Running out of Cheat Days…Thanksgiving Preview

Zach: Hi Cheaters! So last Cheat Day we pretty anti-climactic. Cheat Day has indeed become imbedded in my mind and in my soul as a day to gorge myself almost to the point on incapacitation. However, this has become less of a celebratory thing as the weight has ceased it's dropping. With the Holiday Season coming up and my weight loss hitting a plateau I fear that the life of Cheat Day may have an impending end. For now I will continue to report on the proper ways of cheating. I will also seek an altered method of Cheat Day so that poundage will continue to shed!

NOW, last cheat day….I ate cookies and cake in bed along with the lovely Liz. I then ate a non-Cheat Day meal for real breakfast (eggs, beans, and broccoli) and took a KILLER nap in the wake of an outrageous storm that struck down on Northern, IL. It was really cool to watch but was apparently really brutal on some outlying towns/neighborhoods. Which sucks and my thoughts go out to them!

I then ordered Chinese food for lunch and it was AWESOME, I miss chinese food. The food was from Orange Garden on Irving Park…yes AGAIN. It is a really not bad Chinese for the North Side Chicago.  Liz got off of work and she and I went to the Giamichael's for dinner! It was very nice to get a home cooked meal. Especially when it was pasta and bread! PERFECT for Cheat Day!

Later that night it was my good friend Rob's surprise birthday party and I got pretty rip roarin' drunk off of beer and whiskey, another perfect thing to do on cheat day. It was a fairly low key party held in a store front art space, but it was ton of fun to see all the old friends back again! It was a great low key way to end a low key Cheat Day.

I am not sure what next Cheat Day holds as Thanksgiving (most epic of ALL cheat days) is next Thursday. Also, without cheat day as this blog's niche this really just turns into another lame food blog…so we'll see how this goes!

The Power of Bacon

Liz: Any dish, no matter what it is, will be better with bacon on it. I don't care if you're a vegetarian. I bet you still love the smell of bacon cooking. I don't know what it is about those strips of pig fat cooking in their own lard juices that is so amazingly tantalizing, but I do know that I WANT IT IN MY MOUTH.

The week before last cheat day, Zach and I got this wonderful idea from a buzzfeed of different awesome foods you could make at home with whatever was around (like a homemade butterfinger bar out of peanut butter, baker's chocolate, and candy corn). When I saw the idea to wrap bacon into a cinnabun... I was like WE ARE DOING THAT. 

It is the American way to wrap things in bacon. Hell, I plan to wrap my Christmas presents in bacon. You're welcome.

So we tried this idea with some bacon (that was on sale!) the Jewel Osco brand cinnabun log. While they were a fantastic truffle of gooey fat and sugar, we would recommend using a plumper cinnabun (not the cheap brand) and leaner, thinner pieces of bacon (ours were thickly cut and fat LADEN). You want that crispy bacon and soft bread...o yes...yes you do.

The rest of the day, both of us had to go off doin' our own bizznaz, so we had already pre-planned our own cheaper, grocery cheat day treats: fer Zach--meat and sharp cheddar sandwiches, and fer me--Velveeta shells and cheese...with the extra bacon crumbled into it. O YES.

I went to my boss' apartment to practice for a gig, and he had a whole spread of great stuff, so I of course, indulged in cheat day fashion. However, when I got to my shells and gooey cheese and bacon in the evening, I felt really sick. The non-cheat days will shrink your stomach so your cheat day eyes are bigger than your stomach. I felt like a disgusting ROMAN. However, the sickness subsided, and sleepy time took over. 

Happy Cheat Day everyone! Can't wait for the cheat day coming up that ALL OF YOU WILL PARTICIPATE IN WITH US: Thanksgiving. 

It's Getting Harder to Lose, So Let's Keep WINNING!

Zach: Effin'-A Cheaters! Did you miss us this week? NO?! Well go Ef yourselves! I tell you what, I am stuck. Stuck at 28 lbs lost! I can't seem to get past it. I am weighing in at 211 pretty consistently. This isn't a bad weight for a man of my size, 6'2", especially considering what I was 239 lbs. My original goal was to get down to 200 lbs and then begin working out. Not lifting real hard or nothing, just push ups, pull ups, sit-up, planks, and v ups. But, I'm wondering if I should take what life has thrown at me and just begin the process now, a little earlier than expected…this next Cheat Day will tell.

image from sbrforum.com

The reason this post has taken me so long is because the entirety of this past cheat day was spent on the couch. They finally put the Kansas City Chiefs game on the TV here in the fine city of Chicago. And not a moment too soon neither as they played the Bills of Buffalo, New York. The Buffalo Bills are Liz's favorite team and traditionally they are as AWFUL as the Chiefs. Well they clearly are staunch followers of tradition, because unlike the Chiefs they remain awful. The Chiefs beat the Bills 23-13 in a  come from behind victory. Neither offense did much of anything with the amazingly talented KC defense scoring most of the points for the Chiefs. KC goes into a bye week this week, but their stellar defense will face the terrifying Denver offense when they come back next Sunday. They have moved next Sunday's game to be the nationally televised night game because the chiefs are crushing ass like Derek Jeter, or like me after a Cheat Day. As for the Bills…ask Liz.

image from bu.edu (why? I don't know go investigate

However! From the couch, bright and early again…IN time for the game I ordered 2 Large Pizzas, from Dominos again because it is cheap. 1 had pepperoni and mushrooms, the other had bacon, italian sausage, and green peppers. I also had to get my favorite, bacon and jalapeno stuffed cheesy garlic bread. This order lasted us ALL day! Also, before the game I grabbed a 30-pack of Miller High Life…also lasted us all day. And, even though I drank them beers all throughout the day I did not even get a little drunk. I did, however, get drunk on victory! With the Chiefs winning and this being the last great cheat day for a while, due to the holiday season coming to terrorize this diet, I would say this day of shit food and laziness was utmost victorious!

