Problem making meals under 500cals

Turkey is a good option, i use lean turkey mince for burgers, chilli etc. use sweet potato and just cram your plate with green! kale, spring greens, sugar snap peas etc, all really low x

All of my dinners are under 500, but easily adjustable to more because I cook for my DH as well. You're welcome to add me and check out what I'm cooking. I eat a lot of chicken and tuna, but we still eat beef at least once a week just in a smaller portion. Everything is bulked out with vegies! Tonight it's Thai chicken larb in lettuce cups. Earlier this week, slow cooked chicken and vegies (zucchini, white beans, capsicum, tomatoes, plenty of herbs). I still eat lasagna, chilli, ramen and lots of delicious things. A lot of my recipes come from Michelle Bridges cook books but I up the calories a bit because I find the portions a bit small. Have you checked out sites like http://www.skinnytaste.com/

I always try and add something like mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach etc to my meals as they're very low in calories but can be pretty filling. A good place to start with meal ideas is to google (or search on Pinterest) for 'low calorie dinners/low cal meal ideas' etc.

Meat wise things like chicken, salmon etc are a good place to start. Meats like pork (pork chops, sausages etc) are often higher in calories- but not always. Realistically you can have all of those things as long as the portion size is right.

I've stopped eating potatos so much now, just because I'd rather use those calories on something else (smaller portions just dont seem to cut it for me) but sweet potatoes are great. Chopped thing and microwaved in water for a few minutes until slightly soft, then baked/grilled with seasoning- makes some great fries. Or mashing it together with lower cal options like carrots or parsnips to make some sort of mash

If you have set yourself up for a 1200 calorie day, that's your first big mistake and more important than your meals being over 400.

Anyway, I have no trouble eating under this since I don't eat meat. But what might probably help you is to work out how many grams of protein you should be eating per day for your body: 1 gram per kilogram of bodyweight is the global standard recommendation. there are 2.2 pounds to the kilogram so it shouldn't be hard to work out.

Then divide the number of grams you need into three and get a third at eat meal. You don't need to eat meat at every meal. In fact meat once a day is even more than enough from a health point of view.

Try learning how to put vegetables at the centre of a meal insteaad of meat and experiment with other forms of protein as your core protein for hte meal. And its not all about eggs. Lots of dieters seem not be able to think beyond the egg, wonderful as it is. Try lentils, beans, firm tofu, soft tofu. And then there's cheese adn milk and yoghurt. And even pasta has a reasonable amount of protein. So wholegrain bread. Not to mention nuts and seeds.

If you change your Diary Sharing setting to Public, it will be so much easier for us to tweak what you are currently eating. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

Open your diary for better advice.
Every meal doesn't have to be 400 calories. I eat a smaller breakfast, medium lunch and larger dinner.
Prelogging your whole day might help you make better choices.
Eat a portion of calories you earn from exercise.
Pair higher calorie items with lower calorie items like vegetables. A lot of vegetables are very low calorie. If a potato doesn't work then maybe a salad or a bunch or broccoli would fit better.
Reduce your portion sizes of the higher calorie item.
Watch things like oil, butter, condiments, dressings or sauces. You can reduce or eliminate these additions and cut calories down.
If you fry items, use less oil or try baking or grilling instead.
Beans and lentils can be very filling and lower calorie. Try some meatless meals.
Article about meat choices- http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1710

Meats I typically eat throughout the week, and have no problem keeping meals under 500 cals: Chicken, trout, salmon, tuna, turkey (ground turkey for cooking - to me it's even better than ground beef - soaks up the seasonings more).
I eat potatoes sometimes too, just make sure you're not eating an over abundance at one time and you'll be fine.

Some of my go-to veggies/sides: zucchini, cabbage, cauliflower, spring mix salad, yellow summer squash, spaghetti squash, asparagus, quinoa, couscous, rice, sweet potatoes

Feel free to add me to check my food diary for ideas.