What Is Noom? Your Complete Guide To The Weight Loss App, According To Registered Dietitians

what is noom

How Does Noom Work?

Noom is designed to make weight loss apps facilitate sustainable weight loss through behavior change and cognitive restructuring. Here’s a detailed look at how Noom operates:

Behavioral Approach: Noom employs cognitive behavioral therapy to help users understand and modify their eating habits, aiming to improve their relationship with food by increasing intake of fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and foster healthy habits by practicing mindful eating.

Personalized Coaching: Each user is paired with a health coach who provides support and guidance tailored to the individual’s needs, helping them make healthier food choices based on calorie density and the color-coded food system.

Daily Lessons and Activities: Noom’s curriculum is designed to reinforce healthier habits through educational content, focusing on building sustainable lifestyle changes and developing a healthier relationship with food.

Behavioral Approach

Noom uses principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help users understand and modify their eating behaviors and habits. This approach targets the psychological triggers that often lead to overeating, such as stress or boredom.

  • Cognitive Restructuring: Noom encourages users to identify and change negative thought patterns related to food and body image.

  • Mindfulness Training: Techniques to promote awareness and mindfulness during meals, helping to reduce emotional eating.

Personalized Coaching

Users are paired with certified health coaches who offer personalized support in tracking and managing body weight, alongside guidance on developing healthy habits that contribute to sustained weight loss and management. These coaches are trained to help users set realistic goals, overcome obstacles, and stay on track with their eating habits and overall well-being.

  • Regular Check-ins: Coaches check in with users regularly to review progress and adjust plans as needed, ensuring that the impact of weight-loss programs on body weight is positive and sustainable.

  • Motivational Support: Coaches provide encouragement and strategies to maintain motivation and adherence to the program, even when response times may be delayed, their thorough support is invaluable in navigating the journey towards better health.

Daily Lessons and Activities

Noom offers daily lessons on nutrition, exercise, and mental health, designed to educate users and reinforce healthy behaviors.

  • Interactive Content: Lessons include quizzes and activities to engage users and reinforce learning.

  • Educational Modules: Topics cover a wide range of subjects, from the basics of calorie density to advanced behavioral strategies

screenshot from Noom

Progress Tracking

The app tracks food intake, exercise, weight, and other health metrics, providing insights and feedback to help users stay motivated.

  • Food Logging: Users can log their meals using a comprehensive food database.

  • Exercise Tracking: The app syncs with various fitness trackers to monitor physical activity.

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What Foods Can You Eat on the Noom Diet?

The Noom diet categorizes foods into three groups based on caloric density and nutritional value: green, yellow, and red. This system is designed to promote balanced eating while allowing flexibility. By categorizing foods into green, yellow, and red, the Noom diet review encourages users to make healthier choices, which positively influences their relationship with food by fostering a better understanding of how to nourish the body, overcome disordered eating, and develop sustainable lifestyle habits.

Green Foods

These are low-calorie-dense foods that you can eat in larger quantities, such orange foods as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. They are nutrient-rich and support satiety with fewer calories.

  • Examples: Spinach, apples, quinoa, carrots, tomatoes.

  • Benefits: High in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, supporting overall health and weight management.

A plate with various green foods like spinach, apples, and quinoa.

Yellow Foods

Moderate-calorie-dense foods include lean meats, legumes, and low-fat dairy. These foods should be eaten in moderation to maintain a balanced and healthy diet throughout.

  • Examples: Chicken breast, lentils, yogurt, eggs, salmon.

  • Benefits: Provide essential proteins and fats necessary for body functions and muscle maintenance

yellow foods like chicken breast, lentils, and yogurt

Red Foods

These are higher-calorie-dense foods to be consumed in smaller portions, like sweets, more processed foods, meats, and full-fat dairy. They are often higher in fats and sugars.

  • Examples: Cheese, sausage, chocolate, butter, ice cream.

  • Benefits: While higher in calories, they can still be part of a balanced diet when eaten in moderation.

A plate with red foods like cheese, sausage, and chocolate

Join Noom’s Program

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Here’s What Happens When You Download the Noom App

  1. Initial Assessment

    • Complete a questionnaire covering your health history, goals, and lifestyle. This helps Noom create a customized plan tailored to your needs and preferences.

    • Information Gathered: Includes current weight, target weight, dietary restrictions, activity level, and motivational factors.

User navigating the Noom app

  1. Personalized Plan

    • Based on the assessment, Noom generates a personalized plan with daily calorie goals, recommended foods, and exercise suggestions.

    • Customization Options: Users can adjust their plans based on feedback from coaches or changes in goals.

Personalized meal plan displayed on the Noom app

  1. Daily Lessons

    • Engage in educational content that covers various aspects of health and wellness. These lessons are designed to build knowledge and skills for long-term success.

    • Example Topics: Understanding hunger cues, managing stress, meal planning strategies.

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Reduces calorie intake

Noom focuses on reducing caloric intake by promoting foods with lower caloric density, allowing users to eat satisfying portions while consuming fewer calories. Understanding and managing calorie intake is crucial support weight loss and in preventing weight gain, reinforcing the importance of Noom’s approach in assessing habits and behaviors related to gaining weight. This strategy helps in creating a calorie deficit necessary for weight loss.