Image from walmart.com

Liz had to go do a Jazz singing gig at a coffee shop in Pilsen. What was the name of that joint again Liz? She does it the 1st Sunday of every month. So, if you want to spend a nice leisurely day getting coffee and being serenaded by a HOT songstress go do that. I'll probably be heading back down that way some time soon. She came back and gave me tacos since Pilsen has a heavy Mexican population and that usually means great tacos. They were great, even though they were vegan, the salsa was on point though. I ate them, we watched Homeland and fell asleep, feeling disgusting, but totally ready to make this week the strictest dietary week we've had. And it has been…let's keep moving forward!

A little Pig Skin…in more ways than one!

Zach: Hey Cheaters, Zany Zach Finch here to fill you in on the latest in Cheat Day FUN! This cheat day was fairly low key. Last Sunday was the first Sunday I had actually gained wait while participating in the Slow Carb diet. It's to be expected, if there is less wait to lose it must be harder to lose right? RIGHT!

Andy Reid (USAToday)

They didn't put the KC Chiefs on TV yet AGAIN in Chicago. What game did they play instead? Patriots/Dolphins! Who cares! Either way my Chiefs, led by one of the best cheaters out there Andy Reid, remain undefeated! Seriously this guy must think EVERY day is Cheat Day..amirite! Crazy bastard. They took down what seems to be a much lamer Browns team than projected at the start of the season. As long as the Reidster keeps winning I'll keep playfully picking on him, once he loses though I'm gonna get mean! Just keep the cheating off the field! Cheating is only for CHEAT DAY.

Liz and I began this Cheat Day with a call to Dominoes from bed. One of the best things to do!…NOT move and have the carb-y-est food delivered to your doorstep. I ate half a medium pizza topped with pepperoni, italian sausage, and bacon (this is the first way pig skin was had). We also got their addictingly delicious garlic cheesy bread stuffed with jalapenos and bacon (more pig skin). We enjoyed this deliciously unhealthy meal while beginning the series "Homeland." We are only 2 episodes in but so far it is as good as the word of mouth has been dictating…which is REALLY good.

PIG SKIN (junkfoodbetty.com)

Although I have started struggling a bit with the pound sheddage I went ahead and ate the entire half of cheese garlic break AND Medium pizza. Liz, being a wee girl, gave a couple of her slices to Jacob, who crashed on the couch the previous nights. I'd say of all friends and roommates Jacob reaps the most benefits from cheat day. I choose to call them benefits, although they could also be known as left overs, scraps, trash! Either way, he's good to have around.

Once my roommates woke up we went to our family brunch at the Dinner Diner. I had a plate of corned beef hash, eggs, and hash browns. YES my stomach DID hurt it was so full…GOD. I made reference to an old joke my uncle Dan would always tell while junk food binging on vacation. He'd say, "my god, I'm filled up to here (referencing to just below his chin) on cheesesteaks." This is indeed how I felt. Liz was still full from pizza so she only ate half a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon (pig skin).

We then went over to the Giamichael Palace where we were fed caramels and Reese's! GOT to love Halloween time. The candy that is everywhere is JUST perfect for cheat day! We caught a ride back to Liz's with some free stuff the G's were giving to her. It was a beautiful day and Jacob came up with the brilliant idea to go to a park with a frisbee AND…you guessed it, a PIG SKIN! That's right folks! Pig skin ALL DAY LONG! It was so nice to get out doors and run around a bit…even though I was painfully full. Our friend Mike Hamilton met up with us for a bit and we had a grand old time over at Winnemac Park.

Trailer Park Boys (wptsradio.org)

We left and went to another cheat day staple, Dunkin Donuts. I got a pumpkin spice latte and 25 pumpkin donut holes to split with Liz and Jacob. It was all I could eat the rest of the day….THAT'S NOT TRUE! I'm a liar! I ate a little microwaveable Chef-Boy-R-Dee Beffaroni cup while watching Trailer Park Boys. Liz, Jacob and I are going as the Trailer Park Boys for Halloween. It's gonna be the TITS! Anyway, sorry I don't have anything too fancy to review for you this week! GO TRY Baker & Nosh! Seriously, good shit!…Alright everybody Have a spooky and fun Halloween. If you're on the diet and it ain't yo cheat day be strong, you can eat ALL that left over discounted candy on Cheat Day!

NOSHIN' on CARBS/ Cheat day-Cheap Day

There is one thing that is clear on this diet: I MISS CARBS. (Beer is a carb. I miss beer.)

