Weight loss is simple but I wouldn't call it easy.  We are programmed to eat everything in sight because we don't know where our next meal is coming from. It takes non-trivial effort to overcome that.  This is not an excuse though because living in a civilized society requires you to overcome biological programming in a lot of ways. For instance, men are programmed to make as many kids with as many women as possible in an effort to spread their genes.    In the end, the obesity epidemic reveals just how lazy and stupid the average person is. If you can't overcome your most basic instincts then you are not a person but an animal.