Would a celebrity endorsement entice you to try out a particular weight loss program? For many of the most popular companies, they’re banking on the fact it would. Sales numbers and statistics show that having a well-known celebrity behind a product leads to bigger numbers. After all, when you see a celebrity claiming success with a specific diet plan, it makes long-term results seem more possible. All you have to do is turn on the television and it won’t be long before you see one of these celebrity-based commercials, and some are more effective than others. There are ones where the celebrity and product is perfectly matched while other stars may seem like a poor choice. Here is a list of some of the best pairings in current commercials – and some of the worst.

The Best

Carrie Fisher (Jenny Craig) – she is a relative newcomer to the weight loss scene, and a really good choice. Everybody loves an underdog story where somebody comes back from the throes of defeat. If you name some kind of emotional or relationship problem, chances are Carrie Fisher has experienced it. People seem to really root for this start to get back on track and more in line with the image she so heavily associated with. She also has a good sense of humor about herself that makes her even more relatable to common people.

Valerie Bertinelli (Jenny Craig) – this endorsement has led to wonderful things for both Jenny Craig and Valerie Bertinelli herself. Since getting back into the limelight, she’s had more acting opportunities and gone on to star in “Hot in Cleveland”. She’s always been on the periphery of stardom without really being an A-list actress, but these days she seems to be at the top of her game. People like her for her friendly smile and demeanor, and she’s been a perfect spokeswoman since taking over from Kirstie Alley.

Marie Osmond (Nutri System) – this endorsement deal no doubt came about due to her involvement with Dancing with the stars. She’s another example of someone who’s relatable despite leading a rather extraordinary life. She’s also gone through her fair share of hardships which makes people cheer for her even more. And quite simply, she looks great for her age and continues to maintain her appearance really well.

The Worst

Jason Alexander (Jenny Craig) – this is just an odd choice all around. When you think about the target demographic for Jenny Craig, you don’t really think of fans of Jason Alexander. While he’s perfectly affable and relatable to some, this choice is just so out of the blue and it’s hard to ignore. Maybe Jenny Craig was looking to expand their list of male clientele with this choice, but even then, there seems to be better people out there for the job.

Kirstie Alley (Jenny Craig) – for a time, Kristy Alley was considered the face of Jenny Craig and one of the most successful spokespeople around. She inspired legions of women to join up with the program so that they could enjoy similar success. The main problem with Ms. Alley is her inability to keep the weight down. It’s perfectly understandable, and many people have emotional reasons that need to be addressed as well. But if you’re going to pick a spokesperson, it has to be one that can use your program for long-term results.

Jennifer Hudson (Weight Watchers) – this choice for one of the “worst” is highly debatable and you’ll find plenty of people who would disagree. But it just seems that right now, her ads are everywhere and you can’t get away from them. Not to mention the fact that her voice isn’t really something you want to hear five times a day while watching television. There’s no doubt she has singing talent, but she needs to turn down the volume just a notch so that she isn’t shouting throughout the commercial. There’s no doubt she looks great after some pretty fast weight loss but there has got to be a way to express yourself without screaming at the top of your lungs.

This article comes to us from our friends at rabbitsadvice.com where you can find further information on everyday healthy living. Whether you want to simply lose weight or feel better about yourself, there are a variety of elements to think about ranging from your overall eating patterns to setting up useful home exercise equipment.

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It is a proven fact that coffee is the chosen drink for over 75% of the world’s population. There are many reasons that one loves coffee; whether it is the taste and smell, its natural ability to give your body a nice jolt of energy, or its ability to help a partygoer get over their hangover. With a drink this popular, many find it hard to believe that coffee has any benefits. Which leads us to some common debates over our beloved coffee: Is this caffeinated beverage that so many of us love and cherish doing any good for us?

Caffeine

The one key factor ingredient of coffee – caffeine, has been proven to help with mild headaches, sore muscles, fatigue, and help wake up over half the world’s population. There is one unknown that caffeine is unable to do: help with continuous weight loss. The major point hindering point in weight loss is caffeine’s capacity of promoting improper sleeping habits. Our bodies need sleep to help control our appetites (by the release of a chemical known as cortisol).

