Madeleine Hull
Noom is a mobile app that helps users set personal goals and track what they eat. It is designed to foster healthy habits and promote long-term weight loss by focusing on food choices and the psychology behind eating behaviours. Noom is based on the idea of calorie density and uses a colour-coded system for tracking food. While the app encourages users to eat more green foods (vegetables and whole grains) and fewer red foods, no foods are off-limits. Users can also access support from a personal health coach. However, these coaches are not necessarily registered dietitian nutritionists. The app has received mixed reviews, with some users reporting issues with billing and cancellation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of program | Weight loss |
| Targeted behaviour change | Yes |
| Focus on psychology | Yes |
| Food tracking | Yes |
| Food categories | Green, Yellow, Orange/Red |
| Food logging | Yes |
| Weekly weigh-ins | Yes |
| Exercise tracking | Yes |
| Custom workout and meal plans | Yes, for additional costs |
| Cost | $50/month or $129 for a three-month subscription |
| Coaches | Yes, but not registered dietitians |
| Scientific backing | Minimal |
| Effectiveness | 78% of people lost weight while using Noom |
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What You'll Learn
Noom's colour-coded food system
Noom is a mobile app that you can download on your smartphone or tablet. It is a weight loss program that helps you change your habits and mindset around food. It focuses on behavioural changes and calls itself a lifestyle rather than a diet. Noom uses an algorithm to estimate your daily calorie needs based on your sex, age, height, weight, and answers to a series of lifestyle questions.
Noom relies on a colour-coded system for tracking food. It encourages you to eat more "green" foods, which are typically vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. These are the least calorie-dense and most nutrient-dense options. Green foods have low-calorie density and are foods that will help you feel full on fewer calories. Most of the foods on the green list also contain many nutrients. Examples of green foods include:
- All fruits and vegetables
- Whole-grain bread
- Rolled oats
- Tofu
- Quinoa
- Shrimp
- Salsa
- Unsweetened milk alternatives
- White fish
- Greek (non-fat) yoghurt
- Egg whites
"Yellow" foods are foods Noom encourages in moderation. These include lean meats and starches and have more calories or fewer healthy nutrients per serving than green foods. They can still be incorporated into your routine but not as frequently as green foods. Examples of yellow foods include:
- Lean meats such as grilled chicken, turkey breast, lean ground beef, and tuna
- Starches like whole-grain tortillas and instant potatoes
- Vegetarian and vegan-friendly protein sources like eggs, black beans, and chickpeas
- Greek yoghurt
- Avocado
- Popcorn
- Low-sodium canned soups
"Orange" foods, like desserts and red meat, are the most calorie-dense and have the least amount of nutrients. Noom encourages you to eat these in smaller portions and less frequently. Examples of orange foods include:
- Desserts
- Red meat
- Healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, and nut butter
Noom's colour-coded system is designed to help users make better food choices and develop a healthier relationship with food. It is important to note that no foods are off-limits, and the colours are not meant to indicate "good" or "bad" foods. Instead, they serve as a guide to help users make informed decisions about their eating habits and achieve their health and fitness goals.
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Noom's coaches and support
Noom is a mobile app that you can download on your smartphone or tablet. It is a weight loss program that helps you change your habits and mindset around food. It focuses on behaviour changes and calls itself a lifestyle rather than a diet. Noom uses an algorithm to estimate your daily calorie needs based on your sex, age, height, weight, and answers to a series of lifestyle questions.
Noom's coaches are supposedly real people (though not registered dietitians) who help you set achievable goals and keep you accountable. The app offers daily guidance and encouragement from one of Noom's thousand-plus coaches. These coaches are not nutritionists but are more like behaviour-change specialists and people offering encouragement. The guidance you get from Noom's coaches can make it easier to stay on track with your diet. You can message your Noom health coach whenever you need advice.
Noom also offers additional services for extra costs, like customized workout and meal plans. Noom encourages regular exercise by setting daily step goals and providing a generic workout guide. Users can log their physical activity in the app, which provides an extensive list of exercises to choose from.
Noom's colour-coded system for tracking food is another feature of the app. It encourages you to eat more "green" foods, which are typically vegetables and whole grains. These are the least calorie-dense and most nutrient-dense options. “Yellow” foods are foods Noom encourages in moderation. These include lean meats and starches. "Orange” foods, like desserts and red meat, are the most calorie-dense. Noom encourages you to eat these in smaller portions and less frequently.
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Noom's effectiveness and scientific backing
Noom is a mobile app that helps users set personal goals and track what they eat. It focuses on behavioural changes and calls itself a lifestyle rather than a diet. It uses a colour-coded system for tracking food, with green, yellow, and orange/red categories. Green foods are the most nutrient-dense and least calorie-dense options, such as vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Yellow foods are to be eaten in moderation, and orange/red foods are the most calorie-dense and should be consumed in smaller portions and less frequently. Noom encourages food logging, weekly weigh-ins, and regular exercise, which are associated with weight loss and long-term weight loss maintenance.
