The Noom diet is a personalized weight loss plan available through the phone app of the same name. The app’s creators claim that it helps people reach their personal weight goals.
The Noom app provides its users with a personalized diet plan and access to a health coach.
People can also use the app to record their diet and exercise habits, and to discuss their weight loss journey on Noom’s social platform.
In this article, we explore the Noom diet and outline the research into its effectiveness.
Noom is an app designed to help people lose weight, get fit, and stay healthy. It uses a unique traffic light system to rank foods based on how many calories they contain.
“Green” foods such as spinach and broccoli are the least nutrient dense, whereas “red” foods contain more calories and should make up less of a portion.
Using these data, the app’s creators develop personalized weight loss plans that they claim can help deliver long lasting weight loss results.
To get a personalized weight loss plan, a person will need to purchase a subscription and answer some questions on the Noom website or app. The algorithm will then design a weight loss plan to fit the person’s needs.
Shortly after a person logs in for the first time, the app will pair them with an appropriate health coach. The coach will provide relevant dietary information and advice to help the person achieve their weight goals.
Apps such as Noom encourage people to self-monitor their weight loss on a regular basis. One 2017 study found that people who frequently and consistently record their dietary habits experience more consistent and long-term weight loss.
However, self-monitoring weight loss is a practice that tends to decrease quickly over time. To prevent this, the Noom app provides features to motivate self-monitoring.
These features include access to a health coach and access to a social platform, where people can discuss their weight loss challenges and successes with other users.
Research into the Noom app
In 2016, some researchers conducted a study of the effectiveness of the Noom app. The study analyzed data from Noom users who recorded their diet at least twice per month for 6 months.
Of 35,921 Noom users, 77.9% reported a reduction in body weight while using the app. The researchers found that users who monitored their weight and dietary habits more frequently experienced more consistent weight loss.
A separate study, also from 2016, used Noom to deliver a diabetes prevention program (DPP) to 43 participants with prediabetes. At the start of the study, each participant had either overweight or obesity. The purpose of the study was to investigate the efficacy of the DPP in promoting weight loss among the participants.
The participants had experienced significant weight loss by week 16 and week 24 of using the DPP. Of the 36 participants who completed the study, 64% lost more than 5% of their body weight.
However, one limitation of the study is that it did not compare the Noom diet with any other app or diet. It is therefore difficult to know whether or not the Noom diet is more effective than other weight loss strategies.
A limitation of the Noom app is that it does not allow the user to record information on nutrients other than calories. However, a healthful diet should contain a good amount of micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals.
As a result of this limitation, people using the Noom app will have limited information on the healthfulness of their food choices. It also means that doctors and dietitians may be reluctant to recommend the app.
Additionally, some Noom coaches do not have certification from the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching. Coaches with this certification need to meet the minimum standard of knowledge and skills required for health and wellness coaching.
Coaches without this certification may offer inappropriate advice.
Also, people who have a complicated medical history should take extra care when using Noom and similar weight loss apps. These people should seek additional weight loss advice from a doctor, dietitian, or other healthcare professional.
Noom is a weight loss app that provides access to a health coach and a personalized weight loss plan. Its creators claim that these tools, plus its accurate food calorie counter, can help people reach their individual weight goals.
So far, research suggests that the Noom app can be an effective aid to weight loss. However, the research has not yet compared Noom with other weight loss apps or methods.
People with underlying health conditions should take extra care when using Noom or similar weight loss apps. Such people may require the advice of a doctor or dietitian to ensure safe weight loss.
Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327114.php
