces. I can't wait until I can get some good deals and have that mean $10 not $20. Transition is expensive and I can't wait until I'm set in my weight and I can just get new clothes because something is cute not because they're falling off my butt and I need 3-4 new pairs of jeans or all new shirts for hot and cool seasons.
What do you do with your "transition clothes?" Do you donate them? Give them to a family member? Keep them "just in case?"
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Thursday, November 17, 2011
Light Pumpkin Pie Cups
Hello lover.
Now the hope is that you have one to not feel deprived whilst stuffing yourself like the turkey of the day but you could actually have 2 of them for a little less than 1 slice of regular pumpkin pie (Sara Lee's is 260 and Mrs Smith's is 320!!) and much less fat and calories. I mean hello, 125 calories and 1 gram of fat per cup? Shut the front door!
So my Thanksgiving gift to you all is this recipe. You could also do what I do and make a regular pie as well but these cups are really great and if you want to add a few extra calories with
For the printable version of this recipe, click here.
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
People amaze me...
There are few things more personal to someone than their own weight loss adventure. What works for me/us, may not work for you and you know what? That's okay! There is no one right way to eat. (Obviously the Twinkie diet or 'diets' of dangerous meds that have been proven to have unsettling side effects are not the route to take for long term results) I saw where someone jumped on another blogger for "sneaking" healthy things into their Thanksgiving side dish. Are you serious!? I am so sick of people jumping on the latest food diet fad or just getting started with their plan, lose a few pounds and preaching to others that they aren't eating correctly. This blogger has lost over 90 lbs, I think she knows how to do this without your help Ms. Nosey! Or the whole veggie people vs. meat eaters. I totally respect both sides. I could never be vegan because it's just not for me but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy eating vegan dishes. Does this make me some kind of traitor to my meat lovin' brethren? No! It just means I like the diversity that being open to any kind of eating brings. It's FOOD people. Have we really gotten so self righteous about food that like politics and religion we can no longer discuss food in polite company? I am sorry for this midweek rant but it had to be said.
I get that we all have opinions and are excited about the way we eat but when you force your opinions on others and make it an issue of right or wrong, you will always be wrong. If we all were clones and had the exact same metabolism, genes, environmental circumstances and were basically drones then yes, we would all follow the same regimen to lose weight. But thank God we're all different and while it may be frustrating that everyone else seems to be losing faster than you are and it may take longer than someone else to reach your fitness goal, as long as you can honestly say you're doing everything you can to go in the right direction, that's all you can do. You need to be open to new ideas when things stall but you don't need to listen to someone try to chisel at your self esteem because they feel the need to have a pissing contest. I'm urging all of us to remember that while you can be excited about your plan because it's working for you to remember that your plan is not for everyone and there is no "right and wrong" when it comes down to it. In the end, we all have the same goal which is good physical and emotional health and the eating plan that gets us there is our own.
Has anyone ever tried to tell you what to eat? How do you handle it?
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Life Lessons from unlikely places
He said something as he chose to take his crying date to the dance floor and show all of the classmates he wasn't ashamed to be with her that will probably stick with me the rest of my life. (I'm paraphrasing but am sure I'm close)
"When you're young all you care about is what everybody thinks of you and then you get older and say f*ck that, what matters is what you think of yourself." Never have truer words been spoken! I haven't heard anything profound like that since Six Feet Under.
Have you ever had a quote from a TV show stick with you and help you better your attitude or change the way you look at things?
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Monday, November 14, 2011
Lesson learned
I guess note to self for any future colds that I shouldn't bother with a high cal day. Well I didn't really have a choice for the most part because we were out of town but still. No matter how long you've been at it or how many lessons you learn, there are always more to be tucked away for future use.
Do you change the way you eat when you're sick?
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Cold week- Weigh In
I'm a little disappointed in that one because I was immediately back to weigh in weight at the beginning of the week which usually means big loss that week. But I guess between the cold and eating less calories, the bod wasn't on board.
Still have my cold which well, sucks, because we have a road trip today so tasting anything is pretty much out of the question. But we have much bigger plans the following week so as long as I'm well for that is all I care about right now. I won't have a weigh in next week so literally the next time I'll weigh in officially is Thanksgiving weekend. THAT should be interesting.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
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Friday, November 11, 2011
When did THAT happen?
Do you ever have denial that an outfit or certain clothes are too big to wear anymore?
