Why Diets Fail and What Actually Works: (Part 3)- Habit Change Over Hype: What Actually Works for Long-Term Results

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Have you ever wondered why you can't seem to stick with your health goals despite your best intentions? The answer might surprise you. 

Duke University research reveals that a staggering 45% of your daily actions aren't driven by conscious choice at all—they're automatic habits shaped by your environment. This groundbreaking insight forms the foundation of this episode, where we explore why traditional diets fail and what actually creates lasting transformation.

Traditional approaches to health rely heavily on motivation and willpower, both of which are finite resources that inevitably deplete when life gets chaotic. The alternative? Building powerful systems and identity-based habits that operate in the background even when motivation fades. Forget the myth that habits form in just 21 days—research shows it takes an average of 66 days to build truly automatic behaviors.

The most successful health transformations happen when you shift from outcome-focused thinking ("I want to lose weight") to identity-based habits ("I'm the kind of person who prioritizes nutrition"). This subtle but powerful reframing rewires your neural pathways, turning conscious effort into automatic behavior over time. Combined with environmental design that removes friction from healthy choices, you create a foundation for lasting change without relying on willpower alone.

Ready to break free from the cycle of motivation, burnout, and repeat? Apply the 80% rule (consistency most of the time yields 100% of results), embrace imperfection as part of the journey, and focus on building systems that support sustainable progress. Visit transformhealthcoach.com to learn how our THI Rebuild program can help you build evidence-based health routines that stick, even when life doesn't cooperate.

REFERENCES

1. Lally, P., et al. (2009). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009.
   
   
   
2. Wood, W., et al. (2002). Habits in everyday life: Thought, emotion, and action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(6), 1281–1297.
   
   
   
3. Wing, R. R., & Phelan, S. (2005). Long-term weight loss maintenance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 82(1), 222S–225S.
   
   
   
4. Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Avery.
   
   
   
5. Gardner, B., et al. (2012). Making health habitual: The psychology of 'habit-formation' and general practice. British Journal of General Practice, 62(605), 664–666.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Research from Duke University found that up to 45%
of daily actions are driven byhabit, not conscience
decision-making.
Okay, let that sink in a littlebit.
Up to 45% of daily actions aredriven by habits, not conscience
decision-making.
That means that yourenvironment shapes nearly half
of your behavior.
Guys, just really think on thatfor a second.

(00:22):
Your environment shapes nearly,if not more than, half of your
behavior.
You don't need more motivation,you need a better design.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast From health and
fitness, business, personaldevelopment, relationships and
more.
We promise you will findinspiration to help you win on
purpose in all areas of yourlife journey.
Now for your host, adam Kelly.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
What's up, guys?
Welcome back to the Win OnPurpose podcast, where we strip
through the noise, the nonsenseand all the trendy talk out
there so you can build a bodyand lifestyle that actually
lasts.
I'm your host, coach Adam Kelly, and this is part three of our
series why Diets Fail and whatActually Works.
I'm excited, host Coach AdamKelly, and this is part three of
our series why Diets Fail andwhat Actually Works.

(01:09):
So I'm excited to be back.
Guys, it may not seem like longfor you, depending on if you're
listening to each episode eachweek when they release or you're
just batch listening and, youknow, just cramming it all in.
You may have just gottenlistening to the previous
episode.
So, for me at least, I tend tobatch record episodes, you know,
at least three or four episodesahead of time.
That way I can, you know, makemy day to day, week to week, a

(01:30):
little bit easier, rather thanhaving to constantly record
episodes every week, and thatway I can devote more of my time
to helping people and, you know, working with my clients, stuff
like that.
So, for me, I'm excited to beback because I really enjoy this
.
I really enjoy having thisoutlet and this platform to be
able to talk to you guys, notonly share you know sound advice

(01:51):
and recommendations and my ownfindings through my own journey
and the journey of my clients,and you know the research and
study that I've done over theyears, the decades but also,
just, you know, to be able toprovide something good out there
.
There's so much noise, there'sso much talk.
So many people are confused andnot sure what to do, not sure
what's right, not sure who'strying to just sell them

(02:13):
something and who actually has aheart to help, and so I just am
super happy that I have thisoutlet, so I really enjoy it and
I like to talk, so this is agreat way to do that.
So in episodes one and two, I'mgoing to give you a little recap
so you know where we're at.
We unpacked how diets fail bothyour mind and your metabolism,
how they trigger restriction,binge eating cycles, how it

(02:35):
slows down your metabolism andleaves you feeling worse off
physically and emotionally.
So if diets don't work at leastin the general context, most
people think of dieting thenwhat actually does?
That's what today's episode isall about Habit, change over
hype.
Real transformation doesn'tcome from the latest 30-day
challenge.
It comes from small, consistentactions done with purpose.

