I’d like to say that I’m not the type to jump on trends, but when it comes to health and fitness, I do. When there are new workouts to try or programs to follow, it always piques my interest. Plus, I love taking a look at things so that I can share them here with you!
So you can imagine my intrigue when I started to hear about Noom everywhere. It started with an ad played on one of my favorite podcasts and then it seemed to be everywhere.
Can this weight loss app really change your relationship with food? Is Noom legit? Is it worth it? So many questions pop up when considering a healthy weight loss program like Noom.
The right food plan can help with weight loss. The readers here at Fit Healthy Momma learned that when our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Lindsey Desoto, wrote a review of the ProLon diet, which is based on fasting mimicking.
After reading countless glowing Noom user reviews, I decided to give it a try for myself. Here are my thoughts and opinions of the Noom App.
What is Noom?
Noom is a weight loss app that’s done completely online, combining your standard diet procedures (food choices, food tracking, meal planning, etc.) with psychological behavior changes. Noom’s program is designed to change your mind and the way you view and consume food so that you can acheive weight loss for the long term.
Losing weight tends to be one of our biggest, most stressful battles in life. And our desire to lose weight and achieve the ideal body is only amplified by social media. But what many of us don’t realize is that being overweight is rarely about just food. It’s about the relationships we develop with foods and our lack of healthy habits.
We all have a relationship with foods whether we know it or not. Maybe we use it as comfort when we’re stressed, sad, or lonely. Maybe we fear certain food groups because we’ve been conditioned to think that they’re bad. Regardless of your personal conditioning around food, there’s a good chance that it’s holding you back from achieving your weight loss goals and your ability to maintain weight loss in the long term.
Noom set out to be a revolutionary weight loss program that works to break down those psychological barriers around food, changing the way you think about it and consume it. So while you can expect to lose weight with Noom, you can also expect so much more. It’s about the person you become in the process that makes all the difference.
How Does Noom Work for those trying to lose weight?
The first thing you’ll notice about Noom is that there’s really no information on their site, you just begin the onboarding process. This can be a turn off for some people, but then again, that’s why people search for Noom reviews, right? So they can get the real scoop from someone who’s tried it before potentially wasting their time. And you definitely need a little time to get through this onboarding process as it’s quite extensive. Of course, you can also download the app and get started right through there if you prefer!
You’ll start right off by entering your email address and answering a series of questions about your goal weight, current weight, motivation levels, experience with other diet plans, activity levels, etc. This process was very similar to the Caliber Fitness onboarding process. It’s a pretty comprehensive set of questions, but not so many that you feel overwhelmed or annoyed with it. You can tick through them pretty quickly.
I really didn’t have a goal of losing weight, but I entered in that I’d like to be 5 pounds lighter for the sake of getting the best experience on the app. Once I did that, I was given a timeline for achieving my goal based on my lifestyle and the information that I input. They told me that I would reach my goal within a month and a half, which sounded doable and healthy for my current body weight.
Next, you’re thrown right into the app, which wasn’t a bad thing! I didn’t have a coach assigned to me yet, but I wonder if that was because I signed up on a Saturday night? Anyway, I did some digging into the coaching aspect and found that Noom coaches are required to complete a “core lifestyle coach training, which is an internationally recognized health and wellness training. I felt good about that as I have witnessed “coaches” in the past who are no different from anyone else on the street. Noom’s health coach professionals are actually legit!
Although I didn’t have a coach yet, there was an online coach on-call option always waiting for me in the upper-righthand corner. But I didn’t really need it yet, I immediately jumped into the “lessons” they had laid out for me. Then, I was promptly assigned a coach on Monday morning! My health coach immediately got in touch and started to get to know me and my fitness and diet goals right inside the app.
At some point, my goal coach asked me how much time per day I wanted to allot to using the app on my device and working on my weight loss goals, I chose the lowest option which I think was 5-10 minutes per day. They then provide lessons for you each day that is tailored to your time allotment, which was really nice as it felt tailored to my needs, not just a blanket recommendation.
So, in the beginning, you’ll learn all of the basics about the program and what to expect and you’ll also be quizzed on some common diet and eating habits, which was informative and kept things interesting. This is such an integral part of a healthy weight program; actually learning the science and the “why” behind what you’re doing.
What’s The Cost of the Noom Diet?
First, there is a 7-day (or 1 week) free trial, then the Noom diet subscription costs up to $59 per month. Every plan is customized individually, and the recommended extent of the program is based on how much weight you want to lose. Again, Noom feels very customized to you as the Noom app user, which I found to be very refreshing.
Is Noom Just Calorie Counting?
