So is it possible to eat after six in the evening and not gain excess weight? We dispel the existing myth. Is it possible to eat after six, and what is “night weight loss”

The first thing I would like to draw your attention to is that six o’clock in the evening is a conventional time. In fact, nutritionists recommend eating 2-2.5 hours before bedtime. It all depends on what you eat. For example, if you go to bed at 10 pm, you can eat your last meal at 8 pm.

In addition, eating after six is ​​not only possible, but also necessary. The thing is that when the body is hungry for more than 10 hours (the time of evening activity + sleep takes about that much), then it experiences food stress. The body includes protective mechanisms to conserve energy: it slows down metabolism, saves fat, and stores strategic reserves. As a result, depending on individual characteristics, there is a risk of getting better over time.

Therefore, dinner is no less important than breakfast. It is important for anyone who wants to lose weight and also regain strength overnight. At night, the body produces a hormone that is responsible for energy, builds new cells, and rejuvenates the body. Thus, by consuming certain foods a few hours before bed, you will gain strength and not gain weight. overweight.

How our body works in the evening

At this time, the body rests. He gets ready for bed and saves energy. You should not load your body with calories after 18.00. But leaving them hungry is also not recommended. If a person is hungry, the brain sends signals that it is time to get food, which is associated with the production of adrenaline. This hormone excites nervous system, so it becomes difficult to sleep.

In addition, there is such a thing as “overnight weight loss.” It's all about production during sleep. growth hormone, which is responsible for growth. To synthesize it you need:

  • Amino acids (proteins);
  • Lack of large amounts of carbohydrates;
  • B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, zinc;
  • Good dream.

Then, during sleep, 1 kcal more will be spent on vital processes (per 1 kg of weight) under the influence of the hormone presented. Thus, there is an opportunity for a month " proper sleep“lose about 3 kilograms.

In order not to harm your figure with food, after 18.00 you can eat low-fat protein food and fiber. Protein and fiber are well absorbed by the body and do not contribute to weight gain.

Carbohydrates and fats can add unnecessary pounds.

  • Slowly digested;
  • They do not excite our nervous system.
  • Speed ​​up metabolism (with negative calories).

Foods that digest slowly leave you feeling full for a long time. They are not stored in fat. Such products contain a lot of dietary fiber (fiber), as well as milk protein. Therefore, feel free to eat in the evening, for example:

  • All types of vegetables (except potatoes and tomatoes);
  • Dairy products. For example, yogurt, cottage cheese;
  • Boiled chicken breast, fish.

Products with negative calorie content are those products whose energy value is less than 60 kcal per 100 g. To digest them, the body spends energy, and extra pounds are not deposited on the waist, since it does not receive it from the products themselves. These foods also contain fiber. Therefore, in the evening you can have dinner:

  • Vegetables. For example, celery, cabbage, beets, cucumbers;
  • Dairy products. There are studies that show dairy products are good fat burners. Some studies have found that weight loss will be faster if dairy products are included in the diet. They contain a lot of calcium. Calcium is considered a mild natural sedative. However, if the acidity of the stomach is increased, then kefir should be consumed carefully.

Beets are good to eat in the evening as they contain betaine. It burns fat. Beets also contain curcumin, a substance that prevents fat cells from overgrowing. blood vessels. Beets can be consumed, for example, as a side dish or in a salad. Experts do not recommend eating this vegetable if you have stomach diseases.

Celery is considered a unique vegetable. Its root contains only about 10 kcal per 100 grams. Therefore, it can be eaten after 6 pm. A large number of The fiber in celery helps with bowel function and also removes toxins. Celery is a natural diuretic– removes fluid from the body. Thus, it is better to eat celery 2-2.5 hours before bedtime. Nutritionists do not recommend this vegetable for stomach diseases.

Is it possible to lose excess weight if you don't eat after 6 p.m.

As we have already mentioned, when the break in food is more than 10-12 hours, enzymes (proteins that regulate various chemical processes in the body) store fat. Mechanisms that store energy in the body are activated. Therefore, dinner is an important meal of the day that helps maintain your figure.

In the evening, experts advise avoiding eating foods that stimulate the nervous system and appetite. This

  • Fat;
  • Fried;
  • Spicy dishes;
  • Sweets, coffee, alcohol;
  • Salty. Such dishes retain water, which can lead to morning swelling;

By stimulating the nervous system, such products can disrupt sleep. Without good rest malfunctions, illnesses, and depression may begin in the body.

