Most of the diets we’ve seen cut out certain things — such as fat, sugar, calories, or carbs — to help people lose weight. However, Noom is different. Since it debuted in 2013, the weight loss app Noom has become popular due to its psychology-based approach that aims to completely change one’s eating habits for the better. According to its website, the Noom diet employs the technology to help people change not just the way they eat, but how they think at the very core. That strategy might be the very reason why Noom has racked up more than 50 million downloads in the last 13 years.
While the idea of examining why we eat what we eat and making changes accordingly isn’t exactly new, it’s the convenience of having an app to do that that’s the key here. So, here’s a detailed review of Noom, its revolutionary eating plans, and why and how exactly they’re so popular and effective.
Also read: Easy Ways To Use Noom Diet Plans During Travel
What Is Noom?
In its own words, Noom is a consumer-led digital health company empowering everyone to live better, longer. While weight management was their starting and continues to remain their core focus, it’s what we call a comprehensive wellness plan, with food, exercise, and even mental health aspects built into the program. The idea is to change people’s mindset and habits about food, which means that one doesn’t just lose weight, but also maintains the weight loss in the long run. So, rather than just focusing on what one should or shouldn’t eat, Noom helps them change the way they feel and think about eating, as weight loss is also about why one eats. Their goal? Help people develop sustainable habits that they’ll keep for a lifetime.
To begin with, one needs to download the app and enter their current weight, goal weight, age, gender, height, general health info, social circles, and other aspects of their lives. Then, they need to log their snacks, meals, and drinks every day, after which the app gives them feedback on their food choices to help them not only reach their target weight, but also eat better on the whole. Additionally, users also need to log their exercise regimens, which Noom uses to offer recommendations to get them to move more. Did we mention that the app even has an in-built pedometer? Yes!
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How Does the Noom Weight Loss Plan Work?
The objective of Noom is to help people develop healthy but maintainable long-term eating habits, focusing on behavioral changes rather than immediate fixes. In order to achieve that goal, Noom’s plan focuses on a few specific things:
Daily Lessons
Individuals need to complete the daily lessons to progress through the Noom program. Their intention is to help one think differently about food and how and what they eat. What’s more, the daily lessons are quite interesting: they include simple activities, quizzes, and helpful tips that teach us about why we eat the way we do. Not only are these lessons based on behavioral science, but they also employ CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) to help one change their behavior and build healthier habits.
Orange, Yellow, and Green Foods
One of the best things about Noom is that it doesn’t ban any foods. Instead, it encourages us to consume tons of nutrient-dense, but not calorie-dense, “green” foods. For instance, lean protein like chicken and fresh produce count as green foods. Additionally, it recommends minimizing portions or frequency of foods that are tagged orange (sweets like cake, candy, full-fat dairy, nuts, oils) and yellow (corn, sausage, potatoes).
- Orange foods include healthy fats, like full-fat dairy, olive oil, nut butter, and nuts.
- Yellow foods include grains like couscous and rice, low-fat dairy, and legumes like beans.
- Green foods include whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, lean proteins like fish and chicken, and most fresh vegetables and fruits.
Daily Weigh-Ins
One of the best things about the Noom weight loss program is that it encourages us to do everyday weigh-ins so as to track our weight changes over time. The idea is that when we weigh ourselves every day, we would see all the little ups and downs that took place, along with our overall progress. Even though daily weigh-ins aren’t healthy for everyone, especially those who are trying to build muscle mass, for some, weighing themselves every day could help them lose more weight by paying more attention to their choices and building long-term healthy habits.
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The Noom App Weight Plans And Costing
Let’s put it this way: do you go out with your friends for a few drinks and a nice dinner? Noom‘s subscription probably costs less than what you spend on that night out. While the program isn’t exactly cheap, you can download the app for free and even see if it works for you with a short free trial. As of 2025, Noom’s membership costs USD 70 per month, and the program is 16 weeks long. Of course, you end up getting a lower rate if you commit to longer periods. Additionally, Noom also offers extra services for an extra cost, such as customized meal and workout plans.
