Hi guys, I've been a silent observer here and find this thread very interesting, not to mention very passionate!
Pete, I'm not sure if vanity is the right word to describe what you elaborated on? In any event, it a thought provoking discussion.
There are so many levels to our desire to lose weight.
Motives/Goals:
1. Some of us want to look good, since we love ourselves.
2. Some of us want to lose weight in order to love ourselves.
3. Some of us want to lose weight to have someone else love us
Methods:
1. Some of us are willing to try anything to reach that goal.
2. Some of us follow what "authorities" tell us to do.
3. Some of us research and chose what works for us.
Tracking progress:
1. Some of us track our progress by how much weight we lose through the scale (thinness).
2. Some of us track our progress by how much fat we lose through the tape (leanness).
3. Some of us track our progress by how much better we feel (health).
Of course there are more options, but 3x3x3 of each could show how wide a variety of opinions we'll get on this topic.
In addition, those of us who have lost weight a lot of times and gained it back repeatedly tend to focus on the psychology of weight loss and body image to avoid bad mistakes.
My own choice from my experience so far is that I love myself as I am right now, and I love to get leaner and healthier. And I visualize what I'll be like when I reach goal, and I like it too, and look forward to it.
So I quite agree with you on the visualization part. However, I strongly beleive that DrB is essentially setting a trap for his customers by following a 900 calories plan. It works great for the 3 months, and afterward, your metabolism cannot sustain a maintenance plan easily, and the weight creeps up again and it's time for another crash diet.
I respect your opinion, and his (DrB), but I don't think it's the right approach. Nonetheless, I hope it works for you. At the end of 3 months, you may consider weight training to recover some LBM and ensure a healthy metabolism for maintenance.
Wa'il