When the body has been deprived of a proper deep sleep, one finds they have a heightened urge to eat, and crave food more. Drinking too much caffeine can also cause one’s body to lose key fundamental nutrients (like sodium, the vitamin B1, potassium, and magnesium). The U.S. FDA has also sent out warnings that diet pills (there was a time) containing caffeine were a hoax and that there were no added benefits of having caffeine in diet pills.

Improved metabolic rate

The American Society for Clinical Nutrition conducted a study that has proven a distinguishable rise of the bodies metabolic rate (or fat oxidation for you nutrition savvy readers) of normal and obese weighed persons when they consumed caffeine. It has also been proven that any one person, who drinks any amount of caffeine that is consistent to their total body mass, will have a small percentage of increased metabolic rate. Let it also be known that any coffee drink that included hydroxycitric acid, bitter orange peels, and chromium help increase the metabolic rate by over 25%.

Long term associations

Caffeine has effects on a person’s mood, blood sugar, and even a person’s bones. Caffeine consumers must be careful with their caffeine intake, and learn all possible side effects caffeine has on one’s personal long term health.

• For ones mood, caffeine confuses our body’s Gamma-aminobutyric acid, the transmitter that regulates our sense of well-being. Even with the slight “energetic” feel, once the feeling fades, it leaves us feeling more stressed, making us want more to get the happy feeling back.
• For blood sugar, caffeine makes the body release sugars, which if not used for some form of physical activity, converts directly into insulin making ones blood sugar sky rocket. Once sugars are turned to insulin, anything that is unused will be turned into fats. Although it has been proven that coffee drinkers have a lower risk for contracting Type 2 diabetes.
• For your skeletal structure, caffeine has yet to be been proven on whether or not it fully leads to bone loss, but caffeine is a well know diuretic (this is what makes the human body secrete minerals with our urine). Too much caffeine can lead to a loss of urinary calcium, which is easily overcome by adding more vitamin D and calcium to ones diet.

Caffeine is a double sided sword when it comes to health benefits; but like any other stimulant or drug, moderation in one’s consumption can help keep one safe from harm. All good things come with side effects, and caffeine is no exception. Keep in mind the varied health factors and relay your consumption to your doctor.

The post is authored by Davis Miller. Davis is nutrition and weight loss expert. Visit his site for kofiemachine kiezen and Koffie op het werk.

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Before we discuss the popular methods adopted for losing weight it is important to point out that what is popular is not always the best option. Also, many of the methods used by people trying to lose weight may help, but it is when they are used in combination that the best results can be achieved.

These methods were reported by ConsumerReports.org in December 2011. It is based on a survey of 3201 people who responded to a questionnaire on weight loss. In the last 3 years 2680 of the respondents tried one of the following methods to lose weight:

• Consuming more fruits and vegetables
• Reducing size of portions at each meal
• Reducing sugar in food and drink
• Drinking more water
• Limiting or eliminating carbohydrates
• Eating lower-fat foods
• Eating more protein
• Taking a walk or exercising instead of snacking
• Eating many small meals instead of fewer large meals

All of these methods are sensible approaches to weight loss. It should be noted that when people say “limiting or eliminating carbohydrates” they are often talking about high GI carbs such as bread, cakes, cookies and other baked goods, and not all carbohydrates (which includes fruit and vegetables). People still seem to think that carbohydrates are intrinsically bad – they are not. It is only the refined and processed variety that tends to lead to weight gain. However, if you are very active the carbohydrates are an essential fuel source.

The final method is one that many people actually fail to do properly. Really the only people who benefit from eating many smaller meals are athletes and bodybuilders. Even for these some of the smaller meals are often little more than a snack. So what one person calls 6 small meals another will call 3 meals and 3 snacks.

Never let anyone tell you that weight loss is not about calories. The most important method is to reduce total calories consumed. This is where reduction of processed carbs and high fat foods helps, as you reduce the consumption pf energy dense foods.