I have been walking by a bakery on Wilson every morning since working for Chicago Apartment Finders, and I have always wanted to walk in. However, since I've been doing this diet since Jan. 1st, 2013, I have not had a chance to try its delicious goods. It is always full of people, and in the course of living here in Chicago, it has expanded 2 storefronts. I really wanted to give it a try. So, after a candy in bed breakfast, Zach and I ventured up Greenview Ave. (full of "holy SHIT!" houses) to Baker and Nosh on Wilson very close to the Wilson Red Line Stop.

http://www.bakerandnosh.com/index.php

Upon entering, a very kind lady described everything behind the glass. A lot had been picked over by the early afternoon, but most of the good stuff had at least one item left. We couldn't decide, so we decided to get pretty much EVERYTHING:

1 raisin sticky bun
1 ham and cheese croissant (they only have croissants on the weekends)
1 artichoke n' cheese focaccia bread square
1 pastrami and cheese sandwich
2 bowls of chorizo gumbo
2 pumpkin spice lattes
1 sourdough roll
1 whole wheat roll

There were epic looking chocolate chip brownies...but we decided to save those for another time.

HOLY MOTHER, it was all delicious. The sandwich...o man...if you are into sandwiches, GO TO THIS PLACE. Not only is the bread fresh and soft, but the meats and cheeses they use are PRIMO. Croissant was buttery and amazeballs, and the sticky bun...ooooof. The pumpkin spice latte was great, but Zach commented on how much he still liked the Dunkin' Donuts latte. I appreciated this one because it tasted like real fresh creme and it was made by a real barista, but still for stuff like that, you can go cheap and still be happy. The gumbo was delicious, but I felt like the baked goods overshadowed it. I'd like to try some more of their soups that are cream based.

After, we were feelin' pretty pregnant, but we still wanted to visit their cheese store to see what they had to offer. We bought a small block of pepper jack cheese, and a salted caramel gelato to share. We were making so many YUM noises walking down the street eating the gelato, people were turning their heads. This place also gives baking lessons if you're wanting to learn. I'd like to take one at some point. Two Thumbs UP. Cheat day MECCA.


We cut up the cheese and put it on thin crackers while watching football, and some of The League, and It's Always Sunny, curled up like little cats on each other and took a long ass nap. Then parted ways as Zach had a rehearsal. Earlier, we procured some of our favorite cheap options for cheat day: Velveeta Mac for this guy, and Chef Boyardee Ravioli for Zach. Cheat day doesn't always have to be about going out. The cheapest food is some of the worst for you. Why not take advantage? Not that this diet necessarily breaks your bank. Meats and veggies can get expensive, but if you're not adding in all the other stuff you'd normally buy, like breads and chips, etc. it cuts your grocery shopping costs down a lot. Plus, beans and eggs are super cheap. However, because you're consolidating all your junk food and going out time into one day, sometimes it equals out. It depends on how hard you wanna cheat.


Well guys, I'm ashamed to say it...but...I'm a non-cheat day cheater this week. My friend Macki--who is one of the best cooks, bakers, sandwich makers EVER, made bacon wrapped dates the other night, and I couldn't resist. Hence why I stayed the same weight this week. I also may be drinking too many diet drinks with fake sugar and may be staving off my hunger with too many nuts. This can sort of compromise the diet. Its a tricky one to master, but once mastered, it can really effect things. Like your friendships with people who make amazing food. They will get mad at you. Also, your friends who want you to drink beer during the week. They will not understand. But Zach, who is a master, stayed strong this week. And I think he will reap the benefits...however we did promise ourselves that we would eat popcorn and drink beer at The Brew and View tonight...and Halloween is on a Thursday...decisions, decisions.

Beautiful Weather for a Beautiful Cheat Day

Zach: Hey Cheaters, what's going on? So I realize that two Cheat Days have passed since I posted about the actual Cheat Day thanks to the Great American Challenge. So, let me try and re-cap the past two Football/CheatDay Sundays as best as I can. I believe I must do this as Cheat Day hath smote me this time around by adding on two pounds at the weigh in. This is the first week where I have truly stuck to the diet, to the best of my ability, and gained weight. So, I will take this time during my lunch break to appease the Cheat Day Gods! That should get me back on track as I am only 13 pounds away from achieving my original goal.

First things first, "America's Team" the Kansas City Chiefs are the best team and only remaining undefeated team in Football at 7-0. I still can't seem to catch a GOD DAMN game because the local markets where I live HATE me and play bullshit secondary games instead! Doesn't matter, because the Chiefs are number 1. Also, no one seems to want to take away their name, unlike the Redskins, which I find incredibly amusing. BUT, none of this has anything to do with what cheat day is about, except the fact that the Chiefs must maintain this record each and every Cheat Day! And they will, OH they will maintain, and if not I will enjoy it while it lasts. All Hail the CHIEFS!

So, not this past Cheat Day, but the one before (10/13) the lovely Liz and I awoke and reverted back to one of the original Cheat Days in which we ate candy in bed, but this time it was HALLOWEEN candy. Halloween, what a stellar way to end a stellar month, amirite?! We then each at a delicious candy apple covered in Halloween colored jimmies, yes JIMMIES! They were delicious. I hadn't eaten a candy apple since I was a boy at the Virginia State Fair. My teeth were too weak then and I couldn't quite get through. But now that I'm a MAN my teeth are strong and true. So true I devoured said candy apple topped with Halloween jimmies in about 3 minutes. We then made for the Dinner Diner. A standard but by god it is such for a reason.

