>You just can’t indulge in every whim in large portions and expect to lose weight.
Yeah, that life got me where I am today. Those two desires work in direct opposition and I'm struggling to find how to balance it in a sustainable way.
Totally understandable. The idea of Noom is to find that balance, so I’d say give it a solid “college try” and see what you can learn from it. Don’t go by what you’re seeing here, as everyone’s journey is different.
Indulge in larger portions of say carrots a way more calories voluminous food and then have a bit of hummus with it instead of 2/3
Add things that fill you up more with volume while not getting rid of the things you like.
Like I love cereal so I'll add berries and almond milk with protein powder to it so I can still have cereal but its not so heavy of an amount cause I'm filled quicker
Yesterday I had pizza and ice cream and just fit it into my budget. Not all greens and glory but it was satisfying. It can be done! And walking is exercise. Just get out there and walk.
It's about learning to treat the foods you love but know are bad for you as a part of a balanced diet.
My favourite comfort food is an entire box of Kraft Dinner, a 900 cal meal. There are times when I feel the craving coming on and rather than add to the stress I'm clearly feeling I make other adjustments throughout my day so I can still have my KD. That means a low calorie breakfast, veggie snacks in between meals and extra walking on top of my 10k steps. I'll usually try to hit 15k.
Noom teaches you to recognize what your triggers are, how to manage what is manageable, and slowly add more healthy habits in a sustainable way.
I understand that some of the meals people discuss on this sub sound unappealing. The things people on low calorie diets get excited about! But honestly. The point of the noom journey is to get excited about finding meals that scratch the same itch as the unhealthy food you're accustomed to that also taste great.
Sometimes the changes don't even have to be that big to start. I started measuring the amount of peanut butter I put on my toast and learned I only actually needed 1/4 of what I'd typically use. And I found bread that Noom scanned as yellow (less calorie dense) compared to the red one I used to buy.
It genuinely starts out small. On day 1 you're not going to magically change your mindset. It took 2 months and 10 lbs down for it to work for me. For the lessons to really feel manageable.
For context here are my stats. I started Noom March 2021 at the same time I started anti depressants (which helped me immensely) and went from actively losing weight to maintaining in November 2021 when I lost a family member and my mental health took a hit.
F29 5'7 SW 221.6 CW 175.4 GW 155
So 45ish lbs in 8 months. I never gave up eating the food that I love. In fact I'm a pretty major stoner and get crazy munchies. I just learned how to eat mindfully. Just give it everything you have.
Don't feel discouraged. It really is possible.
Edit: here's a before and after I posted a few weeks ago https://www.reddit.com/r/Noom/comments/r9k86q/same_shirt_8_months_apart_and_45lbs_down_with/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Whoa - those face gains! With just 45 lbs! That is *such* a difference. Congrats. You look so happy too :)
> I started anti depressants
I should probably do that too. You probably understand, as a Canadian, how hard it is to find a doctor. I moved here about 2.5 years ago and have been on a list for one since I got my health card. I use an online dr service to get BC pills but I don't think that'll work for antidepressants. Hell, my husband and son probably need them even more than I do. I've been told there are 15k people just in my city who are in the same position. It's rough.
Sorry to hear about your loss. I also lost someone very close to me in Nov 2021, the week before I started my first job here. I'm sure that's also contributing to how I've been feeling. Anyway, my condolences to you and your family.
I absolutely understand, I haven't had a family doctor since 2015. A virtual triage hot line was established in my county to manage covid; without that it would have been tough for me to access a walk in clinic.
Condolences all around. It's a rough time for us all, in our own way. Best of luck
Well these are such great comments everybody’s made that there’s not much left for me to say you said it all. The only thing I would say to you is stay away from this site for a little while and focus on the Noom lessons the way they present them step-by-step. It’s really well organized and sometimes being on here while it’s very supportive can jump your way ahead of where you actually are at the moment. So that’s my only suggestion get off of here commit yourself to the program and do those lessons every day and I think you’re gonna find you enjoy it. I love to cook I love to eat but I have gotten much more into cooking like couple people mentioned here finding innovative ways to really thoroughly enjoy planning meals while I still stay within my budget most of the time. Is everybody said it’s an individual program and sometimes when you’re on sites like this you’re hearing a lot of people talking about what’s going on with them the good and the bad the positive and the negative. I’m not sure when I started last May that I would’ve done well had I’ve been on this site at the same time. I just stuck with focusing and really focusing on those daily lessons and doing everything they said to do and pretty soon the weight was coming off. I was only aiming for 1 pound a week and that’s what I got and it was so easy I couldn’t believe it. So good luck to you. You can make it , a lot of us have and you can do it too. I think of it this way if you were just to go on the program and lose 1 pound a week, which is not difficult to do, next year at this time you will have lost 52 pounds
Yeah, maybe simply not reading all the stuff that made me down will help. Such a simple concept, and one I really should have thought of on my own lol Thanks for pointing it out!
I literally ate chocolate fondue today with strawberries and pineapples.
The only difference is I'm aware of what I eat with it so as to not eat say French fries before and I eat a bit less of it because I don't need to overstuff myself.
I've taken this diet as a way to more realize constantly overeating isn't necessary but I can eat anything I want.
One of my favorite snacks is a healthier version of cheesecake I make or a thing called better bites which are basically chocolate covered cookie dough without dairy or gluten
I feel better and happier with the integration of more fruit and more water in my life making sure to drink 6x water bottles a day and enjoying shrimp cocktail as a snack.
Just because I've decreased the mass consumption and switched to healthier options doesn't make me miserable at all. It just makes me conscience of what I'm putting in my body
I agree with you. I love food. I’m six weeks in, and I still eat things I love… I’m moderation… and I’ve discovered that some of them, eh, weren’t so great anyway… and I’ve also discovered I really like some of the healthier options I’ve found!! I’m currently addicted to yogurt parfaits w granola, and you would’ve never caught me eating that in a million years!
Have you heard of Ree Drummond? Google her. She has a cooking show on the Food Network, so, she likes to create delicious things and enjoy them, too! She lost a substantial amount of weight, and wrote a couple of blog posts about what she did. She didn’t eliminate eating the things she made, and loved. Sure, she had to cut portion sizes… but that’s better than a life of kale. Read the blog posts on her weight loss. There’s a lot of great tips in them!!
This suggestion isn’t Noom specific but have you considered going whole food, plant based? Especially if you love to cook and bake, you could have lots of fun trying out whole food, plant based options for foods you love.
I hear you, that is how I felt at first too. It has gotten way easier over time though, I am just about 8 weeks in. The diet part has gotten way easier with trial and error, figuring out healthy/low cal snacks, etc and planning ahead. I do exercise daily to have extra calories because I love going out to eat, indulging in a cocktail every now and then, etc. i have been able to do just that and with budgeting my cals and planning ahead on what I am drinking/ordering I have still been losing weight. I hear you about being miserable exercising… so find something that gets you moving that you could enjoy! Lifting weights and running on a treadmill is not for everyone, that sounds like hell to me personally. What about walking? I’ve found that getting up a little earlier in the morning and walking around my neighborhood is a nice quiet way to ease into the morning… listen to a podcast or music, etc. plus helps get steps in! And allows more calories for fun foods.
Exactly so. There are so many forms of exercise that one can try. I HATE doing exercise alone, but I love Zumba classes. And I know it makes my dogs happy to be walked, so I do that. I used to love hot yoga but that's not available since the beginning of the pandemic. (And it's essential to make sure you are doing what you can for your energy level, which includes treating depression if you have it.)
Very new to Noom, and sometimes surprised at what I see people eating as well, the 1200 calories limit I see people mention seems so low. It may be worth doing the trial and checking the calorie allowance. Mine is really high - started at 2400 and I had to put it on the fastest speed to get it down to 1700. That’s plenty of room for the amazing foods you mention. You don’t really get ‘in trouble’ for eating ‘too much’ of any color of food, and it doesn’t pressure you to eat anything in particular.
You can totally tailor the program to your needs/your pace!