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Thursday, November 10, 2011
Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf
So I adapted it and I assumed the house smelled wonderful because the Mr. said it did. I should've known my nose wasn't going to cooperate and the wee bit of smell I had earlier in the day had abandoned me. I had to rely on the Mr's opinion of it after grabbing a big honkin' crumb and he assures me it's good. So if you make it and don't like it, blame him! HA! (Edit: It's only been at his work for 90 minutes and there's 1 1/2 pieces left. I guess that would be called a hit!)
For the printable version of this recipe, click here.
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Wednesday, November 9, 2011
No patience for this
I've worked out every day and that's basically been the most activity I can muster for the day. I have been trying to not take anything for as long as it's comfortable. I'm popping my ibuprofen 90 minutes prior to workouts, I'm doing the neti pot 3x a day, popping my 500mg of vitamin C to reduce duration (it does nothing to prevent it) and the past 2 days I ate the homemade chicken noodle soup I just froze. I originally froze it for The Mr. but apparently I must've known I'd need it. When I could taste it, it was good, it just stinks I couldn't taste it when I had it. I'm getting antsy though, I just want to be better like, oh, now. But this is the girl whose colds lasted 10-14 days. Since doing those things during my last cold, I was able to cut my cold length in half so I'm praying for the same thing. I have a road trip with a friend to kick off the Christmas season this weekend and I really want to be completely better for it. I have higher hopes for today since I'm kind of over the traditional hump in my cold which is the first 3 days of misery. I am going to incorporate the treadmill back in today even if I can't run it, I'll walk to add some extra calories in because I'm not going to hit my calorie burn goal otherwise. The one thing I notice is my calorie burn is cut by 100-200 calories per workout with this irritating cold and I don't like that. I find myself getting distracted mid-workout and losing my place. I'm all business when I'm down there and I hate feeling like I'm screwing it up because my mind wanders or I have to blow the schnoz. I just want to be done with it already with my weight still on a downward trend.
What are your rituals when you get a cold to make yourself feel better/reduce the duration?
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Tuesday, November 8, 2011
What's Been Popping Up in My Browser
The 5 Best Spots for Plus Sized Workout Clothing
9 "Diet" Foods that Make You Hungrier
The Truth about Aloe Vera Juice
What Food Labels Really Mean
Kettlebell Workout: Take Hold of a Hot Bod
10 Spices/Herbs That Aid Weight Loss
7 Ways to Prepare Kale
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Monday, November 7, 2011
Takin' care of bidness
This will make the FIFTH one this year! Yeah, how that happens when I eat more fruits and veggies than I can manage some days as well as a multi-vitamin is beyond me. Actually I know how it happened, the damned cable guys. I remember the exact moment they both shook my hand and I thought "I need to go wash my hands NOW" and we got to griping and I didn't until maybe an hour later. It's only contact I had in the incubation period so just another reason for me to loathe them since they were also the reason I didn't get my regular workout in that night.
Speaking of workouts, I do not use being sick as an excuse to skip a workout. I have worked out through colds for 3 years and quite honestly, it's the only time I feel better. Laying around whining, holding my head, listening to my heartbeat in my temples, feeling as though someone has jammed a bike pump in my sinuses and is trying to see if they can shoot my eyes out of the sockets from the inside out is not my idea of fun. Standing up and sweating is the only time I can breathe and focus on something other than how miserable I feel. I just pop an ibuprofen an hour prior to workout time so any sinus swelling goes down and I'm more comfortable. I also don't believe in taking cold medicine because after a good talk with the doc, she said it extends your colds by 2-4 days. The whole reason you have symptoms is because its your body's way of trying to fight things off. By suppressing the symptoms, you just end up suffering longer, at least that's been my experience and my colds last long enough as it is. (Also, why do people tell you to go to the doctor when you have a cold? Hello, nothing they can do about it! I'm not down paying a co-pay for her to tell me to pop pain reliever, wait it out and come back to give her more money if the mucus turns some technicolor green) Sorry...side rant.
While doing workouts while sick makes me wince a little in the motivation department, I do like the feeling of envisioning my creepin' crud escaping in my sweat during a hard workout. I know that isn't possible, don't feel the need to chastise me in the comments section and I'm also smart enough to know that working out with chest congestion or a chest cold is a big no no so no need to mention that either. Obviously it's a personal choice for everyone but I do see far too many people who while they deem themselves "too sick" to workout and need to rest then talk about all of the other stuff they did that day instead of resting up. Mmm hmm. So I've got a pretty decent schedule on tap for this week so hopefully yesterday and today are the worst of the congestion pain and I'll adjust workout intensity as needed.
