I lost 60 pounds with Noom

Fruit!

Sensible breakfast

Portion size matters

Treats are part of the plan

Salad!

Budget for dessert!

In week 26 of Noom I hit my goal of burning 60 pounds of excess weight. Noom is an integrated weight loss app that incorporates daily articles, weigh-ins, food logging, daily steps goals, exercise logging, and social support with a group of Noomers who started around the same time, a group coach, and a personal goal specialist.

Most people on the program have a goal of losing one to two pounds a week. I went all-in with the program and have burned off 60 pounds. What drew me to Noom was that it was grounded in science and focused on long term sustainability. You are not on a diet you are focusing on modifying your diet to maintain a modest calorie deficit. Many lessons focus on hunger and the factors that contribute to the sense of fullness and all of the emotions and triggers around eating. Importantly, there is nothing that is off the diet, though you may decide that there are foods that "aren't worth the calories" for you. It's about choices and building better habits.

Adjust my shopping. More fruit, veggies, whole grains
For most of my life, 200 pounds was my hard upper limit that I would make sure never to cross. Then various factors conspired and I took my eye off the ball for a few years and blew right through that limit. For a while, I struggled to stay even, but every couple of years more weight would come on and I would settle into a new normal. When I hit 235 it was like a switch flipped and I was ready to commit to doing what it took, and I found Noom which was just the right approach for me.

I've logged over five hundred meals in a row, walked 9K steps most days, plus one other active activity: weights, yoga, biking, gardening.... I am feeling fit. Working towards a goal of doing three handstand push-ups.

I've developed a new relationship with food and hunger.

I am more aware of the triggers within me, and in my environment, and developed tools to respond to them more mindfully and healthfully.

It has helped to focus on limits while avoiding the sense of deprivation. Nothing is "off the menu", though there are some things I've decided just aren't worth the calories.


Foods that I am still eating, but more mindful about portions: pizza, bacon, chocolate, my rich chocolate pudding, chocolate chip cookies, whole milk, cheese, donuts, cheesecake, crackers, chips, pasta, bread, rice, ....

Foods that are making a much larger part of my diet: fruit, carrots, potatoes, salads, soup, salsa, whole grains, avocado. Meals that worked well: omelets or a fruit-heavy breakfast; burritos, soup, or sandwich for lunch; afternoon snack of fruit or pickles or veggies or a cookie; salad, stir fry, or pasta for dinner; dessert if the budget allows.

The last ten pounds took significantly longer than the first ten. There are several factors that combine to make weight loss more difficult as you lose weight. Stalls and plateaus are common. It was helpful to have a lot of good habits, tricks, and social support to get through the final push.

Next: Maintenance. In the app, once you are below your goal you enter "maintenance" which is the the same, except you have a higher calorie budget since you don't need to run a calorie deficit. In week 24, they recommend moving to weekly weigh-ins. I haven't done that yet, feeling more comfortable with daily weigh-ins until I am in maintenance for a few days. I'll likely start next week.

Update 11/1/2019: I experimented with weekly weigh-ins. But I am still more comfortable with daily. It makes me less anxious about closely tracking my food knowing that I'll see on the scale if I am drifting. I did blip above my cap weight of 175 on one day, but going back to Full Noom for a day brought me back (or the weigh in was a fluke).