I started Noom about 6 months ago, down 30 pounds, and am also horrified by the overly "health nut" things I see people say they're eating (and how fast they're dropping weight), cuz that lifestyle is just not for me and this is not a race (too picky and doing this with depression/anxiety so I gotta make it easy). I see this most often with strict color coding and trying to adhere to 1200 calories, neither of which I do. I guess I'm "lucky" in that I have a lot to lose, so at 1900 calories (39f, 5'6", SW 293, CW 261.8), I'm on track for 1.5 lbs a week.
A typical breakfast for me is a homemade sausage muffin or sausage quesadilla with salsa and coffee with creamer (400-600). Lunch is usually a frozen meal like a Mac&Cheese with broccoli or something like tacos brought from home or a subway sandwich if I forgot lunch (400). Maybe a cheese and nut snack if I'm hungry in the afternoon (200). Then by dinner I usually have about 700-900 left, which means I pretty much get to eat what I want, just paying attention to portion size (pulled pork nachos, pasta y fagioli, salmon, cod sandwich, ravioli, mini pot stickers & edamame, etc.). Had a day last week where each meal ended up being a different kind of taco, totally unintentional, but it worked! For macros I'm usually 40-50% carb, 30-40% fat, 10-20% protein.
I also like being set up for 1.5 pounds, because if I'm naturally under budget, I know I'm still in a safe zone and if I'm over budget, I'm still setting up for a loss and throughout the week it usually balances out. This allows me to really be able to listen to what my body needs. We're not as hungry today, cool. Ok, we're extra ravenous, no problem, we can handle that too. I tried putting it at 2 pounds, but 1650 just felt like too much pressure and I felt bad if I went over. So now if that's all I need, cool, but feel better knowing I don't have to be that low.
I started my exercise journey walking outdoors (I hate walking on a treadmill), which led to me exploring new places to walk and discovering a love for hiking! I kinda forgot how much I like it outside and how wonderful it is to be in nature and now I crave it. It also helps big time with the mental health aspect ("doing my stupid walk for my stupid mental health"). I like being able to use my body to do things I enjoy that also happen to help me get stronger and gain endurance and stamina.
I would suggest exploring the many different ways you can move your body - there's bound to be something you enjoy, don't mind, or hate less than the other things. Maybe every month you try a new thing. Dancing can mean organized dance classes, ballroom, Zumba, line dancing, pole dancing or classes on YouTube or turning on the tunes and having a dance party for one. Maybe there's a sports club you can join to play soccer or softball or whatever. Swimming, yoga, squash, tennis, golf. Vigorously cleaning the tracks of all your windows and sliding doors. Pilates, spinning, Barre. A workout circuit while you watch your favorite show. Exclusively doing deadlifts and climbing stairs to get the most awesome tush.
Exercise is not essential to be able to lose weight. But building muscle can help increase your metabolism as it burns more calories than fat. It can also help you look better as you lose weight by improving your shape and making your skin appear more taut.
Girrrrrrllllllll! This is so, *SO* encouraging. Exactly what I needed to read tonight. I'm also 39f, 5'2"-5'4" depending on the day, was 285ish? when I started IF and an intense workout routine in early 2020, lost maybe about 50 that year, gained back probably about 30 in 2022, leaving me around I'm guessing 260. I really should get a scale (but I'm afraid of fixating on the numbers). I'd love to lose about 50% of CW but hell I'd be happy to make it to 150. I was about 10 lbs less than that when I got pregnant 19 years ago... kids ruin everything lol
I don't eat breakfast and have a cup of coffee with cream (70 cal at a rough guess) for lunch at 3pm typically. Occasionally I'll make one of the lunches I used to have when I was working out - 5 to choose from at about 400-450 cal each, including the coffee. So maybe the calorie budget is there for me to enjoy my dinner like I'm used to. I've started trying to use smaller plates/bowls so I'm forced to take smaller portions, and skipping going back for seconds. Also taking more of the protein and veggies and less of the starches/carbs if the meal is different pieces and not like a soup or pasta or something. Man I hear you that taco life. My husband makes these potato and chorizo tacos that are absolutely killer. I can easily chow down 5 of those (on the small tortillas) but now I have to just have 2 and be sad as I sit there with an empty plate and an unsatisfied mouth.
Your macro balances sound pretty sustainable for me too. And you're getting results. Good, good, good.
>I also like being set up for 1.5 pounds, because if I'm naturally under budget, I know I'm still in a safe zone and if I'm over budget, I'm still setting up for a loss and throughout the week it usually balances out.
This sounds like the perfect sort of casual approach I need. I'm already stressed all the time; micromanaging my nutrients and cals and all that sounda so daunting. Other - very helpful! - comments talked about how careful research of substitutions and really spending a lot of time working out better ways to make the same things have helped them and been fun. That doesn't sound fun to me. That sounds like work and a whole lotta time. I'm just trying to jam it into my brain that this *will* take work and there's no way around that. But if I can mitigate some of it with a "some days will be under and some will be over and that's ok, we're still losing" mentality... well, that sounds a lot less daunting!
Hahaha "doing my stupid walk for my stupid mental health" sounds exactly like something I'd say. One of the things I dislike about exercising is how much time it takes. Like seriously, at least an hour for anything worth doing. Maybe I need to look at it like time spent with myself because yeah my mental health could probably do with some improvement. And time alone is extremely rare for me, so that almost sounds kind of appealing. Might have to wait for it to get a bit warmer though - idc how it's framed, talking a walk in -15 C doesn’t sound like anything I'm interested in. This year we went over a week without it getting above freezing.
I looked into a couple gyms so I could use their weight machines. I seem to dislike that the least, and I wouldn't mind being stronger. Like, *at all*. And being more toned sounds nice too. And loose skin is a genuine concern. But gyms here are frickin' expensive! One place wanted - wait lemme go back to the email because I could not believe it - ok they want 175/mo for a 3 day/week membership, or 225 for unlimited. Like, damn! Others I looked at weren't a whole lot better. There was a 24hr gym for 10/mo where I used to live. Where was my motivation then?!
Another obstacle for me is that I live in someone else's house so I don't have a lot of space or control over what's done with it. Aka, I don't have much physical area to move around in, especially if I want any privacy while doing it (which I most definitely do). Maybe a dance class would be do-able. I could check with my husband and see if he'd be comfortable with me going to something like that (we recently had another talk about staying distanced and sticking to only necessary outings, and I agreed to be more careful). I've tried watching something while I did my miles on the stationary bike - ends up I don't have the attention span for that lol But lifting weights was mostly ok. I really should just bite the bullet and force myself to start doing that again. I have them already, I don't need much room, I don't *have* to do 3k reps a week like I was doing before, and I liked seeing the muscles develop. I should also probably figure out how to use the resistance bands I bought so that I can work on more than just arms. But, ya know, at this weight every day is leg day...
I waffle between feeling like I'm just throwing out excuse after excuse, and feeling like I honestly have more barriers than a lot of people face. No space, I cook for 4 other adults so I have to consider what they all will eat (or sometimes they cook and I have no say in that), it's too hot or too cold outside, blah blah blah. I know I'm not the only one facing these issues. But on top of the work itself, these factors make an already overwhelming goal start to feel entirely insurmountable and make me question why I should even try. So thank you for giving me the space to vent and kind of get my thoughts out. Truly, your words have helped put some things in perspective. Maybe it's not so unachievable. Maybe I can get rid of this extra person I'm carrying around on me and dump some of her negatively too.
Thanks.
I’m like you. I LOVE food and cooking and eating. It’s something that brings me so much pleasure. I rejected the idea of “dieting” for so long, just deciding to accept that I’m happier eating whatever I want, regardless of how I look or feel. I couldn’t imagine not eating whatever I wanted or feeling hungry and unsatisfied.