Do you workout when you have a cold?
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Saturday, November 5, 2011
Bloated - Weigh In
Anyhoo, hope everyone has a lovely weekend!
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Friday, November 4, 2011
A wrench in the plan
and fell in love all over again. (As well as bawled my eyes out like a hormonal beast) I left a note on the garage door for The Mr. proclaiming all of the events of the day and to bring the cell phone in from his car and to approach me with caution. After hour four of SFU, I was much more mellow but needed him to call the ISP so we could get things resolved. They gave us a 3 hour window. Not acceptable. I told him to call back (it would not end well if I called) and ask them to call before they came.See, we had a nice hike on the schedule and now we couldn't do it because we needed to be within 20-30 minutes of being back home due to the impending 5 HOUR ordeal we were going to have to endure. So I strapped on the heart rate monitor and said "let's walk the neighborhood!" I didn't need to burn much more for the week but I wanted at least 400 calories and that's what I got. I'm glad we got to fit that in because they were at the house from 6pm to 11pm. The guys were all nice enough...all four of them when all was said and done, but there was no way in Hell I was going to let this situation dictate whether or not I got scheduled exercise. If I had to start at 11pm with the tension migraine I developed, so be it. It was on the schedule, it was getting done.
When an unexpected situation pops up before you are able to get your workout in, how do you handle it? Do you skip it altogether, make it up later in the week or find a way to fit it in no matter what?
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Thursday, November 3, 2011
Chicken Pot Pie
Now I will tell you that this does taste like a low sodium pot pie but I'm a firm believer in starting with the lowest salt content possible and each person can add table salt as necessary to taste. I was good with the recipe as is, the Mr preferred a dash of salt. Regardless, we both really loved it and the innards of the "pie" aren't just great as a pot pie but also ladled over rice or quinoa for a hearty dinner. It's a highly customizable recipe where you can swap out the veggies of your choice, just remember the nutritional info will change. This does freeze well so just ladle out what you need and freeze the "guts" for another time. (I probably shouldn't use the word "guts" to refer to a recipe I'm trying to convince you to try, eh?)
For the printable version of this recipe, click here.
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Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Jumping Jack Flash
We were doing our warm up last night and it was time for jumping jacks so we did them. 10 minutes later I said "uh...I did jumping jacks, when the hell did that happen!?" We did that 2 or 3 weeks ago and I didn't feel the need to do them but it was like there was no thought process in it, I just did it. I smiled and kept on going. I don't know where that automatic switch came from but I can't wait for other things to come naturally. I've still got a lot of gut to lose so burpees are about 20 lbs away if not more but I can't wait for the day that I can do one without feeling like I'm going to blow out a knee or face plant into the concrete. For now, I'll enjoy my new accomplishment. Just call me Jumping Jack Flash!
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Tuesday, November 1, 2011
What's ahead for the month
I made out the workout schedule for November. I made sure that I put the hotel gym on the exercise schedule for our jam packed trip out of town. For those who know me, you know if it's on the schedule, it gets done. We haven't missed a scheduled workout for 2 1/2 years and now that these are on the schedule, we have to do it or we blow the streak. That ain't happenin'. A few months ago, The Mr said he challenged us to get to the gym twice in addition to the walking we'll do while away. I hope he was serious because the gauntlet has been thrown down, yo.
In paying attention to Thanksgiving, I think we'll do what we did last year and just eat a hearty, healthy breakfast and we have all the fixin's at Thanksgiving. We still lost a pound last year so I'm hoping we can have a repeat for that. I'm making the stuffing this year and it's a great low sodium, high fiber homemade stuffing. I already did a test run and it turned out well. We always have leftovers that Saturday so we're still on track Friday and try to flush out any sodium that day to please the scale Gods Saturday morning. We have lots to pay attention to this month and I've got everything written out in black and white so there is no grey area for us. We have found the past 2 winters that our weight loss seems to slow like hibernating bears despite us not slowing down so I'm hoping to break this winter curse as cold weather is getting ever so close. So that's the plan, man!
I did want to thank everyone for the sweet comments on my previous post! You guys rock!
Do you plan ahead for getaways/holidays? If so, how do you maintain accountability to yourself?
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