right...well basically im trying to lose weight (hmm...whats new) but i am stuck!
Not with the concept of what i have to do in order to lose weight, but with what to eat.

I have worked out my daily calorific needs and decucted about 20% from that.

I am now left with around 3000 calories needed daily in order to lose weight healthily without messing up my metabolism BUT i cannot to save my life think of what to eat to amount to that, well not by eating healthily anyway.

so what i was wondering is that if someone could write me out a couple daily food plans to give me an idea as to how to reach 3000 calories by eating healthy food NOT JUNK.

and also what should be my balancing plan for my food groups? (i.e 40% carbs, 35% protein, 25% fats)

i greatly appreciate any help and will try to help back in any way if i can.

Hi Mario. I'm not good at designing meal plans, but I have noticed that cheese and nuts are nutritious snacks that satisfy hunger and have a fairly high amount of calories. One quarter cup of almonds or walnuts is about 200 calories. An ounce of cheese is about 100 calories. Nut butters are also good. Some snacks you could fit in are:

Apple and peanut butter
Almonds and raisins
Apple and cheese
Crackers and almond butter
Cheese and celery

I find if I pair the nut or cheese with a carb like fruit or crackers, it really satisfies between-meal hunger. You could also try low-fat milk or yogurt. Good luck.

Yeah nuts are packed with calories for their weight. I'm pretty sure an entire can is like 2500 calories.

It should be quite easy to get up to 3000 calories in a healthy and sustainable way.

Here's just one example of how you might do it:

Breakfast: Full fat Greek yogurt with honey and almonds and some kind of fruit (banana, apple, blueberries, strawberries, whatever (560 calories)
Snack: 2 T of peanut butter on a slice of whole grain bread (320 calories)
Lunch: whole wheat pita with turkey, cheese, and various mixed veggies, drizzled with Italian dressing made with olive oil and vinegar and spices; a glass of low fat milk or a serving of low-fat cottage cheese on the side; (625 calories)
Snack: couple of boiled eggs and a can of tomato juice or v8, another handful of almonds (about 14 or so - 1/2 serving) (380 calories)
Post workout: scoop of protein powder in 8 oz of orange juice (280 calories)
Dinner: 6 oz of grilled chicken (2 servings), a baked sweet potato with a tiny bit of butter, a medley of grilled or roasted veggies drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (600 calories)

That's 2765 calories and gives you some leeway for a little more olive oil or a few more almonds or even (if you wanted to treat yourself a little) a bag of baked chips with your lunch.

Here's another:

Breakfast: 2 T of peanut butter and a sliced banana on a slice of whole grain toast (430 calories)
Snack: whole wheat pita spread with hummus and topped with 1/2 a tomato, sliced (400 calories)
Lunch: stir fried veggies in a bit of olive oil with some kind of lean protein (grilled chicken, shrimp, fish, whatever) over brown rice (550 calories)
Snack: an apple sliced up and drizzled with honey, a serving of almonds (370 calories)
Post workout: scoop of protein powder in 8 oz of orange juice (280 calories)
Dinner: a hamburger on a whole wheat bun, made with 4oz lean ground beef and topped with lettuce, tomato, relish, mustard, etc.; cole slaw made with cabbage, carrots, and some kind of vinaigrette; oven baked fries (610 calories)
Late night snack: airpopped popcorn (150 calories) or a skinny cow ice cream sandwich (150 calories)

That's 2790 and again, leaves you a little leeway for additional dressings or mayonnaise on the burger, or another slice of bread for a full sandwich in the morning ...

There are a ton of ways to mix and match the most basic of foods in order to get to the calories you need. And then as you need to lower your calories, you can lower amounts and cut out the extras (like the fries with dinner, or whatever).

Edited to add: I put the post work out snack before dinner, because that's when I work out - right after work, before going home for dinner. You could easily move that snack to whatever time of day you exercise. If you work out first thing in the morning, then have that snack immediately after you finish and then have breakfast about an hour or so later, if you can. You also don't have to have meals and snacks. You can eat a steady amount all day, or you an have 3 meals and no snacks. You can always tweak and move things around - this is just the way I prefer to eat.

^^^^

Bow Down to Kara!

Snack: an apple sliced up and drizzled with honey, a serving of almonds (WOW this sounds awesome!)

Heheh ... I actually have eaten that for breakfast some mornings. It's an awesome breakfast and really filling. A serving of almonds really helps keep me full.