Posts Tagged ‘weight loss journey’

How to use the Harris Benedict Equation to lose weight

November 16th, 2009 admin

Today, on “Confessions of Yesterdays Fat Guy” we get to watch Rex eat Crow and Humble Pie as part of his calorie intake… ;) !! Good grief…

As I mentioned in my last post, when you make a decision to take on a fitness or weight loss program, follow it to the letter, EVEN IF you question it. After all, you spent money on that program so it should stand to reason that the experts SHOULD know what they are talking about… “Have a little faith Rex…” LOL!

Anyhow… today I want to take a few minutes to share something that is making a huge difference in my weight loss journey… the Harris Benedict Equation.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Harris Benedict Equation is a formulation developed to help people determine their BMI (Basic Metabolic Rate) and utilize basic math to either gain or lose weight based on their needs, wants or desires.

For those who want to lose weight, there is A LOT of good news for you in using this equation.

Here is what the equation looks like for both men and women. There are two separate scales for each… one in pounds (LBS) and one in kilograms (KG):

BMR calculation for men (KG): BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kg ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) – ( 6.76 x age in years )
BMR calculation for men (LBS): BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) – ( 6.76 x age in years )

BMR calculation for women (KG): BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kg ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )
BMR calculation for women (LBS): BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )

From here, we take the first calculation and do a second calculation based on this scale…

Little to no exercise: Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.2
Light exercise (1-3 days per week): Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.375
Moderate exercise (3-5 days per week): Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.55
Heavy exercise (6-7 days per week): Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.725
Very heavy exercise (twice per day, extra heavy workouts): Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.9

Depending on your current weight you will either be delighted or horrified based on your current eating habits. If you are underweight and want to gain muscle mass then this scale might be looked on as your friend. If you are severely obese and are eating 10,000 calories per day (consisting of Big Macs, bon bons and monkey bread) then you are might be disappointed based on your current mindset. Always remember though that “when you change your mind, your body WILL follow!”

For the first three weeks of Insanity I ignored this scale and went about the exercises while trying to stay under 2000 calories per day THINKING that the numbers this scale gave me couldn’t be right so if I cut huge calories I should lose massive weight. Guess what, I didn’t lose a pound… in fact, I fluctuated up and down by two pounds for the better part of three weeks.

If you don’t follow these numbers to the letter you can count on ZERO results when it comes to fat and weight loss. Long story short, if you are going to work out at that level your body NEEDS the fuel so it’s okay to eat, just make sure it’s healthy and managed.

Here’s what the scale looks like for me, right now…

Scale: 66 + (6.23 X Weight In Pounds) + (12.7 X
Height In Inches) – (6.8 X Age In Years) = TOTAL
X 1.55 or 1.7 based on exercise volume.

- 500 for weight loss
-0 if you want to stay the same
+ 500 if you want to gain weight

66 + 1713.25 = 1779.25
12.7 X 71.5 = 908.05
6.8 X 39 = 265.2

4117.57 – 500 = 3617.57

Can you believe that? I should be eating 3617.57 calories per day to lose weight? I couldn’t believe it! In fact, like I stated above, I doubted it! Turns out I was wrong. I started eating the way the Insanity Nutrition Guide told me to and the weight started coming off again.

Why? Because my body needs the calories for fuel. I’m working out twice a day. I lift weights every other morning alternated with daily cardio at the gym and then I do Shaun T’s Insanity workout in the evening. Now that I’ve been doing this daily for a month my metabolism is insane! The reason I’m losing weight is because even though I’m eating 3600 calories per day, my body is burning even more than that, thus the weight loss.

If you don’t eat enough to fuel your body bad things happen like catabolism where your body is breaking down healthy tissue for fuel (you don’t want that) or it will actually hold on to the fat it has already stored (versus burning it) because it’s believes it needs to because your aren’t giving it enough fuel.

Think of your body like a car. If you don’t give a car enough fuel it goes very slow or won’t run at all. If you pump the gas to much the car can become flooded and not start because the engine is getting to much fuel. The same thing applies to your body when it comes to food. If you don’t give it enough it will feel sluggish and tired and not do what you want it to do. If you give it to much fuel (over eat) you feel bloated and slow and fat. There has to be a balance.