Exercise is also very important. The only method that was quote enough to get a mention was walking or exercising when hungry. This is a great idea, but really you should aim to do 45 – 60 minutes of exercise every day to lose fat and get fitter. This may seem a lot at first but it really is not. Many people watch television for this long in the evening.

If you have a home fitness plan at hand you can exercise while watching your favorite television programs. To learn how to sculpt and shape your body head over to BumsTumsandThighs.com where you can learn Legs, Bums and Tums Toning Workouts to get yourself back into great shape.

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The below article looks at losing 5 pound in 5 days. I’m not necessarily a fan of weight loss that fast since it almost always comes back. Aiming for one or two pounds each week is probably bet. But if you have an occasion coming up or want a jump start on a diet, the tips given might help.

Click on through below to see the suggests, syndicated from Total Beauty.

Working out and eating right is the proper way to lose weight in the long run. But when you need to look stunning asap, look no further than this guide. These surprising tips will get you back in those skinny jeans in less than a week.Get tips

How to Lose 5 Pounds in 5 Days
Old flame coming into town and need to de-bloat fast? See the 10 ways to drop 5 pounds by this weekend	This is a TotalBeauty.com weight loss diets article

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OK, it is almost 2012, and this means only one thing – millions of people will be searching Google for ways to lose weight and many of these people will unfortunately come across websites that offer the most dubious services imaginable. So today I shall briefly outline some of the worst ways to try to lose weight. Note, none of these “weight loss” products or services are based on science, none of the testimonials you read are ever verified. The products can also cause you far more harm than good. So here is our list.

Anything with Acai in It

Acai is a small berry that grows in South America. It has lots of vitamins. That is where its health properties end. Acai does not help you lose weight in any way. Taking it raw, in a juice or as a pill will have not positive effect on your weight. Your fat will not melt away!

Green Tea Products

Green tea is healthy and good quality green tea can be tasty too. So if you like tea, by all means, have a cup of green tea. Do not expect green tea to cause your fat cells to self implode though. Although it does have some properties that may aid weight loss, overall the evidence is inconclusive. Green tea is sometimes provided in pill form. In these cases they pills are just giving you extra caffeine which can lead to a very slight increase in metabolism.

HCG Pills and Drops

HCG is without doubt the biggest joke on the market. Often people sell “homeopathic” HCG, which actually means that there is no HCG in the product at all. The pills are just expensive sugar pills. However, even if you got some “real” HCG, this still will not lead to weight loss, as scientists have carried out double-blind trials on HCG and found that the medicine does not lead to increased weight loss.

Hoodia extracts

Hoodia is another product that showed some signs of aiding weight loss in early trails, but it was never turned into a proper weight loss pill or product. Trials were inconclusive. However, people are still selling it online by the bucket load.

With all of these products you are encouraged to also follow a very strict diet and told to exercise. When you do this, you lose weight. You do not need the products to lose weight though, as they really make very little difference at best, and some make no difference at all. If you dispute this, please feel free to share scientific evidence that has been peer-reviewed and confirmed in later trials. Otherwise, forever hold your peace.

Basically, the number one rule of weight loss is that you should put less stuff in your mouth, not go out and buy more stuff to eat. Too much food leads to fat accumulation and nothing else.

If you wish to learn how to lose weight then the best solution really is to empower yourself. You do not need any products, diet foods or equipment to lose weight. All you need is a sensible plan of action and some basic information. There are many weight loss plans that provide meal plans and exercise routines that guarantee weight loss, if you follow the rules.

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My resolution this year is a pretty common one-lose weight and gain fitness. The fitness part isn’t too hard for me. The motivation behind it is that I began training this week for the Bayshore Marathon in May in Traverse City Michigan. So I am kicking off the new year with quite a fitness goal. This will be my 5th marathon.

But losing weight is trickier. Marathon training always makes me hungry, and I have eat enough to fuel my training, yet try to avoid lots of useless calories. If I can lose a bit of weight, not only will I look and feel better, but I might also run faster! So, I am going to try to cut calories this year but not cut nutrition. Basically, I need to give up empty calories.

All of this made the timing of a request to try Tropicana Trop50 and their Trop50 True Resolutions promotion rather timely, as Trop50 fits in nicely with my resolution to lose weight and run faster.

