Dieting sucks

Since January 1st, I've been part of a "Biggest Loser" contest with 5 friends/family members, with the winner taking an $1800 cash prize (we each put in $300 to participate).  Normally, I'd be watching the Food Network while cooking dinner, but to get my mind off hunger, not to mention forbidden items like chocolate, bread, pasta, etc., I decided to treat myself to shopping instead.  Zero calories, but tough on the wallet! 

I've been living on a diet of these:

Okay, I haven't been THAT extreme to the point of denying myself anything remotely delicious, but it's definitely not very fun.  However, I'm determined to win the $1800, so excuse a little grumpiness and delusional ramblings until January 31st when the competition ends.

The whole point of this contest is for us to have a motivating factor to jumpstart healthier diets and regular exercise, but given the amount of money at stake, I know we're all going to partake in a little cheating (sauna, master cleanse...any other suggestions?)  the last few days of the month.

So far...I feel a little lighter and less bloated from consciously watching what I eat (mainly less carbs) and trying to exercise regularly, but the scale is still reporting very few pounds shed.  I gotta kick it up a notch since we're almost at the halfway mark!