Ok, so you probably won’t just magically shed the pounds by reading some interesting material. You have to put in the work and hold yourself accountable. Noom helps this process by having you weigh in daily and track all your food (food logging). This means that, at the core, Noom is a calorie-counting weight loss program, and it gives you a daily calorie consumption goal that you strive to achieve every day for weight loss.
This sounds great to some people but induces anxiety in others. For some, tracking food and getting on the scale every day can be triggering and cause more damage than it’s worth. For example, those with a history of eating disorders are often encouraged to steer away from food tracking.
For others, it’s a great way to hold yourself accountable and to watch your progress while being mindful of what you’re eating. In my experience, the only way to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable manner is to pay attention to your diet plan and make sure you’re adhering to it. If you’re guessing how much food you’re consuming, you’re likely way off even if you’re following mostly healthy habits.
Of course, our weight fluctuates each day, up to 5 pounds, in fact. And Noom will tell you all about this. It’s more about the progress over time than the number you see each day. Patterns begin to develop over time, and with your Noom program and some patience, you will eventually see the weight loss you seek.
Out of all the weight loss programs (and apps) I’ve reviewed, the Noom app makes it really easy to track your weight each day as well as your food intake. They categorize foods into three different categories: green foods, yellow foods, and red foods, based on their caloric density. They are all about balance. So you’ll find that your food is split something like this:
- Green 30
- Yellow 45
- Red 25
Red foods get a smaller allotment each day because they are more calorie-dense (i.e. peanut butter and almond butter) foods in the food system, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are “bad.” There are no good and bad foods, just foods in the Noom program that have a higher caloric density over others. Yellow foods, for example, might be foods that have a higher water content but are less calorie-dense, this helps you fill up while keeping your calorie budget in check.
What Are Red Foods On Noom?
Honestly, it’s all the “good” stuff we want to eat more often than not.
The red foods consist of fattier cuts of beef, lamb, and pork including processed foods like:
- Bacon
- Sausage
- Hot dogs
These are some examples of red foods, just to name a few. Red foods have their place in your diet, and Noom helps make sure that your calorie budget is designed in a way that allows you to enjoy the foods you love while still dropping the pounds and making progress.
Here’s the full list of red foods in an infographic, created by the creative Fit Healthy Momma team:
What Can You Eat On A Noom Diet?
to make healthy choices and track accordingly. Here’s a quick bulleted list showing which foods you can expect to eat while on a Noom diet plan:
- Hearty vegetables such as broccoli and carrots.
- Yummy fruits such as apples, oranges, berries, and tomatoes.
- Whole grains like brown rice and oatmeal.
- Non-fat cheese and non-fat Greek yogurt.
When reading through the list, you’ll get to learn about the calorie content of each of the foods you’re consuming right inside the app. The main idea is to stick mostly with green foods as those are the least calorie-dense and the most nutritious, in general. That said, your healthy meal plans will include options from all three categories.
This list really makes meal planning simple by giving you a clear direction. As long as you stick to the food list, your food tracking will be easy. I love that this is something that you can follow for the long term, it’s not restrictive at all and doesn’t require you to cut out any foods. For most, just tracking food is a huge step in the right direction on their journey to reaching their goal weight.
Noom App Reviews Pros and Cons
No weight loss program is perfect and what works for one person may not work for another, but Noom is hands down the most inclusive, easy to follow, and maintain weight loss apps that I have ever seen. Here are my pros of Noom:
What Are The Pros of the Noom diet?
- Easy to use interface
- Backed by science and years of expert research (not just a fad diet)
- All done on an app (noom app)
- You get to work one-on-one with a coach who’s available nearly all the time (goal coach)
- You learn so much about healthy eating and creating healthy habits
- It’s not a quick fix program!
- They focus on your personal goals and lifestyle, no one-size-fits-all approach
- The eating plan is custom-tailored for you with an appropriate daily calorie budget
- There’s built-in tracking for lost weight, foods, and other indicators of progress
- You learn a ton through the daily Noom app lessons
- You always have access to past lessons within the app
- You get a timeline for your goals and watch as you progress towards them
- You can connect with a community of likeminded people that act as a support group on your weight loss journey
- They focus on creating lasting outcomes (lifestyle changes)
- They’re offering a free trial for all people who are new to signing up to the app
What Are the Cons of the Noom diet?
Here’s what you may not love about it:
- It’s all done online via the Noom app, you never get to meet your coach or even talk on the phone which is problematic for some and convenient for others
- The price can be a hang-up for some at about $50 per month
- There’s no workout program included, however, you can add one on to your program for more money