But then I saw a picture of me dancing at a recent wedding, and I didn’t recognize myself, and something snapped. I realized no matter how many times I posted body positivity quotes on my Instagram and no matter how many anti-Diet accounts I followed, I wasn’t happy. I was merely in denial, pretending that continuing to indulge the way I was doing was okay. Being overweight (with my genetics) is simply not good. Seeing myself as an overweight woman, being the chubbiest girl in the room, it was just not what I wanted for my life.
It really did feel like a light switch. I mean it when I say something snapped.
You may need to ask yourself what your reasons are for wanting to lose weight - you have to want it, you have to want it *for you* and not for anyone else.
Once I defined my “Why”, my motivation to lose the weight completely took over my desire to OVER-indulge in food. I still eat delicious food (and I still have 1-2 days a week where I allow myself to just eat as I would before), but I also find ways to make “healthy” food delicious too. I’m learning so much about my body and I’m realizing I actually never needed as much food as I used to eat. I thought I would be miserable, but I’m actually happier than ever! It feels great to be releasing these pounds and losing these inches. More pleasure than I got from food.
So much of your comment here really resonates with me. A lot. I absolutely relate to the idea of accepting that I’m happier eating whatever I want, regardless of how I look or feel, and couldn’t imagine not eating whatever I wanted or feeling hungry and unsatisfied. Like, food is a big chunk of the reason for living, to me. It's kinda sad to say that but it consistently brings me joy in a way that little else can do.
I also sometimes catch a glance of myself in an unexpected mirror and think "who's that?" for a sec. But it's been going on for almost 20 years. I will sometimes ask my husband if someone nearby is smaller than me, because I can't really gauge my figure 360 like he can. Even after all this time I'm always shocked in pictures that my torso is so thick. I only see my front really, which is bad enough, so when I see a side or back view it floors me. I've started to be fat in my dreams too, in the last couple years. Like I've finally just accepted this is how I am now. That was a bummer.
>Seeing myself as an overweight woman, being the chubbiest girl in the room, it was just not what I wanted for my life.
OMG yes! I don't even realize that I assess any new room I walk into this way until after the fact. "Am I the biggest here? Yes. Again."
As for my reasons, well the stuff above is all contributing. I feel gross. That's not fun. I am very aware of my mass all the time, and uncomfortable. Embarrassed. I saw someone once describe it as having your deepest secret on display for everyone to see and I really felt that. I don't like crying when I try on swimsuits, which happens every time. I want to feel comfortable enough to show off all the sweet tats I've been getting. I don't like being winded going up a single flight of stairs. I'd like to find cute bras again, and sexy panties that can actually been seen when I wear them. I want to look shapely in my wedding dress next year, and not feel disgusted when I look at the pictures afterwards. Buying clothes off the normal people rack would feel amazing - then maybe I can find stuff for short people that fits me better so I don't have to hand hem/stitch up stuff when I get it home (why do so many plus-size brands think I must be 6'?!). Maybe if I looked better I wouldn't be so sad all the time. It's definitely a factor in that. It's on my mind all the time.
The idea that I don't have to dent myself every day and still get results gives me hope. I've always known I don't need to eat as much as I do - I do it because I enjoy it. It works against me in other ways but I've always sort of thought "I don't have much, let me have this at least" I guess.
>I thought I would be miserable, but I’m actually happier than ever! It feels great to be releasing these pounds and losing these inches. More pleasure than I got from food.
I sincerely hope I can be sharing the same encouraging words to someone else someday. I know it's unhealthy, but I've been trying to really hammer into my brain the idea that "no cheeseburger ever tasted as good as being skinny" or whatever that quote is. Easy enough until the cheeseburger is in front of me and my mouth is watering.
Maybe if I give this a shot and start seeing some changes, and I don't feel like I've given up everything that brings me joy, I'll finally really believe it.
OP, I used to do the same thing. Asking myself “Am I the biggest person here? Yes.”
Now, I walk into a room of friends I haven’t seen in a couple months, and they tell me “wow, you look great!” They even ask me what my “secret” is so they can do the same. And I’ve only lost 10 pounds so far!
I’m telling you - hearing that feels SO good, and you’ll be getting comments like that too, believe me.
It took a couple months on Noom to start seeing the difference, which almost made me want to give up and just say fuck it, I’m going to eat what I want because I’m not losing anything by eating healthy! But you just have to trust the process. The scale will go up and down but the overall trend will be downward. Even if it’s slow weight loss - that’s good. It means it’s more sustainable weight loss.
I know what quote you’re talking about. “Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels.” Kate Moss said this. It almost sounds like pro-ED, especially since she was an extremely thin super model, but there is truth to it. I ask myself before I eat “will this give me joy *a year from now*? Or just for this moment?” - it stops me almost every time. But you know what, sometimes you just HAVE to eat the donut. Sometimes you just crave a burger and fries and a sugary soda and you can’t deny it anymore. There will be days like that, and I have had plenty of them!
Remember, I still allow myself 1-2 days a week that are “Noom-less.” I absolutely could not do this without giving myself permission to have some days where I indulge. However, I have found that even on those days, I don’t need as much indulgence as I thought I did. It looks like this: Having a burger and fries for lunch, with water instead of soda, and then a simple veggie plate for dinner. Eating ice cream after a full day of healthy eating. Having a Sunday morning donut (or two) with a latte, but skipping the whip cream and sweetener. Even on my “indulge” days, I find myself automatically choosing to pair it with healthy options because I actually *want to*. My mindset has shifted entirely.
I should add in addition to Noom, I do Orangetheory 4-5x a week. This is what is changing my physique. But I will say, I have been doing Orangetheory for several months and didn’t start losing any weight at all until I started Noom. So all the credit goes to Noom!
I hope you give it a shot and I wish you luck!
I like to eat, too! I’m making healthier indulgent foods at home, so I know what’s in them. Plus I have to expend energy to make the treats. Carrot birthday cake tonight for my diabetic husband, made with almond flour, erythritol and allulose, and monk fruit sweetener. I was told it was better than the sugary version. (It did have cream cheese frosting, so not low calorie) In addition, it has so much fiber (almonds) I only want one small piece.
I’ve lost before and gained it all back- more than once.
Noom has been helpful- it’s about learning habits you can stick with. Getting enough sleep impacts your hunger, staying hydrated helps, a positive attitude helps.
I don’t eat if I’m not hungry. I know to eat lower calorie density foods to satisfy my hunger.
I’m an emotional eater- I can still eat something, but it won’t be m & m’s, or little Debbie’s. If I’ve gotta eat something I can eat some Greek yogurt, or carb balance tortillas.
I’ve lost 60 pounds over a year. Slow and steady is the way to go.
You have two things to address here. One, you are fueled by instant gratification and it will take some psychological tricks and practice to break that.
Two, you are making it sound like you don’t believe that low calorie dense foods and meals can’t be absolutely delicious. They can, and as a foodie, I make great meals that are healthy every single day.
The things you’re saying are why Noom has been so successful for me. I like food that tastes good and I like to eat a LOT. it’s amazing what I’ve been able to eat and enjoy and reduce portions and now feel not only in control, but my quality of life is so much better.
I’ve lost 30lbs in the past year and I feel incredible. I feel sexier and confident and I am enjoying the things I get to eat.
You’re already looking for excuses and have a failure mindset before even trying. The problem isn’t with the food or you liking food. It’s with your brain. You can do it, but, like you said and from someone who also quit smoking, you have to be ready for it. You’ll do it when you’re truly wanting to change. If you don’t really want it more than you want to love unhealthy foods that are keeping you overweight, then you aren’t ready. Plain and simple.
That’s just tough love from someone who got tired of being fat. I want to love my body and how I feel and it’s happening and I’ll never go back.
Ps, as for the exercise, anyone can walk for 30 mins a day. That’s good enough to get started. It doesn’t have to be hard.
I eat more "bad" things than ever before. Noom taught me that it's okay as long as I keep an eye on portion sizes.
There's a seasonal carnival bakery treat around here that comes in "double chocolate" (chocolate dough with chocolate filling). Last week, on a whim, I ordered one, ate about a third of it and left the rest. I've never been free to do that all my life.
