Your 400 Calorie Fix: Eat Anything! Anywhere!

The best formula for weight loss:

Control your calories. You know it, we know it — and study after study proves it. So why is it that even though most of us aren't bingeing on high-fat fare and continually snacking on sweets, we're still gaining weight?

One reason is 85% of adults have no idea how many calories they should consume to maintain a healthy weight. The other: Most of us don't know how many calories are in the foods we eat — and we don't have time to count them.

That's why Prevention created the new 400 Calorie Fix — a weight loss plan that teaches you to control calories by limiting your meals to about 400 calories each. "That's the right amount to allow for healthy variety in your diet and to keep you satisfied," explains nutritionist Mindy Hermann, RD, who helped create the plan.

How do you cap your meals without crunching numbers? By learning what 400 calories looks like. To help, we put together dozens of 400-calorie options, plus tips to control portions and spot hidden calories. You'll learn to see food through a 400-calorie lens whether you create meals at home or eat out.

What's more, we know it works: Sixteen women and men followed the plan and lost up to 11 pounds and 3 belly inches in just 2 weeks—and continued to lose in the months that followed.


1. LEARN TO EYE-BALL PORTIONS

To estimate how many calories are in any given meal, you need to know how much food is on your plate. At home, you can weigh and measure with cups and scales, but when dining out, use these tricks to consume healthy portions:

Click here for your handy portion control guide.

Thump tip or 1 small marble = 1 tsp (e.g., oil or jam)

Thumb tip to first knuckle or 1 large marble = 1 Tbsp (e.g., peanut butter)

Thumb or 2 large marbles = 2 Tbsp solid food (e.g., nuts) or 1 oz liquid (e.g., salad dressing)

Golf ball or cupped handful = ¼ c (e.g., beans)

Hockey puck or palm = 3 oz (e.g., cooked meat, poultry, or fish)

Tennis ball = ½ c (e.g., fruit)

Your fist or a baseball = 1 c (e.g., vegetables or pasta)


2. SPOT HIDDEN FAT AND SUGAR

They can sneak into your meals and load them with unexpected calories. When you're doing the cooking, just swap in low-fat ingredients, such as reduced-fat salad dressings, cheese, and milk. Dining out can be trickier. Watch for these signs your food is soaked in fat: pools of oil on the plate, a high-gloss shine or white coating on foods that aren't naturally white, or a dark stain or oil ring on a paper bag or plate. Finally, know that sugar is plentiful in soft drinks, desserts, and candy — and in foods you may not expect, like ketchup and crackers. Read labels to spot hidden sugar sources (such as high fructose corn syrup and dextrose), or choose sugar-free alternatives.


3. SPLIT YOUR PLATE SIX WAYS

Sure, you can polish off 400 calories of chocolate cake and call it a meal, but you'll stay satisfied longer and eat healthier if you consume the right mix of veggies, fruits, proteins, and grains. For balanced nutrition and no-brainer calorie control, divide your plate into six equal sections: Fill one section with protein, two with grain, and the remaining three with fruits and veggies. This trick won't apply to every meal, but use it as a handy guide to eat in a way that boosts health and energy.

You'll be sure have a balanced meal every time, with this tool.

Get Started Today

On the pages that follow, you'll find nearly 50 meals that deliver between 370 and 420 calories each — from delicious recipes and quick no-cook meals you can make at home to options you can choose from when dining out, including takeout, Chinese and Italian restaurants, buffets, and even fast food. We did all the calorie counting for you — all you have to do is mix and match the meals you and your family like most and that fit your lifestyle best for a total of three, four, or five meals a day, depending on your personal weight loss goal and activity level.

TO JUMP-START WEIGHT LOSS: If you're sedentary or moderately active, eat three 400-calorie meals a day for a combined 1,200 daily calories. Do this for 2 weeks and you can lose up to 11 pounds! (If you're very active and work out more than 60 minutes a day, choose four meals.)

TO REACH AND MAINTAINA HEALTHY WEIGHT: Eat four 400-calorie meals a day for a combined 1,600 daily calories (perfect for a woman of average size who has an average activity level to achieve and stay at an ideal body weight). If you're very active, choose five meals.

Try these top belly-flattening foods.


SUCCESS STORY — MELODY LOST 22 LBS!