A little science: why we eat unhealthy food in the evening

A study was conducted in Britain. Scientists have tracked how well the British observe healthy eating during the day. The study lasted 5 months. During this time, volunteers sent experts daily photographs of their dishes. As it turns out, following a diet is easier in the morning, a little more difficult in the afternoon, and very difficult in the evening. In addition, scientists have concluded that breakfasts are about 16% healthier than lunches.

It turns out that the usefulness of food during the day decreases by 1.7% every hour.

In the morning we eat healthy breakfasts from vegetable salads, oatmeal porridge and whole grain bread. We snack on a not so healthy sweet bar, and for lunch we eat something completely unhealthy. For example, pasta with pork cutlets. Dinner after six in the evening can be coffee with sugar and buns.

What is the reason for such daily instability? Scientists believe that ghrelin, the hunger hormone, is to blame. It begins to actively accumulate in the body when we eat very little, exercise ourselves, abstain from food or skip meals.

Ghrelin makes hunger out of control. Therefore, we often eat any food in the evening, just to satisfy our hunger. It is difficult to resist the hormone. That's why people forget and don't eat healthy.

But there is also good news. It lies in the fact that the hunger hormone can still be controlled. To do this, it is enough to eat correctly and balanced. Scientists recommend eating foods with sufficient quantity proteins.

Thus, food after six should not be heavy, and portions should not be large. The right products in the evening a couple of hours before bedtime will allow you to save beautiful figure, and in some cases even lose extra pounds. Eat after 18.00, but maximum a couple of hours before bedtime.

Good day to you, my dear readers! What do you think you can eat after 6? Good question, which suggests that eating in the evening is still possible. And indeed, after 6 pm life does not end, but the stomach, which does not know what it is, persistently demands food.

And he does the right thing, because after a break between meals of more than 10 hours, our body switches on a kind of accumulation mode - it begins to put food into reserves to the maximum. You don't have breakfast at 4 am, do you? This means that you not only can, but also need to have dinner.

Let's figure out what food you can eat after 6 pm and even before bed, in order to also lose weight.

What to eat after 6 to lose weight?

I would like to clarify right away that 6 pm is a very arbitrary time. In fact, it is recommended to eat no later than 4 hours before bed. Therefore, if you go to bed at 12 at night, you can easily eat your last meal at 8 o’clock.

And this recommendation applies not only to those who want to lose weight, but also to those who want to effectively restore their strength overnight. The fact is that at night our body produces a special hormone that adds strength to us, builds new cells and rejuvenates the body.

Moreover, there are foods that you can eat even at night, and they will not prevent you from gaining strength and losing weight.

And an important note: you can eat other foods and dishes after 6, but in order for you to lose weight, your dinner must be light - low-fat and low-carbohydrate.

We'll talk about examples later.

Eating after 6: general principles

let's discuss general principles evening meals - there are not so many of them.

To lose weight, after six you need to eat protein foods (necessarily low-fat) and fiber. It is protein and fiber that do not cause weight gain when you eat them even in the evening, even at night.

But carbohydrates and fats will only slow down your weight loss, and if you overdo them, they will even add unnecessary weight to you.

Dinner after 18:00: the most reliable options

The most reliable option for an evening meal is dairy protein products(necessarily low-fat) and fiber.

It would be ideal to eat low-fat cottage cheese or kefir (however, any fermented milk product will do - fermented baked milk, Varenets, etc.) with fiber (and this is the well-known bran that is widely used for weight loss).

This set will not allow you to gain weight, even if you eat it right before bed. Take kefir, add bran to it, wait until it swells a little, eat it and go to bed quietly.

Evening food: other examples

In addition, you can eat non-starchy vegetables as a late dinner. These are all types of cabbage, peppers, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, and tomato. Berries are also not forbidden, and, of course, a variety of greens.

From protein products, you can also eat an omelet (especially an omelet made from proteins only), lean fish and seafood - all quite light.

What is not advisable to eat in the evening?

So, what should you not eat after 6 (or rather, 4 hours before bedtime)?

Fats and simple carbohydrates(flour, sweet) are definitely not suitable for eating in the evening.

