Small Diet Changes Can Make a Difference

Does it drive you crazy when you hear people talk about how easy it is to get healthy? They talk about how you JUST need to eat right, exercise, get good sleep, and limit stress. (Did you just roll your eyes too?) Yea, I know! I’d love to be able to do all those things and I’m sure I’d be a lot healthier if I did.

If those were the only things on our plates it would be easy, but with work, kids, budgets, etc. it often feels impossible. We don’t need to throw in the towel if big changes aren’t possible right now. I have found over the past few months of using the Noom app that with a few little adjustments I can also have success. Big changes are great but…

Small Diet Changes Can Make a Difference

When I was single I worked with a nutritionist and followed a plan similar to Paleo. It worked and I lost weight, but it was expensive and hard to maintain. I had to go to multiple grocery stores to find food that fit the diet and it was difficult to eat out. I did learn a lot about what food worked and did not work for my body.

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Once I was married and had a baby it didn’t fit our lifestyle, but I wanted to still be as healthy as possible. So, I started doing some research (one of my favorite things to do) and found the Noom app. At first, I wrote it off as too good to be true, but then I read this review by JoAnn at No Guilt Mom and decided to give it a try.

I’ve used it for over 100 days and I’ve not only lost the weight I gained during pregnancy but I weigh less than before my pregnancy. The best part is that I’ve had this success by making small diet changes. I didn’t join a gym or go on a strict diet. I still eat dessert and other food I would normally give up when I’m on a diet. The Noom app isn’t a magic fix, but it has some valuable features that have helped me get back on track with my goal of getting healthy.

The Pros of Using the Noom App

At first glance, the Noom App can look like any other food logging app some of which are free.  There are a few unique qualities of this app that make it worth the money you spend.

Built-In Accountability

This is one of the main reasons I’m willing to pay for this program. I have two coaches my goal specialist Chelsea and a group coach Yasmin. The group coach feed is similar to a private Facebook group. I use it on occasion but I’ve found my goal specialist the most beneficial. She checks in with me about my goals at least once a week. She helps me set new goals or suggests changes I can make to be more successful.

The app has a daily calorie goal like many weight-loss programs. Instead of counting calories, their take on eating healthy, is to use a 3 color system and the goal is to eat a limited amount of “red foods,” a moderate amount of “yellow foods,” and have the majority of your food intake be “green foods.”

I discovered that I tended to use up my red food allotment at breakfast…oops. When I shared that I struggled with eating a healthy breakfast Chelsea helped me find some small diet changes. I set a goal of limiting myself to one red food at breakfast and it made a huge difference. I was eating oatmeal with brown sugar made with milk. Based on Chelsea’s suggestions I now eat my oatmeal with frozen fruit mixed in and make it with water. I’ll be honest I didn’t think this small of a change would make a difference, but I’ve lost weight and my body fat percentage has gone down.

Noom also builds in accountability by sending notifications to log meals, check a group post, or check a message from your coaches. You can also set it up so that your coach sends an automatic text to your phone if you need a reminder to stay on track.

 

Helps You Change Your Mindset

I strongly believe that it’s important to change your mindset to get healthy. Noom has helped me change my mindset drastically. Noom uses easy to digest 🙂 lessons and quizzes to help you learn new ways to think about getting healthy. The lessons use quality, science-backed research to guide what they’re teaching. As a lover of research, this impressed me.

I have a pretty healthy mindset when it comes to weight loss, but I discovered I still have some negative mindsets  (Noom calls them “thought distortions”). I believed that there are good foods and bad foods. I felt guilty every time I ate a “bad food” like dessert. Noom has taught me that foods aren’t good or bad. Instead, there are foods we should eat more of and other foods we should limit.

This way of thinking has helped me develop an even more positive relationship with food. I don’t feel deprived, because I plan dessert into my day. Which in turn keeps me from binging on desserts down the road.

The NoomNerds, as they refer to themselves, do not hold back. They have you dig deep into sometimes uncomfortable emotions and thoughts. They’re not just changing how you eat or exercise, but how you think. They cover other topics such as stress, sleep, and mindfulness. You can see a breakdown of some of their topics here.

Their ultimate goal is to help you learn the skills and habits you need so you can live a healthy life without the Noom app. In my book, that is a sign of a good company.

Related: 5 Ways You Can Change Your Mindset to Get Healthy

Why Noom May Not Be for You

Cost

This is not a free program, but I believe this can help motivate you. If you have a stake in the program you hold yourself accountable. There are days when I want to skip logging in, but I follow through because I paid for the program and want to get my money’s worth.

There is a free trial and often discount codes. (You can get 20% off if you sign up using this link)

When you sign up with the 14-day trial they charge you $1 and it says you can cancel anytime. I have not tried to cancel, so I do not speak from experience. However, most complaints I have seen are about the difficulty of canceling your plan. If you do not cancel your plan during the trial period and are charged for the full plan you cannot receive a refund.  If I ever choose to cancel I will update this post with how it goes.

Time Commitment

This app does have you log on daily to complete around 7 tasks. These tasks include weighing in, logging the food you eat, lessons, quizzes, and/or other activities. One of the tasks is to meet your step goal, so I use my Fitbit to track my steps. The Fitbit app connects to the Noom app, so it automatically logs your steps.

The lessons and quizzes take up the most time. The writers of this program know how to make sure people are actually taking in what they are learning. They have you take quizzes as you learn or about what you learned the previous day. They also have you apply what you’re learning by writing in short answers.

While the lessons do take time I have found them beneficial.  I have applied a lot of what I’ve learned with success.

Noom is what you’re looking for if you’re ready to…

Change your thinking about how and why you eat.

Redefine what it means to be healthy.

Create new habits.

This program isn’t a quick fix, but the Noom app has helped me get healthier. It has also helped me develop a healthier relationship with food and my body. Are you ready? Sign up today!