Noom is a diet program that is quickly becoming one of the most popular on the market today. It isn’t set up to help people lose weight quickly and then move back to their ‘normal’ eating habits (which almost always means regaining the weight). Instead, Noom helps you to create a customized diet that meets your unique lifestyle. This makes it easier for users to develop a healthy relationship with the food they eat, so they can get to the weight they desire and stay there for life. While many people will choose to remain Noom subscribers for life, others will just use it long enough to establish healthy eating habits, which they can then follow for years to come. Either way, Noom has been a proven strategy for millions of users.
What Sets Noom Apart?
There are hundreds of different diet programs for people to choose from, and dozens of different services that help you find and track your diets. Many of these programs are even free to use, which means you really have to ask what sets Noom apart from the competition and makes it worth the cost. The following are some of the most significant features that you aren’t likely to find with other services, and certainly won’t find all together in one:
- Opening Questionnaire – Unlike most diet programs that just tell you what to eat and what to avoid, Noom has a questionnaire that you fill out when getting started. Your diet program will be customized based on your answers, which helps to maximize your success.
- Advanced App – While most diet programs these days offer an app, you won’t find one as advanced or easy to use. This app really sets the bar for the entire diet industry.
- Coaching – You will have access to support from other dieters, nutritionists, coaches, and more. They also publish helpful information from PhDs, M.Ds, and other health care professionals.
How to Use Noom
When you sign up for Noom you will have to go through a series of steps to get you started. This can seem a little overwhelming and complicated at first, but if you are willing to put in the effort up front, it really does make it easier to manage your diet and overall health. When you first sign up, you will need to fill out a brief questionnaire (you can do this for free before actually choosing your plan). Based on this information, Noom will have a number of recommendations and options to choose from. At this point, you can choose the plan that is a good fit for your situation (make sure to take advantage of the 14-day trial!).
Once signed up, you will use their mobile app to log meals every time you eat, enter your weight once per week, keep track of exercise, and much more. When you have time or need additional motivation, you can read through their free daily articles that can help you to stay informed and make smart nutritional decisions. To put it simply, you will want to make sure you are logging into their app multiple times a day as this is going to be your ‘hub’ for all your diet and overall health efforts going forward.
About the Food
When following the Noom program you won’t have specific foods that you must eat, or foods that you must avoid. Instead, you can pick and choose the specific dishes you want each day. Every food will impact your overall program progress on a daily basis. Noom tracks your nutrition using three separate color categories:
- Green – Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other healthy foods.
- Yellow – Some starches, healthy fats, lean meats, etc.
- Red – Red meats, snacks, desserts, highly processed foods.
The amount of each category you can consume each day will be based on your goals and habits. This makes it far easier to stick to than many other diet programs. While you will have to keep unhealthy foods to a minimum, you can enjoy them on special occasions (or any time you have room on your ‘red’ category). This helps to make this a very practical diet system.
Mobile App
When using the Noom system, you will be doing a lot with their mobile app. It is clear that they have spent a lot of time developing this app to make their entire program a success. The main portion of the app is used to track food intake, exercise, and other key activities. This is all made very easy with their massive database of pre-selected foods and activities. Beyond that, they have a section for recipes that you can pick from based on what types of foods you need for that day. You’ll find a ton of great meal ideas that are good for you, and taste great!
Their app will also automatically synch up with other tools like a Fitbit, iHealth, Runkeeper, and many others. This makes it so users of these devices won’t even have to manually log their exercises, which is very convenient. Finally, the app will provide you with fun challenges and goals to help keep you motivated.
Prices
Noom is not the cheapest diet program on the market today, but you certainly get what you pay for. To start out, they offer a 14-day trial for just $1, which really allows you to get a feel for the program and if it will work for you. After that trial period, you can choose to pay monthly or buy for longer periods of time for a better deal. The current price points are as follows:
- Monthly - $59
- 2 Months - $99
- 4 Months - $129
- 6 Months - $149
- 8 Months - $159
- Annual - $199
As you can see, buying for a full year is by far the best deal. It works out to just $16.59 per month, compared to $59 per month if you choose the monthly billing cycle. Of course, you want to be sure that you are going to use it the entire time if you are paying in advance. Many people will find that paying for a year at a time is a good way to stay motivated.
Customer Service
The customer support with Noom is pretty good overall, though it is lacking in some areas. First, they don’t have a phone number to call, which can make it difficult for some people. They do have a FAQ page that answers many common questions, but it isn’t as detailed as we would like to see. If you have problems with their app, you’ll need to email them for support. Once you email them, they typically get back to you within one business day.
Overall Opinion
Noom is clearly one of (if not the) best diet program online today. It is designed to be easy to use and work well for people no matter their situation. The fact that their app is so helpful and has so many features makes it a great option for those who love mobile technologies. Whether you’re looking to lose weight, or you just want to improve your overall nutritional health, sign up for Noom’s 14-day trial to see if you love it as much as we do.
