What is left behind?

I know it is presumptuous of me, but I have allowed myself to fantasize about what it will feel like/be like when I have reached my goal weight – 178 lbs.  That seems so far away right now and it has been so long since I weighed 178 lbs that it is not easy to imagine.  The last time I weighed that much (or that little), I was a young man not long out of high school.  I know I cannot go back to being that person, nor do I want to.  I will still be a 45 year old man, realistically 46 before I reach my goal.  My fantasy ranges from being a super buff guy to being a bag of bones with saggy, wrinkly skin.  Reality, will likely be some of both, but I will definitely be more healthy.  Part of my fantasy is that losing weight will solve all of my problems.  Apparently, that is not the case.  A friend forwarded an article recently by a woman who had lost a lot of weight and kept it off.  She acknowledged that by controlling her eating, she had stripped away a safety net, a soothing mechanism that had allowed her to co-exist with her problems.  Without it, she was more likely to address her problems, which she acknowledged was not an easy thing to do.  On a positive note, she said that by successfully achieving an important goal, had given her more confidence to address things that needed to be addressed.  Her conclusion was that even though it is hard, it is worth it to throw away the pacifier.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/07/AR2010120702271.html

Consumption:

Bowl of oatmeal
Half a banana
5 strawberries
¼ cup raisins
¼  cup walnuts
Half a grapefruit
Chicken Pesto Sandwich
Apple
10 almonds
Half cup of taco meat
Lettuce
Two tablespoons of cheese
Tablespoon of sour creme
Tostido Chips – 10

Exercise

Ran 30 minutes on the treadmill – 11 minute miles
10 minutes of weights

My Fitness Pal said my food was 1708 calories and exercise gave me 400 extra calories, so I was significantly under.