There are too many things for which I am thankful to even attempt to list, but right at the top would have to be my family; especially this year when two females in my extended family have been battling cancer and we all feel blessed they will be with us today.

Every Thanksgiving when we gather for the big buffet, I think again how thankful I am for two daughters-in-law who are great cooks. I'm not.

In fact, I don't cook. I dial. I call up Casa Rolls (for which I'm thankful there is one nearby) and place my order for my side dishes -- which makes my family thankful that I didn't cook.

When I weighed in last week for this Shape We're In project, I was more than thankful to see I'd lost 5.6 pounds, bringing my total loss to just up over 20 pounds. It renewed my enthusiasm not to sabotage my diet today.

The only thing stuffed will be the turkey, not me.

Jenny Craig started its portion-control pep talks last week. Here are some of the tips my Jenny counselor, Suzie, passed along, including the spoon rule:

1. Eat before you go to the family meal, so you're not starving and pigging out when it's time to eat. (Who knew that Mammy in "Gone with the Wind" was so ahead of her time when she made Scarlett do this before heading to the Wilkes' picnic?)

2. Think of your plate as divided into three sections: One-half of the plate should be filled with veggies, one-fourth starch (dressing or potatoes) and one-fourth meat.

3. Don't deprive yourself, because that will only make you more likely to binge later. Instead, use the "Spoon Rule."

"Look at everything there, think about what foods you really want, then take a tablespoon-size serving of those," Suzie explained. "If you get a little taste of your favorites, you are less likely to binge."

Pam Kelle, registered dietitian and nutrition therapist, agreed. She shared some visual cues to prevent what she calls "portion distortion."

1. "Depriving yourself of delicious sweet potato casserole or pecan pie will usually lead to overeating later," Ms. Kelle said. "It's better to have a small portion; for example, an ounce serving (which is thumb-size), half a cup (which is half the size of a tennis ball) or a cup, which is equal to a fist or baseball.

That last visual just made me thankful for the first time that I'm a big-boned girl, so I have a good-size fist by which to judge.

"Remember a portion is what we put on our plates. A serving is what is recommended on a package," said Ms. Kelle.

"A portion served at a restaurant may actually be three or four servings. We need to train our eyes to know what a cup serving looks like on a plate."

Check my blog (timesfreepress.com, then click the opinion link, then blogs) for a food gameplan for today. It's a full day's menu that will keep you to 1,500 calories, plus there's a good recipe for sauted green beans. It's so easy, I can even do it.