Trop50 is a juice beverage with half the calories.  There are no artificial sweeteners in it either, so just think of it as nice alternative to regular juice. You can get the vitamins and such, without the full amount of sugar that comes with them. I tried out the Orange and Raspberry Lemonade flavors. I love the Orange! It has great flavor and is not as thick as standard orange juice-something that often kept me from drinking regular juice. The Raspberry Lemonade is good too, with a nice tartness to it, but I like the orange the best.

So, Trop50 fits in well, and I certainly plan to keep drinking it! Do you have a New Year Resolution? If you visit Tropicana’s Facebook page, you can share your resolutions and motivations, get coupons for Trop50, and have the chance to win a $1,000 gift card!

Tropicana® Trop50® delivers the goodness of fruit juice with 50 percent
less sugar and calories, and no artificial sweeteners.

Trop50 True Resolutions celebrates the real reasons behind New Year’s
resolutions. Share your secret motivation and you’ll earn a coupon for $1
off Trop50 for yourself and 50¢ off coupons for up to 50 of your friends.
You can even submit incognito with a fierce disguise. Bonus: Whether
you submit a resolution or not, you can also enter a sweepstakes to win a
$1000 gift card.

Enter Now

Don’t forget to visit Trop50 True Resolutions to share your secret motivation and earn a coupon for $1 off Trop50 for yourself and 50¢ off coupons for up to 50 of your friends. You can also enter to win a $1000 gift card. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by Glam Media. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Tropicana® Trop50® via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Tropicana® Trop50®”

Photo credit: Paid Fotolia Subscription

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The beginning of a new year promises many things and prompts many of us to change our habits. Or does it? I’m sure many have been through enough New Years Days to know that once you’re back with your nose to grindstone a couple of days later, things don’t really feel that different. Here is a list of common New Year’s Resolutions, and reasons why they – and many similar resolutions –often end up broken.

Getting in Shape

In the UK, the Dog’s Trust runs with the famous slogan ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’. When people get round to making their resolutions, having filled up with several Christmas dinners and with a month of turkey sandwiches ahead of them, they can feel like an old dog. And finding themselves out of breath after a brisk walk probably helps the effect. But like that dog, sometimes it isn’t a good idea to introduce a fitness regime around the beginning of the new year. There are many disruptions, distractions and reasons for losing motivation (hey, it’s cold). You’d probably get more traction out of starting a mid-year resolution.

Give Up Smoking

Why does giving up Smoking fail at New Year? Because it’s frequently unsuccessful at every other time of year too. By no means should you take the high failure rate of New Years Smoking Resolutions as a reason to not try at all, but even with nicotine gum and fake cigarettes to help you, it’s tough.

Get a Better Job

Combine the problems of the previous two bright ideas and you get this one. It’s the wrong time to be considering how much you enjoy your job, and it’s very easy to have outrageous expectations about how easy it is to walk into a job. True, a number of new job suddenly spring up immediately after Christmas, but then so does the competition (and everyone else making the same resolution). Nevertheless, this can be an efficient resolution to make: sometimes a job really is the thing at the core of your life that needs to change.

Be Good To Yourself

This should be easy, and it’s good to see people being a little more selfish with their resolutions. But can we do it? Making an effort to enjoy life more, to actually use the Spa day gift voucher you received as a gift and to remove yourself from stressful situations. These tactics can help you, but ultimately, some people are just more prone to stress and they may well just cause themselves more worry by confronting themselves with this.

Spend More Time with Family

Like so many New Year’s Resolutions, this one is made because you’ve been recently nudged into guilty submission over how you live your life for the rest of the year. Spending more time with the family seems so easy in theory, especially when right now, you’re spending time with family (and very nice it is too). But the reality is different. You don’t see that aunt because she lives too far away. You don’t see that cousin because, honestly, he’s a pain in the ass. You’re a busy person with a schedule to juggle, and the time you spend with the extended family is time you spend away from friends and closer family. Here’s an idea: organise a summer barbecue for the extended family. Then it’ll be their turn and you won’t feel so bad.

