Anyone else tried Noom?

WobblyPickle

Hi! I’ve been using MFP on and off for about 7 years - mainly for food logging /finding out calories. I was recently tempted to try Noom but haven’t been impressed - wondered if anyone else had tried it?

Lietchi

Noom started me on my weightloss journey: I wasn't even trying to lose weight, when I saw an ad on facebook. I tried the app (cheap trial), found the introductory days quite interesting (aspects of motivation and goal setting beyond the numbers, concept of calorie dense and less calorie dense food,...) but the individual coaching aspect wasn't what I was looking for (or willing to pay for). And the tracking aspect wasn't very developed, if I remember correctly. I ended the trial, looked for a replacement and that's how I ended up here on MFP!

For MFP regulars, I'm not sure Noom has much added value.

WobblyPickle

Lietchi wrote: »

Noom started me on my weightloss journey: I wasn't even trying to lose weight, when I saw an ad on facebook. I tried the app (cheap trial), found the introductory days quite interesting (aspects of motivation and goal setting beyond the numbers, concept of calorie dense and less calorie dense food,...) but the individual coaching aspect wasn't what I was looking for (or willing to pay for). And the tracking aspect wasn't very developed, if I remember correctly. I ended the trial, looked for a replacement and that's how I ended up here on MFP!

For MFP regulars, I'm not sure Noom has much added value.

Thanks Lietchi - that’s similar to how I tried it. Saw ad repeatedly on Instagram. On the plus side for me were:
- early on, helpful and interesting daily content on eating motivation and behaviour
- Colour coding of food types to help focus on healthier eating
On the negative side:
- food library of foods poor, bar coding library very low, seems very USA-centric so ball ache to add food (MFP miles & miles better)
- Content is relentless and gets repetitive - starts to feel like a burden to keep up
- Worse feature is the threads of messages - just doesn’t work well/clunky technology.
- You’re put in a group to enable closer support BUT there are 50+ in your group so no benefit.
- coaches - pointless feature as adds no value.
- Cost - after cheap trial, I think this was £30 per month!!!

In summary - years behind MFP in my opinion but with great marketing!

javaking9

I'm a Noom member currently and am 3 months into a 6 month subscription. During the course, Noom makes it clear it isn't for long-term use, which is why I started using MFP for daily logging... because I know that's a good habit I'll need to continue. The short-term value I see in Noom is it gives daily motivation and psychology tips which has also helped me remember to stay focused on my diet and activity levels. You also get a personal coach / nutritionist which checks in weekly... that was really the selling point for me... because I needed the accountability early on and I like the convenience of online vs in person. However, you are the one who sets your own goals for the coach to follow up on... so it's only as good as you make it. I have lost 42 lbs so far... which I probably would have lost anyway from being self-motivated, but I am glad for the extra encouragement Noom has provided. Now that I have discovered MFP communities, this will be a good transition for me!

WobblyPickle

Great result! It hasn’t worked for me - the coach has added no value, just asking me standard questions and I’ve found the community aspect weak? MFP I think is the way to go for me!

jacktherower

It’s useless

WobblyPickle

jacktherower wrote: »

It’s useless

How long did you try it for? I’ve cancelled my 2 month initial subscription so it ends in a week anyway - feel a bit stupid now for paying it 😱

javaking9

I agree the community aspect is weak in Noom. I've been a MFP user for years but only started using the Community aspect last week... and now I understand how much of a benefit it can be! I wish I had known sooner.

jacktherower

WobblyPickle wrote: »

jacktherower wrote: »

It’s useless

How long did you try it for? I’ve cancelled my 2 month initial subscription so it ends in a week anyway - feel a bit stupid now for paying it 😱

Almost a year

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WobblyPickle

Interesting that Noom’s weaknesses emphasise MFP strength. @javaking9 - I’ve never used the MFP community feature either. It’s so active that it’s a bit daunting!!

javaking9

@WobblyPickle I agree... and you just taught me how to mention a username in a comment, thanks! 🙂

vingogly

I've been a MFP user for several years, and decided to try Noom for four months. My subscription is nearly at an end; it's not really intended for long-term use. I think it's great for those who need the learning, accountability and reinforcement it provides - but for really long term use, you can't beat MFP, in my opinion.

Pros of using Noom:

* Provides accountability by having a coach check in with you weekly.
* Admins assign you to a coaching group, in theory provides more controlled interactions
* You don't have the trolling and insults and B.S. that sometimes infest MFP discussions.
* Mostly good information provided daily on nutrition, mindfulness, self talk, etc.
* None of the woo and broscience you run into on MFP where everyone thinks he/she's an "expert"
* Red/yellow/green scheme for categorizing foods works very well in monitoring your daily intake.
* Provides reinforcement for progress and reminders if you haven't done something today

Cons of using Noom:

* Some may not like having a coach check in with them weekly.
* User interface for entering foods is badly designed. *Very* badly designed.
* Too many clicks to get back to a previous day's information and entries to examine them.
* Database of foods is absolutely dreadful compared to MFP.
* Not always easy to find a food you've manually entered - a real hassle.
* There appears to be no way to copy meals or foods from a previous day.
* Educational information is cutesy (terms like NoomNerds abound) to the point of inducing nausea.
* Everything's on the phone - there's no interface you can access on a PC or laptop.
* Oriented more toward younger users who live on their phones. I don't.

cinblog1965

I just signed up for Noom. I am finding the logging tedious and im terribly disappointed that droid userd cant enter their own recipes. I love to cook and this means ill waste a ton of time logging crap. I eish it just integrated with MFP. I would pay extra for that feature, as i know it would cost them to access the info. I agree on finding logs issue too. Hard to find food and exercise diaries. I need to be able to refer to past days. I do loke the volumizing approach of encouraging healthier eating though. Ill try it a week or two and see if i can figure out how to get around. Also i agree on the computer issue. Who wants to enter ehole freakin recipes feom a cell phone??

cinblog1965

Jeez my spelling is atrocious! I swear its the tiny keyboard on the cell phone

WobblyPickle

Be interested to hear what you think of the community aspect....

jdhcm2006

WobblyPickle wrote: »

Be interested to hear what you think of the community aspect....

I’m 4 weeks in and I like the group that I was placed it. Like someone mentioned earlier it’s more focused on nutrition and exercise and sharing your why and how you plan to improve. I also like the group coach I have. My individual coach I find to be blah, idk if it’s me or her. I feel like I want her to be a bit more invested but the group makes up for it. I like the psychology of it, I’ve done MFP many times and I’m hoping that digging into the why and how will help it stick.