Noom has been scientifically studied and shown to help people lose weight and keep it off. In a study of almost 36,000 people who used Noom, 78% reported weight loss while using the app for a median of 267 days, with 23% losing more than 10% of their body weight. Noom's approach is based on psychology, helping users build healthier habits and change their mindset around food. It focuses on the "why" of eating rather than just the "what", aiming to develop sustainable habits that last a lifetime.
Noom's effectiveness is supported by its comprehensive approach, which includes food, exercise, and mental health aspects. It provides a custom plan for each user, with a realistic timeline for reaching their goals. The app adjusts the estimated timeline for reaching the target weight based on the user's answers to questions about their current weight, goal weight, dieting experience, and lifestyle habits. Noom also offers additional services like customised workout and meal plans for extra costs.
Noom's coaches, who are behaviour-change specialists, provide daily guidance and encouragement to help users stay on track with their diet. While these coaches are not registered dietitians, they offer support and accountability. Noom also provides infographics and charts to help users understand their eating habits and make healthier choices. The app's recipes and colour-coded ingredient lists cater to various dietary preferences, including vegan and gluten-free options.
Overall, Noom's effectiveness is backed by its scientific approach to behavioural change, comprehensive weight loss program, and the support provided by coaches and tracking tools. It helps users develop a healthier relationship with food and make sustainable lifestyle changes.
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Noom's cost and value for money
Noom is a weight loss app that offers calorie counting, activity tracking, group support, and personal coaching. The cost of a Noom subscription depends on the billing plan, with longer-duration plans offering a greater discount. The plans range from 1 to 12 months.
The monthly cost of a Noom subscription ranges from $17.42 to $70, with the most popular choice being 4 months, which costs $42.25 per month plus optional add-ons such as personal coaching. A 6-month plan costs $179 upfront, while a 12-month plan can vary from $179 to $840. Noom also offers a free trial period of 7 or 14 days, after which users are charged for their chosen subscription plan.
Noom's pricing is considered expensive by some, with the personal attention from paid coaches being a significant factor in the cost. However, others argue that the support, structure, and motivation provided by Noom are worth the investment, especially when compared to other weight loss programs or wellness investments such as gym memberships.
Noom also offers Noom Med, a weight loss medication service that provides GLP-1 drugs for an additional $49 per month, excluding the cost of any prescribed medications. This service combines Noom's psychological support with medical treatments for personalized weight loss.
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Noom's approach to weight loss
Noom is a mobile app that you can download on your smartphone or tablet. It is a weight loss program that helps you change your habits and mindset around food. It focuses on behavioural changes and calls itself a lifestyle rather than a diet. Noom uses technology to help you change not just how you eat, but how you think. It is based on the idea of calorie density and uses a colour-coded system for tracking food. Noom divides food into three categories: red, green, or yellow. No foods are off-limits, but it is suggested that you limit the number of red foods you eat, while you are encouraged to eat more yellow and green foods.
The green foods are the best, as they are low-calorie-dense and are foods that will help you feel full on fewer calories. They also have the most nutrients and should make up the bulk of your diet. These include fruits and vegetables, whole-grain bread, rolled oats, tofu, quinoa, shrimp, salsa, unsweetened milk alternatives, white fish, Greek (non-fat) yoghurt, and egg whites.
Yellow foods have more calories or fewer healthy nutrients per serving than green foods. They can still be incorporated into your routine but not as frequently as green foods. A handful of yellow foods are lean meats and starches like turkey breast, grilled chicken, tuna, salmon, and lean beef. The yellow category also contains vegetarian and vegan-friendly protein sources like eggs, black beans, and chickpeas.
Red foods are the most calorie-dense or have the least healthy nutrients. Noom suggests you limit these foods in your diet. The red category contains oils (olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil) because of their fat content, seeds (chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.), nuts, and nut butter
Noom encourages food logging and weekly weigh-ins, which are associated with weight loss and long-term weight loss maintenance. It also encourages regular exercise by setting daily step goals and providing a generic workout guide. Users can log their physical activity in the app, which provides an extensive list of exercises to choose from.
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Frequently asked questions
Noom is a mobile app that helps users set personal goals and track what they eat. It is not a fad diet or an elimination diet. No foods are off-limits, but the app steers you toward choices that are lower in calories and higher in nutrition. Noom focuses on behavioural changes, so it calls itself a lifestyle rather than a diet. It is safe to use.
Noom uses a colour-coded system for tracking food. It encourages you to eat more "green" foods, which are typically vegetables and whole grains. These are the least calorie-dense and most nutrient-dense options. “Yellow” foods are foods Noom encourages in moderation. These include lean meats and starches. "Orange” foods, like desserts and red meat, are the most calorie-dense. Noom encourages you to eat these in smaller portions and less frequently.
You can download the app for free and test it out with a short trial. But as of 2022, a full membership is about \$50 per month and is designed to last 16 weeks (four months). Noom also offers additional services for extra costs, like customized workout and meal plans.