While at the Diner of Dinners I ate a special they have only on weekends, 'the Haystack.' For those of you who aren't familiar with the Dinner Diner a Haystack is a layer of hash browns with two sausage patties on top. On top of THAT is biscuits and gravy. AND ON TOP OF THAT!! is two eggs any GOD DAMN STYLE. I also ate a double bacon cheeseburger, extra bacon…no big deal. CHEAT DAY DON'T CARE ya Cheatin' CHEATERS GAAAAAHHHH!

Only Instead of Pizza Hut Imagine Papa John's

The rest of the day consisted of slow moving and LOUD farting. We got back home and guess what, the Chiefs game wasn't on. What was on do you ask? Not the Chicago Bears game, which would make sense being that I live in Chicago, but NO they played that Thursday. Instead of the Chiefs the on-point CBS Chicago affiliate opted to play Steeler/Jets, what a LOAD of horse shit right? Anyway we chose to watch Wayne's World to digest the dinner diner instead of my least favorite team in football. While watching Wayne's World Liz's roommate Jacob ordered Papa John's…and YES I ate a slice MOTHER! I also drank 3 pints of Guinness while digesting the Dinner Diner AND Pizza.

My roommate Tony's friends Derek and Lindsay were in town for a wedding. Liz and I had also wanted to go down to beautiful Lincoln Park in Chicago for Months and it was a glorious day out, as most Cheat Days are…glorious I mean. So we decided, after wiggling off the couch at Wayne's World's end, to take them on down to Lincoln Park and visit all the animals! It was AWESOME. We saw monkeys and a leopard. A lion and tiger were having a conversation back and forth with ROARS! We looked at seals and all sorts of fun birds too! The first think I saw was a Takin, which I think is something like a Yak. It was great AND free. If you haven't gone to the free Lincoln Park Zoo, DO IT!

That's a big boy

Liz went to her friend's house to watch the Redskins' game with them cause their mom was in town visiting. She'll have to give you the details as to what she ate. I went with Tony, Derek, and Lindsay to Giordano's, cause you gotta get deep dish while in Chi-town. I ate a slice of that but I knew we were going to a bar where Tony's and my roommate Gabriella works to catch the rest of the Skins game, Wild Goose Bar and Grill in North Center near Lincoln Square. I hadn't really eaten anything from there yet and I was going to want to…so I only ate ONE slice of deep dish pizza, which is probably all any normal person needs anyway.

Wild Fries

While at Wild Goose I drank a pitcher of beer and I had a chicken salad sandwich on a pretzel roll with a side of WILD FRIES. Wild fries are french fries topped with nacho cheese, ranch dressing, and season salt. Delicious and the opposite of nutritious, perfect for cheat day. I started passing out at the bar in the middle of the game so I sauntered home narrowly avoiding a mess in my pants and I passed out. Only to wake up with body aches for work the next day!

That's it for me. Stay tuned tomorrow cheaters for Liz's accounts of this past Sunday. We went to some place you're gonna HAVE to try Baker and Nosh! Cheat on!

Great American Challenge! Special Cheat Week 2nd Post!

Zach: Good Afternoon Cheat Day fans! I am writing to you all today in my very public internet diary for one specific and fun reason: This year Liz's roommate Jacob and I had a joint birthday party to the theme of the Great American Challenge (No, not the giant Dildo). Click here to read the Urban Dictionary published rules of the Great American Challenge. The Zach Finch/Jacob Brown Birthday rules consisted of these here:

2 teams of 4 must consume:

1 Cube (30 pack) of PBR
1/8 of an ounce
1 XL Pizza from Dominoes

Once all of the aforementioned has been consumed each team must complete a 100 piece puzzle. First team to complete everything is the winner and champion of all!

Look, it may sound scary but this is DEFINITELY an event to have on a Cheat Day! Certainly if you are going to cheat for a whole week. I talked to all of the competitors the next day and not ONE of us felt dead to the world. A couple of us were still floating a little high in the sky for a whi…le, but still. EVERYONE was able to function that whole night AND the next day. Plus everyone was in CRAZY fun party mode in like 15 minutes.

To recount all of the hilarious details would be impossible for one man. I encourage any of the participants to leave comments on this post to give their take as well. But here's mine anyway:

Team Wolf Pussy

Everybody Have a GOOD CLEAN Match

The 8 contestants Team Wolf Pussy and Team Funky Dong Sniffers (made up name cause I forget what they were really called), 2 very stern/half sober referee's, and lovely hostess assembled at the challenge area at about 8pm. After a very ceremonious introduction, including "national anthems," team photos, shaking of the hands, and other fan fare we were underway shortly before 9pm. And OFF WE WENT!



I must have downed three beers in 5 minutes all while taking small puffs from the eigth. After each beer I yelled out "EMPTY" per the referee's orders, and they came to collect the empty making SURE it was in fact empty. My other team mates were working really hard on the 8th so I decided I should maybe help. I reached back into my cigarette rolling days and rolled us up a couple of joints. So, while continuing to pound beers I enjoyed a whole joint or two to myself. One, particularly mean looking ref popped in a short time later clicking his pen. He asked, "How we doing in here?"

