Cleaning your plate

I read a great article on SparkPeople today about portion control, something I struggle with. I am learning and trying to put into practice the things I have learned.
The article discussed the fact that you can lose weight just by eating single portions of your favorite foods. Learning what that single portion is though is the toughest part.

My DH is a wonderful cook. I love that he is willing to support me on this journey and helps as much as he can (some things I have to do for myself), trying new recipes and calculating calories.
About 1 week into this, he had made a wonderful, creamy, and rich, mushroom risotto for a dinner party we had. We were having leftovers for lunch a few days later. We each had our serving and there was some left in the pan. He kept eating and tried to give me more. I refused, saying I had enough. He does not like to throw food away. He got a little upset, stating there wasn't much left, he had already eaten more and I should finish it since it was such a small amount. My response was, "I have had enough and what is left can go to your waist, or my waist, or the garbage waste". He laughed and threw out the rest (there really wasn't enough to save). I remember feeling a sense of accomplishment. I didn't eat it just because there was a little left. Most people would not understand the significance of letting the food be tossed. I just have to keep remembering that saying "No thank-you" is okay.

A few other tips from the article, that I have been trying to practice are:
1) Using smaller plates or bowls
2) Ordering a non-fried appetizer as an entree
3) For dinner, ask if you can order off the lunch menu (typically they are smaller portions)
4) Have the restaurant box up half the meal as leftovers before even bringing out the entree
5) Ask upfront if you can order a "half" order but still watch the portion size
6) Pay attention to what you are eating - this is hard for me if other people are around as I get to talking and don't realize how much I have consumed
7) Read the food labels for serving size

If you have other suggestions, let me know!
That is all for today from The Tortoise's Weigh.