I'm beginning to see pattern here!

Okay, I am no Sherlock Holmes (although I did go see the movie) but I believe I'm beginning to see a pattern here! Two posts before Christmas I declared my plan to lose 5 to 10 pounds before the Holidays, to sort of adjust to sure fire Christmas gain! One post before Christmas I said, in a slightly less self assured manner, that I was hoping to lose 4 or 5 pounds before the holidays. So now here it is, post Holiday season and I am up 5 pounds. What the hell? I didn't eat any of the really bad stuff... I didn't eat pie, I didn't eat chips and dip (I did eat Quakes), shoot, I even passed on an open box of See's candy!!! (By virtue alone I should have lost weight, right?) But then I remembered that feeling virtuous was part of my old "diet" pattern, not part of my new healthful eating lifestyle! For months I have been bitching about being stuck on a far reaching "plateau" the size of the Kalahari. I realize now that my plateau had a big ol' river running through it... De' Nile! (Get it?) I have now explored the far reaches of weight loss maintenance... the problem is, I am no where near the weight loss that is ready to be maintained! I need to climb out of that river and off the plateau and get back on to my weight loss journey! Crap!
So, how did I get off track? Well, for one thing (the first pattern) I had become complacent! I didn't have to think about what I was doing so much because making healthier choices had become habit (that takes about 6 or 7 months). By not making conscious decisions I started a slow slide down a slippery slope. In the winter it is harder to drink the mass amount of water that I have learned is essential to my weight loss. When it's hot, you don't have to think about grabbing and guzzling water all the time. I wasn't even aware of the fact that my water consumption had been cut in half! It's harder to get out and exercise in the winter. That natural energy you get from a beautiful sunny day is a lot harder to muster when it's freezing cold, wet and dark outside. You have to make the decision EVERY G D DAY!!!
I was eating healthier foods, by habit, but because I wasn't thinking about what I was doing... my portions were getting bigger. I'd miss my mid afternoon or mid morning snack and make up for it by increasing the size of my main meals. Not such a good idea! Okay, so healthy habits are a beneficial lifestyle change, but I realize now that I can't just develop them, then take them for granted. I still have to be a conscientious decision maker!
My second pattern was more deliberate, but no less debilitating. When I started this "journey" there were certain foods that I just cut out of my life. That has worked out great. I know that I am not great with moderation. But of late, I have re explored my boundaries! There are very few food items that I have missed, since I have quit eating them entirely. One thing I have missed is pizza. Another is just a simple sandwich. AHA! Another pattern... what I was missing was the bread! (that evil saboteur of weight loss!) I thought to myself... "you are great with coming up with healthier substitutes for fatty foods, why not this too?" Why not indeed? And believe me... I did! I discovered those "thin buns" that a few bread companies are making now... multi grain and whole wheat, that are low calorie (100 calories for an entire bun) and even low sodium (from one manufacturer). So I made a pizza substitute that is outrageously good and about 150 calories per mini pizza. Sounds great, right? I also used these amazing buns to make delicious sandwiches. Simple, wholesome, mayonnaise free sandwiches that tasted like friggen heaven to me! Here is where the problem began.... I started out justifying the addition of these foods by telling myself, "hell, once a month, what could it hurt?" In truth, that would probably be fine! But it quickly morphed into once a week! And let me tell you, once I had those delicious little buns in my pantry, calling to me... it was no time before my justification turned into, "alright, no more than once a day!" As I said earlier, I am not good with moderation! The good news is, once I have reached weight loss maintenance, I can have these food items... if not once a day, probably a couple of times a week. The bad news is pretty obvious... right now I need to avoid having them in my pantry!
So what have I learned? That I can't take good habits for granted, any more than I can ignore bad habits. I have to make healthful eating a conscious decision making process everyday!! I have also learned that I still stink at moderation and for the time being, I need to not have certain foods in my house! (Funny, I can stock some crap for my husband and kids and not be tempted, but I need to recognize the ones I can't resist.) And what have you learned? Well, you're about to learn how to make delicious skinny pizzas! Let's see if you can handle this potentially dangerous information better than I did! (I know, I'm evil!)

Skinny Pizzas for 4

6 Thin Buns (I like multi grain, and look for the brand that is lower sodium)
1 can Tomato puree (thinner than paste, less sodium than sauce)
1 or 2 Tbls Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbls Splenda or sugar substitute
4 or 5 cloves of garlic
1 Tbls Italian seasoning, salt free
Freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1 package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and cut into bite size bits
1/2 red or sweet onion, diced
1 pound low fat turkey sausage (I like Honeysuckle White breakfast sausage)
Spray oil

Preheat you oven to 350. Spray two cookie sheets with oil, split the Thin Buns and place them face down, and lying flat, on the cookie sheet. Place them in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the bottom is a toasty, golden color. this is important because toasting the buns keeps them from getting soggy from the pizza sauce.
Blend together the tomato puree, Balsamic, Splenda, garlic and Italian seasoning. I use the immersion blender I got for Christmas, my absolute favorite kitchen gadget. If you aren't using a blender, put the garlic through a press.
In a hot skillet saute the artichoke hearts and onions (use spray oil or a
tbls of olive oil) until they start to brown a bit. Add in the turkey sausage, crumbled, and cook through.
Once your buns are out of the oven, flip them face side up and spread sauce on each of them. Top the sauce with 1 TABLESPOON of the shredded Parmesan. You honestly don't need more than that! Now split the turkey, onion, artichoke mixture evenly over all of the buns. Place them back in the oven for about 10 or 15 minutes. We like to put a few drops of green Tabasco sauce on them before eating them, but that's just a matter of preference. Honestly... these babies are Holy Cow good! I figure them at about 150 calories each... so eat a couple, even three if you're in a piggy mood! (See, there goes my moderation issues again!) But REMEMBER!!! Only once a month! At most, just once a week! Certainly no more than once a day!!!!!