You might even go so far as to say that we’ve all been lead astray with the thinking that we need three square meals per day. This is old school thinking and certainly doesn’t fit into a program of extreme fitness and/or weight loss. To keep your metabolism working for you, you need a consistent routine of strength training to build muscle, cardio exercise to burn fat and frequent, smaller meals throughout the day to keep the body working at peak performance.

Eating healthy is vital. You can’t do this and still eat garbage that isn’t good for you. When this system is combined with quality, “good for your body” foods then you have a plan of attack for getting healthy and fit!

With the nutrition program I’m following right now I can even have peanut butter sandwiches again! It’s not all about veggies and protein like so many want you to believe. In fact, the right amount of carbs, especially for muscle development, is essential to both weight gain or weight loss. The difference now? My PB and J isn’t the standard white bread, sugar loaded jelly and gobs of peanut butter, it’s 2 tbsp. of low fat peanut butter on healthy 12 grain bread with fresh blue berries instead of jelly… and you know what? It’s WAY better than the other!

Well, I’ve rambled on enough here and it’s time for my pre-workout snack before I head to the gym. I hope you have found this information useful.

Have a great day and God bless!

Rex – Yesterdays Fat Guy

Click here to start Shaun T’s Insanity Today!

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Weekly update from Yesterdays Fat Guy (10/12/09)

October 12th, 2009 admin

Before I get started today I’d like to offer my sincere condolences to my wife Tami and her family in the loss of her uncle. After being sick for quite some time we received word toward the end of last week that he had passed. Tami flew out yesterday morning to be with her family this week and I wish her well… she’s an amazing gal!

As far as YFG is concerned, I’ve been in the gym a little more than normal, over the last few days, in preparation for the Insanity workout (if you can prepare for such a thing… lol.) Lord willing, it will arrive and I can get started in the next couple of days.

I stepped on the scale this morning to find that I had surpassed the 60 pound mark on my mission to lose 100 pounds this year. At present I now weight 276 pounds (a BIG thanks to Fat Loss 4 Idiots). I’m excited to see how much more the Insanity workout is going to help me lose.

I’ll be doing a six video series once I start the Insanity workout, at which time I will be posting new video of my latest weigh in and measurement. At present, the tape is showing my mid section (or spare tire as it’s most commonly referred to) at 47 inches which is a total loss of six inches over the last four months. I would have expected more inches lost based on the amount of weight lost, but it’s progress so onward and forward.

I’ve been surprised at how much more I can do at the gym now that a significant chunk of the weight has come off. I’m running on the treadmill now (and running is something I have n’t been able to do in years). I’ve been running is segments of 2 to 4 minutes in between intense incline walking, which burns more than 500 calories over a half an hour. I’m burning 1300 plus calories with each workout now which, I’m sure, is contributing to the weight coming of a bit faster than it was a few weeks back.

Speaking of which, I’d like to touch on the subject of plateau again, before I close this post. For those of you who are also on a weight loss journey, when you do have those periods of days weeks, or even a month, where it doesn’t seem like you are making much progress, it’s easy to start listening to those thoughts of doubt. IGNORE those thoughts and keep pushing forward.

One of the things I’ve learned in this is that when you hit a plateau then it’s time to change things up a bit. You might try an adjustment in your diet or, I recommend, change up your workout. Instead of walking on the treadmill, at a certain speed and incline, for 30 minutes, change things up. Increase and decrease speed and incline between a brisk walk and a jog. Keep challenging your body with new things. One of the top programs by Beach Body teaches muscle confusion for the very purpose of pushing through a plateau.

Cheers!

Rex Harris – Yesterdays Fat Guy

Click here to learn more about Fat Loss 4 Idiots

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How to (and why to) write a good weight loss article

October 1st, 2009 admin

It might seem over simplified but it makes sense. If you are focusing energy on writing a weight loss article or content for your weight loss blog then you are not focusing on food and/or eating.