It is better not to eat meat, even dietary white poultry meat, at night, because... meat takes a long time to digest - 4-7 hours, and will not only prevent the “weight loss” processes in the body from starting, but will also interfere with your restful sleep.

As for dairy products, it is better to exclude cheese in the evening - it is a fairly fatty product.

It is also undesirable to eat fruits, because... Most fruits contain quite a lot of carbohydrates.

What food should you choose for dinner?

Based on the listed foods allowed in the evening, try to choose something that seems satisfying and, most importantly, tasty to you.

It's not difficult - protein dishes are always very satisfying. All that remains is to figure out how to prepare them so that the dinner is a success.

In the evening, you are allowed all methods of cooking food without fat - stewing, steaming, grilling, baking.

For example, fish baked in a bag with spices will decorate any table, and a steamed omelet is much more tender than fried. Seafood stewed with vegetables is a rather delicious meal, and cottage cheese with berries is practically a dessert. In short, you can eat deliciously and lose weight at the same time :)

Is it possible to lose weight if you fast after 6?

Quite a popular myth. However, there is some truth in it, although for most modern people it still doesn't work.

When the break in eating is more than 12 hours, enzymes (proteins that regulate various chemical processes in our body) begin to store fat in the body. fat cells. And this is absolutely normal - energy storage mechanisms are activated, because fat for the body is also energy.

So if you stop eating after six, then please have breakfast before six in the morning. Does not work? Then eat a light dinner and don’t let your body make additional fat reserves.

Even if you are the lucky one who has no appetite at all in the evening, drink at least a glass of kefir or eat an apple. Then new ones body fat due to long breaks between meals will not appear.

So, eating after 6 is allowed even for those who want to lose weight. It's all about making the right choice. I wish you easy slimness! And don’t let your dinner resemble a dull, strict diet!

P.S. By the way, read about nutrition for losing excess weight: – 10 correct answer options with portion sizes and other useful information.

P.P.S. And a little about “magic”. Why in quotes? How else can you think about perspective? Oddly enough, but it really looks like magic... Read the details at the link.

Mini Tips for Losing Weight

    Reduce your portions by a third - that's what will help you lose weight! Short and to the point :)

    Add more or stop? When this question arises, it’s definitely time to stop eating. This is the body giving you a signal that you will be full soon, otherwise you would not doubt it.

    If you tend to overeat in the evenings, then take a warm shower before dinner. 5-7 minutes, and you already have a completely different mood and attitude towards food. Try it - it works.

    No matter how delicious the food is, you will eat it many more times. This is not the last meal of your life! Remind yourself of this when you feel like you can’t stop and are frantically swallowing piece after piece.

Doctors say eating at night is an important factor that negatively affects your figure. However, not everyone succeeds in figuring out how not to eat after 6 pm on a diet, which leads to unsatisfactory results in attempts to lose weight. Do you need to try to suppress this unbearable hunger in yourself, where does it come from, and is it possible to eat before bed without threatening your figure?

Don't eat after 6 - myth or reality

Doctors have been talking about the effectiveness of this technique - even in the context of general health improvement of the body, especially digestion, and for reasons of weight loss. However, the requirement not to eat after 6 - myth or reality, logical or completely absurd? If this dilemma could be resolved in a few words, there would not be such a long debate about it. There are both pros and cons to this recommendation. strong arguments, and which of them are more reasonable is difficult to decide. The only proven myth is that before 6 you can eat any food and lose weight.

Why can't you eat after 6 pm?

The main explanation for the ban on evening meals is the requirement to reduce workload digestive tract. According to supporters of the statement that eating after 6 is harmful, The biological clock a person is forced to be active at night internal organs decrease, the gastrointestinal tract should slow down its activity, instead of digesting food, especially heavy food. If it works, it does it poorly, and the products become waste that accumulates in the intestines.

However, there are other reasons why you should not eat after 6 pm:

  • The slowdown of metabolism closer to the night provokes the deposition of what is eaten in the evening into reserves, because. insulin is produced.
  • Lack of activity after eating in the evening makes the food received at this moment converted not into energy, but into fat.

