Has anyone ever tried "NOOM"?

[Milk_Honey]

Has anyone ever tried the weightloss app/ program "NOOM"? it is advertised a lot online but I just kept ignoring it but I'm wondering whether I should give it a go ...if anyone has tried it or thinking to i would love to hear from you

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Hello and welcome, Milk_Honey

I have seen people mention it: I don't know what the judgement is of its value for money: it certainly must be making money for Noom, as they have a bloomin' big advertising budget!

Why not give this all-free forum a good go for, say, a month and see if being a part of this community can get you on a good path with weight loss? You can join a weekly weigh in on the day of your choice (the team support is fabulous); there's a daily diary, where members post their meal and exercise plans (great for picking up ideas and getting useful feedback) and much more. You'll find everything you need by following this link healthunlocked.com/weight-l... to Pinned Posts.

Active participation really pays off so start by looking through those Pinned Posts and deciding what you'd like to join, then give yourself a few minutes here every day to chat, ask questions and encourage others. That's how it works

[Milk_Honey in reply to BridgeGirl]

Ok, this is what I have decided to do. Thank you!

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Milk_Honey]

You've had a good variety of replies and I see that someone has said you can get the app free so see how you go. There is loads of information and support here, but I'm biased

[Juppy 2 stone]

Yes. It’s a daily calorie-counting diet made easy by the app, with foods categorised by “green, yellow, red” that focuses on trying to make better choices. There is also daily tips on how food, stress and exercise affects hunger and weight. It is not keto/lchf, so those trying to follow that will hate it. For example, fat is “red” and whole grain bread is “green.” It doesn’t say don’t have red, but limit reds. It was easy to use and I found the daily tips helpful and inspiring. However, I’m now using Slimpod, which focuses on stopping obsessing about food, so is incompatible with Noom.

[focused1 Maintainer 13kg in reply to Juppy]

Try the free Myfitnesspal app as it calorie counts , you can scan barcodes and it guides you though macros . I am similar to others on paid apps . I get annoyed how any company can make so much money out of people trying to change their eating habits . Simply watch portions , a bit more exercise and we all know what we need to avoid .

[Binky68 Visitor in reply to focused1]

Hear hear to that. I’m five weeks into slimming world and realise that all it is is a low calorie low fat diet which leaves you feeling absolutely starving. I’m only going to join the weekly zooms for accountability, totally ignoring their diet

[Lytham 3 stone in reply to Juppy]

Heyyyy, good to see you my friend, how are you? x

[Hidden]

Hi, I think it's pretty much the same as the NHS weightloss app. Except not free!

[Greendream123]

I looked at it, seemed very expensive and also (after I put in my info) said it could help me lose a certain amount of weight (possibly 13 lbs) rather than what I wanted to lose. I've found it really helpful to post on this site everyday in the DD, and weigh in each week, I also post when I'm unsure or struggling with something and have recieved so much support and cracking advice, as well as feeling like I'm not alone in my weight loss battles! I really don't think I'd have done better using a paid-for service.

[N-o-r-d-i Maintainer 64kg]

I’ve tried two weeks for free and deleted 😊 some good info I suppose, but the tone sounded super cheerful that was annoying to me. Little things like in order to get to the next page you have to click the button that says ‘I believe!’ 😊 weighing myself everyday doesn’t really suit me either and I’m already entering my food into an app. So it wasn’t a good fit for me. I never got to the point where you supposed to join a support group, maybe then it’s better. But peer support one can get for free on here or on Facebook groups... as well as research info and tips - can be found in books and online. On the other hand, I am a fan of apps, and I can see how this app could potentially work well for some people 😊

[Gill3000 Visitor in reply to N-o-r-d-i]

My brother has signed up to noom and has lost over 7 stone ( first time weight in normal range for 25 years, he loves the psychology and changing of mind set. He is running, and has achieved so much in the last 18 months. So it clearly works for some. I have come off this site (generally) too due to pressure of certain diet preferences and pressures of conforming. Since coming of here i have lost 15kg, just by being mindful of what I ate.

Different things suit different folk!

