Is Noom really price it? A dietitian’s perspective

I became a #Noomer on the 28^th December as I launched into a 14 day free trial. I used to be intrigued; I had seen adverts in every single place with one clear message: Stop Dieting. Get Life-long results.

It lures me in – ‘There’s a reason diets don’t work… learn how long it is going to take to achieve your goal weight…’

What exactly is Noom?

It describes itself as an award-winning weight-loss programme.

The app uses a mix of psychology, technology and human coaches to assist people construct sustainable habits and meet their personal health and wellness goals.

The founders were driven to create Noom because they were dissatisfied with how the American healthcare system focused on sick care as an alternative of healthcare. They desired to create a digital product that helped people take control of their health.

Already I’m confused.

Is Noom a weight loss plan or not?

It justifies its non-diet status by saying no foods are forbidden. Mmmm, okay.

I provide some personal details and stats and tell it I need to lose a stone. I deliberately kept the starting weight and goal weight each inside a ‘healthy’ BMI range to see if this could flag anything nevertheless it doesn’t.

The Harris Benedict equation calculated my BMR, they use my answers to estimate my activity level, before then hacking out 500 calories to create an energy deficit to attain the equivalent of 0.5kg weight reduction per week. I spent much of my NHS profession in weight management clinics using the identical principles.

They indicate calories shouldn’t go lower than 1200 for ladies or 1400 for men ‘to ensure your body is getting all the opposite nutrients it needs’ and I’m assigned a calorie budget of 1200 calories.

All good though, because remember this is just not a weight loss plan, it’s going to assist me create sustainable habits and take control of my health, or so that they say.

Next, they tell me easy methods to divvy up my budget. They introduce me to the concept of red, yellow and green foods. Their essential point is just not calories (although they do list them against every food I log), but calorie density. Foods with a better water content, for instance have a low-calorie density and can fill me up.

• Green foods are the least calorie dense and/or contain the best concentration of healthy nutrients.
• Yellow foods have more calories and/or less healthy nutrients per serving than green foods.
• Red foods are essentially the most calorie dense and/or have the least healthy nutrients.

They are quick to indicate though that ‘red doesn’t mean ‘bad’ and green doesn’t mean ‘good’’

I’m told to log my food and weigh myself every day. I can track my activity too.

It definitely raises awareness – as you log your meals a color code appears down the side, so you may see at a look how much of your day is proportionally red, yellow or green. The user can reflect on their selections and guidance is obtainable on easy methods to make higher, less energy dense ones.

For some #noomers, I’m sure this is admittedly enlightening and helpful and facilitates selections which are higher in fibre etc. Whilst I’m not alleged to start judging foods based on their color code, its difficult to not. I really like a hot chocolate each day and it supports me to fulfill my calcium requirements as I don’t otherwise drink any milk. It’s red though. Yellow is healthier but I still have to be careful of those foods – in order that’s things like eggs, avocado, some fish, quinoa (but not other wholegrains) and all pulses.

And other red foods I should limit include nuts, seeds and full fat dairy. In general protein doesn’t appear to fair as well and once we know the role it actually plays in creating satiety, I feel that’s confusing.

Is this teaching the user to have a balanced relationship with food that’s non-judgemental?

Meanwhile, should I deal with changing my behaviour, shedding weight or each?

This is where Noom really can’t resolve. It acknowledges there are a lot of aspects which impact weight, but reassures me it only takes 3 things to be done consistently to ensure that me to achieve success:

• Weighing myself
• Logging food
• Reading the articles

I’m told weighing in on a regular basis creates self-awareness and helps make healthy selections, however the SMART goals they advocate do deal with all points of wellbeing.

It shares data on the advantages of physical activity for cardiovascular health, but I also read I can earn more to place in my calorie budget the more exercise I do and I’m reminded to not cheat the system. They tell me they’re ‘a bit tight with their calories’ and so they’ll give me back only half of what I burn to ensure I stay in a deficit.

Wowzers, I feel I want some psychology to assist me here.

The psychological parts of Noom are supposedly what sets it aside from all other weight reduction programmes so let’s take a look at those.

The Psychology of weight reduction (in accordance with Noom)

Here we see some useful behavioural science principles, for instance temptation bundling to help motivation and behavior chains to know triggers for our actions.

Trigger –> Thought –> Action –> Consequence.

I’m reminded there are a lot of consequences to my actions. This results in the CBT aspect of the programme.

I’m encouraged to think through what triggers behaviour and the thoughts which are attached to that, with the knowledge in fact, that it’s our thoughts that we’ve the ability to vary. Some examples are given of ‘evil thoughts’.