Is it possible to eat after 6

The key argument against the ban on eating in the evening after a certain hour also relies on work internal systems, only differently. Most people wake up and have breakfast at 7-8 am. It is worth carrying out a small mathematical operation to find out that a person spends more than 12 hours without food if he does not eat after 6 pm. Such a long fast is harmful to the entire digestive tract, especially the pancreas, which must regularly release bile to prevent stagnation.

So is it possible to eat after 6 pm? A positive answer is supported by the following statements:

  • Prolonged hunger, especially in the evening, causes a slowdown in metabolic processes.
  • The longer you fast in the evening, the more you will eat in the morning.
  • In case of hunger after 6 pm, released gastric juice will begin to corrode the walls of this organ, provoking the occurrence of gastritis.

What happens if you don't eat after 6?

Digestive problems are the main consequence of long-term abstinence, no matter what time of day the refusal to eat occurs. Erosion, ulcers, cholelithiasis - all this is the result of long breaks between meals, or even fasting. A couple more versions of what will happen if you don’t eat after 6:

  • In people who are recovering from obesity, if food is completely eliminated in the evening, there will be a sharp drop in sugar - hypoglycemia, which will lead to a breakdown, because. she urgently needs to trigger a surge in insulin in order to feel better. Frequent attacks lead to hypoglycemic coma.
  • If you stop having dinner at 6 pm or later, you risk getting insomnia from hunger.
  • A broken state in the morning, insatiable hunger are the eternal companions of those who managed to learn how not to eat after 6 pm, falling asleep after midnight.

How to force yourself not to eat in the evening

Scientists say that it takes a person a little less than a month to turn a certain action into a sustainable habit. If you can find a way to force yourself not to eat after 6 for about 3 weeks, then this ban will be easier to accept. Here you need to pay attention to the psychology of the issue:

  • Clearly answer yourself why you need to lose weight - without serious motivation you will not last even a day.
  • Decide whether you are actually experiencing physical hunger, or whether it is a habit, or a craving for joy hormones.
  • Learn to look for happiness not in food, and if your hunger is “from boredom,” find yourself a job for the evening that will distract your brain.
  • Convince yourself that you can do anything, but at breakfast, after eating in the evening, upon waking up you will treat yourself to your favorite delicacy.
  • Remove high-carbohydrate foods and sweets from your visibility - the less often they come into your sight, the less you crave them, especially in the late afternoon.

How to train yourself not to eat

If not touched psychological aspect question, in order to avoid the desire to reach for food in the evening, it is necessary to avoid the feeling of hunger by this time. Nutritionists give some tips on how to train yourself not to eat after 6, without harming your body:

  • Make sure that there is no obvious deficit of daily calories (i.e. you have not gone beyond the lower limit) - this is common reason why do you want to eat in the evening?
  • Check whether you have fulfilled your carbohydrate quota for the day - their lack leads to hunger.
  • It is advisable to have protein for dinner - it fills you up for a long time, and there will be no need to look for ways to avoid eating at night, because hunger has awakened again.
  • Do not eat foods in the evening that stimulate the production of enzymes in the stomach and increase insulin levels: these are sources of sugar, kefir, oatmeal, apples.

What to do if you really want to eat in the evening

Hunger that strikes at 6-7 o'clock is a natural phenomenon, which makes no sense to avoid. The body must receive a legitimate meal. It is much more important to figure out how not to overeat in the evening, but also to prevent the desire to swallow a whole pig half an hour after eating. Nutritionists recommend turning to light proteins: low-fat cottage cheese, chicken breast, fish, seafood, and supplement them with vegetables. Only deprived of a large proportion of starch, otherwise the effect of trying to lose weight will be lost.

However, what should you do if you really want to eat in the evening even after dinner? A few recommendations:

  • Eat some greens, whole grain bread, peppers, cucumber or cabbage - these foods, thanks to their fiber, will help curb hunger, and their low calorie content will prevent weight gain from eating in the evening.
  • Brew Mint tea– it also fights off hunger well and is good for the central nervous system in the evening, as it relaxes it, so you fall asleep faster.
  • Find a psychological way out for yourself on how not to eat in the evening - walk before bed, take a bath, do aromatherapy.

Diet

This weight loss method is really effective, but only for short term. How long your body can go without food in the evening, losing reserves, before starting to put aside what it gets during the day is unknown. However, doctors are sure: the diet of not eating after 18.00 is absurd, especially if uncontrolled food consumption is expected before this point. It is much more reasonable to make a “window” of 3-4 hours in the evening before going to bed, thereby focusing on your own biological clock.