[N-o-r-d-i Maintainer 64kg in reply to Gill3000]

Agreed, finding what suits best is the biggest challenge, but once achieved can work wonders. I’ve never felt any pressure on here regarding diet choices but that might be simply because I don’t participate in daily diaries, so nobody really knows what I eat 😂

[Binky68 Visitor in reply to N-o-r-d-i]

Me neither

[smartoak 1kg Restart Oct 2023]

The Noom app itself is free - you just have to c keep clicking away the adverts for the paid option. It’s one of the user friendliest food logging apps out there. No harm using the free app alongside this forum!

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to smartoak]

I didn't know that

[Arthrath 7lbs in reply to smartoak]

I have been looking at Noom but you can nolonger get it for free. They have changed to a free trial but you have to put in your credit card details so they have closed that loop hole. Trialling it but so far do not think it is value for money more like £1 per month not £90/5months! Only posting incase someone is doing a search on Noom.😉

[Fatpizza 1kg]

I used it for the 2 weeks free trial and put on weight so decided it wasn't for me. Its aim was if you feel better you'll make better eating decisions... I did not.

[Scaffie 2 stone]

I read this because I have also seen the adverts. As someone said big budget. The difference between this and that is £. The support is here if you want. And it’s free. In my own experience I’ve belonged to all the major fat clubs and in the long run it’s £££. If I’d put £5 in a jar when I started here, I’d have saved £170, which when you plateau is marvellous. Trouble is you don’t need special diets, apps or mindfulness, or magic.

You need to do it for you. Because you want to.

I don’t think it is helpful to weigh every day that can be obsessive.

Eat normally, but less, a healthy diet isn’t a secret. Smaller portions cut out crap, have the odd treat but not every day up the exercise a wee bit and you will lose.

If you belong here, make sure you attend when it’s a bad week, that’s when you need the support. I hope you save your money and stay with us.

[Cuckoogoose]

I, too have looked at Noom and decided it was way too expensive. I use My Fitness Pal to log my food. I took early retirement last October and decided my first objective was to lose weight. I didn’t start this seriously until beginning of December as we were in the mindset of ‘we deserved treats and wine because we were in lockdown’. Anyhow the lbs were piling on so I made the decision it was time to take control. I lost about 1/2 stone before Christmas by staying under 1200 calories and walking every day. Christmas came and I put on a few pounds. Then mid January I got back into it. I log every single calorie, I walk at least 4 miles, quite often more every day. I do a dumbbell workout for beginners off YouTube several times a week. In total I have now lost 1 and 1/2 stone since I first started in December. It’s all about watching your calories, choosing food wisely, portion control and moving a bit. Talking of choosing wisely, it’s surprising how much food 1200 calories actually is with the right foods. I certainly don’t go hungry and still enjoy the odd treat of some chocolate. I have cut right down on the wine. Only had 2 glasses throughout February.

Good luck with your journey 😀

[Nikon1972 in reply to Cuckoogoose]

Hello, I've been trying to find a few youtube workouts to do from home, to vary from outdoors walk when the weather is bad (I'm a wimp when it comes to rain!) and from the stationary bike which I'm using nearly daily. I'm looking for dance workouts and dumbbells exercises for beginners, I was wondering if you'd share which dumbbell workout you do, as you seem to like it? I hope it's ok to ask. Many thanks 🙂

[Cuckoogoose in reply to Nikon1972]

Hi, yes no problem. This my favourite one

youtu.be/L3eImBAXT7I(Not working as expected?)

And I also use this one

youtu.be/0zhvUV1bAVQ(Not working as expected?)

I go walking whatever the weather. I love going out and if I get soaked through I jump in a nice hot shower or bath. It is a wonderful feeling 😆

Good luck. Let me know how you get on

[Nikon1972 in reply to Cuckoogoose]

Thank you so much! Will have a look at both of these, there is a lot out there so it's nice to get a recommendation rather than starting from nowhere. 🙂

[Slimgirl in reply to Cuckoogoose]

Hi Cuckgoose, just wondering how much you walked? I am struggling with weightloss despite eating mess than 1200cal. Thank you 😊

[lucigret in reply to Slimgirl]

Your problem with weight loss could be that you are eating too little. I am assuming you are calorie counting? Have you checked out what your personal calorie intake should be, if not you can use this NHS BMI calculator

nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-we...