Anna Freshwater is a copywriter and blogger who writes for Sanctuary Spa who offer a pamper service and Unique gifts for women in the UK.

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Today brings a bit of a preemptive post!

While Christmas morning might be a big event for the kids, New Year’s Eve is usually when the adults go a little wild with holiday celebration. Unfortunately, the late night, usual New Year’s dressings of alcohol, rich food and sometimes too-cramped rooms and houses can make you look tired, puffy and worn out the next morning. A few quick and simple beauty rules can help you look more vibrant and awake (even when you don’t feel especially awake!).

Tip 1: You Know It Will Be a Long Night, Be Prepared

Chances are you’ll probably know if you have plans in advance for any New Year’s celebration. Take advantage of this and plan ahead for the next morning. There’s nothing worse than waking up after a late night and trying to pick out clothing or gather makeup and hair care supplies. If you have all of your morning routine items laid out in advance, you’ll have a few extra moments to apply makeup, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, and not feel as rushed to get on with your day while trying to hunt down everything you need.

Tip 2: Hydrate Yourself

Long nights can take a toll on your body in more ways than you might realize, especially if you celebrated New Year’s with a few traditional alcoholic beverages. Even though it’s usually consumed in liquid form, alcohol can contribute to dehydration. Combined with fatigue, a possibly smoky environment if there were cigarettes present at the party, and consumption of possibly salty or rich snacks during the evening, chances are your body needs to replenish. Drink water, and moisturize your skin with a good hydrating cream, especially if your skin feels dry or rough.

Tip 3: Pay Close Attention to Your Hair

Just like your skin, your hair might need some special attention the morning after New Year’s. Depending on your hair type and the environment that you spent the evening in, your hair may be dull, lank or oily the morning after, which can add to a and disheveled appearance. Take the extra time to shampoo it using a good shampoo formulated to your hair type, and condition it thoroughly.

Tip 4: The Eyes Have It

One mistake many women make after New Year’s eve parties is trying to conceal eye bags and puffiness with heavy eyeliner. While it seems like this would draw more attention to the eyes themselves and help overshadow any puffiness, it will do exactly the opposite in practice. Less is more when it comes to eye makeup the morning after the celebrating. Use a cold compress, such as cucumbers or tea bags, on eye puffiness before applying makeup. Avoid dark eyeliner and eye shadow; instead, use only some mascara and light, shimmering eye shadow on upper lids.

Tip 5: Use Less Makeup

Your skin may need a day or two to recover, so avoid heavy makeup or blush that might accentuate wrinkles, lines or skin dryness. Caking on the makeup is one of the worst ways to try to conceal fatigue after New Year’s celebrations or other long nights out, since the makeup will gather in crevices and can further dry out skin. Use a light powder to take the shine from your nose, and use concealer sparingly.

Take it easy this New Year’s Eve everyone! Have fun, but be safe!

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A traditional diet outage, the festive season is notoriously linked with good food, sweet treats and dining out. Families gather to swap stories over hot plates, and present hunters roam Christmas markets teaming with mulled wine and imported German sausage. Even coffee shops add calories to their drinks, with extra helpings of whipped cream and candied sauces to go with chunky mince pies or heavy stollen cake. Despite fears about not fitting into that amazing party outfit for the Christmas do, our base primal instincts tell us to curl up indoors and put on some hibernation weight.

Your best bet during the Christmas weeks is to go for the lighter option. There’s no avoiding boxes of chocolates around the house, but just because they’re there, doesn’t mean that you have to eat them. Limit yourself to one Christmas treat a day; that way you’ll not feel like you’re depriving yourself in the season of good cheer, and you’ll manage to keep calories to a minimum. Also try to focus on the most healthy parts of typical Christmas food:  the lean meat from the turkey (or whatever your roast or joint) and the roasted vegetables. Split your plate into quarters:  one quarter lean meat, two quarters vegetable and one quarter for little indulgences like Yorkshire puddings, Angela’s roast potatoes in duck fat or those little sausages wrapped in bacon.