  • Strategy: Emphasizes filling up on nutrient-dense foods like vegetables and whole grains, which provide volume without a high calorie load.

  • Outcome: Users often find they can eat more food while still losing weight, reducing feelings of deprivation.

eat healthy

Talking to customer support

Noom provides accessible customer support through chat, offering assistance with technical issues, program questions, and coaching support.

  • Availability: Customer support is available within the app, making it convenient to get help whenever needed.

  • Topics Addressed: Includes troubleshooting app issues, clarifying program details, and providing additional resources or tips.

Connect with Noom Support


Engaging in Daily Lessons

Daily lessons cover a range of topics, including nutrition, exercise, and mental wellness, designed to educate and empower users.

  • Structure: Lessons are short, engaging, and designed to be completed daily, making it easy to integrate learning into your routine.

  • Impact: Regular engagement with these lessons helps reinforce healthy habits and keeps users informed about their health choices.

text with engagement in lessons

Is Noom Good for You?

Set Your Goals

Noom helps users set realistic and personalized goals based on their health profile and weight loss goals and objectives.

  • Goal Types: Can include weight targets, fitness milestones, or behavioral changes like reducing sugar intake.

  • Tracking Progress: Goals are tracked in the app, with regular updates to keep users motivated.

Focus on Long-term Weight Loss

The program emphasizes sustainable changes rather than quick fixes, promoting long-term health benefits.

  • Sustainable Habits: Encourages gradual changes in diet and activity levels that are easier to maintain over time.

  • Long-term Benefits: Supports ongoing weight maintenance and overall health improvement.

Long-term weight loss graph

What Does Noom Actually Do to Help with Weight Loss?

Noom combines behavioral insights with practical tools to help users lose weight by making healthier choices, tracking progress, and staying motivated. By developing healthier habits, Noom supports sustainable weight loss through:

  • Behavioral Strategies: Employs techniques like goal setting, self-monitoring, and feedback to encourage positive behavior change and develop a healthier relationship with food.

  • Tools and Resources: Includes meal planning tips, food logging, exercise tracking, and community support, all designed to help users create a calorie deficit and cultivate lasting behavioral changes for long-term success.

Infographic of Noom’s weight loss process.

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How Much Does Noom Cost?

Noom offers a subscription-based model, typically starting around $59 per month, with discounts available for longer commitments. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

  • Subscription Options: Monthly, quarterly, and annual plans with varying prices and features.

  • Depending on the time of year, a free trial may be available, but Noom program pricing typically starts at $60/month. Prices go down as you commit to longer subscriptions. The cheapest price for Noom is on the annual auto-recurring plan, which costs $199 (averages to just over $16 a month). Here is the full list of pricing options that are available:

    • 1-month auto-renewing plan $60 USD

    • 2-month auto-renewing plan $119 USD

    • 3-month auto-renewing plan $149 USD

    • 4-month auto-renewing plan $159 USD

    • 5-month auto-renewing plan $164 USD

    • 6-month auto-renewing plan $169 USD

    • 7-month auto-renewing plan $174 USD

    • 8-month auto-renewing plan $179 USD

    • 9-month auto-renewing plan $185 USD

    • 10-month auto-renewing plan $189 USD

    • 11-month auto-renewing plan $195 USD

    • 12-month auto-renewing plan $199 USD

  • Trial Period: Often includes a 14-day trial to allow users to explore the app’s features before committing.

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Does Noom Work for Vegans, Vegetarians, and Plant-Based Diets?

Noom is flexible and can accommodate various dietary preferences, including vegan and vegetarian diets. The app allows users to specify dietary restrictions to receive tailored meal suggestions.

  • Customization: Users can filter food recommendations to align with their dietary choices, ensuring they meet their nutritional needs.

  • Support: Coaches provide guidance on plant-based nutrition and recipe ideas.

plant based meal


Mental Wellness Course and Behavior Change Coaching

Noom’s program includes mental wellness courses that address stress, emotional, binge eating disorder, and other psychological aspects of weight loss, supported by behavior change coaching.

  • Topics Covered: Stress management, emotional resilience, mindful eating, and coping strategies.

  • Coaching Support: Coaches help integrate these principles into daily## Mental Wellness Course and Behavior Change Coaching

Noom’s program includes mental wellness courses that address stress, emotional eating, and other psychological aspects of weight loss, supported by behavior change coaching.

  • Topics Covered: Stress management, emotional resilience, mindful eating, and coping strategies.

  • Coaching Support: Coaches help integrate these principles into daily routines, providing personalized advice and motivation.


What Do Noom Reviews Say?

When comparing Noom to other weight loss programs like Weight Watchers, users often note Noom’s superior approach to education in nutrition and its ease of use. Noom reviews often highlight the program’s effectiveness in fostering sustainable weight loss and behavioral change.

Creating Recipes

Users appreciate the flexibility to create and log their own recipes, making it easier to integrate favorite meals into their diet plan.

  • Feature Details: The app allows users to input ingredients and portions, automatically calculating the nutritional content and calories.