Noom’s subscription plans currently range from USD 70 for a monthly auto-renewing plan to an annual plan of USD 209, with 10 other options in between. If you’re still deciding, most plans will cost you monthly as a pair of nice running shoes or a few months’ worth of membership at a good gym.
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Benefits of the Noom Diet App
If you want to be able to get the most out of the Noom weight loss plan to meet your health goals, you’ll have to make the effort of logging in everything: how much exercise you’re getting and all your water and food intake. Additionally, one also has to be consistent with planning meals as well as communicate with their coach regularly. That being said, getting on the Noom app has its fair share of significant advantages:
- Daily Support: We loved the daily support that Noom offers its members. We’ve observed in other programs that users are able to communicate only with registered health coaches or dietitian nutritionists once a week or two. However, the Noom app is different, as it allows us to get regular feedback as well as support from coaches and fellow users.
- Social Eating Strategies: Another positive feature about Noom that we loved was the fact that the app addressed the very real fact of social eating. Hence, we were able to plan for unexpected and expected breaks, such as vacations, holidays, parties, and even eating out without worrying.
- Focusing on Sustainable Change: Noom’s vision is fantastic: it focuses on making healthy behavioral and eating changes over time, rather than resorting to drastic changes in food choices or quick-fix approaches. It’s this long-term, sustainable change that’s likelier to help with and maintain the weight loss. It might not be inexpensive, but working with Noom is certainly less than working individually with registered nutritionists and dieticians.
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Why Noom Works
What we found great about the Noom weight loss program was the fact that it wasn’t a lonely journey, and they offered tons of support. When one needs a little support or is feeling burnt out, Noom has coaches and guides who help users to identify their goals, stick to them, and even plan how to get there. We not only got regular feedback from personal coaches through Noom’s messaging feature, but they even helped us overcome obstacles along the way and motivated us towards our goal.
What’s more, we could even connect with other Noom members through virtual support groups! Throughout the 16-week program, Noom pledged to teach us how to make better food choices, and they made sure we had the right kind of support. So, we also got interactive challenges and articles about exercise, weight loss, and nutrition every day, which helped keep us going. Moreover, the program even offered advice to help us manage and even prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Besides the above, Noom has a plethora of other features, such as calorie calculators, personality quizzes, science-backed medications, and even menopause-focused advice. All in all, Noom helped focus our effort and energy where we needed to for the best results.
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What To Eat And Other Dietary Restrictions
Of course, questions around what you should eat and what you shouldn’t are raised when it comes to diets, but Noom isn’t built like that. Did you know that you can eat anything on the Noom weight loss plan? Yes!
Are you craving a slice of apple pie or a churro? Don’t hold yourself back. Just because it’s an orange food (salami, chocolate, and the like), it doesn’t mean that it’s completely off limits. Rather, the idea is to balance these orange foods with tons and tons of green ones, like fruits, whole grains, and vegetables. The reason most traditional diets aren’t sustainable and long-term because they deprive you of something or the other, and life doesn’t work like that. Noom wants you to enjoy all your favorite foods, but also focus on “green” and “yellow” foods. Interestingly, many Noomers have said that their cravings towards calorie-dense foods reduced when they began filling up on “green” foods. Also, they enjoyed these “orange” foods all the more when they did.
The best bit, though, is that even if you’re already following a specific diet — whether gluten-free, lactose-free, low-carb, or even a vegan or a keto one — the Noom weight plan can take it into account and absorb it into their new plan.
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What happens when I reach my goal and stop using the Noom app?
Noom is like any other behavior-change program, which means how sustainable the results are depends on how you maintain the habits. So, discontinuing it and not sticking to habits could reduce long-term success.
Is Noom safe for people with medical conditions such as diabetes?
While people with medical conditions such as diabetes have used Noom successfully, the ideal thing for people with chronic conditions is to consult registered dieticians or their healthcare providers before starting.
How long does it take to see weight loss results with Noom?
While results vary for different people as bodies, calorie targets, and starting weights are different, studies have found that users have lost an average of 12 lbs after 16 weeks.
Some images on this article are copyrighted by Noom.