Team Funky Dong Sniffers

To which the room replied, "Look at TONY looking all serious and shit MAN! You're awesome TONY! You're doing SUCH a good job being a referee! FUCKER!" This statement, believe it or not, contained absolutely no sarcasm.

He looked at us, still clicking away at his pen and said, "Boy, you guys are pretty fucked up aren't you?"

"HELL YEAH," we eagerly agreed as a group.

"You know it's only been like 15 minutes right?," said the referee in amazement.

Refs Tony and Marie

After hearing this, Jacob and I thought it a good idea for the two of us to get focused on the beer consumption while we let the two seasoned smokers do what they do best. So out of our designated smoke area we went. What we stumbled upon was one of my favorite parts of the night. The lovely Liz, who was host for the evening, was "just chilling" in the warmly lit open living room of her apartment. She was playing the sweet "chill music" of Andrew Byrd and asked Jacob and I to sit there under the big beautiful window overlooking her comforting, quaint, any-town-USA of a block. The perfect place for a Great American Challenge.

Jacob and I stayed and chatted and joked with the lovely Liz for what felt like 2 seconds but what was actually something like 10 minutes, until, suddenly, out from the smoke room came our team's self appointed righteous captain yelling obscenities at us. "Jacob, Zach! What the hell are you boys doing out here?! You'd better be drinking! We're in the other room doing all the work and you're out here lollygagging with Liz!"

To which we responded, I am sure with the utmost articulation, "Fug you, we're pounding BEERS over here getting our sweat on and making our belly's full!" But, realizing it may be time for a switch we stormed back into the smoke room and continued blasting through everything.

What must have been about half an hour later, but felt like 5 minutes later, the refs came in and informed us we only needed to drink 5 more beers and whatever was left of the mary jane and we could move on to the puzzle. We finished that pizza in the first 10 minutes, so we no longer had to worry about that. We were stoked! We very quickly chugged a beer each and split the last one. We also took turns hitting the bowl which contained the last of the 8th. Done! Except... just before we got to start the puzzle, I pounded the LAST bit of beer (taken from the final drippings of each can) which the refs poured into a pint glass, GROSS, but I am in it to WIN.

Side Note: I'd like to make note how strange the perception of time is when on some inhibitors. At the start of the challenge time crawled, once we got close to the end it seemed to fly. It probably seemed the other way around to the referees and to those who weren't participating. The perception of time on drugs and alcohol is the same as the perception of time throughout one's life span as opposed to a singular day. "Life is like a toilet paper roll..the closer you get to the end the faster it goes" said my old High School Government Teacher.

Anyway, The Puzzle was treacherous. Certainly more than I bargained for. The people in charge of purchasing these 100 piece puzzles cruelly purchased HOLOGRAM puzzles. These REALLY messed with our already messed up minds. It took us probably a good hour just to get used to these puzzle pieces containing three different images based on from what angle you are looking at it. It was long and tough (that's what she said). I could not concentrate (that's what she said). The holograms were confusing(that's…never mind). My team mates began getting nervous as I zoned in and out. People were yelling.

Finally, about 20 minutes later the Funky Dong Sniffers rush to begin their puzzle. I clearly did not have the will to win as I snagged a piece of birthday cake the lovely Liz made for me. The birthday cake was an ice cream cake made from ice cream sandwiches, crushed snickers bars, and icing. Delicious! Especially under the influence. The Funky Dong Sniffers  pulled ahead and ultimately won the whole challenge while Wolf Pussy was a mere 4 puzzle pieces away….rats. Luckily it was my party and I could cry if I wanted.

Team Funky Dong Sniffer's Winning Puzzle

Wolf Pussy's close bu no Cigar Puzzle

Here's a tip, make sure you get matching puzzles ladies and gentleman. The puzzle is KEY.

My thoughts on weight loss...

I gained 6lbs this week.

Now, this was expected. I had a week of cheat days. I didn't cheat as hard as I do on my "cheat days" on most of the days, but I didn't respect any of the rules, and imbibed my share of sugar and salt. However, it reminds me that there is cause and effect, and of the struggle I've had with weight loss and weight gain for most of my conscious life.

The first time I noticed I wasn't the healthiest little kid was when I was 8 years old. Up to that point, I didn't have the greatest eating habits. My mother would really try to get my brother and I to eat healthy, and my dad would go through periods of eating extremely healthy as well, but my brother and I resisted, doing things like sneaking off to eat chocolate at my grandma's house across the street. We would take a little pile from her candy jar, and plop in front of the TV that was full of cable shows that we didn't have at home. I was an active little kid, however, and so it didn't effect my body as much. I was swimming, doing karate, playing basketball, softball. My body wasn't transitioning into adulthood just yet. When I turned 8, my family moved from Virginia to North Carolina, and I had to make a whole new set of friends, which was daunting. I had some great girlfriends, but I was bullied a lot. It was also the age I started singing in public, which gathered a lot of positive and negative attention. This transitional depression caused a weight gain that was very noticeable. It stayed on through most of my formative years. As much as I would move my body, I couldn't quite equalize what was going in and going out. I also would eat just like my brother, who is two years older, and was a football player. In my mind, everything had to be equal, or it wasn't fair. I also watched a lot of TV, sitting on the couch. After a lot of bullying, and just being depressed about how much bigger I was than the other girls, I started exercising. I would do exercise videos, run sprints in the morning. This still wasn't changing my situation, so I gave up, sat back on the couch, and got bigger.

