Never heard of it but I don’t pay much attention to the latest diets/weight loss methods. I just stick to the basic concept of burning off at least as much as I consume. If I’m up three pounds for more than a few days I take steps to burn more than I consume so I get it off before it gets out of control. It probably helps that I’m not a foodie and think of food more as fuel to sustain the body.

Sam Anderson, a staff writer at the NYT, just wrote an article ruminating on his weight and detailing his experience with Noom.

Gscience chick did Noom. Maybe she'll see this.

Eluna, I read that article today. It was the reminder I needed.

@chinacatpeekin I imagine unless someone discovers some never before known hormone or something, the information from Noom won't be new to most of us! Maybe it's the way it's presented that helps although it sounds like that's not the case for you if you're not really engaged with it. What if anything about it do you think is helping you? Or is it more that you made the decision and are following through? Good to know about the price incentive for canceling - seems to be the way of the world with just about everything subscription.

DLM2000- I do think it’s the presentation of information on the Noom app that I don’t care for- too cutesy- however, whatever works, I’ll take it! It may be that although you and I are already fairly knowledgeable about nutrition etc that others may not be..my sister has lost 30 pounds on Noom in a year, and says a lot of the information was new to her. She has inspired me! For me, it’s a matter of making the decision and joining Noom was just a part of that. I don’t have a great deal of weight to lose, but nonetheless it’s not easy,especially as I get older.

I've heard good things about Noom but have not used it because I don't find apps motivating. Saying that, I've noticed with friends and family that any success rides on finding what motivates them. A friend checks her Peloton app each day for (I'm not sure--she often mentions sleep but that may be her Apple watch?) because she wants to beat her scores. She's incredibly competitive and social, and so this works for her. Some are motivated by upcoming events. Some are motivated by appearance, etc.

Jojoco, if you were me, I wouldn't wait 2 weeks to start with whatever you determine is your motivation. I personally cannot have that mindset because I would never start. I have a friend who keeps saying, "Once I get through xyz, then I'll get back to the gym." There's always another x, y and z. What works for me is telling myself that even a bit of effort today will benefit me. I'm motivated by incremental changes and improvements.

One of my kids is struggling with motivation right now, so this has been on my mind. Sorry for the lecture!

Feathers, one of the greatest insights I learned about motivation as a teenager is that people are mistaken when they believe they are first motivated, then they act. Action must often come before motivation- in my case, action must always come before motivation.

I think BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits helps people get this in principle. Establish positive feedback loops, no matter how small and build.

Zalco, if only I had learned that when I was a teenager!

Feathers, My mother was pretty awesome. She found out about an educational/sports psychologist from Bulgaria who had defected and was teaching a seminar on improving perfomance for college students, she got me and one of my good friends into the class (we were high school freshmen.) Both of us were G/T kids with a lot of, Fails to live up to potential, notes on our report cards. That seminar was a game changer us.

For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There is no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it.

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Also, I cannot emphasize how incredibly silly Fogg's book appears, when he says tiny, by gosh he means it, and it really works.

Zalco, thank you for mentioning BJ Fogg and Tiny Habits; I checked out the book online, and signed up for his free 5 Day Tiny Habits program. I didn’t know anything about this until I read your post!

I have the same problem with a pesky 10-15 pounds. I signed up for noom and was really irritated by the cutesy style and like others I already have the knowledge. I stopped it after a week and just went back to my trusty tracking app (LoseIt) that I've used successfully in the past. For me, the tracking is key so I have to face all the small nibbles that add up to LBS!

Several years ago I lost about 50 lb and I severely watched calories and exercised in a way that I could burn 500 calories and for me that's 2 mi on a treadmill at the steepest incline. I still do that. But just the thought of tiny habits, ,I would choose one thing over another based on 10 calories.

I lost weight because I had to, after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a little over a year ago. I cut carbs, ate more veggies and salads and less snacks, and have done some exercise, and lost about 100 lbs. in a year (and am on less diabetes medication, and better numbers on my glucose tests).

I started Noom in February 2020 and then all hell broke loose and i gained a few covid pounds. I can share that I did not enjoy the education nudges and tutorials as much as I should so used the app primarily to track meals. I think the color-coded food choices was a bit helpful but no real surprises there either. So, for me, I think a program like WW would work better. I need the intention and tracking that joining WW would provide. Thanks for the little push of motivation I needed.

I think whatever works for you, works for you. There's no one approach that works for all.

Noom apparently knows I have a lot to lose as their ads haunt me all over the internet! I don't know a lot about them but I tend not to want or need the kind of encouragement and contact most of these plans provide via daily emails, social networks, etc. That doesn't mean they aren't helpful to some-- I just don't respond to it and am definitely not going to *pay* for it.