(02:58):
All right, so let's get intothis thing.
So why habits win every time?
Diets rely on motivation, okay.
Habits rely on structure.
Motivation fades Life gets busy, you get tired, you get busy
stressed, you're distracted.
But well-built habits, theyoperate in the background, even

(03:20):
when life doesn't seem to go asplanned, okay.
A 2009 study in European Journalof Science Psychology found
that it takes an average of 66days to build a new habit.
Sometimes more, sometimes less.
So the whole idea of you buildhabits in 21 days, 30 days all
that, guys?
Usually not true.
For most people, it takes quitea bit more time than you would

(03:41):
suspect, and that's depending onthe complexity and the
consistency of the behavior.
So, depending on how hard, howmuch of a challenge it is, what
type of sacrifice it requiresfrom you, what you have to
dedicate, what you have to giveup for it is also going to
determine that.
That's why the 21 day reset andthe 28 day shred often doesn't
stick.
It ends before the habitactually forms, before you've

(04:03):
even had time to really recreate.
You know what you do on a dailybasis and that's if it's even
sustainable to begin with.
Which a lot of those challengesbecause they're made to help
you get results as fast aspossible.
Those results aren't evensustainable at all unless you
have systems built to stay there.
Ok, but not all habits arecreated equal.
All right, let's just.

(04:23):
We got to establish that.
So let's talk about thespecific types of behaviors that
create lasting change in yourhealth.
Identity-based habits is whatwe're going to call this.
So, james, clear is said itbest.
In atomic habits, every actionyou take is a vote for the type
of person that you want tobecome.
All right, when I, when youbuild habits based on your
identity, not just your outcome,they tend to long last or they

(04:47):
tend to last longer.
Sorry, as I can't get my wordsout.
So instead of I want to lose 20pounds, it becomes I'm the kind
of person who trains threetimes a week and eats to feel
good.
Ok, you see, that identity shiftright there between those two
outlooks, even though you knowthe goal is still, at the end of
the day, is the same.
How you frame that and how yousee yourself in that, and what
is going to be the outcome, alot of times determines how

(05:10):
successful you're going to be.
So this subtle shift, itrewires your brain actually.
So you're not forcing change.
You're becoming someone newthrough repetition.
So the longer that you do thisand practice this, the more you
just transform into someone new.
Now this is just your naturalbehavior patterns and not
something you're making yourselfdo every day.
So, even like behavior,neuroscience supports this right

(05:32):
.
So, as habits are repeated,neural pathways strengthen,
turning conscious effort intoautomatic behavior.
So it becomes like you know,when people say, like your
subconscious things like that,that's what you're actually
rewiring.
So now you just instinctually,almost to a degree, do certain
things that you used to have tomake yourself do every single
day.
Now it's just part of who youare.

(05:53):
This is how real healthtransformation happens, not from
intensity, but from consistencyanchored in identity.
Ok, so how do we actually buildthese kinds of habits in a world
full of distractions and busyschedules?
That's the question we're leftwith, and that is where systems
come in.
So systems over willpower.
So remember back in episode one, when we talked about how

(06:15):
willpower is finite, right,systems are repeatable, though.
Okay, that's the difference.
Your environment, your scheduleand social, your social circle,
matter more than you may thinkthat they do.
They have a much bigger impacton your journey and on your
health.
So when you design your dayaround your goals, you remove
friction, okay.
You remove those hard parts atleast some of those hard parts

(06:35):
and the healthier choice becomesthe easier choice, okay.
So how this can play out, justto give you a few examples like
know you prep meals on Sunday?
Okay, now you don't have torely on takeout when you're
exhausted Tuesday night, becauseyou have meals ready, unless
you just decide not to eat them.
But you still put yourself in aposition to win with the system
that you developed.
You know, if you lay out yourgym clothes the night before,

(06:57):
then the morning workout comesautomatic, because now you have
those clothes in front of you.
You wake up before you evenhave time to think, you start
getting ready and now you're inyour gym clothes.
You brush your teeth, hopefully, put on deodorant, please, and
then you're like okay, well, nowI'm dressed and ready, I might
as well go get this workout in,and you'll never regret those
workouts.
Another example, like if yoursnacks are portioned out, you

(07:20):
can avoid grazing through halfof that bag of trail mix while
you're working.
Ok, so we all know how that canbe tempting with our snacks
that are sitting around, butwhen we're prepared ahead of
time and we have a plan for whenthat hunger spikes up or when
we need that little snack, andwe have our snack proportioned
out based on what our goals areand our needs are, you can
completely miss that situation.
Research from Duke Universityfound that up to 45 percent of

(07:43):
daily actions are driven byhabit, not conscience decision
making.
Ok, let that sink in a littlebit.
Up to 45% of daily actions aredriven by habits, not conscious
decision making.
That means that yourenvironment shapes nearly half
of your behavior.
Guys, just really think on thatfor a second.
Your environment shapes nearly,if not more than, half of your

(08:06):
behavior.
You don't need more motivation,you need a better design.
Hey guys, sorry to interruptthe episode, but real quick man.
Our goal here at THI TransformHealth Initiative is to help as
episode.
But real quick man.
What our goal here at THITransform Health Initiative is
to help as many people as we canin this world, to bring them
sound advice and just guidance,to help them be successful once
and for all.
So if you find help from this,if you find help from anything
that we put out, please sharethis episode with somebody you