Video

You can eat after six in the evening without harming your figure! Although not everything in a row. So read this article and breathe easy. Eat after six and not gain weight, it’s real!

According to the advice of some nutritionists, you should not eat after six in the evening. They insist that in the afternoon the body's ability to spend the calories it receives decreases and that's it. natural processes in the body slow down. Energy is no longer consumed and is mainly stored in the fat depot - on the hips and abdomen. And your goal is to lose weight!
But if you don’t eat after six in the evening until seven or eight in the morning, you will starve for 13 hours and fat will be stored much faster.

And as you know, the body accepts any lack of nutrition as the onset of hunger and begins to create reserves in the body - fat deposits. The enzyme lipoprotein lipase is responsible for this, which directs fatty acids into the subcutaneous fatty tissue. The activity of this enzyme increases sharply with any prolonged food restrictions. The action of this enzyme is so effective that if you do not eat for more than 10 hours, almost the entire next day, the food you eat will be transformed into fats. Therefore, you can eat after six, but do not overeat.

List of foods you can eat after six in the evening

1. Chicken fillet and chicken sausages.

2. Boiled or steamed vegetables.

3. Vegetable caviar, in unlimited quantities! No bread or extra vegetables.

4. Kefir, low-fat yogurt.

6. Spinach, cucumbers and cabbage, light salad from cabbage.

7. Sour apples, no more than 2 pieces!

8. Seafood and fish: flounder, crabs, lobster, representatives of the cod breed.

9. Citrus fruits: tangerines, orange, lemon, grapefruit.

10. Fibrous carbohydrates, such as peanut butter.

11. Boiled egg whites. The main thing is in moderation, no more than 2 pieces.

12. Two bananas.

13. Avocado with 1 tsp. l. olive oil.

Important: last appointment food three hours before bedtime. Avoid overly sweet and spicy foods in the afternoon. And don’t forget about the drinking regime - at least 1.5 liters of liquid throughout the day. If you eat the above foods after six, you will certainly lose weight faster.

As soon as a woman has a desire to lose weight, the first point in her plan becomes “eat less.” This is facilitated by the constant “spurring” on the part of modern creators of all kinds of strict diets that involve reducing the amount of food entering the body. And very often such nutrition systems include a recommendation not to eat after six in the evening. In fact, not all women have a work schedule that allows such a diet. In addition, the ban on dinner after 18:00 is refuted by many nutritionists; they claim that you can eat, but not everything. And if you want to lose weight, then the foods for your evening diet need to be “filtered” with even greater care.

To successfully lose weight, you need to constantly maintain your metabolism. high level. If you have dinner at six in the evening, and next appointment there will be food only at seven in the morning, then in total you will be hungry for more than 12 hours. This means a major shake-up and slowdown for your metabolism, causing calories to be stored in case it happens again. This is not good for your figure or gastrointestinal tract. On the other side, fried chicken and French fries for dinner won't do you any good either. What can you eat after six in the evening so that it does not affect your figure, but on the contrary, helps you lose weight?

Vegetables – don’t starve and lose weight

The ideal diet, which will not change your shape, and maybe even bring it closer to ideal, consists of a hearty breakfast, a “moderate” lunch and a very light dinner. Follow this principle, and you will not have problems with either digestion or weight. Your task is not to feel hunger or heaviness during the evening. All kinds of vegetables do this perfectly. Many of them, by the way, not only satiate, but also burn more calories than they bring with them.

The best vegetables to snack on after 6 p.m.

  • Any types of cabbage
  • Zucchini
  • Green pea
  • Bell pepper
  • Leaf salad
  • Greenery
  • Carrot
  • Broccoli

All these products will help cope with the feeling of hunger and will not linger in your body for a long time. They will provide you with fiber and healthy elements. Several times a week you can indulge in potatoes baked in their skins - they contain a lot of vitamin C, and this is a fairly satisfying dish if you eat a couple of tubers. Experiment, make salads, stew or steam, eat them fresh, generously season with herbs and a small amount of any vegetable oil.