Different sorts of thought distortions, lots of which I’m accustomed to and are available across with clients on a regular basis. For example, all or nothing pondering where we make big sweeping statements that aren’t very accurate. They also describe delusional pondering through which ‘You persuade yourself of something you don’t really imagine to justify a choice’ They give the next example,

‘This wafer-thin slice of cake doesn’t count’ – they back this up with the statement ‘But it does. Oh yes, it does’

After the thought distortions article apparently, I now knew ‘all of the ways my sneaky little mind could idiot me’

Then we’ve the ‘inner elephant’ – who apparently represents my impulsive, irrational, emotional side. I shouldn’t trust her because she is attempting to derail me. It’s a useful delve into the psychology of food alternative, but I’m unsure I just like the subtle undertones. I feel it’s time for a reality check.

The nuance of weight reduction (and Noom)

Calculating energy requirements

They wish to indicate that is just maths and science. This assume energy balance and regulation of body weight are completely inside our control and make no allowance for the metabolic impacts of repeated weight-reduction plan on the body. Equations can only ever be an estimate and have no idea the workings of our inner physiology, and yet we depend on them heavily to dictate our path.

Research shows that weight-reduction plan itself has been shown to be the strongest predictor of weight gain over time. Funny how Noom don’t decide to share this evidence.

Tying exercise to weight reduction

If guilt is used as a motivator for exercise, research shows it it more prone to be linked to emotional eating. Those who’re motivated to exercise by things aside from the ‘calorie burn’ have been shown to do that more consistently. Being physically energetic is considered one of the 4 key behaviours which are related to living longer, no matter what you weigh.

The hidden impacts of food logging and weighing every day

Studies may show food diaries and weighing steadily yields higher weight reduction results, but what are the impacts behind the scenes that aren’t documented? Most weight reduction studies don’t take a look at psychological state. My clinics are stuffed with people who have done just this and so they now carry with them more weight, disordered eating and food obsession. Was that weight reduction achieved sustained or was it yet one more cycle? That #noomer’s previous weight-reduction plan history is essential and there have been no questions asked about that.

Repeated weight-reduction plan has been shown to extend food related anxiety, body dissatisfaction, uncontrolled eating and weight gain over time. Eating more intuitively however, actually has the opposite effect. Noom describes scale anxiety actually diminishing the more you do it. I struggle to get on board with that idea, based on my clinical experience.

In reality, when linking all the things back to weight, judgement tends to take over innocent reflections. This is very true when despite being urged to have a look at other measures of progress, there’ll come some extent where the dimensions is unlikely to reflect perceived effort or sacrifices being made. For example, I’m not allowed to exit for dinner very much, and will select broth-based soups as a starter. Er, no thanks.

I’m asked if I’m having doubts and am reassured that is normal. I’m also told not to offer up and that ‘in the event you are going to doubt something, doubt your limits’.

So, so far as Noom is anxious I’m my only limitation – so if my body is just not responding, it’s me who must exert more will power or effort. This reinforces the likelihood we’ll judge ourselves and take personal blame.

I’m unsure physiology is something that responds to big picture pondering and motivational quotes. Weight regulation isn’t a mind over matter thing, it’s rooted in primal survival mechanisms and there are many the reason why weight regain occurs.

Final thoughts

No one can argue that there are very clear lifestyle behaviours which are related to improved health, and for those trying Noom as their first experience of a not a weight loss plan weight loss plan, it could well provide the stimulus and support they should make helpful changes. Some people really get on board with the tracking and learning about foods and the app provides a point of interest for exploring all points of our food behaviours.

However, for the 1000’s who’ve dieted for a few years, the concept this isn’t a weight loss plan will lure them in and has the potential in my view, to further erode their food relationship and with it their physical and emotional health. It can also be for these reasons, that I now now not provide portion plans and calorie deficits and why we’ve a lot evidence that a non-diet approach can improve physical and mental health.

As I used to be about to cancel after my free trial, I’m handed the carrot of a gaggle coach. This will see me through the ups and downs of my ‘weight reduction’ journey says the non-diet app.

I try the opposite people within the group…

Ellen is 72. She tells the group she is uninterested in yoyo weight-reduction plan. This, she says, after many alternative diets, is hopefully the best one for me.

Oh Ellen, I wish I could provide you with a hug, but I’m off.

If you’d like to know more of the science behind weight-reduction plan, and get clarity on the best options for you going forward, do join my free masterclass on Friday twenty first Jan 1-2pm. A recording will probably be available in the event you can’t make it live. I’d like to see you there and I hope this has been a helpful read.