As I grew into a pre-teen and a teenager, I was still very fixated on being thin, especially because I was constantly performing  in musical theatre shows, church, school, coffee houses and other settings. I really wanted to look good on the stage, fit into the costumes. I also really wanted to attract boys. I had always been boy crazy, and always seemed to be second pick. I was very concerned about their attention. It made me feel good if a boy liked me, no matter who he was. I really thought I wouldn't be happy until I was thin.

The problem was, I was right. When I was 15, the Atkins diet became a huge craze, so I tried it. And it worked. It was like a gateway drug. Finally, I was losing the weight I wanted to lose. And the more weight I lost, the more positive responses I got from friends, family, teachers, directors, boys. When I started to plateau, I had to add something else into the mix. I had to keep feeling good. On top of Atkins, I started eating less, half of what I was eating normally. And that half became half. And if I had a moment of weakness, usually at night while watching TV, I would go into the backyard and regurgitate it. Sometimes I would do this in school if I overindulged. I also started eating sugar free candy, which has chemicals in it that act as a laxative. And to top it all off, I was really using my PE classes--running, and staying active during the class as much as possible, and doing 1hr intense Tae-bo videos every day.

I looked great. Boys asked me out on dates. I got the ingenue roles. And I felt so good. I felt like an emotional weight had been lifted from me. Like I didn't have to make an excuse for myself. I felt confident. I felt like I could do anything. Control anything that was out of control. I felt my light shining brighter than any time in my life. I was accomplishing so much as a result of not being heavy.

But I was sick. My stomach would make these horribly loud noises, I would feel faint a lot. My family started to catch on that I wasn't losing weight in the most healthy way. I also started going to a new school that was far way, so I had no time for exercise, and I knew I couldn't keep the eating habits up. So I went back to normal eating, and gained everything back. The depression came back too.

In early college, I started an exercise and eating regimen that was very healthy. I started to look a little healthier, and I felt confident too. I still wasn't a twig, but I wasn't a fat girl either. I started to feel good again. I started to feel that weight off of my personality.

But the summer of 2008, I found beer. And everything changed. I put on 20lbs in one summer and didn't lose it until 2012. The consistent beer drinking made me crave more sugar and more carbohydrates. I was still exercising regularly, but it wasn't effecting weight loss.

After college, I moved to NYC to pursue my degree in musical theatre. I knew my body wasn't ready. When I went in for auditions, I knew that my weight was an issue. A couple casting directors told me so as well. This didn't hurt me, since I understand that they have a product to sell. So I got a job on cruise ships to lose the weight, get healthy, get back in there.

But this didn't happen for a long time. My drinking habits were still not under control and nor were my eating habits. I couldn't seem to change it up. What was stopping me? Wasn't this something I wanted to do? Something I knew would make me feel better?

What I started to realize through talking with people, reading books, and meditating, was that I was pushing a large unnecessary bolder up a hill. I didn't understand that for any change to happen, that I needed to change the way I thought about myself and my body and their relationship. I realized how much my thoughts are connected to the way my body looks. How the depressed times created the weight gain, and not the other way around. It prevented me from changing what I was doing every day because I felt helpless. 

I can say that I feel good about where my body is right now. It could be better, and for a career as a performer, there is more pressure for it to be better. But at least now I know that I'm not helpless. My weight change is my choice, every day. And the feeling good should just be there, no matter what. The weight change doesn't need to be for my family, it doesn't need to be for male attention, it doesn't need to be there for me to feel comfortable in social and performance settings. I shouldn't have to use it as an excuse. My weight loss will just happen because I feel good, and I have enough of the correct information.

However, I have relapses, like that 6lbs. This has been a lifelong struggle, so its going to be hard to let go of old habits and old ways of thinking. But it's worth working for. Its worth guessing and checking. Its worth slowly changing my mind.

Birthday Week = Cheat Day Week!

Go here for your Birthday and you're gonna have a GOOD TIME

Zach: Hello friends, family, and well wishers. Zach Finch here for week 3 of the "Cheat Day. Don't Care" web diary. Liz and I did not have an official Cheat Day yesterday as it was my Birthday Last Tuesday and I took this week to give no amount of fucks as to what I did to my body and when it is your birthday I would expect the same out of you!

Because of Cheat Week, instead of Cheat Day, I did not weigh myself to see how much weight I had gained. Next Sunday's weigh in will reveal just what I can get away with as far as going week on/week off with this slow carb diet. And let me tell you internet, I really did a number on myself. I still feel shitty, bloated, slow, hung over, wrecked, icky, nasty, befuddled, and all sort of just wrong as I write to you today. Would you like to know how I got this way? Sure! let's get started.

Tuesday, October 1st 2013 (My 28th Birthday)

My lovely girlfriend Liz surprised me with breakfast in bed atop a beautiful cajone as a gift. The breakfast was usual diet food. Eggs, spinach, and black beans with a little sirracha. This is part of the reason why I love this diet. Having that for breakfast isn't far off from what I would normally eat for breakfast. Liz then had to get off to work, but not me as I took off that day and the next, cause guess what?! Cheat day! Don't Care. Birthday REALLY don't care.