When it comes to losing weight one of the biggest challenges is changing habits. Taking your story to the Internet gives you an outlet… a place where you can focus on sharing information, tips, successes and even failures that might help someone else find success in the weight loss journey.

No one can tell your story like you so why not write it down? You don’t need to be an expert to share experiences. As you progress in your journey, and learn more about living a healthy lifestyle, the more information you will have that you can incorporate into writing.

If you put a little effort into it you can even get paid for your content through places like eHow, FireHow and more. Utilizing article sites is also a great way to get quicker search engine listings because most of the article sites have a high page rank. As your content has become part of the content of a site with a high page rank, it’s easier to get listed under better key phrases. From there, simply create an inbound link to your blog and you can generate larger volumes of traffic.

Creating great content is also a good way to generate traffic through the social networks. If you have something to say and are willing to give some actual value in your content (not just writing tidbits to attract sales as so many do…) then you can develop an audience that will help spread the word about your blog, bringing even more traffic.

Another good idea when it comes to creating content and giving exceptional value is to find a great incentive (gift) that you can give through your blog or article. If you have some experience in web publication you can even create an incentive package. (See the Mind and Body Makeover as an example.)

When writing a blog or article here are some things to consider:

1.) Open with a segment of your story. Share a problem that you have encountered, or a problem you have solved.

2.) Offer a list of tools or items one may need to solve the problem or answer a question.

3.) Create steps that walk the reader through the problem to the solution.

4.) Offer Do’s and Don’ts or suggestions, tips and or warnings.

eHow offers the perfect layout for creating articles, it’s free to join and you can even get paid for the content you create.

You won’t burn a ton of calories typing but focusing your efforts and giving and helping others, while sharing your story, will help you consume less of them!

Cheers!

Rex – Yesterdays Fat Guy

Burn fat and lose weight while you watch TV! Try it free!

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A painful realization from Yesterdays Fat Guy

September 26th, 2009 admin

If you are working to lose weight then you may be, or have, where I’m at today. After an incredibly frustrating week (weight loss wise) the realities of what I’ve done to myself and where I am right now are starting to hit home.

They say confession is good for the soul so I’m hoping that it’s good for weight loss as well, but the truth of the matter is this… I’m addicted to food. Yes, I’m losing weight and doing the things I’m supposed to me doing but there are times when I’m NOT doing what I should be doing and it bothers me when that happens. Perhaps you can relate?

Last night my wife and I decided to do dinner and a movie. Even though I stayed within the parameters of the types of food I should be eating, I ate to much. I believe I could be doing much better with the weight loss, or that I should be…

The farther I travel on this journey the more I compassionate I become for those who are also working to make this change in life. Yes, it’s all well and good when the weight comes off, the clothes fit better and you feel better about yourself but it’s sobering when the reality of what you were come to light through a past of clouded and ambiguous judgement.

One of the scary things about being excessively overweight is that we start to justify it through false affirmation. These false affirmations impress our subconscious mind and we begin to believe our own bullshit. I remember looking in the mirror, at 337 pounds, and thinking (after sucking my gut in a bit) I’m still okay. When I go back and look at the pictures and video of myself at that weight, I was not okay… not even close.

What I find even more humbling are the pictures of the progress so far. I see the weight has come off, when I step on the scale, but I do pictures and video hoping to see more of the picture of the new me I’ve created to change my subconscious but the reality is what it is. Even though I’ve lost over 50 pounds I still have a long ways to go.

I could go on and on here, but will close with this. Whether you are on your weight loss journey or are just getting ready to set sail, there are stages you are going to go through that can make or break the mission. Regardless of how you FEEL, stay on the path. If you fall down and eat to much one night, get back up and keep moving forward. Just because you stumble along the way, or even fall down, doesn’t mean the mission is over… in most cases, it’s probably just beginning.

Have a great day!

Rex – Yesterdays Fat Guy

Fat shredding kettle bell workouts!

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Can cheese cake and weight loss work together?

September 24th, 2009 admin

So how about it? Can those of us who are working our tails off to get fit and lose weight have cheesecake? How about a bit FAT whopping YES! (pun totally intended!)

