In my opinion, Noom is one of the most mysterious programmes on the market right now.
Noom
The adverts suggest that it works with the help of psychology, however, that is about all I could glean from the Facebook posts, You Tube clips and TV teasers. It certainly had my attention.
You have to seek it out in order to understand what it can offer more.
Unlike other plans, there is very little detail about it online, it’s not as simple as ‘drink three shakes and have a healthy meal’- so you have to take a quiz in order to get some more insight into what it has to offer before you sign up.
The quiz asks all the pertinent questions about your current weight and activity levels and then predicts using the data collected by other people of a similar ilk how long it will take you to reach your goal.
It’s nothing if not intriguing, so I was happy to receive a voucher in exchange for an honest review to unlock the world of Noom.
I was impressed by how much was on offer right away. You are given a goal specialist who messages you directly and you are given tasks to do each day to keep you on track.
These are comprised of weighing in, logging your food, learning something new, getting some motivation and then you are quizzed on the information supplied that day to check if you’ve been paying attention.
You must complete all of these tasks before you can sleep easy, otherwise your goal specialist will be in touch. If that isn’t motivation enough, I don’t know what is! As the advert says, it only takes ten minutes a day and we’ve all got that right?
My goal specialist Emily wanted very specific goals and reasons as to why I had the habits I did and she dove a little deeper with every answer I gave, which made me uncover reasons I never knew were even there.
The thing I enjoyed most about Noom is the one to one attention. Other diets often rely on group settings and let’s be honest the only weight loss we really care about is our own! This takes away all the fluff of having to wait until your name is called to declare your weight loss or gain. It’s all about you- so ideal if you don’t like the alternative or even if you are shy in a group setting.
This weight loss plan is perfect for using during times of social distancing and lockdown too as it doesn’t require you to leave the house unless it’s to complete your step count.
It got me to focus on my movement again, which I hadn’t for a while, so I dusted off my step tracker (the app does this for you too if you don’t have one) and encouraged me to make whole foods more a priority. As I logged each bad meal at the beginning, and used the analyser application, it showed me just how empty the calories I was consuming were. There were very few, if no whole foods on my plate at each mealtime and that was the reality check I needed to make some changes.
Within a couple of weeks, you are added to a group, so if you yearn for the social side, this is where you can get it. Like a social media feed, it has lots of posts from fellow noomers on where they are at in their journey, tips, and pictures of their successes. I always find these hugely motivating as they are real people, going through the same highs and lows as you.
So, would I recommend Noom?
It is pricier than your average monthly stint at a diet club, however given that it addresses the mind before the food, it certainly helps to target the real cause of weight gain. This isn’t solely the food- it’s the habits, misconceptions and social influences surrounding the food that result in the choices we make. Spending ten minutes on the app each day is like a reset, so if you had a bad day before, it doesn’t matter, you can wipe the slate clean and focus on today.
And the million dollar question, have I lost any weight?
Yes! I’ve lost 5lbs in a month, which may not sound a great deal compared to fad diets however it’s the first time in my life where I haven’t been totally obsessed with food and I’ve thought more about living. If you’ve experienced challenges with your own weight, you will know it is all encompassing so it’s such a relief that my every waking thought isn’t about food.
And THAT feeling of freedom is worth the cost of the membership!