Hey Lindor, about those photos … your camera should have a manual over-ride, which would allow you to play with the shutter speed. What you're trying to do is 'slow' the photo down - and the best way to do that is to experiment with the manual settings.
The other thing, for macro photography, is to vary your lens setting. How close can you get to something before the image distorts (the old 'fish-eye')? What size lens is on your camera? The other thing you could try is to adjust your settings to 'sport', as that is supposed to help with 'movement shots'.
As convenient as digital camera are, they do have some limits in terms of quality - unless you're prepared to spend over $2,000 and get the ones which have interchangeable lenses and similar functions to the old SLR cameras.
Have I completely confused you now?
Anyway, back to the challenge. My plans for the weekend are pretty simple. I'm going to finish painting the kitchen (which will take up a fair chunk of time), and I'm going to a breakfast BBQ along the Swan River foreshore tomorrow morning. Aside from that I have lined up a friend to go walking around Guildford this afternoon. Guildford has lots of historic sites, old houses, gorgeous gardens …
For some reason I am currently inspired to go for 'interesting walks' at the moment. I figure that I might as well take advantage of getting exercise - and see some of Perth while I am at it :-).
I'm so happy that Britt suggested this challenge. While I can't explain it, it has made something "click" for me, and I finally feel some confidence that I will lose this next 5kg by the end of the year.
Location: You'll never, never know, if you never, never go!!
Posts: 810
S/C/G: 109.6kg/104.6kg/67kg (15/8/10)
Height: 170cm
I've made it through today successfully!!!
500 step-ups. 3 litres of water. No cheats
I also raked up the leaves in my garden!
Have I mentioned that I am really enjoying this 21 day challenge?? Great idea Britt!!
How goes the painting Ani? What colour have you picked??
And thanks for the tips on the photography. I have a variety of lenses...Macro, Telephoto and Wide Angle to name a few. I am not sure on what I am doing with the settings on the camera, but I am fiddling and experimenting - just not being very successful just yet
Maybe it is not a camera I need...maybe I just need to learn how to take photos
I am kinda looking at one day getting a digital SLR - but they are not cheap. The potential sale of my house has kinda rekindled my interest in buying and has me thinking of spoiling myself with one.
It seems you are all doing really well with your challenges...they'll be nothing left of you before you know it. Me on the other hand...another story.
I am determined though(again) that tommorrow is the day it all starts afreash. I have been shopping and stocked the fridge with lots of "right" foods and told the kids that they need to be healthy too so no junk food is entering the house for a while. They can splurge on that every so often when they are out and gobble it up when i'm not around. So that's the plan...no more sickness...lots more dieting. Lindor, i will be right for your next challenge i'm sure.
Still having trouble with the bowel but that's an ongoing saga that i am used to. I wish i had the answer to make me "go"...maybe one day
Did lots of gardening this weekend...lots of flowers now and really pretty. It has got out of control of late with me being sick. I feel so much better when it looks great. I bet i will be sore tomorrow...lots of weeding, mowing, digging etc. but feel i have the energy now. You girls are right....getting skinnier is not the only benefit to losing...energy levels are real important as well.
Enough rambling...gotta go and wash the dishes and swing the iron with uniforms tommorow. DH is back at work tommorrow...YAH. I love having him home but we have eaten out sooooo often i can see the fat just growing on my thighs as i sit here. BAck to some normality and routine again...i really need it...have a good night girls....xxxleeny
Well I have managed to paint half a room - bear in mind that the original colour scheme was dark green/peach/mission brown/beige. It has taken me FOUR coats of paint to cover it. The new colour is Stone-something with Desert-something - in other words, a very soft, warm brown with highlights. It looks excellent, but after a million trips up and down ladders my leg muscles feel like lead.
I did go for a long walk this morning - just to try and get my muscles warm, but have had a pretty lazy day today.
So we've done 7 days of our challenge. Leeny, you could start a 14-day challenge with us tomorrow :-).
I'm absolutely stuffed now, and plan to do nothing all night! But I'll weigh-in tomorrow morning, and go for another walk before work. I also need to do some work with my weights - but not tonight. The way I'm feeling, I would drop them on my foot. Or my head. Now that would be attractive…
Im SO happy that this 21-day challenge thing has inspired and motivated! I have a feeling its the first of many challenges ahead..
Well, just a quick one - sorry I havent been in much - having the MIL here has kept me busy and I fear it will continue to be busy until she leaves on Fri. Not that I mind in the slightest tho - its nice having a normal adult conversation. On the other hand, she is a GREAT cook and therefore, I have lost the plot over the last couple of days. I somehow thought that because I was sick that I should take a break from everything. Ha! Where does THAT mindset come from?!? I REALLY want to say that everything will be back to normal tomorrow, but I almost dont trust myself...we dont have people offering to cook dinner for us or pay for DH and I to go out alone together that often, so its so tempting to put everything aside for that. I know thats not a solution though, so I need to get my butt back into gear!!! Help me girls! I dont want to stuff this up...
Ok, anyway, am so glad that you are doing so well with everything Lindor and Ani! Keep going!! Leeny, like the other girls said, hop in tomorrow for a 14-day challenge!!!
Have a great day (or until Im back on) - you girls really are such an inspiration to me and an accontability that I desperately need in this lloonngg journey! Thanks!
Lindor, dont get discouraged! It might have been a lot of water weight last week and is taking your metabolism to get going again. Our bodies are wonderful and complex things - the last thing you should do is give up - if you keep going, your metabolism will get the picture eventually. I guess I should take my own advice...ugh.
And youre right, it could very well be muscle from your step-ups!