How Does Noom Compare to Other Weight Loss Programs?

Noom is often praised for its focus on behavioral change and psychological support, offering a more holistic approach compared to traditional diets.

  • Comparison Points: Emphasis on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), personalized coaching, and daily educational content.

Insert Image: Comparison chart of weight loss medications from Noom vs. other weight loss programs.

No Specific Meal Plan and No Prepared Food Delivery Options

Noom does not provide a specific meal plan or prepared food delivery, emphasizing flexibility and user choice in meal planning.

  • User Autonomy: Encourages users to make their own meal choices based on guidelines, promoting long-term habit formation.


What Does Eating the Noom Diet Look Like?

The Noom diet encourages balanced, nutrient-dense meals with a focus on portion control and caloric density.

  • Daily Intake: Typically includes a mix of green, yellow, and red foods, promoting a balanced diet that is easy to maintain.

  • Meal Examples: Breakfast might include oatmeal with fruit (green), lunch could be a salad with chicken (yellow), and dinner might feature a small portion of pasta with vegetables (red).

Balanced meal representing the Noom diet

What the Research Says

Research supports Noom’s effectiveness, showing significant weight loss results and improved behavioral health outcomes among users.

  • Key Findings: Studies indicate an average weight loss of 18 pounds over a 16-week period for active users.


Can You Eat Anything on Noom?

Noom allows flexibility, permitting users to enjoy a variety of foods within their calorie budget, promoting a balanced approach to eating.

  • Guideline: While any food is permissible, emphasis is placed on choosing nutrient-dense options and moderating portions of high-calorie foods.

 Variety of foods on a table.

Limited Focus on Whole Body Health

While Noom excels in dietary and behavioral aspects, it has a limited focus on comprehensive physical health measures like detailed fitness plans diet programs.

  • Fitness Integration: Users are encouraged to incorporate physical activity, but detailed exercise plans are not a core feature.

What to Consider Before Signing Up for a Weight Loss Program

Evaluate your goals, preferences, and the program’s features to ensure it aligns with your needs and lifestyle.

  • Considerations: Look at program flexibility, support options, cost, and long-term sustainability.

Can You Drink Alcohol on Noom?

Yes, Noom allows moderate alcohol consumption, encouraging users to include it within their daily calorie budget.

  • Guidelines: Users are advised to track alcoholic beverages and consider their caloric content.

Potential for Weight Regain

As with any weight loss program, there is potential for weight regain if healthy habits are not maintained long-term. Noom focuses on building sustainable habits to mitigate this, lost weight” risk.

  • Maintenance Strategies: Emphasizes ongoing engagement with the app, regular check-ins, and continuous learning.

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Noom vs. WeightWatchers

How Does Noom Compare to WW (WeightWatchers)?

Noom focuses on behavioral change and psychological support, whereas WeightWatchers emphasizes point-based tracking and community meetings.

  • Comparison Highlights:

    • Noom: Behavioral insights, personalized coaching, educational content.

    • WeightWatchers: Point system, weekly meetings, community support.

Side-by-side comparison of Noom and WeightWatchers features.

Detailed Comparison:

  1. Approach

    • Noom: Focuses on changing eating behaviors through CBT, helping users understand and modify their food-related thoughts and habits.

    • WW: Utilizes a points-based system to help users control portions and make healthier food choices.

  2. Coaching

    • Noom: Provides one-on-one coaching, offering personalized advice and support.

    • WW: Offers group support through meetings and workshops, fostering community interaction and shared experiences.

  3. App Features

    • Noom: Offers a comprehensive suite of tools including daily educational content, meal logging, and exercise tracking.

    • WW: Focuses on tracking food intake using a points system, with an extensive database of foods and their point values.

  4. Flexibility

    • Noom: Encourages users to eat a balanced diet without strict food restrictions, supporting a variety of dietary preferences.

    • WW: Allows flexibility in food choices through its points system, enabling users to decide how to spend their daily points.

  5. Cost

    • Noom: Operates on a subscription model, with various pricing tiers available based on the length of commitment.

    • WW: Offers multiple subscription plans, including digital-only, workshop-inclusive, and coaching options.

How Much Weight Does the Average Person Lose on Noom?

On average, Noom users people lose weight about 18 pounds over a 16-week course, according to user data and studies.

  • Data Insights: Reflects consistent engagement with the app and adherence to the program’s guidelines.


Noom Customer Reviews

Noom customer reviews frequently highlight the program’s user-friendly interface, effective coaching, and educational content as key strengths.

  • Positive Feedback: Users report feeling more informed, motivated, and supported throughout their weight loss journey.

How Long Does the Noom Trial Last?

Noom typically offers a 14-day trial period, allowing users to explore the app’s features before committing to a subscription.

  • Trial Features: Access to personalized plans, daily lessons, and coaching support during the trial period.

Conclusion

Starting with Noom is straightforward, with each step designed to help you achieve your weight loss and health goals effectively. From personalized plans and daily lessons to comprehensive coaching and community support, Noom offers a holistic approach to weight loss. Embrace the journey and transform your health with Noom today!

Ready to start your journey with Noom? Download the app and get started today!