[Slimgirl in reply to lucigret]

Thanks for your reply. My GP suggested the Michael Mosely Sugar diet and actually that was not so bad. I fell off the diet once we went into lockdown and kids were home! My glucose is improving - I have moved myself from diabetes to prediabetes. But the weight still seems not to have changed. I thought it would be good to see how much other people walk to see an effect. Desk job is a killer!

[Slimgirl in reply to Slimgirl]

Just to add I am using MyFitnessPal to record everything I eat.

[razed]

I signed up to Noom for around six month and lost 5 kg whilst on the programme, which is good. It cost me about £20 a month. The psychology part is quite interesting, but the food logging feature isn’t as good as My Fitness Pal - it’s a bit cumbersome and inaccurate. Also, the style of writing in the psychology course was quite annoying for me, not very concise and took a while to get to the point. All that said, I did lose weight whilst on the Noom programme and I have held on to some of the learning. I use My Fitness Pal and aim for 1400 calories a day, but often end up on 1600. I also aim for 10,000 steps on my Fitbit. The weight is still going down slowly, but, for me, this feels sustainable. Good luck!

[Hidden]

I do the nhs 12 week plan it’s calorie counting sounds the same as NOOM but it’s free, it works great does me, it’s got loads of ideas for meals and allsorts of good advice all totally free & i do it all from an APP 😊

[Lopey]

Hi, I agree that it is expensive. I prefer the food logging on myfitnesspal and the support you can get here. However I did love the psychology part, they throw alot of info at you but I think that losing weight and eating healthily for the long term is really about the psychology so I felt it was worth it.

[Ha11y]

I tried the 2 week free trial and enjoyed the daily psychology and inspiration courses. I wasn't prepared to pay the ongoing fee as it is expensive. But I got an offer at Christmas for a year's membership for £4 per month so I took that up. The upside is it's rebalanced my thinking away from the slimming world life of free food, syns an extras to food is food I just can't eat loads of everything. My weight hasn't changed loads but my mindset has. I need to be in a calorific deficit to lose weight and that it's 90% diet and 10% exercise.

[SleepyAsh]

I'd suggest trying it out, I started in January and found that the articles really appealed to me, they're based around cbt and learning why we make the decisions we do, and how to break the cycle.

I've lost 13 pounds on it so far, and feel more in control of my eating and decisions. Nothing is off limits.

There are *always* codes to get it cheaper if you do like it, there was a 90% off one kicking around a while ago so that's worth a search!

[PJsMom]

I’m doing it at the moment. I’ve lost 4kg in my first 3-4 weeks. It’s no more expensive than Slimming world or weight watchers. The two week trial went well for me so I decided to pay for a block of time as a one off investment in me.

I find the app more more user friendly interface than here - which I really struggle to navigate round. It’s each time their own 🤷‍♀️

[Morgansare]

I really wanted it to work but alas I've not really broken the bad habits even with all the 'positivity'. I paid for it from Jan until may so perhaps it's to early to tell, it's very american in the language and food measurements which means I end up back at Myfitnesspal to get an accurate calorie count. The psychology is good when you plateau but likely you could get this from this group, I struggle to ask for help and share though so the way noom sets out the daily lessons means it forces me to look, all in all its perhaps worth a look but ultimately what has been said already is true, it's down to us to stop the bad habits and find better ways to eat and exercise. Good luck whatever you decide xx

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome/welcome back, Cuckoogoose , Lopey and SleepyAsh ,

All of the information you need about the forum can be found in Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... and we hope you'll be joining all the Events, Challenges and Clubs that we run, especially a weigh-in and the daily diary.

We've found active participation to be key to successful weight loss and, of course, it's a good way to get to know people, find inspiration and share support and encouragement.