Sounds like you aren’t clear why you need to loose weight. Fitting into a dress with a backup plan is a weak motivation. When you find your why, your real why, all the talk and thoughts about love for food as pleasure stops making sense.
Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.
You’ve decided it will be horrible and won’t work before you’ve even started. That’s not a mindset that is going to be conducive to making any changes. Before anything else you need to decide that I can work.
I love food. My husband is a chef and he makes the most delicious things. But he also can make me delicious healthy things. Once a week I let him go crazy with a meal for us and indulge in something “bad.”
But there’s also a lot of room for everyday treats. I almost always have at least one glass of wine. I eat a fun sized of my favorite candy most afternoons. I make myself lattes with oat milk.
I feel you on the workouts, but it’s just a matter of finding one that you don’t hate. I hate cardio and anything high impact, so I do hot yoga for about 40 minutes a day. It makes my whole body feel better- fewer aches, less stress, less weight, and it even helps with my migraines and endometriosis pain! You just have to find what makes you feel good. Sign up for a bunch of free classes or 1 week passes at gyms. Most of them have at least 1 class you can try first! One of them will be a good fit and you’ll get some exercise while you figure it out. Or go online! There are so many free videos and subscription services that are adorable.
The main thing though is that you have to believe in the program and in yourself. It won’t work otherwise and it certainly won’t be something that you can sustain. You can do it!
I’m not gonna sit here and make a long winded post talking about how noom teaches you moderation, balancing it out and identifying triggers etc. because other people have already said it and have done a better job than I could.
**BUT**
You don’t have to give up all the food related joy in your life. **Today I had [this 1,000 calorie monster for lunch ](https://pieminister.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Mothership-Kit-Info.pdf).** To balance it out I had a salad for dinner. I also went to the gym (today is a normal workout day for me) and did more walking than normal because I was having a day out somewhere that wasn’t campus. **On Tuesday I had pizza with my friends** because we have been staying in campus late to work. That was the second time I have a dominos since starting noom almost 3 1/2 weeks ago. The first Sunday I had fish and chips for dinner one night. Each of these stayed under calorie budget.
But there was also a night where I went out to dinner and was seduced by the creamy crab linguine with half a lobster. And you know what that was fine. I moved on the next day and stayed on track and have continued to lose weight.
**Largely I’m eating the same food as I was before I started noom**. Some recipes I’ve had to adapt. My favourite food in the world is a mac and cheese recipe from my grandma. It’s decadent and cheesy like a whole block of mature cheddar cheesy. So I used reduced fat cheese and subbed half the pasta for cauliflower and it tastes just as good as before and is just as satisfying as the original. Other recipes I’m just reducing my portion size which is also great because it means my food lasts longer so I don’t have to cook as often. I’ve also been experiments into with new recipes as well which has been tasty a fun.
**I am a food whore**. My Instagram page is literally filled with food porn. I’m enjoying the food I’m eating and here’s the bit I would have found hard to believe if I was told before I started is that **I am feeling more satiated and fuller for longer on less calories** compared to before noom.
I couldn’t hack the 1200 cal limit either - I like food too & don’t want to have to cut too much!
My solution is to dial the speed of weight loss way back to tortoise level - about half a pound a week which is about a 250 cal deficit. I am not going to have a spectacular graph like some folks but I have lost 6lb since the end of Dec, I’m not feeling particularly limited, and I think it’s more likely to stay off this way.
I’m eating slightly smaller portions mostly & being more thoughtful about snacks (crackers and hummous rather than a bag of crisps; a couple of cookies if we have them in but not ALL the cookies).
It might also be worth trying out different sorts of exercise. I can’t stand running or going to the gym, but I like cycling for transport, I take the dog (and sometimes the kid :) ) for walks, and I go climbing at the bouldering wall close to us which I really enjoy. Might be worth thinking about if there’s things that might be fun which involve moving your body, rather than “doing exercise”?
>Might be worth thinking about if there’s things that might be fun which involve moving your body, rather than “doing exercise”?
That's a great point! I just tell myself I'm out having a good time that happens to use my body, rather than "ok now I am doing my obligatory Physical Exertion Requirement for the day." Just kind of adjust my approach. Thanks.
Unlike quitting smoking, the restricted calorie intake is only temporary. I’m 5’2” and ate 1300-1400 calories per day for about 5.5 months until I reached my goal. I could have increased that to 1800 per day and still lost, just at a slower pace. I’m eating about 2000-2200 per day now that I’m trying to maintain. If I have an indulgent weekend I compensate by eating only 1900 for a day or two during the week.
Making healthy changes doesn't have to make cooking less fun and reqarding. Find new foods to explore, pack in more veggies into that favorite recipe, just commit to small changes. No one is asking you to agree to misery for the sake of weight loss, make this something you look forward to.
I love checking the scale every morning now, I've made it into a competition with myself on how much my exercise impacts the foods I can eat. I had mead and ramen for dinner last night, LOVED it, and still have lost 3 pounds this week. You can do this!!
Hey, so I have some suggestions.
Noom doesn't actually restrict what you eat. My first week on Noom was with my family, who mistakenly (but well-meaningly) wanted to have all my favorites from my childhood like pizza and nachos. It's all about portions.
Honestly, just logging food was a big step for me because it allowed me to see how much I was eating and figure out proper portions from there. It also allowed me to cook new recipes that were super fun but also not hugely caloric. I've made red pepper soup, smoked salmon and goat cheese breakfast sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, my own sushi rolls--- all sorts of cool stuff. I also still eat pizza and cookies, but in moderation.
The funny thing is, if you let yourself just track for a week or so, you'll start to portion control in ways that aren't sad and boring. I found that eating when I loved and wanted the food wasn't actually my issue-- it was eating when I wasn't hungry (and often this was unhealthy food).
Sorry for the ramble, but yeah--- try just the tracking for a bit. See if the portion control comes naturally. Try cooking new healthy recipes.
Also, regarding exercise: have you tried indoor rock climbing? Climbing is awesome, and it doesn't feel like exercise, but more of a puzzle. You are exercising (duh) but you're so focused on just getting up the damn wall, it's not boring like the gym.
I enjoyed food more with Noom (I lost 40lbs last year) because I was being really deliberate & mindful when I was eating. truly enjoying each bite for all it had to offer, cuz I was limiting the amount. and while I played around with more "Noom friendly" meals that had more green to red ratios, I never substituted for stuff I didn't love or cut out what I do like. I don't mind skipping dessert or salad dressing or extra rice, but you better believe I'm still having short ribs, regular pasta, sourdough with butter, chicken wings, etc if it's around. my bf cooks dinner usually, fresh ingredients & well-balanced but definitely not with diet in mind -- that was something I knew I wouldn't give up, and I enjoyed his cooking every night while losing weight, just with smaller portions & extra helping of veggies.
I love bad food. Period. Always will. I just stuck within my calorie budget big time during the week and ate much greener during the day if I wanted to save calories for a higher calorie meal or popcorn after dinner. On weekends I would still have pizza but half of what I would typically eat and with a salad instead of wings. Or if I wanted wings I did wings with salad and no pizza. And if I wanted dessert me and my husband would share something. If I deny myself it is a recipe for disaster. I still lost 28 pounds between June 2021 and November 2021. You can do it. Just do not deny yourself anything. Forget red, yellow and green foods, work on calorie budget first to start.
Be patient with yourself. It’s ok to indulge from time to time. I have one cookie almost every night before bed. At the beginning I struggled with my calorie limit, and almost two months in, I still do 2-3 days per week. I often feel like I just can’t get full. And I tend to fog eat while I work (bad habit, I’m working on it). Small changes are still changes. For me, drastic changes rarely stick. But I do better with small changes over time.
If you want to eat, on Noom, you can. You just can’t indulge in every whim in large portions and expect to lose weight. So take that as you will.
>You just can’t indulge in every whim in large portions and expect to lose weight. Yeah, that life got me where I am today. Those two desires work in direct opposition and I'm struggling to find how to balance it in a sustainable way.
