I think part of the "misunderstanding" of the "Simple, Not Easy" attitude is because so many people equate simple & easy to being the same thing. They're so not!
For instance: a man is trapped underneath a car, and 10 young studly college students decide to lift the car off him so the man can crawl out from underneath the wreckage. Simple! - just lift, & crawl. BUT NOT EASY! - it takes 10 of those young studly students & they all have to lift at the same time & keep the car above a certain level for a certain amount of time so that the man can get out from underneath it.
Ever shoot hoops? Throw the ball into the basket - simple! - easy? Not so much!
Crossword puzzles! - Simple! just take the clue & write in the word. Easy? Hardly!
I think pixelllate had it nailed - it's the "how" (
how many calories do I eat? how many weights do I lift? how many miles do I run? how much carbs to protein to fat? how do I stop the sugar cravings? how do I handle great aunt Jenny's 90th birthday party with all that cake & ice cream & .....) and the "what"
(what kind of diet do I use? what kind of exercise do I attempt? is walking better than running? life weights before or after a meal; does it matter? etc etc.) that confuses so many people. I know I've tried many different diets throughout my dieting career, and different kinds of exercises, but finding what it is that WORKS BEST FOR YOU (each individual) is the "right diet" and the "best exercise."
Losing weight IS simple. It's a calorie deficit - created by diet, exercise, or a combination of the two. But it is, by far, NOT easy. Neither is maintaining!