Meal and Exercise Plans - Noom (2024)

FAQs

Is Noom meal plan worth it? ›

On Trustpilot, Noom has four out of five stars based on over 63,300 reviews. Reviewers appreciate the engaging daily lessons with easy-to-understand language. Many reviewers noticed changes in not only their weight but also in their mindset of how they approach weight loss.

While Noom may be a good fit for some people, there are a few downsides. Most notably, Noom doesn't offer in-person interactions with coaches or other Noom members. The cost, concerns around low calorie goals, and potential pitfalls of food tracking are among other downsides of the program.

Restrictive Dieting Just Doesn't Work

Just like most weight loss programs, Noom relies on calorie counting, which often fails to sustain results long-term. When calories are restricted, the body's metabolism slows down as a natural response to conserve energy.

When signing up for the Noom Weight program, you have the option to add the Meal and Exercise Plans. Depending on your location and which version of the program you're enrolling in, this may be sold as part of the Premium subscription upgrade or as a separate add-on.

In addition to the auto-renewal and billing complaints, Noom faced criticism from experts and consumers for its weight loss program. While branding itself as different from other diets, the app has previously set very low calorie goals that dietitians say put users at risk of side effects.

Minimum Calorie Range

To keep your body functioning at its best, Noom won't let those who identify as female adjust their goal below 1,200-1,320 calories per day, those who identify as male below 1,400-1,540 calories per day, and those who don't choose to select a binary gender below 1,200-1,320 calories per day.

The Noom controversy is that its app has triggered disordered eating in some users because of its focus on a calorie-restricted diet, food tracking, and regular weighing. Although it markets itself as an anti-diet weight loss solution, many people believe it encourages the same behaviors as traditional diets.

However, while Noom can serve you in the short term by helping you change your eating habits and practice mindful eating, some experts recommend against using weight-loss apps like Noom. "A strict diet protocol, or labeling foods in any way, isn't a healthy practice.

Noom uses a color-coding system, while WW uses a points system to help steer you toward foods that are lower in calories and more nutritious. However, either program may be difficult to follow if you choose to incorporate more high fat foods — even those high in healthy fats — into your diet.

Losing 10 pounds every single month is not necessarily going to be healthy or sustainable, but if you need to drop weight fast for just one occasion, it is possible. With Noom, you could do it in about five weeks — and that's without starving yourself or ending up instantly gaining it all back.

How long do most people use Noom? ›

The Noom plan is designed to last 16 weeks, but you're encouraged to buy up to twelve months at a time for weight loss and maintenance. To meet my goal of a 12-pound weight loss, my calorie budget was 1,250 calories a day for 16 weeks.

Noom uses a system that separates "good" and "bad" foods by assigning colors to different edible treats. Each color signifies how much or how little you should eat to stay on track toward your goals.

Exercising creates a “calorie deficit” through the calories that are burned. Noom gives you back half of the calories burned in a given workout to your daily total, which you can (but don't have to) consume.

“Despite its potential benefits, Noom's cost can be a disadvantage to some, as the program requires a subscription fee,” Costa says. “The app's focus on weight loss, calorie counting, and color-coding foods can perpetuate a restrictive mindset, potentially triggering disordered eating behaviors.

In our opinion, Noom® might be the better programme as it does contain some helpful information on behaviour change and psychology, as well as a human coach for support which can keep you motivated.

One of the benefits of Noom is the daily support it offers members. In other cases, you may only communicate with a registered dietitian nutritionist or health coach once every week or two. Another positive feature is that Noom addresses social eating and allows you to plan for parties, holidays, or vacations.

Noom may be better for individuals who need more guidance and support, as it offers personalized coaching and a behavior change program. MyFitnessPal is ideal for those who prefer a do-it-yourself approach, focusing on tracking calories and workouts.

In terms of food, the diet breaks items into three categories: green, yellow, and red. The green foods are the best, yellow foods are slightly less nutritious, and red foods are the most calorie-dense. Ideally, your diet is comprised of mostly green foods, some yellow foods, and a limited amount of red foods.