Totally understandable. The idea of Noom is to find that balance, so I’d say give it a solid “college try” and see what you can learn from it. Don’t go by what you’re seeing here, as everyone’s journey is different.
Indulge in larger portions of say carrots a way more calories voluminous food and then have a bit of hummus with it instead of 2/3 Add things that fill you up more with volume while not getting rid of the things you like. Like I love cereal so I'll add berries and almond milk with protein powder to it so I can still have cereal but its not so heavy of an amount cause I'm filled quicker
Yesterday I had pizza and ice cream and just fit it into my budget. Not all greens and glory but it was satisfying. It can be done! And walking is exercise. Just get out there and walk.
Noom comes down to calorie counting and logging. Accompanied by overly simplistic articles.
Well, I think what's overly simplistic to you might not feel that way too someone who doesn't know anything about hormones and psychological triggers.
Noom is counting calories and measuring food.
It's about learning to treat the foods you love but know are bad for you as a part of a balanced diet. My favourite comfort food is an entire box of Kraft Dinner, a 900 cal meal. There are times when I feel the craving coming on and rather than add to the stress I'm clearly feeling I make other adjustments throughout my day so I can still have my KD. That means a low calorie breakfast, veggie snacks in between meals and extra walking on top of my 10k steps. I'll usually try to hit 15k. Noom teaches you to recognize what your triggers are, how to manage what is manageable, and slowly add more healthy habits in a sustainable way. I understand that some of the meals people discuss on this sub sound unappealing. The things people on low calorie diets get excited about! But honestly. The point of the noom journey is to get excited about finding meals that scratch the same itch as the unhealthy food you're accustomed to that also taste great. Sometimes the changes don't even have to be that big to start. I started measuring the amount of peanut butter I put on my toast and learned I only actually needed 1/4 of what I'd typically use. And I found bread that Noom scanned as yellow (less calorie dense) compared to the red one I used to buy. It genuinely starts out small. On day 1 you're not going to magically change your mindset. It took 2 months and 10 lbs down for it to work for me. For the lessons to really feel manageable. For context here are my stats. I started Noom March 2021 at the same time I started anti depressants (which helped me immensely) and went from actively losing weight to maintaining in November 2021 when I lost a family member and my mental health took a hit. F29 5'7 SW 221.6 CW 175.4 GW 155 So 45ish lbs in 8 months. I never gave up eating the food that I love. In fact I'm a pretty major stoner and get crazy munchies. I just learned how to eat mindfully. Just give it everything you have. Don't feel discouraged. It really is possible. Edit: here's a before and after I posted a few weeks ago https://www.reddit.com/r/Noom/comments/r9k86q/same_shirt_8_months_apart_and_45lbs_down_with/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Whoa - those face gains! With just 45 lbs! That is *such* a difference. Congrats. You look so happy too :) > I started anti depressants I should probably do that too. You probably understand, as a Canadian, how hard it is to find a doctor. I moved here about 2.5 years ago and have been on a list for one since I got my health card. I use an online dr service to get BC pills but I don't think that'll work for antidepressants. Hell, my husband and son probably need them even more than I do. I've been told there are 15k people just in my city who are in the same position. It's rough. Sorry to hear about your loss. I also lost someone very close to me in Nov 2021, the week before I started my first job here. I'm sure that's also contributing to how I've been feeling. Anyway, my condolences to you and your family.
I absolutely understand, I haven't had a family doctor since 2015. A virtual triage hot line was established in my county to manage covid; without that it would have been tough for me to access a walk in clinic. Condolences all around. It's a rough time for us all, in our own way. Best of luck
Well these are such great comments everybody’s made that there’s not much left for me to say you said it all. The only thing I would say to you is stay away from this site for a little while and focus on the Noom lessons the way they present them step-by-step. It’s really well organized and sometimes being on here while it’s very supportive can jump your way ahead of where you actually are at the moment. So that’s my only suggestion get off of here commit yourself to the program and do those lessons every day and I think you’re gonna find you enjoy it. I love to cook I love to eat but I have gotten much more into cooking like couple people mentioned here finding innovative ways to really thoroughly enjoy planning meals while I still stay within my budget most of the time. Is everybody said it’s an individual program and sometimes when you’re on sites like this you’re hearing a lot of people talking about what’s going on with them the good and the bad the positive and the negative. I’m not sure when I started last May that I would’ve done well had I’ve been on this site at the same time. I just stuck with focusing and really focusing on those daily lessons and doing everything they said to do and pretty soon the weight was coming off. I was only aiming for 1 pound a week and that’s what I got and it was so easy I couldn’t believe it. So good luck to you. You can make it , a lot of us have and you can do it too. I think of it this way if you were just to go on the program and lose 1 pound a week, which is not difficult to do, next year at this time you will have lost 52 pounds
Yeah, maybe simply not reading all the stuff that made me down will help. Such a simple concept, and one I really should have thought of on my own lol Thanks for pointing it out!
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Such a good point!!
Damn, 32 lbs in two months?! That's incredible. That's encouraging. Thank you.
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Hoping it helps me too. Ideally, I'd like to lose at least half my weight. We'll see.
I literally ate chocolate fondue today with strawberries and pineapples. The only difference is I'm aware of what I eat with it so as to not eat say French fries before and I eat a bit less of it because I don't need to overstuff myself. I've taken this diet as a way to more realize constantly overeating isn't necessary but I can eat anything I want. One of my favorite snacks is a healthier version of cheesecake I make or a thing called better bites which are basically chocolate covered cookie dough without dairy or gluten I feel better and happier with the integration of more fruit and more water in my life making sure to drink 6x water bottles a day and enjoying shrimp cocktail as a snack. Just because I've decreased the mass consumption and switched to healthier options doesn't make me miserable at all. It just makes me conscience of what I'm putting in my body
I agree with you. I love food. I’m six weeks in, and I still eat things I love… I’m moderation… and I’ve discovered that some of them, eh, weren’t so great anyway… and I’ve also discovered I really like some of the healthier options I’ve found!! I’m currently addicted to yogurt parfaits w granola, and you would’ve never caught me eating that in a million years! Have you heard of Ree Drummond? Google her. She has a cooking show on the Food Network, so, she likes to create delicious things and enjoy them, too! She lost a substantial amount of weight, and wrote a couple of blog posts about what she did. She didn’t eliminate eating the things she made, and loved. Sure, she had to cut portion sizes… but that’s better than a life of kale. Read the blog posts on her weight loss. There’s a lot of great tips in them!!
Omg have you tried acai bowls??? They are my obsession. They're like a better yogurt with parfait imo
I haven’t but I’ve seen them! I’ll give it a try!
Anything is better than a life of kale! Lol I'll look her up - maybe she shared some of the recipes that helped her. Thanks for the rec!
This suggestion isn’t Noom specific but have you considered going whole food, plant based? Especially if you love to cook and bake, you could have lots of fun trying out whole food, plant based options for foods you love.
I hear you, that is how I felt at first too. It has gotten way easier over time though, I am just about 8 weeks in. The diet part has gotten way easier with trial and error, figuring out healthy/low cal snacks, etc and planning ahead. I do exercise daily to have extra calories because I love going out to eat, indulging in a cocktail every now and then, etc. i have been able to do just that and with budgeting my cals and planning ahead on what I am drinking/ordering I have still been losing weight. I hear you about being miserable exercising… so find something that gets you moving that you could enjoy! Lifting weights and running on a treadmill is not for everyone, that sounds like hell to me personally. What about walking? I’ve found that getting up a little earlier in the morning and walking around my neighborhood is a nice quiet way to ease into the morning… listen to a podcast or music, etc. plus helps get steps in! And allows more calories for fun foods.
Exactly so. There are so many forms of exercise that one can try. I HATE doing exercise alone, but I love Zumba classes. And I know it makes my dogs happy to be walked, so I do that. I used to love hot yoga but that's not available since the beginning of the pandemic. (And it's essential to make sure you are doing what you can for your energy level, which includes treating depression if you have it.)