Wishing you all the best

[Hidden]

Milk_Honey. I tried NOOM for a few months in 2017. They advertise heavily in the United States and Canada and rely on monthly subscriptions to their exercise and dietetic services for monthly fee. Subscribers are expected to signin once per week to report their weight and to receive encouragement from an online 'coach'.

While I found the service convenient, I quickly realized that NOOM was charging me a fee for services I cold easily obtain somewhere else for free, so I quit. They also pay their online 'coaches' a pittance, and pocket the difference. Instead, I plan my own meals now and subscribe to this NHS HealthUnlocked forum, which generously permits everyone to subscribe at no cost to them. Here, I've found the people involved to be friendly, helpful and sincere, which is a lot better than NOOM. Best of luck to you in achieving your health-related goals. I think you can give NOOM a 'miss' without regret.

[utep99]

Keep ignoring it! It is nothing but a mind-over-body site and you do not need NOOM to do it. Just stop all fast food and home cooking and pounds will slip away!

[Milk_Honey]

Wow so many replies full of really helpful information and advice, thank you so much to all of you! It's clear that this group is very supportive and so I will just try to engage more here and sign up to that fitness pal app. Taking onboard what many of you have said and money definitely being a factor I need to consider, I will withhold from signing up to Noom for now. All the best to you all xxxx

[Dinnertime Visitor]

Hi, I've been signed up to health unlocked for well over a year and never really used it, but I still get the emails so I felt I had to reply to your post about Noom. As other people have said, different things work for different people and if this free service works for you, then why look further? But I find health unlocked baffling and complicated, and full of advice from unregulated sources (us!). It assumes that you're already an experienced user of social media and networking sites, which I am not. Noom, however, has been totally brilliant for me. I knew right away it was what I was looking for because I am extremely interested in the psychological issues behind overeating. As other people have also said in reply to you, the nutrition really isn't rocket science even though loads of vested interests get really passionate trying to argue that it is: the psychological and social and emotional aspects are far more complicated. Noom deals with those. I've lost 13kg on Noom since September and am just 1 kg from being an NHS-approved healthy weight for the first time in years and years. I've also had the chance to think long and hard about issues in all kinds of related areas of my life, which has been really interesting and helpful. The chirpy tone they use is indeed grating but I don't really mind about that because the information is good. The food "traffic light" system is fyi but you don't have to use it at all - it's a guide. I eat what I like. I've learned a lot about portions but much more about why I overeat and when, and how to help myself enjoy every mouthful rather than simply respond to triggers I feel are outside my control. The personal goal coach that Noom gives you has been great, too. The support group is pretty lame because the vast majority of people on it just don't contribute at all. Having said that, I've "met" two other participants through the support group, and we now email each other off-line and form our own support. Everyone who's still on it from when I joined has lost a pretty stunning amount of weight. My husband has now joined too, which makes the family eating plan much easier. People say it's expensive but it costs me way less than I get charged by almost all the exercise classes I like! And frankly, for me that money could not possibly have been better spent. I started with a two-week free trial and there was no question that it was for me.

[Slimgirl]

Hi I have just tried it. I think it is interesting because it helps you understand how to select the right food by giving the why. I think it is useful as it is not too dictatorial! They have a short trial period you could start with for two weeks and if you like it then you can continue to subscribe. For me personally I think my fitness pal is enough as I log the food and it makes me think about what choices I am making- similar to Noom except there is regular encouragement from Noom. Hope this helps.

[kathie659]

I lost 35 lbs with noom. I stopped about 3 months ago and maintained weight loss. I recently restarted because I am planning on losing 15 lbs more. You can get it much cheaper by signing for free 2 weeks and cancelling about 10 days in. They will try to persuade you to stay and at that point? Bargain down to what you want to pay...it works, paying for it keeps me using it.

[TheTabbyCat Administrator 10 kg in reply to kathie659]

Hi kathie659 I'm not sure if you've realized but you are replying to an older post. If you would like to chat I suggest you join Wednesday's Daily Diary. Just click on the blue link below, scroll down the pinned posts until you find one which interests you, click on the title and chat away.

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...