So for today’s body transformation challenge update, I’ll share my recipe for making baked fish.  You can use it to bake salmon, cod or any other type of fish filet in about 20-30 minutes.

I actually learned how to make this from my wife Drea, so it’s not really my recipe but it is delicious.

The first thing you want to get out is some form of baking dish.  Actually no, the first thing you want to do is turn on the oven!  Preheat it to 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit.  For my baking dish I used Pampered Chef stoneware but you can use any kind of oven safe dish.

Roll off some tinfoil, giving yourself more than you need to line the pan as you’ll be rolling it up later.

Next, lay down two or three slices of lemon, depending on the size of the fish filet you’ll be baking.

2 Slices on Lemon on Tinfoil

Next, get your fish filet out and lay it on top of the lemons.  I used cod, but you can also use salmon or any other type of fish really.  I have made this with frozen fish before as well and it works, but you just need to bake it for longer.

I think it turns out better when the fish is thawed though.

Cod Filet

Next, cover the top of the fish with some chopped garlic.  It’s up to you how much garlic you like.

Add Garlic

Next, sprinkle some dill over top of the garlic.  I used freeze dried dill, but of course fresh dill is probably better.  I like lots of dill so I put a lot.  You can experiment with other herbs too.

Add Dill

Next, roll up the tinfoil, not too tightly though as you want to make room for some steam to escape.  It’s almost like you’re making a miniature tent for the fish.

Wrap it up. Not too tight.

Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remove from oven, open up the tinfoil being careful not to burn yourself on the steam, and you’re done!  Yaay!

Delicious and Healthy!

You can serve it with whatever you want.  I had mine over top of this green salad with avacado, cucumbers, green onions, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.  Man that salad was really green!

Served over Salad.

More Food!

On Monday (Day 8), besides the cod/salad combo I just showed above, I also had leftover chicken and baked veggies from Day 7.

Here are some pics of food I had on Tuesday (Day 9).

Scrambled Eggs with Green Onions

Baked Chicken Breast and Salad

Chicken Breast, Celery Sticks, Hummus and Tzatziki

Probably the most challenging part of this diet for me right now is consuming enough calories!

I feel like all I’m doing is cooking and eating, but I’m still lacking in calories.  Debby and I discussed some strategies for that, and I’m just waiting for a few supplies I ordered online to come in which I think will help me in the calorie department without resorting to crap foods.

It’s pretty amazing how much food you have to eat to meet your calorie requirements when you’re eating clean.  Debby asked me if I’m finding myself hungry the other day and I told her that I haven’t been hungry at all.  That’s the weird thing.

When I get a little bit hungry I make something and I eat.  When I eat, I don’t feel super full but I feel totally satisfied.  Eating enough calories is going to be the real challenge in this weight loss challenge.  I know that sounds weird but it’s true.  It’s so easy to get full when you’re eating veggies.  See those celery sticks in the picture above?  I polished all of those, but I only got half way through the hummus and tzatziki.  I was just too full to go on.

Progress

On days 8 and 9 I continued my weight loss progress, dropping down to 209.0 on Monday and down to 207.8 on Tuesday morning.

That’s an 8.8lb loss from my starting weight of 216.6lbs just 9 days earlier.

This is in line and pace with what I’ve experienced before when going on a weight loss plan.  There is always a rapid drop in weight in the first 7-10 days and then things slow down as the body adjusts to the new diet and finishes flushing out the toxins in the first week or so.

I do not expect my weight to keep dropping at this pace.  If it did, I’d inevitably start losing lean muscle which is not what I want to do here.  If my previous weight loss tracking is any indicator, the weight loss pace (currently at 0.74lbs/day loss as of day 9) will slow down to around 0.5lbs/day and then probably down to 0.4lbs/day or so where it will average for the duration of the challenge I bet.

Either way, I’m happy with the progress so far, not just related to my body weight, but the fact that I’ve kicked my habit of drinking pop every day, ordering pizza like it’s an olympic sport and instead replacing those types of habits with healthy cooking and eating right.

If you want to check out my daily pics, as always check out my Body Transformation page.

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