Trying to lose weight can be a frustrating and overwhelming experience. Almost everywhere you look there’s advice on how to successfully drop the pounds, However, in many cases the information presented is questionable or conflicting. And to make matters worse, there’s an abundance of specialized diets, many of them claiming to be the “magic bullet” for lasting weight loss.
Most medical professionals will agree that on a basic level, healthy lifestyle changes are what’s needed to lose weight (and keep it off). Eating less and exercising more is the typical recipe for success. The idea behind this is that as the body is using more energy than it is bringing in, stored fat will be burned. This is the mechanism by which weight loss occurs.
Although this is an effective method of weight loss, the way some people put this into practice can be problematic. Trying to reduce calories often leads to deprivation, which is not sustainable in the long term. Restrictive or elimination diets can have the opposite effect, and can actually lead to weight gain. Additionally, there is psychological guilt and shame that can accompany such diets or failure to adhere to them. In order to complete a truly successful healthy lifestyle change, people need to feel empowered and satisfied. This includes having the ability to eat food they like, and live their lives in a way that’s enjoyable.
That’s where the Noom comes into play. But what exactly is Noom? And what makes it any different than any other weight-loss program or wellness app out there?
What Is the NOOM Diet, And How Does It Work?
Despite being called a diet ,the NOOM health and fitness program is not a typical diet program. The NOOM program is an app that was designed by behavioral psychologists that aims to help people lose weight for good. How do they do this? By providing content and guidance that helps people develop healthier habits. The NOOM app is aimed at millennials, and unlike most programs that target weight loss, it doesn’t require you to eliminate any foods or food groups.
Since it launched, the NOOM app has generated a fair amount of buzz and praise. The app will cost you approximately $60 per month (slightly less for longer term packages) and the way it works is that it provides personalized coaching and weight loss support based on your own individual profile. The app asks a series of questions about your lifestyle and goals, and uses this information to generate customized content and guidance. But the NOOM app doesn’t just provide information about food choices. The app provides information about healthy habits and offers quizzes as well, which is designed as an education piece for those using the program. It is easier to make and sustain healthy lifestyle changes if those are based on knowledge. By making this knowledge accessible and fun, the NOOM program is addressing another aspect of weight loss that other health and fitness programs have not yet done.
Much like My Fitness Pal, another popular health and fitness app, NOOM does create a calorie budget that is based on the information you give in your profile. You then manually enter in the food you eat, which is subtracted from your daily calorie target. The app will sync with your phone’s Health app to log your physical activity and exercise. Unlike My Fitness Pal, the NOOM app has a coaching piece and food education aspect that’s been compared to the points system of Weight Watchers. In the NOOM Diet, foods are color-coded based on their nutritional density. Although there are no “off-limit” foods, the app tells you whether a food is Green (should be consumed often), Yellow (should be consumed in moderation), or Red (should be consumed occasionally).
What Sets NOOM Apart and Makes it Work
The NOOM program is different than most health and fitness programs in the sense that it adds an educational piece, and focuses on behavioral change. This app is not just about logging food and exercise, but about changing habits in a lasting way. By providing information and engaging the user in learning about the choices they make, the NOOM app is helping guide people to form healthier habits without resorting to deprivation or shame tactics. Additionally, the fact that the program has coaching available for users is a huge perk. Some may call the app expensive, however paying for a health coach or nutritionist can be costly as well. With this app, you have those options available in the palm of your hand (literally!).
Although there are many diets that claim to help you lose weight, not all of them are created equal
Trying to lose weight can be an incredibly difficult and discouraging process. The NOOM app is onto something by not encouraging restriction, and instead focusing on building healthy lifestyle changes. Ultimately this might be the key to lasting success, which can help people find freedom from the diet cycle.