Melody Rubie, 48
Lost: 22 pounds and 5 inches from the waist in 5 months! BEFORE 153 pounds AFTER 131 pounds

A longtime ensemble member of the hit Broadway show Phantom of the Opera, Melody Rubie was often the lone size 12 in a cast of zeroes and 2s. Then, at age 42, she became a mom—and the pregnancy weight only added to her struggle. "I couldn't get the pounds off, no matter how I tried," she says.

When Melody heard about 400 Calorie Fix, something clicked: "I wanted to feel my best for my son and me. But I needed specific diet guidance." Melody loved that she didn't have to count calories but instead just measure out portions. She started with three meals a day and lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks; then she added a meal — and continued to lose. "My costumes got loose, especially around my waist."

Five months after she started, Melody is down to 131 pounds, wears a size 8—and finds herself with far more energy to dedicate to her son and busy performance schedule. "I still keep track of how much I eat, but I've also found ways to fit in my favorites — like eclairs. The other day I bought one and slowly savored half of it before tossing the rest. And I felt totally satisfied. I learned that as long as I make smart choices, I can live without feeling deprived."


SUCCESS STORY — SANDI LOST 11 LBS!

Sandi Fagan, 37
Lost: 11 pounds in 2 weeks!
Before: 256 pounds
After: 2 WEEKS 245 pounds
Results: Lost 11 pounds and 9 ½ total inches (including 2 inches from her waist)


400 CALORIE

Buffet
Nothing is off-limits: This guide to healthy portions keeps calories in check. But if you stick to lean meats and veggies, you can even go back for seconds.

Roast Turkey
2 slices roast turkey breast; 1 Tbsp turkey gravy 90 CALORIES
Turkey breast is the leanest meat choice.

Baked Haddock
4 oz baked haddock; 1 Tbsp lemon-butter sauce 230 CALORIES
Skip the sauce and it's half the calories.

Roast Ham
3 oz slice 210 CALORIES
Watch portions — it's fattier than ham from the deli.

Flank Steak
3 oz slice170 CALORIES
Drain off sauce when you scoop it to save calories.

Fried Chicken
1 breast 360 CALORIES
1 drumstick 190 CALORIES
The skin, batter, and frying oil equals high calories.

Rice Pilaf
1 c 230 CALORIES
Oil and other ingredients make it higher in calories than plain white or brown rice.

Small Roll
90 CALORIES
A small roll weighs about an ounce and should fit in your cupped hand.

Glazed Carrots
½ c 110 CALORIES
The glaze adds 80 calories to an otherwise low-calorie option.

Potatoes ½ c roasted potatoes
90 CALORIES
Calories will be higher if they're shiny or sitting in a pool of oil.

Green Beans Amandine
½ c 90 CALORIES
Calories are estimated based on 1 teaspoon each oil and almonds per serving; if it's shiny and drenched in sauce, amounts could be higher.

SMART 4OO-CAL COMBOS
2 slices turkey
1 Tbsp gravy
3/4 c green beans amandine
½ c roasted potatoes
1 small dinner roll
= 405 calories

4 oz baked haddock
1 tbsp lemon-butter sauce
¼ c glazed carrots
½ c rice pilaf
= 400 calories


400 CALORIE: Italian
The challenge with this cuisine is portion size. In Italy, the pasta course is about appetizer size; in the United States, it's big enough to feed Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, and all the kids. Here are tips to keep servings and calories in check.

Meat Lasagna (10 oz)
420 CALORIES
Size of fist plus a golf ball

Penne alla Vodka 1 c penne (210 calories) ½ c vodka sauce (140 calories)
350 CALORIES

Fried Calamari (about 1 ½ c)
400 CALORIES

Spaghetti and Meatballs 1 c spaghetti (220 calories) 2 (1 oz) meatballs (110 calories) ½ c tomato sauce (80 calories)
410 CALORIES

Veal Marsala (5 oz)
390 CALORIES
Veal is size of hockey puck and mushrooms are golf ball-size

Mozzarella Sticks 4 sticks (300 calories) 6 Tbsp marinara sauce (90 calories)
390 CALORIES

FIXES
1. Ask for half-size portions of your main dish if possible, or split an entree with a friend.

2. Eyeball proper servings. For pasta, it's about the size of a baseball; for protein, the size of a hockey puck.

3. Order extra vegetables. Salad with a little oil and vinegar is better than sauteed vegetables, however, which are often prepared with too much oil.

4. Choose plain tomato or red clam sauce most often — they contain less fat and calories than other types. One-half cup of red sauce, for example, has about one-third the calories of Alfredo.