The more time I spend on this weight loss journey the more I am becoming a firm believer in calorie management. If you follow the numbers, the numbers work.

The universal truth to weight loss (this is the foundation of any program) is calories in, calories out. The way we manipulate our diet will allow us to get more calories out before we touch exercise. We accelerate weight loss (gym)… through calories out, calories out. – Jillian Michaels

If you use the numbers correctly (and have the right recipe, of course) then guess what? You can have cheesecake! Everything in moderation, of course! Are you with me? Cool!

Alright! So let’s take a look at one of the awesome recipe’s from inside the Mind and Body Makeover. Yes, that’s a blatant and shameless sales pitch, but the Mind and Body Makeover is free for Pete’s sake, so that should take the sting out… ;)

Not only is this recipe low cal it’s also diabetic safe!

LO-CAL CHEESE CAKE

12 oz. low fat Ricotta cheese
4 eggs, separated
3/4 c. Fruit Sweet
Grated peel of 1 lemon
3 graham crackers, finely crushed
12 oz. low fat cottage cheese
2/3 c. non-instant milk powder
5 tbsp. lemon juice or to taste
2 tsp. pure vanilla
Butter or oleo for pan

Put cheese in process with egg yolks and Fruit Sweet and blend. Add milk, powder and process until smooth. Add vanilla, lemon juice and peel to cheese mixture. Blend until smooth. Beat egg whites until frothy, then add to the processor and blend for about 2 seconds, until mixed. Butter the bottom and 1/2 way up the sides of a 9″ springform
pan.

Pour the graham cracker crumbs into the pan and shake until buttered area is coated. Leave any extra on the bottom. Pour cheesecake mixture into pan and bake at 350 degrees with a pan of water in the oven to prevent drying. Bake for 45 minutes or until inserted knife emerges clean. Cool. May serve with Wax Orchards All-Fruit Fanciful preserve of your choice. Variations: All cottage or all ricotta cheese may be used. For standard cream cheese cake, substitute 24 ounces cream cheese, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup powdered milk and 2/3 cup Fruit Sweet. Adjust lemon.

So let’s break this down… 12 oz. of low fat ricotta cheese starts us off at 85 calories. The four egg whites needed account for 68 calories. Fruit Sweet is a product (comes in half gallon containers) produced by Wax Farms and is available through your local organic food store or farmers market. It will account for 280 calories for 100 grams so 3/4 of a cup is 102 grams so we’re looking at 282 calories there. The grated peel of 1 lemon peel doesn’t count for much, but we’ll call it 5 calories. 3 graham crackers (if you use the low fat by Honey Maid) will account for 50 calories. A cup and a half of low fat cottage cheese totals 180 calories. 300 total calories in 2/3 of a cup on non fat powdered milk. 15 calories in 5 tbsp. of lemon juice. 24 calories in 2 tbsp. of vanilla extract and, finally, add 20 calories for the low fat margarine you will use to grease your pan.

In total, that’s 1014 calories for the entire dish. Broken down into 8 servings that’s 126.75 calories per serving. Compare that to a standard slice of cheesecake where you are looking at 220 to over 350 calories per slice.

You will find this recipe along with 499 other low calorie and diabetic safe recipes inside the Mind and Body Makeover, so enjoy!

Cheers!

Rex

Click here to download the Mind and Body Makeover In a Box!

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Appetite suppression and weight loss, what works?

September 23rd, 2009 admin

Every now and again, when I log in to my Twitter account, I find something of value. As I was updating my Twitter background today I a Tweet came through talking of Fenugreek Extract and how it may aid in weight loss as an appetite suppressant.

I know that many of the people I have talked to, who are also on a weight loss journey, have shared their struggles with appetite. For some there’s a constant craving for food because the over eating has become an addiction ingrained in the mind. For others, the cravings hit at different times of the day with the most common hitting for many at night once they have become idle. Night time eating has been a huge struggle for me, so I can certainly relate.