I went on home and reverted back to my middle school self just getting home from school as I devoured snacks left over from a previous Cheat Day. Things like cheddar and sour cream potato chips, snack wells cookies, granola bars, and various candies (snickers, smarties, candy corn…ya know like I'd already gone trick or treating). At lunch time I made way to Taco Bell after my folks gave TB's new Smothered Burrito a strong recommendation. I'm a HUGE Taco Bell fan. I even risked getting a DUI in order to get Taco Bell one evening. And got a DUI I did! But not before eating 3 pounds of burritos in the Taco Bell parking lot.

Anyway, that's another story. For this very special birthday Taco Bell run I put away a beefy 5-layer burrito, a chicken quesadilla, and the greatly anticipated smothered burrito. Everything was excellent AND Taco Bellish as usual. The smothered burrito even boasted a different sort of zest from the usual Taco Bell twang. Should you be a Taco Bell fan reading this, give the smothered burrito a try on Cheat Day!

Then, for dinner we went to the newly opened Buzz: Burgers, Barrels, and Beer (BYO) at 1935 W. Irving Park Rd. in Chicago, Il. Now I live EXTREMELY close to this restaurant and I have been waiting to try it since I moved back in July. It just opened up in the middle of September and it is not open Sundays, which is, as you know Cheat Day. Don't Care. There Liz and I shared the Alamo Burger, a burger topped with pepper jack cheese, avacado, onions, some sort of fancy spicy sauce (or aioli) and some mother effing Mexican Chorizo. Before we dug in to the delicious truffle mac and chee and the Alamo Burger we order a little something they call Hipster Poutine.

Now, for those of you who don't know, poutine is a canadian dish that is just right for cheat days. Poutine is simply french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. Well Buzz's Hipster Poutine is fries topped with melted cheese curds, PBR gravy, pickled peppers, pulled pork bbq, and a fried egg all mixed in there. I must admit, I was a little disappointed at the size of the portion for the poutine, but it was so rich in flavor that it filled me up quick. It is clearly meant to be served in portions that size. My roommate Gabriella came with us and she ordered some fried pigs ears as well, which were surprisingly tender and little sour but good.

Finally, for the main birthday event, myself and quite a rambunctious crew went to MOE'S TAVERN in Logan Square off the Belmont Blue Line stop in Chicago, IL. Where I sucked back a "Flaming Cease & Desist" not once, not twice, but thrice. Those things were spicy let me tell you. However, the proprieter of Chicago's Moe's Tavern, not to be confused with Springfield's, Maureen was just as surly and entertaining as Moe Sizlack. They gave us a free weird blue shot every time the Blackhawks scored a goal and they were offering free ham sandwiches and chicken noodle soup. The place was a dank pit (and I wouldn't dare recommend they get rid of that dank). It was a urine soaked hell hole, or a peepee soaked heck hole for those of you with virgin ears. If it were in my neighborhood I would most certainly make it my neighborhood bar.

And, just because I am a glutton for punishment and just a glutton in general we capped the night off at good old Dinner Diner where I and my roommate Gabriella each polished off one of their slingers. Their slinger consists of hash browns, two cheeseburger patties, chili, cheese, and 2 fried eggs. They gave gabriella and I each a certificate for completing it. I thought this odd since I have gone in there several times and blasted through them with not so much as a "pay your tab and get out you walking tub of beer sweats." Just kidding, they aren't that mean there…or clever most likely. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for my GREAT AMERICAN CHALLENGE experience later this week!

From Right Mike H and Gabriella G

Zach: What's up cheaters?! So we had Cheat Day Sunday yesterday and if you haven't read Liz's post about it check that shit out before you decide whether or not you'd like to waste your time with mine!

Firstly, my Dad retired today after he busted his ass for 31 years straight with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Now that is pretty impressive to me. I love that old bastard and he deserves nothing else but to be retired. He should take this time he has created for himself and live EVERY day like it was CHEAT DAY!

Yesterday Liz and I kicked it off with, YOU GUESSED IT, Dinner Diner! I had a double bacon cheeseburger and an order of hash browns. Then I ate some of Liz's pancakes. CHEAT DAY DON'T CARE!

Then it was football time! I drank Pumpkin beers all game for the Chiefs vs. Giants. And then I drank MORE Pumpkin Beer. I gotta tell you, if you decide to drink pumpkin beer make it only one or two and then switch to regular. Otherwise your stomach WILL hurt. Consider yourself warned.

I then went home, after the Chiefs took care of the fallen Giants something fierce. Like the lilliputians took care of that giant BITCH Gulliver. I needed to clean my room. But, before I did that I stopped by the AWESOME Mexican joint across the street from my house, Fast Super Burrito, on Irving Park. There I got a small chicken quesadilla and a small chorizo chimichanga! I made fast work of that and got my room cleaned. You GOTTA FRY that burrito on CHEAT DAY!

I finished the Cheat Day Sunday off with hardcore snacking of potato chips and candy and the 2nd to last episode of breaking bad! Tomorrow is my birthday so next Sunday we are skipping cheat day since I am going to make this holiest of weeks a cheat WEEK. Cheat Day would have wanted it that way! I'm down to 211.8lbs anyhow. Only about 12 more pounds to go. Alright folks check out Fast Super Burrito, for real:

Which Pumpkin Ale is the Best

Sunday SUNDAY SUNNNNNDAAAYYY!!!