400 CALORIE: Chinese
Order your favorite items, then use our strategies to mix and match to create a 400-calorie plate. Bonus: You'll take home tomorrow's lunch as leftovers.

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings (2 pieces)
110 CALORIES

General Tso's Chicken (½ c)
290 CALORIES

Hot and Sour Soup (1 c)
80 CALORIES

Kung Pao Shrimp (½ c)
130 CALORIES

White Rice (½ c)
100 CALORIES

SMART 400-CAL COMBOS
1 c soup
2 dumplings
½ c white rice
½ c kung pao shrimp
= 420 calories

2 dumplings
½ c General Tso's Chicken
= 400 calories

FIXES
1. Start with a cup of broth-based soup or steamed dumplings — they're relatively low in calories and can help tame your appetite.

2. Limit white or brown rice to ½ cup. A neat trick: Use the Chinese tea cups on your table as portion guide — one holds about half a cup. Fried rice has up to twice the calories of plain, and should be considered an entree.

3. Ask for sauce on the side, and use very little — brown, sweet and sour, hoisin, and duck or plum sauce contain up to 5 teaspoons of sugar per ¼ cup.


400 CALORIE: Drive-Thru
We all know fast food can be fattening — but close to half of us love it too much to give it up. Here's how to keep calories on track.

POTATOES AND ONION RINGS

Burger King small fries
340 CALORIES

McDonald's small fries
230 CALORIES

Wendy's sour cream and chives potato
320 CALORIES

Burger King medium onion rings
400 CALORIES

BURGER
McDonald's Quarter Pounder
410 CALORIES

Burger King Double Hamburger
360 CALORIES

FISH SANDWICH
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish Sandwich
380 CALORIES

Burger King Bk Big Fish Sandwich (without tartar sauce)
460 CALORIES

Wendy's Premium Fish Fillet Sandwich (without tartar sauce)
390 CALORIES

CHICKEN
McDonald's McChicken Sandwich
360 CALORIES

Wendy's Crispy Chicken Sandwich
360 CALORIES

Burger King Chicken Tenders (8 pieces)
360 CALORIES

McDonald's Chicken McNuggets (7 pieces)
320 CALORIES
(with 1 package BBQ sauce)
370 CALORIES

FIXES
1. Say no to value deals that add extra items, and, when possible, split a meal with a friend so you can have a burger and the fries.

2. Be picky. Ask for no mayonnaise — at about 100 calories per tablespoon, mayo (and sauces made with it, such as tartar sauce and ranch dressing) can add up to almost half your calories for the meal. Also, bulk up your meal by adding calorie-safe vegetable toppings such as lettuce, tomato, pickles, and sliced onions.

3. Look up calorie counts at your favorite chain because portion sizes can vary. A small order of fries at McDonald's, for example, has 110 fewer calories than the small size at Burger King.


400 CALORIE: Party Food
A party can be a scary setting for a dieter, but if you choose wisely, you can enjoy your favorite treat and still stay within 400 calories.

HORE D'OEUVRES
Crudite 1 c (the size of your fist)
50 CALORIES

Pigs in a Blanket 5 pigs
350 CALORIES

Chex Mix 1 c (the size of your fist)
200 CALORIES

2 mini chicken satay skewers
60 CALORIES

2 mini mushroom turnovers
80 CALORIES

PIE
1 slice (about half your hand)

Pumpkin
320 CALORIES

Apple
410 CALORIES

SALADS
½ c (the size of a tennis ball)

Caesar salad
75 CALORIES

Tortellini salad
190 CALORIES

COOKIES
2 (each about the diameter of a golf ball)

Sugar
100 CALORIES

Chocolate chip
120 CALORIES

CHEESE
1 oz (the size of your thumb or 2 large marbles)

Soft goat cheese
80 CALORIES

Brie
100 CALORIES

Cheddar
110 CALORIES

DRINKS
5-oz glass of wine
125 CALORIES

5-oz glass of champagne
110 CALORIES

SMART 400-CAL COMBOS
5 oz champagne
1 c crudite
2 mini mushroom turnovers
1 c Caesar salad
= 390 calories

1 c Chex Mix
1 oz Cheddar cheese
2 chocolate chip cookies
= 430 calories


More Links:
20 Delicious 400-Calorie Meals
Lose 6 Pounds in 2 Weeks!
5-Minute Belly-Flattening Meals