Christmas is also a great time to take a countryside stroll; you’ll be able to enjoy some (hopefully snow clad) scenery while burning a few calories. If you’re city-based and don’t have a car to take you out to the country, check your local council website for tips on how to use public transport to find the perfect rambling spot. You can also treat yourself with a nice Christmassy pub lunch knowing you’ll be burning off a lot of what you’re about to eat. Remember though:  lighter options! A winter vegetable soup and a few slices of thick, crusty bread can feel just as festive as a full-on pie and chips.

Even if you’re cutting the calories here and there throughout the holiday, come the New Year it’s likely that you’ll be looking at the scales with a bit of disappointment. Don’t worry though, you’re not alone; the majority of us actually choose “getting in shape” as our New Year’s resolution. The key is to stay motivated. If Christmas has made a dent in your exercise routine (or, let’s face it, you never had one to begin with), a great way to keep up with your new healthy schedule is to compartmentalise your day. Find an hour either before or after work that you can label as your work-out time. Think of it as your own personal space – an hour where you can attend to yourself and work toward a better, fitter you. It might mean one less hour of relaxation in front of the TV, but thanks to the feel-good hormones that your brain releases after exercise, you’ll actually end up feeling happier, more relaxed (and less guilty!) afterwards.

Rachel is a freelance blogger currently on the lookout for gyms for sale.

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One of the best things about the holiday season is the food. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the worst. It’s a time when we pack on the pounds while our clothing seemingly gets tighter. After a steady stream of family meals filled with scrumptious food, it might seem impossible not to gain weight. There are so many treats to indulge on, and some of them only come around once a year. Faced with so much temptation, most people give in and end up gaining quite a bit of weight by the time New Year’s rolls around. But there’s no rule that says you have to get heavier during the holidays, and with a bit of self-restraint you might be able to break the pattern. It won’t be easy, but there are ways you can keep your weight under control while managing to enjoy the holidays at the same time. Here are a few helpful pointers to keep you on track.

Don’t Diet – your first impulse might be to restrict your diet completely or aim for a meal plan consisting of all “fat-free” foods. Some people even starve themselves on alternate days thinking that they are cutting down on overall calories. But just like any time of year, you don’t want to disrupt your metabolism by doing anything too harsh for your system. Skipping meals or starvation tactics are never a good option. It’s far better to find healthy substitutions and maintain regular eating so don’t resort to fad diets or unhealthy tricks to stay trim.

Exercise – here’s a shocker – one way to keep your weight down during the holiday season is to make sure you stay as active as possible. It might be hard to find time since you are likely busy with family events or obligations. But if you want to be able to eat without feeling guilty, that exercise is the way to go. You don’t have to go crazy and run a marathon, but try to stay as active as you can to balance out your caloric intake. It will have many side benefits as well such as giving you more energy to deal with the stress of the holidays. Manage

Stress – speaking of stress, a lot of people don’t realize how much they experience during this time of year. And if you happen to be a person who eats more when feeling stressed, this will obviously be a trigger for consuming more food. Remember, if you keep your body and mind healthy in other ways that helps to regulate your daily behavior. In other words, cut down on the likelihood that you will over eat by managing stress and taking care of yourself properly.

Plan Ahead – most people don’t plan ahead or write down what they’ll be consuming when it comes to the holiday season. They simply show up to each event and find themselves surrounded by delicious food. But it’s time to start thinking about different types of meals and what you’ll be eating each day. Plan ahead to get a general idea of your caloric intake, and make preparations so that you don’t find yourself tempted. For example, stay away from self-serve buffets, or at least limit yourself to one serving.

Indulge Intelligently - it takes a careful balance to be able to enjoy the holiday season while keeping healthy at the same time. You never want to go too far in one direction, and that goes for your diet choices as well. After all, if you’re too strict with yourself then you strip all of the fun and enjoyment out of eating with your family. The key to keeping the pounds away is staying away from high cholesterol foods while making smarter choices and careful substitutions whenever possible. With a bit of mix and matching and the occasional indulgence, you can still enjoy eating during the holiday season.

This look at healthy holiday eating comes to us from our friends at rabbitsadvice.com, a site dedicated to the right way to achieve fast weight loss.

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