I was feeling grumpy until I read your posts Lindor and Britt. I jumped on the scales expecting to see something extraordinary … and they haven't moved. I am 99.8kg this morning – grrrr! I am not happy about that.
However, a few deep breaths and some choice swear words later I am feeling a bit better. Less than 3 months ago I weighed 105kg, and could barely walk for 20 minutes. Now I can walk for an hour, whipper snip the lawns and clean the house – and still have energy left over. I was also a bit naughty yesterday, and suspect I am retaining a bit of fluid because I ate something salty for dinner.
Right: plenty of water for me today, along with some sane eating and exercise. This is Day Eight, and I am gonna get those scales to say something LESS than 99kg before this challenge of ours is over. I mean it!!!
Location: You'll never, never know, if you never, never go!!
Posts: 810
S/C/G: 109.6kg/104.6kg/67kg (15/8/10)
Height: 170cm
I am a fat pig who has eaten non-stop today, so it seems!!!
There was a morning tea at work...lots of food! Lollies, chocolate, biscuits, party pies, sausage rolls, cake etc!
I was then invited to lunch...where I had fish and chips!! And salad
And Mum tried to be nice by putting a frozen pizza in my freezer for my dinner! Why? I don't know???
I am weak when it comes to cheese! I have gone four weeks without a shred of cheese in the house and was doing so well! The pizza, unfortunately, did not last long...my regrets will last for much longer!
Maybe subconsciously, I was disappointed in my scales not moving this morning??
But, this fat pig I did drink her three litres of water, and she did do her 500 step-ups.
So...two out of three ain't bad???
New day tomorrow
And the scales WILL show something positive before our challenge is up Ani...all of us!
That's weird Lindor because I did exactly the same thing. I ate chips and chocolate - and even had a chocolate mousse. I NEVER eat chocolate mousse, and the only thing I can put it down to is self-sabotage because of my disappointment with my weigh-in.
I'm bloody annoyed with myself!
And my chiropractor told me I have a tear in a muscle in my neck - that was probably when the bookcase I was moving the other day fell on my neck! Did I tell you I am a dunderklunken?
Right … tomorrow I'm gonna walk to Geraldton and back! Actually, tomorrow I won't be quite such a drama queen - or a pig!
Oh...Im so sorry that my destructive behaviour has rubbed off a little on you girls! And Im equally sorry that the scales have no reflected a loss for you. Maybe its just taking our bodies a bit of time?!? I did notice though that even though I had been drinking so much water, my ankles and hands still swelled a bit in this heat wave we just had. SO, maybe we are retaining water?? Thats my only guess...
I did walk yesterday even though my eating is out the window. Im still drinking water, but not 3 litres. Im holding out for Friday when MIL will be going home and then I can get back totally on track. I have no willpower at the moment - esp when shes making risoles and choc sponge rolls. Ugh!!
Anyway, hope today is better for you girls...and for me too. I must admit that I have been getting some more exercise making this baby, so at least thats something to be happy about...haha.
I've woken up feeling annoyed with myself, and wanting to have a tantrum. But that's not going to achieve anything, so I will try and put this energy into something more positive. I need to work out, in my own head, why I had that "binge", and come up with some strategies to make sure it doesn't happen again.
I think the most sensible thing I can do is to try and just set goals for today - and then try and reach them. OK - deep breath:
1. I will walk for an hour.
2. I will drink 3 litres of water.
3. I will eat no more than 1800 calories.
4. I will do situps and weights.
5. I will STOP beating myself up for having a bad day, and get on with it.
Britt, I can fully understand how it would be hard for you to control what you're eating while your MIL is there cooking for you. I would struggle too. Just do what you can manage – but at least you're having FUN while you burn some calories ;-).
Lindor, I hope you have a better day today too. Good luck!
Location: You'll never, never know, if you never, never go!!
Posts: 810
S/C/G: 109.6kg/104.6kg/67kg (15/8/10)
Height: 170cm
I should just copy and paste what I posted last night
I failed myself with the food intake again today. I did the water and step-up thing ok though.
I don't know...once I start I can't stop. Grrrrr!
Not going to whinge about it though.
Ani, hope you had a better day today.
Britt, don't be too hard on yourself. I am sure you'd be indulging in MILs meals even if you didn't have this battle against the bulge. What I am saying is, why restrict yourself from this pleasure? If you had reached goal already would you be overly bothered? Or would you be thinking 'crash diet when MIL leaves'? Concentrate on the battle when she's gone. Enjoy having her there. Hope that made sense!
You'll be fine
Alright...I'm going off to think positive for tomorrow.
Yesterday wasn't a whole lot better for me either, and I don't know why. I really want to succeed with this, but there is something that seems to be holding me back. Maybe it's that I am not eating enough during the day, and leaving myself hungry for the evening (which is the hardest time for me), and maybe my attitude isn't right.
OK – enough of my whinging. It's time to take some action here. Is it against the rules of our 21-Day Challenge to change our goals mid-way through, because I think I need to do that. It's Day Ten today, and I think that for the next 11 days I am going to write down everything I eat and count calories. At least that way I'll get a picture of what I am doing wrong, and might even turn this around.
This morning I'm going to go for a walk, and then do some more painting. And hopefully make some inroads into this stupid mental block I have about sabotaging my own health. Grrr…
I somehow thought that because I was sick that I should take a break from everything. Ha! Where does THAT mindset come from?!? I REALLY want to say that everything will be back to normal tomorrow, but I almost dont trust myself...we dont have people offering to cook dinner for us or pay for DH and I to go out alone together that often, so its so tempting to put everything aside for that. I know thats not a solution though, so I need to get my butt back into gear!!! Help me girls! I dont want to stuff this up...