There are several strategies for reducing appetite, when it comes to food. It has been said that protein and fiber help reduce appetite because they make you feel full for longer periods at a time. There are also numerous weight loss products available to help suppress appetite. I suppose this means that I could eat oatmeal or brand flakes in the morning if I were so inclined…

… but if those of us who are severely overweight are willing to be honest, many of us will agree that the reason our appetite has gotten out of control is because we have TRAINED it to be out of control. Think about it… the more we eat, the more we crave food, thus, our appetite has increased. But in this case it’s not a hungry body craving food, it’s an idle mind telling us to take action and eat.

Tell me if this doesn’t sound familiar… you’ve gone most of the day with very little to eat because you knew that you were going to pig out at dinner time. You know… hit the buffet, grab a big burger and fries, maybe even a beer if you’re so inclined…

… we save up for the occasion! Night time rolls around, you’ve only eaten one meal that day (however large it may have been) so now that mental hunger hits. Because of the fact that we starved ourselves all day it becomes easy to justify eating at night because, after all, we’ve only eaten once today. We don’t think about the fact that the one time we did eat, we probably consumed enough calories to carry ourselves through an entire day plus.

This was the story of my life for many years. What happens, I believe, is that many of us begin to mistake appetite for habit. A habit can nag and pull at you just as much, even more perhaps, than an actual healthy appetite for food. It becomes a vicious cycle and we begin to search for ways to reduce our appetite… but we’re still hungry, or so we think.

This type of appetite is going to be best suppressed in the mind. It’s our mind that has been trained by our bad habits so in order to break those bad habits we need to retrain our mind with good habits. I’ve mentioned this in previous posts, but I’m a firm believer (and I’m in the process of proving my theory) that when we take the initiative to get our mind in shape, our body will follow.

I found a great blog, last night, over on Blog Catalog entitled “Feel Thin and Be Thin.” In short, this is a blog that talks of utilizing the Law of Attraction as a weight loss method, which was right up my alley! I’m a huge believer in the Law of Attraction and have been using this for weight loss all year because it works.

It sounds a bit on the “to simple” side, but I assure you that there is nothing simple about it. The mental exercise required to recreate yourself is ever bit as intense as physical exercise. In fact, it is strenuous to the point that most people fail to put this Universal Law into action because it requires so much work. But, if you REALLY WANT to lose weight and make a change for the better in life then it’s well worth the effort.

The appetite of our mind needs to be nourished just as our bodies appetite. When these two appetites get out of sync or confused? Well, those of us who have dealt with being 100 pounds, or more, over weight have see the gruesome results.

Get the mind fit and the body will follow… think and feel fit and healthy, BE fit and healthy!

Cheers!

Rex

Click here to get your mental makeover on mp3 for free!

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Yesterdays Fat Guy Mind and Body Makeover!

September 22nd, 2009 admin

If you’ve been following my blog, for any length of time, you’ve heard me talk about The Master Key System. I’ve been trying to find a way to put The Master Key System in the hands of as many people as I can so I came up with the Yesterdays Fat Guy Mind and Body Makeover In a Box!

If I have learned anything in this weight loss journey, I have learned that if the mind is not strong then you can just about forget following through with your weight loss plan. The mind has to be in shape if the body is ever going to follow suit.

The Master Key System is the ULTIMATE mental workout. I take it with me wherever I go. When I reach the end of the last chapter (letter) I start over again. I never get tired of reading it and I always learn something and retain more each time I read it. If you apply what The Master Key System teaches about getting your mind and body under control, and do the exercises at the end of each chapter (letter) then you will accomplish your weight loss goal!

Inside the Mind and Body Makeover I have included both the full version of The Master Key System on both e-book and mp3. It’s on my iPod! I listen at the gym, in the car, wherever.

I’ve also included PLR content that you can use for your weight loss blog as well as severl .pdf documents and e-books covering everything from muscle training to treating depression.

The Mind and Body Makeover is a comprehensive box set containing a mother load of quality content and information. There is no charge for the Mind and Body Makeover, it’s yours, free of charge, by simply subscribing to my weekly newsletter.

Click here to download your Mind and Body Makeover In a Box today!

Cheers!

