I also spend less since I'm not buying "REPLACEMENT MEALS".

If the Diet say's I can't have tortillas then I don't buy a higher price replacement...

If the Diet say's no chocolat cake, then I don'T go buying fake flour, fake sugar, fake cacao...

ETC...

Not to mention all I save on not eating 3 bags of Doritos a week, drinking pitchers of beer at the pub, ice cream in the summer (darn those HazenDaz were expensive), pop cola, pizza (and lord knows how many times the pizza guy used to come over to say hello).

I wrote a post on EXPECTIONS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES that may explain the reasons you find it expensive.

ChÉ