Noom Review: #Q15

So, I went a little ham talking about how and why I pick specific nutrition or wellness plans. I learned the hard way a few years ago about what not to do.* All that being said, the unprecedented whatever-the-f this year is had me eating my “last meal” like five times a week. I was over the stress eating in April but staying consistent nutritionally has been super difficult. So, I needed some guardrails and after trying several iterations on that, I landed on Noom. I tried Noom briefly back at the end of the year but I took my 14 day trial and kept on keeping because I don’t love when people try to teach me something I already know. But in May I got a discount code for 90% off for a year, my BFF had a lot of success with NOom and unlike January, I need some accountability, man. The price, the program and the timing all worked for me so here we are.

What’s the “Program”? What I like about Noom is that it’s aimed at the psychology of how we eat and not “eat celery at 7 am. Eat five eggs at Noon. Sacrifice a goat at 4 pm. Eat white fish and green beans at 6 pm.” So, there’s no day-to-day plan. In the past, I’ve certainly found it helpful to have a meal-by-meal plan but that’s not where I’m at right now. This plan is about staying within your calorie allotment, focusing on food that is not calorie-dense (Fruit, vegetables), learning new habits with accountability built-in with a personal coach and a group (complete with group coach). You read 6 minutes of articles a day, weigh in, enter your meals and talk to your coach. That’s it.

What’s Included? For the monthly or annual cost, you get daily lessons to complete, an individual coach, a group coach, access to group chat, recipes (that point out whether you can fit them in your budget). Coaches are available regular business hours Monday through Friday but your group chat is always available. You get trackers for your food, exercise and weight. Your coach helps you come up with attainable SMART goals.

Pros? Noom is based on the science around habits which is an actual useful thing versus being told what to eat when. It’s very flexible - while there are color groups (Green =least calorie-dense, eat a lot -think vegetables, fruit, egg whites, white fish. Yellow = Moderately Calorie Dense, Moderate Consumption - think lean protein, eggs, whole wheat, avocado, brown rice and Red = Calorie Dense, eat in moderation - expected treats, pizza, alcohol and also nuts, nut butters and red meat). I’ve found that if you stay within your caloric budget regardless of if you consume more than your allotted yellow or red foods, you’ll still lose weight. At first I found this constraining - during the week I eat very little “red foods” but I was going over on yellow. My coach pointed out that these were just guidelines - everyone is different.

What I really like about Noom is how flexible it is - there’s no limit your carbs or don’t eat after 7 pm. Once you get the hang of it, it’s very simple and feels sustainable. Plus, it’s designed to be long-term. There are no promises to lose 10 lbs in a week and the lessons include things like meditation, stress reduction, habit cycles, the importance of exercise and even how to evaluate different types of diets based on the science. You can also change your weight loss “speed”. So, if you’re trying to lose 15 lbs as quickly as possible, you’ll set your goal to “cheetah” and you’ll start off with a smaller amount of calories than if you’re just here to learn and take it slow - you’ll be set to turtle and have a higher calorie budget. You can also change it as you go which is, in fact, suggested. I needed a week “off” but instead of turning off the app or not checking in, I just reduced my “speed”. It kept me on track but also allowed me to have some breathing room, which I needed at that moment.

A game-changer for me is right-off-the-bat Noom requires you to weigh in every day. Why is that a game-changer? Because when I’m “off” the rails I avoid - I avoid workouts, apps, articles, podcasts, and certainly the scale - anything to do with healthy living. But stepping on the scale every day has taught me to look at trends instead of numbers and appreciate that fluctuations aren’t failures. It’s taken away the scale fear for me and made my weight just a metric and not some sort of moral value. That right there is a big win in the step towards a healthier outlook on what can be a super toxic part of our society.

Cons? As a long-time calorie tracker, some of the calories are just wrong. In addition, sometimes depending on the brand foods will fall into different categories even though nutritionally, they are the same. Certainly, there are less foods than in MyFitnessPal and unlike that app, if you’re a routine eater like me, you can’t just swipe right for yesterday’s meal when you’re eating the same thing - you have to keep reentering it. So, there is definitely is a learning curve but right now it feels like once it clicks, it clicks. I also find the coach not to be super helpful - they are more there for “how are you doing?” than any concrete advice. The group feature really depends on how you feel about that sort of thing - everyone is very nice and supportive but I’ve never been into that support group vibe. like “oh, no, I ate a muffin. Help me!” Like, Connie. Calm down. It’s okay. I will say, however, the group coach will help with that part of the support and mediate the mental health part of it which is nice. I’ve definitely seen Facebook groups devolve into full blown episodes where it seems like the person should have a therapist in lieu of a “Diet”. And I do say that without judgment , it’s hard to mitigate when someone has an unhealthy relationship with food and people selling you something aren’t going to say “Hey. Maybe you need something else.”

Also, the price fluctuates wildly. I paid $78 for the whole year. Other advertised prices range for $20 a month until you submit a cancellation request and they offer you a discount. I would definitely just Google Noom Discount code before you sign up for a trial.

Would I recommend? Absolutely. For me, it’s exactly what I was looking for - accountability with flexibility. As a person who recently read The Power of Habits, I really appreciate seeing that reflected in this program. I like that there’s daily “homework” but it’s short.

Who is this NOT For?

On the other hand, this is not for someone who needs the structure (or just doesn’t have time to figure out) what’s for dinner every day. If you want an actual meal by meal plan, this is not it. If you are triggered by weighing yourself or tracking calories, this is also not for you. Finally, if you’ve ever had issues with orthorexia, this is also not for you. Here, your calorie budget increases as you move throughout the day. For me, this has been great, it encourages me to get my steps in or go for a walk around the block if I want an extra glass of wine but if you’ve ever had issues with exercising to eat - this may cause issues for you.

So! Have you tried Noom? Are you thinking about it? What do you look for in a Nutrition plan?

*TL: DR? Don’t pick a plan that only works when you’re adhering strictly to the plan. The End.