Rex

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How to burn fat and lose your belly

September 3rd, 2009 admin

I’ve been doing more research on how to burn fat, especially that of belly fat. After all, burning fat equals greater weight loss. You would be amazed at how many theories, ideas and diets exist when it comes to the the subject of how to burn fat.

Most of my fat is stored in my mid section giving me a pear shape. While this has shrunk considerably since the start of my weight loss journey, I still have a a long ways to go before it’s all gone.

It just doesn’t seem like you can get rid of belly fat fast enough. For whatever reason you might want it gone, in my case, I seem to be losing the weight everywhere else but my gut. I know that it’s shrinking based on current tape measurement but, as I was telling my wife yesterday, I just don’t feel like the change has been that noticeable yet. You’d think that it would register with you, a bit more, when you were approaching the 50 lb. loss mark.

Nonetheless, onward and forward. What I’m doing at the gym combined with a proper diet and the use of GBG Energy Matrix as a fat burner is working well… I just need to be patient.

Here’s is a listing of some of the things I found online that you may find interesting or helpful. Some are a bit extreme so use caution and make sure to talk to your doctor or trainer before attempting any of this.

1.) The Ketogenic Diet – Most common use is the treatment of epilepsy in children by fooling the body. Seems like there’s a lot of that going around these days.

2.) Using green tea is also been linked to the burning of belly fat. I’ve noticed that there are several weight loss products that utilize green tea or a combination of green teas and caffeine to burn fat.

3.) Aerobic exercise and a healthy diet are highly recommended for the reduction of abdominal obesity.

4.) Grapefruit – I found several references online to the use of grape fruit for the reduction and elimination of belly fat.

5.) The Flat Belly Diet – Here’s a diet plan I found using Wikipedia. The claim is that a dieter can lose 7 pounds in 96 hours following this plan.

I hope you find this information useful, but again I must encourage you to seek the advice of a health or medical professional before making drastic changes.

Cheers!

Rex

Posted in Weight Loss Concepts Tags: , , , 2 Comments »

Yesterdays Fat Guy goes to the beach!

August 30th, 2009 admin

Who says you cant’ have fun on your weight loss journey? Getting away, doing more and keeping my mind off of food has been monumental in enjoying the weight loss success I’ve seen so far. After all, all work and no play makes Yesterdays Fat Guy a dull boy! Friday is beach day and today was awesome! I hope you enjoy the video from Imperial Beach, California!

Cheers!

Rex

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What makes people fat?

August 26th, 2009 admin

Here’s a question that was posed through a blog I just found when doing some searching in Google… what makes people fat? It was interesting to see what “the experts” (I guess that’s what you’d call them) had to say. View the article here.

The title of this article kind of struck a nerve with me… 7 Secrets Of The Highly Obese. Is it really a secret as to WHY people get fat? People get fat because they eat more than they should… pretty simple. Why they over eat would be more interesting than just “people get fat because they use a larger plate!” That’s genius! Ff course we use bigger plates, you can fit more on them… that’s not a secret!

The reasons people overeat… now that would be worth writing about. If we can understand why people overeat then it’s easier to help them, if they want the help. There were many reasons why I used to over eat.

1.) I like to eat! I like food and I used to eat of a lot of it because, you guessed it, I just liked to eat.

2.) I ate when I was angry or emotional. I spent a lot of years taking out my aggressions and life disappointments on food.

3.) I ate to get high. It’s true. Eating gave me a huge buzz! I looked forward to it, it was an escape and I figured if you are going to do it, you might as well do it right.

What changed? My mind! I changed my thinking so I could make better choices. A weight loss mindset is vital if you are going to launch a successful weight loss journey. Staring death in the face last October had a considerable impact on my choice to lose the weight as well.

I’m a firm believer that if you change your mind, your body will follow. When you change your mind your desires will change, you attitude will change. A quote from the Bible says that, in the conversion process, that we must be “transformed by the renewing of our mind.”

Just as what we think has lead to the obesity and poor eating habits, what we think can turn things around in the opposite direction. Which choice will you make today?

Cheers!

Rex

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