Evening recharge

If you have more serious plans for the evening than watching a new episode of the series, then, of course, you can’t get by with vegetables alone. In this case, you need an energy boost from foods that take a long time to digest. Ideal in this case would be cereal porridges, especially oatmeal, as well as lentils or chickpeas. Just remember that the portion should not be as large as the morning one. Take about half and top it with steamed vegetables or vinaigrette. An omelet made from two eggs will also charge you with energy, but only if you do not eat them for breakfast that day. Plus, it goes well with vegetables.

Meat and fish are great for both a late dinner and a snack a couple of hours later. The only condition is that you need to choose low-fat varieties and cook them correctly. Thus, white poultry meat, boiled or grilled, will be the best option than fried chicken drumstick. No matter how much you would like to, “intercept” on a quick fix sausage sandwich or sausage, resist this urge. Firstly, such meat products contain flavor enhancers, so you can eat much more than you need. Secondly, they have a lot of hidden salt and other spices, after which you will drink a lot of water. Almost everything can be recommended to fish lovers marine varieties, especially red fish, but the best option would be flounder - it has only 70 calories. And the composition of microelements in this fish - especially vitamin A, vitamin E, as well as iron, potassium and sodium - makes it super beneficial for the body.


In the evening, you can also satisfy your hunger with seafood. We are, of course, not talking about crab sticks, which contain anything but crab meat. It is better to give preference to squid meat. If you boil it in salted water with spices, the fillet turns out to be very tender, tasty, healthy and low in calories. Just don’t fry it in a frying pan, otherwise you’ll get much more instead of 100 calories. Seafood also includes seaweed (or cabbage). 100 grams of this product contain only 50 calories, but the content of iodine, vitamins and other useful substances it's just off the charts. The only warning is that you should not overuse canned seaweed in brine; it is better to boil raw kelp yourself.

Dairy

This is the choice of those who prefer to exercise in the evenings. After fitness, you can eat a portion of cottage cheese without sour cream and sugar, drink plain yogurt or kefir. There's no need to choose dairy products too low in fat or completely low-fat, because milk fats help “deal with” the lipids that are in your body. In general, a glass of milk (preferably warm) as a night or evening snack is a great option if you want to fall asleep quickly. Kefir is perfectly digestible and has a good effect on the gastrointestinal tract - these are exactly the parameters that are needed for a light evening snack. Just remember that 100 grams of this product contains only 40 calories, but half a liter already contains as many as 200! Therefore, if you are not full of a glass of kefir, add half a spoonful of bran (preferably rice) and a couple of dried fruits. A few slices of hard cheese on rye bread reduce hunger well and take a long time to digest.

Night dessert

If you had dinner at six in the evening or a little later, but managed to get hungry before bedtime, then try to satisfy your hunger with fruit. Only a banana is prohibited, but only if you do not have an evening workout or an active and long walk around. fresh air. If everything is fine with your gastrointestinal tract, then eat a not too sweet apple along with the peel (after thoroughly washing it under running water). This snack will provide you with 10% of daily requirement V dietary fiber, which will have a great effect on digestion. The same can be said about citrus fruits - oranges and tangerines. This is an excellent immune support, good mood and plus the same fiber. Grapefruit has a reputation as an effective fat burner, but it is better not to eat it at night, as the acids of this fruit can irritate the stomach, and you will either get heartburn or increase your appetite.


By the way, apples go well with many other fruits and vegetables. You can make a salad, for example, from grated apple, beets, celery, carrots. Season everything with lemon juice and get a satisfying, healthy and low-calorie dish that you can eat a couple of hours before bed. If you still have two to three hours before bed, then eat a ripe, juicy pear, just be aware of the slight diuretic effect.

Remember that after six in the evening it is advisable not to eat foods that stimulate the nervous system too much, including alcohol. Fried and fatty foods, too spicy and salty foods (which will cause you fluid retention and morning swelling), as well as so-called “quick” sweets are also prohibited. This kind of dinner or evening snack, especially if it becomes regular, can have a significant impact on your figure. And if you are preparing a salad, then it should be without mayonnaise and sour cream. Also, don't forget that your portions - even if you've chosen the healthiest, lowest-calorie foods - should be small. You should not overeat in the evening, and some nutritionists even recommend using a teaspoon for this. By following our recommendations, you can not only fall asleep without feeling hungry and regain strength overnight, but also lose weight.

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