Football all day. The Chiefs won. Buffalo won. The Redskins scraped by. Hell yes.

And we drank PUMPKIN ALE. SO MUCH PUMPKIN ALE. Hey, the leaves are starting to change colors. And cheat day don't care. I'd say my preference overall of pumpkin ales would be the Blue Moon Harvest. It's got the sugar to compliment the spice, and it has a full, pumpkiny flavor. It's cheap too.

Also: DINNER DINER. Pancakes, hashbrowns, bacon. Zach had to help me out, but I was very pleased. Next time though: bacon grilled cheese. Bacon and cheese make everything better.

CHEAT DAY will have to be posponed this coming week, as we will be cheating like crazy this week to celebrate the birth of Zach Finch 28 years ago. We will be eating bad food and drinking beer. Also, there will be coverage of THE GREAT AMERICAN CHALLENGE. Get ready...

Zach's First Cheat Day Entry

Zach: Dear diary, this will go down in history as my first ever blog post! Cheat Day has been good to me. As Liz said I have lost 20s of lbs., 25.6lbs to be exact. And I got to tell you Cheat Days are THE saving grace of this weight loss program. It is like a weekly holiday. A "Sabbath" if you will. A day of rest. Zach hath created a less hideous body in 6 days and on the 7th day he CHEATED! That kind of thing.

I won't bore you with the strenuous details of the diet itself, go buy this geniuses book for that. Instead I will reg-ail you with tales of half dozen donuts, smothered burritos, and as George Costanza would recommend: taking a bite out of a block of cheese like it were an apple. It is hard for me to recollect all my Cheat Days so in this initial blog post I will simply go over some of my favorite Cheat Day adventures.

First and foremost, a trip to the Dinner Diner on Irving Park Rd. in Chicago, IL is always a recommended choice. It is cheap, delicious, and it is a blast watching how efficient those fry cooks are. One time I got a stack of pancakes, an order of hash browns and a double bacon cheeseburger! "Did I finish it all," you scoff? You bet your sweet "playin' by the rules" ass I did! Cheat day for life mother fuckers!

Last weekend I was at Chicago's own punk fest extraordinaire, Riot Fest, in Humbolt Park for cheat day. There I ate a chocolate and bacon cream puff, a Polish Plate complete with potato pancakes, polish sausage, and pirogi; a watermelon ice cream slushi and then right before Blink 182 played a corn dog and a funnel cake. If my 13 year old self met me today he'd say, "Way to keep it REAL, you svelte SOB."

And, perhaps my fondest cheat day memory, if you can call it that, to date: The 4th of July. It was ballsy to move Cheat Day from a Saturday to a Thursday this early in the process but it was well worth it for me. We kicked this Cheat Day of revolutionary proportions off with a power hour fueled by High Life and PBR. We chased that down with a lil'old bottle of Wild Turkey's Honey Bourbon, all before we'd even eaten anything yet! We made our way to the beach, although I couldn't tell you how we got there. Before hitting the sand we stopped at a grocery story for some IndeCHEATance Day munchies. Which, to my recollection consisted of chips, cheese, various delicious fruits (sounds lame but a MUST for cheat days, trust me), crackers, bread, and salted cured meats. Then we wrestled in the water for a while. I frightened some children, it was great.

I am looking forward to many more cheat day adventures! My goal is 200lbs, although once I am there I will see if I can just go a little further. After all Cheat Day really is just that much fun. No joke! Follow me, will you? And then you can see how I ended up looking like this:

Instead of like this:

Happy Cheat Day Everyone!

The Bears won. I ate an Oatmeal Creme Pie.

LIZ: Yesterday's damage is as follows:

1 Large White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Latte from Dunkin Donuts (Ravenswood)
2 1/2 donuts from Dunkin Donuts (Ravenswood)
1/2 plate of nachos from Fast Super Burrito (North Center)
1 wheat ale
1 slice pepperoni pizza from Santullos (Wicker Park)
1 Miller High Life in frosted glass
1 Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks (Wicker Park) (for comparison)
1/2 an ice cream from Bunny Fro-Yo (North Center)
2 Sam Adams brews
1/3 Chicken Lo-Mein order from Orange Garden Chinese (North Center)
2 fortune cookies
2 steak tar tars (thank you, Mr. Giamichael)
1 glass of Malbec red wine
1/2 a package of Twizler Pull and Peels
1 double stuffed Oatmeal Creme Pie

I woke up this morning with a sore throat from indigestion. For those that know about my sober September, yes, I did break it. But with all this food, I did not get drunk.

Cheat Day. Don't Care.

LIZ: Hello. I hope this first blog post finds you in good spirits.

You may be asking yourself, "what is a 'cheat day?'" For those of you who are unfamiliar, I will describe to you the essence of this glorious and sacred of days.

A 'cheat day' is one day a week (a period of 7 days) when you can indulge in any form of food. Whatever pleases you. Whatever you impulsively desire and have the availability and monetary wealth to acquire. The other days of the week, you are on a rather strict diet of nutritious food. However, on the 'cheat day,' you do not have to calculate nutrition, quantity, or digestibility. 

This sounds down right delightful, does it not? You may be saying "I must take on this ritual!"

HOWEVER--you must understand that you will need to give up all notions of personal dignity. If you are ready...please...read on...