Most people don't actually want to lose weight. Rather, they want to already have lost weight. So they look for shortcuts that will get them there. That is why

Most people don't actually want to lose weight. Rather, they want to already have lost weight. So they look for shortcuts that will get them there. That is why there is such a massive signal-to-noise issue in the fitness world. Fad diets and magic pills are invented because people are willing to pay for them. I agree completely, though I would phrase it as "most people don't want to be healthy: they want to be thin." On top of this, food has become a "social currency" for them. This is something I struggle with a lot (and I say this sipping a latte) -- so much of socializing revolves around food, it sucks to be the guy/gal who refuses the donut or orders a salad at the pizza place. Not to mention the black hole that is alcohol (though in my case, I'm more than willing to take the extra few pounds of fat if it means enjoying my whiskey and beer.) In order to lose weight they need to reverse that and make exercising and not eating an equally big part of their lives. ... And as with all hard endeavors, success is a matter of discipline. Absolutely. There are dozens of anecdotes about people who lose a serious amount of weight, hit their target, and then slowly regain all the weight because that's what happens when you're 160 pounds and you go back to eating junk. To use a poor metaphor, personal fitness isn't like an MMO where once you hit max level you stay there -- you've got to take care of yourself or else you'll wind up back at level 1.