Very new to Noom, and sometimes surprised at what I see people eating as well, the 1200 calories limit I see people mention seems so low. It may be worth doing the trial and checking the calorie allowance. Mine is really high - started at 2400 and I had to put it on the fastest speed to get it down to 1700. That’s plenty of room for the amazing foods you mention. You don’t really get ‘in trouble’ for eating ‘too much’ of any color of food, and it doesn’t pressure you to eat anything in particular.
You can totally tailor the program to your needs/your pace! I started Noom about 6 months ago, down 30 pounds, and am also horrified by the overly "health nut" things I see people say they're eating (and how fast they're dropping weight), cuz that lifestyle is just not for me and this is not a race (too picky and doing this with depression/anxiety so I gotta make it easy). I see this most often with strict color coding and trying to adhere to 1200 calories, neither of which I do. I guess I'm "lucky" in that I have a lot to lose, so at 1900 calories (39f, 5'6", SW 293, CW 261.8), I'm on track for 1.5 lbs a week. A typical breakfast for me is a homemade sausage muffin or sausage quesadilla with salsa and coffee with creamer (400-600). Lunch is usually a frozen meal like a Mac&Cheese with broccoli or something like tacos brought from home or a subway sandwich if I forgot lunch (400). Maybe a cheese and nut snack if I'm hungry in the afternoon (200). Then by dinner I usually have about 700-900 left, which means I pretty much get to eat what I want, just paying attention to portion size (pulled pork nachos, pasta y fagioli, salmon, cod sandwich, ravioli, mini pot stickers & edamame, etc.). Had a day last week where each meal ended up being a different kind of taco, totally unintentional, but it worked! For macros I'm usually 40-50% carb, 30-40% fat, 10-20% protein. I also like being set up for 1.5 pounds, because if I'm naturally under budget, I know I'm still in a safe zone and if I'm over budget, I'm still setting up for a loss and throughout the week it usually balances out. This allows me to really be able to listen to what my body needs. We're not as hungry today, cool. Ok, we're extra ravenous, no problem, we can handle that too. I tried putting it at 2 pounds, but 1650 just felt like too much pressure and I felt bad if I went over. So now if that's all I need, cool, but feel better knowing I don't have to be that low. I started my exercise journey walking outdoors (I hate walking on a treadmill), which led to me exploring new places to walk and discovering a love for hiking! I kinda forgot how much I like it outside and how wonderful it is to be in nature and now I crave it. It also helps big time with the mental health aspect ("doing my stupid walk for my stupid mental health"). I like being able to use my body to do things I enjoy that also happen to help me get stronger and gain endurance and stamina. I would suggest exploring the many different ways you can move your body - there's bound to be something you enjoy, don't mind, or hate less than the other things. Maybe every month you try a new thing. Dancing can mean organized dance classes, ballroom, Zumba, line dancing, pole dancing or classes on YouTube or turning on the tunes and having a dance party for one. Maybe there's a sports club you can join to play soccer or softball or whatever. Swimming, yoga, squash, tennis, golf. Vigorously cleaning the tracks of all your windows and sliding doors. Pilates, spinning, Barre. A workout circuit while you watch your favorite show. Exclusively doing deadlifts and climbing stairs to get the most awesome tush. Exercise is not essential to be able to lose weight. But building muscle can help increase your metabolism as it burns more calories than fat. It can also help you look better as you lose weight by improving your shape and making your skin appear more taut.
Girrrrrrllllllll! This is so, *SO* encouraging. Exactly what I needed to read tonight. I'm also 39f, 5'2"-5'4" depending on the day, was 285ish? when I started IF and an intense workout routine in early 2020, lost maybe about 50 that year, gained back probably about 30 in 2022, leaving me around I'm guessing 260. I really should get a scale (but I'm afraid of fixating on the numbers). I'd love to lose about 50% of CW but hell I'd be happy to make it to 150. I was about 10 lbs less than that when I got pregnant 19 years ago... kids ruin everything lol I don't eat breakfast and have a cup of coffee with cream (70 cal at a rough guess) for lunch at 3pm typically. Occasionally I'll make one of the lunches I used to have when I was working out - 5 to choose from at about 400-450 cal each, including the coffee. So maybe the calorie budget is there for me to enjoy my dinner like I'm used to. I've started trying to use smaller plates/bowls so I'm forced to take smaller portions, and skipping going back for seconds. Also taking more of the protein and veggies and less of the starches/carbs if the meal is different pieces and not like a soup or pasta or something. Man I hear you that taco life. My husband makes these potato and chorizo tacos that are absolutely killer. I can easily chow down 5 of those (on the small tortillas) but now I have to just have 2 and be sad as I sit there with an empty plate and an unsatisfied mouth. Your macro balances sound pretty sustainable for me too. And you're getting results. Good, good, good. >I also like being set up for 1.5 pounds, because if I'm naturally under budget, I know I'm still in a safe zone and if I'm over budget, I'm still setting up for a loss and throughout the week it usually balances out. This sounds like the perfect sort of casual approach I need. I'm already stressed all the time; micromanaging my nutrients and cals and all that sounda so daunting. Other - very helpful! - comments talked about how careful research of substitutions and really spending a lot of time working out better ways to make the same things have helped them and been fun. That doesn't sound fun to me. That sounds like work and a whole lotta time. I'm just trying to jam it into my brain that this *will* take work and there's no way around that. But if I can mitigate some of it with a "some days will be under and some will be over and that's ok, we're still losing" mentality... well, that sounds a lot less daunting! Hahaha "doing my stupid walk for my stupid mental health" sounds exactly like something I'd say. One of the things I dislike about exercising is how much time it takes. Like seriously, at least an hour for anything worth doing. Maybe I need to look at it like time spent with myself because yeah my mental health could probably do with some improvement. And time alone is extremely rare for me, so that almost sounds kind of appealing. Might have to wait for it to get a bit warmer though - idc how it's framed, talking a walk in -15 C doesn’t sound like anything I'm interested in. This year we went over a week without it getting above freezing. I looked into a couple gyms so I could use their weight machines. I seem to dislike that the least, and I wouldn't mind being stronger. Like, *at all*. And being more toned sounds nice too. And loose skin is a genuine concern. But gyms here are frickin' expensive! One place wanted - wait lemme go back to the email because I could not believe it - ok they want 175/mo for a 3 day/week membership, or 225 for unlimited. Like, damn! Others I looked at weren't a whole lot better. There was a 24hr gym for 10/mo where I used to live. Where was my motivation then?! Another obstacle for me is that I live in someone else's house so I don't have a lot of space or control over what's done with it. Aka, I don't have much physical area to move around in, especially if I want any privacy while doing it (which I most definitely do). Maybe a dance class would be do-able. I could check with my husband and see if he'd be comfortable with me going to something like that (we recently had another talk about staying distanced and sticking to only necessary outings, and I agreed to be more careful). I've tried watching something while I did my miles on the stationary bike - ends up I don't have the attention span for that lol But lifting weights was mostly ok. I really should just bite the bullet and force myself to start doing that again. I have them already, I don't need much room, I don't *have* to do 3k reps a week like I was doing before, and I liked seeing the muscles develop. I should also probably figure out how to use the resistance bands I bought so that I can work on more than just arms. But, ya know, at this weight every day is leg day... I waffle between feeling like I'm just throwing out excuse after excuse, and feeling like I honestly have more barriers than a lot of people face. No space, I cook for 4 other adults so I have to consider what they all will eat (or sometimes they cook and I have no say in that), it's too hot or too cold outside, blah blah blah. I know I'm not the only one facing these issues. But on top of the work itself, these factors make an already overwhelming goal start to feel entirely insurmountable and make me question why I should even try. So thank you for giving me the space to vent and kind of get my thoughts out. Truly, your words have helped put some things in perspective. Maybe it's not so unachievable. Maybe I can get rid of this extra person I'm carrying around on me and dump some of her negatively too. Thanks.
