I am like yourself, i played Mass Effect 1 + 2 as i would play it. My own decisions like i was the one calling the shots. What i ended up with was 2 dead crew on the original Normandy + a dead council. With ME2, i had 1 dead crew member and a seriously strong dislike to Cerburus. Oh, and the entire Citidel hating me from my actions from the original.
To be fair, my 2nd play of ME2, i still got that dislike for Cerburus.
So, i will be playing 3 with a clear mind like i did with the first 2. Only afterwards, will i get the "perfect" play-through.