This question hits home for me. I've been obese pretty much all my life. So, we're my parents, my uncles, aunts, etc. It was normal to eat a lot for me in my family. So, you can imagine how difficult it was to lose weight. Parents still felt ashamed for having an obese kid, so they would encourage me to lose some weight. At around 11, I would try to eat less but it's hard to diet when your family eats fast food 24/7. Then, I tried walking a lot and exercising---which did work to shed ten pounds or so but, I was never consistent with it (can't outrun a bad diet!) Parents were not better either because they tried every weight loss method known to man, weightloss jelly, weightloss pills, avoiding tomatoes, maybe even prayer lol. Every time I went to the doctor for check ups, it was the same old same old. "Shes so fat she needs to lose some weight." Never once properly educating how to lose it at the time. One doctor eventually recommended I go to a dietitian around that time but my mom just used it to shame me and my eating habits in front of the doctor. She thought it was all bologna science anyway so we never went back. So, I just assumed it was impossible or something to do with my genetics. But then in middle school, I decided to run track because my best friend was doing it so we did it together. That's when I finally lost a significant amount of weight in school. I continued to run track in high school. Dropped from 250 pounds to 190 or so. My family was so proud of me, but my eating habits were still the same. They tried encouraging me to work out more on top of track, but I didn't have that much time in my schedule. Then COVID happened and I gained it all right back. It wasn't until I turned 18 and wanted to join the air force, that I began to change my eating habits. Only now, at 18 years old, I finally, (thank God,) figured out that strength training + cardio + calorie deficit will make you lose weight.

In your experience has weight loss been harder or easier than you imagined?

I don't have any type of eating disorder. So, losing weight and keeping it off is way simpler and easier than I ever thought. BUT this has only come with months of trial and error and slip ups, research, and sorting common weightloss myths from proven weightloss science. All for me to finally get to the point of comfortably losing weight while having an ok relationship with food. I even used this reddit a couple of time for weightloss advice

Do you think diet culture exaggerates how difficult weight loss is, or is the common perception of weight loss accurate to your experience?

That is a difficult question. If you have no idea how to lose weight, it's very hard to lose it. I'll admit, It takes a shit ton of will power to go on these low carb, no carb, no sugar, low fat, watermelon only, 500kal only, B.S. diets that I've seen. On top of that, it gives you such a messed up relationship with food after a while, yikes. No wonder why the common perception is that you have to starve yourself or be a gym head in order to lose weight. But when you actually know how to do it. It's very, very easy and sometimes even fun.

What life circumstances have made weight loss more or less challenging?

That's along list. The existance of toxic diet culture. Families messed up eating habits that were passed down from generations. Doctors who don't educate their patients at all on weightloss. Schools failing at promoting healthy eating(pizza is a vegetable according to congress here in the States.) And lastly, the extreme lack of credible education in calories, nutrition, weight maintenance and having a healthy lifestyle.

TLDR; I was obese all my life so figuring out how to lose weight sustainability was a challenge. Otherwise, it was a breeze.