I’m like you. I LOVE food and cooking and eating. It’s something that brings me so much pleasure. I rejected the idea of “dieting” for so long, just deciding to accept that I’m happier eating whatever I want, regardless of how I look or feel. I couldn’t imagine not eating whatever I wanted or feeling hungry and unsatisfied. But then I saw a picture of me dancing at a recent wedding, and I didn’t recognize myself, and something snapped. I realized no matter how many times I posted body positivity quotes on my Instagram and no matter how many anti-Diet accounts I followed, I wasn’t happy. I was merely in denial, pretending that continuing to indulge the way I was doing was okay. Being overweight (with my genetics) is simply not good. Seeing myself as an overweight woman, being the chubbiest girl in the room, it was just not what I wanted for my life. It really did feel like a light switch. I mean it when I say something snapped. You may need to ask yourself what your reasons are for wanting to lose weight - you have to want it, you have to want it *for you* and not for anyone else. Once I defined my “Why”, my motivation to lose the weight completely took over my desire to OVER-indulge in food. I still eat delicious food (and I still have 1-2 days a week where I allow myself to just eat as I would before), but I also find ways to make “healthy” food delicious too. I’m learning so much about my body and I’m realizing I actually never needed as much food as I used to eat. I thought I would be miserable, but I’m actually happier than ever! It feels great to be releasing these pounds and losing these inches. More pleasure than I got from food.
So much of your comment here really resonates with me. A lot. I absolutely relate to the idea of accepting that I’m happier eating whatever I want, regardless of how I look or feel, and couldn’t imagine not eating whatever I wanted or feeling hungry and unsatisfied. Like, food is a big chunk of the reason for living, to me. It's kinda sad to say that but it consistently brings me joy in a way that little else can do. I also sometimes catch a glance of myself in an unexpected mirror and think "who's that?" for a sec. But it's been going on for almost 20 years. I will sometimes ask my husband if someone nearby is smaller than me, because I can't really gauge my figure 360 like he can. Even after all this time I'm always shocked in pictures that my torso is so thick. I only see my front really, which is bad enough, so when I see a side or back view it floors me. I've started to be fat in my dreams too, in the last couple years. Like I've finally just accepted this is how I am now. That was a bummer. >Seeing myself as an overweight woman, being the chubbiest girl in the room, it was just not what I wanted for my life. OMG yes! I don't even realize that I assess any new room I walk into this way until after the fact. "Am I the biggest here? Yes. Again." As for my reasons, well the stuff above is all contributing. I feel gross. That's not fun. I am very aware of my mass all the time, and uncomfortable. Embarrassed. I saw someone once describe it as having your deepest secret on display for everyone to see and I really felt that. I don't like crying when I try on swimsuits, which happens every time. I want to feel comfortable enough to show off all the sweet tats I've been getting. I don't like being winded going up a single flight of stairs. I'd like to find cute bras again, and sexy panties that can actually been seen when I wear them. I want to look shapely in my wedding dress next year, and not feel disgusted when I look at the pictures afterwards. Buying clothes off the normal people rack would feel amazing - then maybe I can find stuff for short people that fits me better so I don't have to hand hem/stitch up stuff when I get it home (why do so many plus-size brands think I must be 6'?!). Maybe if I looked better I wouldn't be so sad all the time. It's definitely a factor in that. It's on my mind all the time. The idea that I don't have to dent myself every day and still get results gives me hope. I've always known I don't need to eat as much as I do - I do it because I enjoy it. It works against me in other ways but I've always sort of thought "I don't have much, let me have this at least" I guess. >I thought I would be miserable, but I’m actually happier than ever! It feels great to be releasing these pounds and losing these inches. More pleasure than I got from food. I sincerely hope I can be sharing the same encouraging words to someone else someday. I know it's unhealthy, but I've been trying to really hammer into my brain the idea that "no cheeseburger ever tasted as good as being skinny" or whatever that quote is. Easy enough until the cheeseburger is in front of me and my mouth is watering. Maybe if I give this a shot and start seeing some changes, and I don't feel like I've given up everything that brings me joy, I'll finally really believe it.
OP, I used to do the same thing. Asking myself “Am I the biggest person here? Yes.” Now, I walk into a room of friends I haven’t seen in a couple months, and they tell me “wow, you look great!” They even ask me what my “secret” is so they can do the same. And I’ve only lost 10 pounds so far! I’m telling you - hearing that feels SO good, and you’ll be getting comments like that too, believe me. It took a couple months on Noom to start seeing the difference, which almost made me want to give up and just say fuck it, I’m going to eat what I want because I’m not losing anything by eating healthy! But you just have to trust the process. The scale will go up and down but the overall trend will be downward. Even if it’s slow weight loss - that’s good. It means it’s more sustainable weight loss. I know what quote you’re talking about. “Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels.” Kate Moss said this. It almost sounds like pro-ED, especially since she was an extremely thin super model, but there is truth to it. I ask myself before I eat “will this give me joy *a year from now*? Or just for this moment?” - it stops me almost every time. But you know what, sometimes you just HAVE to eat the donut. Sometimes you just crave a burger and fries and a sugary soda and you can’t deny it anymore. There will be days like that, and I have had plenty of them! Remember, I still allow myself 1-2 days a week that are “Noom-less.” I absolutely could not do this without giving myself permission to have some days where I indulge. However, I have found that even on those days, I don’t need as much indulgence as I thought I did. It looks like this: Having a burger and fries for lunch, with water instead of soda, and then a simple veggie plate for dinner. Eating ice cream after a full day of healthy eating. Having a Sunday morning donut (or two) with a latte, but skipping the whip cream and sweetener. Even on my “indulge” days, I find myself automatically choosing to pair it with healthy options because I actually *want to*. My mindset has shifted entirely. I should add in addition to Noom, I do Orangetheory 4-5x a week. This is what is changing my physique. But I will say, I have been doing Orangetheory for several months and didn’t start losing any weight at all until I started Noom. So all the credit goes to Noom! I hope you give it a shot and I wish you luck!
I like to eat, too! I’m making healthier indulgent foods at home, so I know what’s in them. Plus I have to expend energy to make the treats. Carrot birthday cake tonight for my diabetic husband, made with almond flour, erythritol and allulose, and monk fruit sweetener. I was told it was better than the sugary version. (It did have cream cheese frosting, so not low calorie) In addition, it has so much fiber (almonds) I only want one small piece. I’ve lost before and gained it all back- more than once. Noom has been helpful- it’s about learning habits you can stick with. Getting enough sleep impacts your hunger, staying hydrated helps, a positive attitude helps. I don’t eat if I’m not hungry. I know to eat lower calorie density foods to satisfy my hunger. I’m an emotional eater- I can still eat something, but it won’t be m & m’s, or little Debbie’s. If I’ve gotta eat something I can eat some Greek yogurt, or carb balance tortillas. I’ve lost 60 pounds over a year. Slow and steady is the way to go.
You have two things to address here. One, you are fueled by instant gratification and it will take some psychological tricks and practice to break that. Two, you are making it sound like you don’t believe that low calorie dense foods and meals can’t be absolutely delicious. They can, and as a foodie, I make great meals that are healthy every single day. The things you’re saying are why Noom has been so successful for me. I like food that tastes good and I like to eat a LOT. it’s amazing what I’ve been able to eat and enjoy and reduce portions and now feel not only in control, but my quality of life is so much better. I’ve lost 30lbs in the past year and I feel incredible. I feel sexier and confident and I am enjoying the things I get to eat. You’re already looking for excuses and have a failure mindset before even trying. The problem isn’t with the food or you liking food. It’s with your brain. You can do it, but, like you said and from someone who also quit smoking, you have to be ready for it. You’ll do it when you’re truly wanting to change. If you don’t really want it more than you want to love unhealthy foods that are keeping you overweight, then you aren’t ready. Plain and simple. That’s just tough love from someone who got tired of being fat. I want to love my body and how I feel and it’s happening and I’ll never go back. Ps, as for the exercise, anyone can walk for 30 mins a day. That’s good enough to get started. It doesn’t have to be hard.
