[Johnathan]

Maybe subdivision isn't really the answer to get the final mesh for something as simple as a dinner plate. Commiting to subdivision will always jump your poly count, where in many cases you would use the subdivided model to bake your normals to apply to the low poly.

Or if you don't want to do that, you could always use edge loops to create smoother edges. (I am assuming this is why you are wanting to subdivide in the first place)

I am fairly new at this compared to most of the folks here, but I am sure one of these would solve your problem.