We are going to take a look at our Noom review, which is a New York health and wellness tech startup that promises to help you lose weight and be healthier.
Every January, folks make resolutions to lose weight and then promptly quit a few weeks into the new year. Or, if you’re like me, each summer you vow to lose a few pounds by eating vegetables and getting more exercise. While this year I’ve been successful, that hasn’t always been the case. In fact, most years I’ve failed and wound up at the local ice cream shop more than once a week.
What this shows is that sticking to your weight loss goals is hard.
Enter Noom.
Noom Review: What Is Noom And How Does The Noom Diet Work?
Noom is often referred to as the “Noom Diet.” However, the creators of Noom don’t want you to think of the app as another “fad diet.” It’s an app that encourages you to record what you’re eating and how much you’re exercising. They take your whole lifestyle and medical history into consideration.
You start by filling out their 30-second questionnaire. After that, you’ll get an email with a course that’s customized to your needs. You’re paired with a specialist who keeps you accountable, and you track your weight loss, food, exercise. You’ll also get feedback on the food to eat, so you can start making healthier choices.
It’s not clear if the specialists are dietitians so if you have highly specialized dietary needs, you might need a credentialed professional.
Related Article: Stuck Inside? How To Get — And Stay — Healthy At Home
Get started with Noom for free.
Noom’s Questionnaire
The first thing you do is take Noom’s 30-second quiz to determine the best plan for you. It took me a little longer than 30 seconds, but not much.
First, you’ll tell Noom what your goal weight is.
Next, you’ll input your height and current weight.
So Noom can help build your plan (men and women have different caloric needs), they ask your gender.
Next, you’ll provide your age.
As you progress through the quiz, Noom’s questions become more personalized. As you can see, mine is for a man in his 20s whose ideal weight is between 130 – 150 lbs.
Noom then asks for your current exercise and eating habits.
Next, Noom asks about diet.
Overall, I like that Noom explains why they’re asking the questions they do, although they sometimes get a little too personal. They explain in the question above that they’re asking what I eat because what you eat matters and that affects the way you burn fat, which in turn affects how you lose weight.
Noom then asks more questions about your eating habits.
Here’s where the questions start getting even more personal. Noom asks if you have any back issues. I wish they would have explained why they’re asking this question.
Since Noom wants to focus on improving potential health risks, they ask if you’re already at risk of some major health concerns like diabetes and heart disease.
Noom gets a little more specific here, asking if you’re diabetic.
Again, I’m not entirely sure why Noom asks this question, but you’ll be asked about any antibiotics you’ve taken in the past two years
Finally, once you get to the end of the questionnaire, Noom will ask for your email. Then you can click “see my result” and you’ll be led to a screen like mine below:
I found Noom a little too pricey, so I chose not to claim a plan and start a free trial.
Start your free trial with Noom here.
Noom Review: How Much Is Noom?
Noom isn’t the cheapest app. But for those who really need a push to live a healthier lifestyle, it may well be worth the cost.
Noom’s prices (at the time of writing) are as follows:
- Monthly auto-recurring plan–$59
- Two-month auto-recurring plan–$99
- Four-month auto-recurring plan–$129
- Six-month auto-recurring plan–$149
- Eight-month auto-recurring plan–$159
- Annual auto-recurring plan–$199
Noom Review: What Can You Eat With Noom?
Noom focuses more on forming eating habits than what you can and can’t eat, which is exactly why they don’t tell you what you can eat.
While you can eat whatever you want on Noom, they encourage you to eat foods that fall on the green end of the system.
Noom Review: Is Noom A Safe Way To Lose Weight?
Noom was created “by nerds,” as they like to say. Psychologists, nutritionists, motivational coaches, researchers, and scientists all had input into how Noom works. Knowing that professionals created the program should put users at ease.
In addition, Noom in no way limits your diet. Their goal is to get you to form better habits (based on actual research), but they don’t send you food and they don’t require embarrassing meetings where you have to discuss how much weight you lost.
Start losing weight with Noom today.
Noom Review: Does Noom Work?
One way Noom sets themselves apart from other weight loss and healthy living apps is the fact that they’re backed up by science. There have been studies that show Noom does really work for most people who stick with the program over the long run.
A study by Scientific Reports “found that Noom’s consumer mobile app successfully drove sustained weight loss in 78% of users across a nine-month period.”
The study later goes on to quote Dr. Andreas Michaelides, Chief Psychology Officer at Noom, who says:
“This study looked at Noom’s artificial intelligence in driving weight loss in a large population. Even without human coach support or a structured program, the study proves the incredible efficacy of the application and showed that food logging and weight tracking were significant drivers of successful weight loss.”
Although you may not be paired with an actual nutritionist, the act of recording everything and being a part of the Noom community makes it work. Noom is a mindset, not necessarily a diet.
We got a quote from a current Noom user, who said:
“Noom has helped me to create a big picture for myself and to understand how helpful or hurtful my food choices are to the reality of that goal. I’m starting to see truly positive results, that I believe will last a lifetime.”
Noom builds better habits. When you record your food, you can talk to a professional about your food and exercise choices. Combining that with a supportive community, you’re far more likely to see good results.
Related: How Action Creates Identity with James Clear
LalyMom provides an honest review of Noom in the video below, and she explains why it really did work for her.
The Bottom Line
Noom is an app designed to help folks lose weight, or live happier, healthier lifestyles. Supported by scientific studies and artificial intelligence, Noom has a history of helping people stick to their healthier eating habits.
The cost is one of the only cons because it can be pricey. But for those willing to stick with the program, and aren’t concerned with cost, it may be worth it.
Start losing weight with Noom today!
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