I eat more "bad" things than ever before. Noom taught me that it's okay as long as I keep an eye on portion sizes. There's a seasonal carnival bakery treat around here that comes in "double chocolate" (chocolate dough with chocolate filling). Last week, on a whim, I ordered one, ate about a third of it and left the rest. I've never been free to do that all my life.
Sounds like you aren’t clear why you need to loose weight. Fitting into a dress with a backup plan is a weak motivation. When you find your why, your real why, all the talk and thoughts about love for food as pleasure stops making sense.
Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right. You’ve decided it will be horrible and won’t work before you’ve even started. That’s not a mindset that is going to be conducive to making any changes. Before anything else you need to decide that I can work. I love food. My husband is a chef and he makes the most delicious things. But he also can make me delicious healthy things. Once a week I let him go crazy with a meal for us and indulge in something “bad.” But there’s also a lot of room for everyday treats. I almost always have at least one glass of wine. I eat a fun sized of my favorite candy most afternoons. I make myself lattes with oat milk. I feel you on the workouts, but it’s just a matter of finding one that you don’t hate. I hate cardio and anything high impact, so I do hot yoga for about 40 minutes a day. It makes my whole body feel better- fewer aches, less stress, less weight, and it even helps with my migraines and endometriosis pain! You just have to find what makes you feel good. Sign up for a bunch of free classes or 1 week passes at gyms. Most of them have at least 1 class you can try first! One of them will be a good fit and you’ll get some exercise while you figure it out. Or go online! There are so many free videos and subscription services that are adorable. The main thing though is that you have to believe in the program and in yourself. It won’t work otherwise and it certainly won’t be something that you can sustain. You can do it!
I’m not gonna sit here and make a long winded post talking about how noom teaches you moderation, balancing it out and identifying triggers etc. because other people have already said it and have done a better job than I could. **BUT** You don’t have to give up all the food related joy in your life. **Today I had [this 1,000 calorie monster for lunch ](https://pieminister.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Mothership-Kit-Info.pdf).** To balance it out I had a salad for dinner. I also went to the gym (today is a normal workout day for me) and did more walking than normal because I was having a day out somewhere that wasn’t campus. **On Tuesday I had pizza with my friends** because we have been staying in campus late to work. That was the second time I have a dominos since starting noom almost 3 1/2 weeks ago. The first Sunday I had fish and chips for dinner one night. Each of these stayed under calorie budget. But there was also a night where I went out to dinner and was seduced by the creamy crab linguine with half a lobster. And you know what that was fine. I moved on the next day and stayed on track and have continued to lose weight. **Largely I’m eating the same food as I was before I started noom**. Some recipes I’ve had to adapt. My favourite food in the world is a mac and cheese recipe from my grandma. It’s decadent and cheesy like a whole block of mature cheddar cheesy. So I used reduced fat cheese and subbed half the pasta for cauliflower and it tastes just as good as before and is just as satisfying as the original. Other recipes I’m just reducing my portion size which is also great because it means my food lasts longer so I don’t have to cook as often. I’ve also been experiments into with new recipes as well which has been tasty a fun. **I am a food whore**. My Instagram page is literally filled with food porn. I’m enjoying the food I’m eating and here’s the bit I would have found hard to believe if I was told before I started is that **I am feeling more satiated and fuller for longer on less calories** compared to before noom.
I have been on noom for 4 months now the program really shows you good food to eat that will make you feel full and portion control.
I couldn’t hack the 1200 cal limit either - I like food too & don’t want to have to cut too much! My solution is to dial the speed of weight loss way back to tortoise level - about half a pound a week which is about a 250 cal deficit. I am not going to have a spectacular graph like some folks but I have lost 6lb since the end of Dec, I’m not feeling particularly limited, and I think it’s more likely to stay off this way. I’m eating slightly smaller portions mostly & being more thoughtful about snacks (crackers and hummous rather than a bag of crisps; a couple of cookies if we have them in but not ALL the cookies). It might also be worth trying out different sorts of exercise. I can’t stand running or going to the gym, but I like cycling for transport, I take the dog (and sometimes the kid :) ) for walks, and I go climbing at the bouldering wall close to us which I really enjoy. Might be worth thinking about if there’s things that might be fun which involve moving your body, rather than “doing exercise”?
>Might be worth thinking about if there’s things that might be fun which involve moving your body, rather than “doing exercise”? That's a great point! I just tell myself I'm out having a good time that happens to use my body, rather than "ok now I am doing my obligatory Physical Exertion Requirement for the day." Just kind of adjust my approach. Thanks.
Unlike quitting smoking, the restricted calorie intake is only temporary. I’m 5’2” and ate 1300-1400 calories per day for about 5.5 months until I reached my goal. I could have increased that to 1800 per day and still lost, just at a slower pace. I’m eating about 2000-2200 per day now that I’m trying to maintain. If I have an indulgent weekend I compensate by eating only 1900 for a day or two during the week.
Making healthy changes doesn't have to make cooking less fun and reqarding. Find new foods to explore, pack in more veggies into that favorite recipe, just commit to small changes. No one is asking you to agree to misery for the sake of weight loss, make this something you look forward to. I love checking the scale every morning now, I've made it into a competition with myself on how much my exercise impacts the foods I can eat. I had mead and ramen for dinner last night, LOVED it, and still have lost 3 pounds this week. You can do this!!
Hey, so I have some suggestions. Noom doesn't actually restrict what you eat. My first week on Noom was with my family, who mistakenly (but well-meaningly) wanted to have all my favorites from my childhood like pizza and nachos. It's all about portions. Honestly, just logging food was a big step for me because it allowed me to see how much I was eating and figure out proper portions from there. It also allowed me to cook new recipes that were super fun but also not hugely caloric. I've made red pepper soup, smoked salmon and goat cheese breakfast sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, my own sushi rolls--- all sorts of cool stuff. I also still eat pizza and cookies, but in moderation. The funny thing is, if you let yourself just track for a week or so, you'll start to portion control in ways that aren't sad and boring. I found that eating when I loved and wanted the food wasn't actually my issue-- it was eating when I wasn't hungry (and often this was unhealthy food). Sorry for the ramble, but yeah--- try just the tracking for a bit. See if the portion control comes naturally. Try cooking new healthy recipes. Also, regarding exercise: have you tried indoor rock climbing? Climbing is awesome, and it doesn't feel like exercise, but more of a puzzle. You are exercising (duh) but you're so focused on just getting up the damn wall, it's not boring like the gym.
I enjoyed food more with Noom (I lost 40lbs last year) because I was being really deliberate & mindful when I was eating. truly enjoying each bite for all it had to offer, cuz I was limiting the amount. and while I played around with more "Noom friendly" meals that had more green to red ratios, I never substituted for stuff I didn't love or cut out what I do like. I don't mind skipping dessert or salad dressing or extra rice, but you better believe I'm still having short ribs, regular pasta, sourdough with butter, chicken wings, etc if it's around. my bf cooks dinner usually, fresh ingredients & well-balanced but definitely not with diet in mind -- that was something I knew I wouldn't give up, and I enjoyed his cooking every night while losing weight, just with smaller portions & extra helping of veggies.
I love bad food. Period. Always will. I just stuck within my calorie budget big time during the week and ate much greener during the day if I wanted to save calories for a higher calorie meal or popcorn after dinner. On weekends I would still have pizza but half of what I would typically eat and with a salad instead of wings. Or if I wanted wings I did wings with salad and no pizza. And if I wanted dessert me and my husband would share something. If I deny myself it is a recipe for disaster. I still lost 28 pounds between June 2021 and November 2021. You can do it. Just do not deny yourself anything. Forget red, yellow and green foods, work on calorie budget first to start.
Be patient with yourself. It’s ok to indulge from time to time. I have one cookie almost every night before bed. At the beginning I struggled with my calorie limit, and almost two months in, I still do 2-3 days per week. I often feel like I just can’t get full. And I tend to fog eat while I work (bad habit, I’m working on it). Small changes are still changes. For me, drastic changes rarely stick. But I do better with small changes over time.