(08:29):
know.
Send it to somebody that trulycould benefit, because you could
be the difference maker insomeone being successful at
their goals or throwing in thetowel once again and giving up.
So please, if you don't mind,send this to somebody you love
and help us out there.
All right back to the episode.
But of course, even with systems, life will throw curve balls,
guaranteed.
So let's talk about how to stayconsistent when motivation is

(08:49):
gone and how to build habitsthat survive the chaos.
So consistency through chaosand what we like to call the 80%
rule.
So perfection is the enemy ofprogress every time.
And diet culture thrives on theall or nothing thinking.
You're either on plan or you'reoff the wagon.
You're either on or off, you'reeither hot or you're cold, and

(09:10):
that's not how real life works.
You understand that.
That's not how real changesticks either.
The 80% rule says this ifyou're consistent 80% of the
time, you'll get 100% of thelong-term results and, better
yet, you'll maintain them.
It's not just about achieving agoal, it's about being able to
stay in that place or get betteras time goes on.
That's the true win.
And we have some longitudinaldata from the National Weight

(09:33):
Control Registry, which isbasically just a study of people
who've lost and kept off over30 pounds for over a year.
So this is more looking intolong-term weight loss success
and it shows that those whomaintain their weight loss
long-term are flexible notperfect.
They know how to adapt, theyexercise self-control and
self-correct and they stay inmotion.

(09:54):
They don't let instances getthem down.
They keep doing those thingsand keep those systems of
control in place so they cankeep building on that success.
Consistency through chaos winsover intensity during short
bursts every time.
All right, consistency throughchaos wins over intensity during
short bursts every time.

(10:14):
So what do all these insightsmean for you right now, like
today?
Okay, what can we actuallyapply?
Let's turn this into some clear, actionable takeaways for you
so you can actually start, youknow, making yourself better
today.
So practical takeaways.
If you're serious aboutlong-term change, here's what
matters most.
Okay, I'm going to give you fivebullet points.
All right, bullet bullet pointnumber one start small and stack

(10:37):
wins.
Okay, progress happens overtime and the more you stack
these wins, the further andfurther you're going to get
before you know it.
Bullet point number two tiehabits to your identity, not
just your goals.
Make sure that your habits arebuilt in something bigger than
just what you're trying toaccomplish, because then when
you accomplish your goal, younever lose that character
building that you developedduring that time.

(10:58):
Okay.
Number three build systems thatlower friction.
Okay, the smoother you can makethings, the more planned out
you are, the more ahead of thecurve that you are.
Just the less chaos you'regoing to have, the smoother
things are going to be, theeasier it's going to be and the
more you're going to enjoy theprocess.
That's a big one.
Number four expect imperfection, matter of fact.
Actually plan for imperfection.

(11:20):
Just understand that nobody'sjourney is easy.
I don't care how successfulthey are, I don't care how much
they lost, how much muscle theybuilt, whatever they overcame,
nobody's journey is easy.
It's going to come withsetbacks.
It's going to come withmistakes and errors and learning
it the hard way and all thatstuff.
Okay, do not let that throw youoff.
Just know it's going to bethere and that you will overcome

(11:41):
if you rely on your habits thatyou're building.
And number five definitely thebiggest one by far be consistent
, not extreme.
Okay, Consistency is everything.
That sounds super clichebecause people say it all the
time time, but those people areusually the successful ones
because they understand thatit's not doing something super
quick to get a quick result.

(12:01):
It's the daily things, whatpeople consider the boring
things.
Day in and day out, day afterday, week after week, month
after month, year after year.
Those are the things thatdetermine people's success.
Not doing extreme things.
The extreme people rarely winin the end.
So instead of asking what's thefastest way to lose weight,
start asking things like what'sthe most sustainable way to
become healthier?

(12:21):
That question leads to betteranswers and better results every
time.
So what's next?
In our final episode of theseries, we'll help you shift
fully from the diet mindset to ahealth first mindset.
So your choices are driven byself-respect and not
self-punishment.
It's time to start rewardingyourself rather than punishing
yourself.

(12:42):
That's what healthtransformation is all about.
But before we close, let's talkabout how we can help you do all
this without going at it alone.
All right, if you spent yearsstuck in the loop of motivation,
burnout, repeat, then youalready know that intensity
doesn't work long term.
You don't need another mealplan.
You need real structure,support and strategy to build

(13:02):
habits that match your lifestyleand your identity.
That's exactly what we helpclients do inside the THI
Rebuild.
It's our flagship coachingprogram, designed to build
powerful, evidence-based healthroutines that stick even when
life doesn't cooperate.
So you can apply for ourcoaching program at
transformhealthcoachcom.
Just click the apply button onthe homepage screen and we will

(13:22):
personally review yourapplication to see if you're a
good fit for our next intake ofclients, because we are very
selective.
I'm not just saying this tomotivate you to apply.
We are very selective and weonly choose people that we know
that we can help and that weknow are gonna be truly
committed to the process oftransformation, because this
isn't just change, this istransformation.
And I promise you we do notsell hype, we build systems and

(13:44):
results that last okay, resultsor nothing.
And remember whatever you dotoday, do something good for
your health, do something goodfor those you care about and,
whatever you do, make sure youwin on purpose.
Talk to you next time.