I didn't really care for WW for the same reason-- but what was helpful was tracking my food. The WW apps keeps track of points but I kept an eye to calories.. and also protein, fat, fiber and sugars. Just the steps to track kept me mindful and accountable.. I find knowing I'd have to put a bag of chips into my tracker made me more likely to walk away from them. I also found it helpful to track before I ate, whenever possible. I would be more likely to convert a sandwich to open face or to a salad.

I have lost about 40 lb-- and have much more to go. My motivation goes up and down and right now I am just pretty disinterested in cooking and eating. I prefer to be motivated to eat good, fresh and healthy foods. I look forward to hearing how you all are doing and what is working for you.

I think why I liked WW, was the sense of community at the studios.

Mine closed down due to Covid. My take away is to be honest and mindful of what you are eating. WW used to call them BLT’s. Bites, licks and tastes.

Every diet program can work if you actually follow them. No work around.

Jojo, everyone here totally understands. For me ten pounds equals one size up.

Right now I'm in my range but I know it can easily slide. And, quickly.

I get on the scale every morning, first thing. This determines the choices I make for the day.

I signed up for Noom last summer and lost about 17 pounds in 5 months. Over the years, I always seem to have about 20 pounds to lose. A few years ago I did Keto and was successful. Keto is not long term sustainable in my life. The weight came back during covid(a handy excuse) and I picked up some bad habits to boot(heavy cream in my coffee and too much cheese snacking!).

I signed up to Noom for 4 months. Yes, the daily reading was at times silly and not relatable to my lifestyle(retired and over 60yo). A lot of the 'psychology' was common sense. It does help though to be reminded when you are focused on losing weight. I did not engage with my coach(this is an option you choose when you join and can change your mind as you go). I just did not feel I needed that kind of support.

The program is based upon a low calorie(1200-1400) daily allotment and increased exercise, same as any sensible program. You are encouraged to weigh daily and track all your food and water. No special foods and no foods are off limits. They do color code foods according to their caloric denseness, stressing foods that fill you up with less calories.

I would definitely recommend it for someone who has eating issues(stress eating, food issues related to parents, etc). They offer many different strategies to overcome using food as a crutch.

I just needed to curb my afternoon snack habit, drink more water and motivate myself to exercise more. That worked.

I've gained back about 5 pounds and need to get re-motivated. I don't think I'll join again, but I can still use the logging features of the app. I'm also in a fb group for noomers over 50yo which helps with motivation and accountability.

Twenty years ago I went on a 1400 calorie diet along with exercise. I lost thirty pounds in a few months and had about ten more to go, but 1400 calories is close to starvation. I felt I was getting obsessed with calorie-counting, and obsession is not a sustainable weight loss strategy, so I stopped. I have gained back the thirty plus some. Since the pandemic I've lost thirty pounds because I'm not going into the grocery store and impulse buying sweets and chips. I also stopped eating a yogurt every day. Note that Americans' obsession with fruity yogurt in the past 30 years coincides with our ballooning weight. Now I only eat a few walnuts or a piece of fruit for a snack. I eat the same meals I've always eaten so I think the weight loss is because I changed my snacking.

Yes, I did Noom and had a little bit of success. I lost about 5 lbs. that's it. I need to start up again, but I wanted to be sure I was recovered from COVID. My body just doesn't want to give up this weight. It is a giant amount of effort to lose anything. It's so frustrating. I am also a LT member from WW, lost my weight in the early 80's, kept it off for well over 10 years.

Maybe we can do a Noom or WW check in?

There are some interesting weight loss medications such as Wegovy and Plenity, but they are super expensive (especially Wegovy/semiglutide at about $1400 per month) and generally not covered by insurance. I'm at the point where I'd actually consider a lapband, etc., but my insurance doesn't cover any weight loss surgery or medication.

China, Kswl is the GW person who introduced me to the book a few years ago.

I have not tried Noom, though I've heard it's essentially a calorie-counting app underneath it all, with added information and education. In January I was talking with my doctor about my health and mentioned that I'd been struggling to lose some weight. She suggested I try intermittent fasting and assured me it was safe. I've lost 27lbs and 1-2 sizes. While it's not easy, it has been so much more effective and in some ways easier than anything else I've ever tried. I was already exercising regularly and trying to eat healthy foods, but I've previously found it difficult to get the necessary calorie deficit to lose measurable weight consistently. I think it really depends on what works for you personally. But I completely understand that feeling of not being your comfortable weight and wanting to buckle down and do something about it. Good luck to you in your journey!

but my insurance doesn't cover any weight loss surgery or medication.

Incredible in light of what extra weight costs in terms of medical expenses in the long run.

I haven’t ever heard of this program.

Like Lucille, health issues forced me to drastically change my diet. Trouble swallowing is a factor for me, and I found that eating slowly and more mindfully keeps my portion control where it should be. I learned how much less it takes for me to feel full, than when I used to eat fast and without thinking about it.

I also found that I mindlessly stop snacking too heavily if I make myself eat everything at the table. No eating on the couch watching TV or reading, in bed (I never did anyway, just saying), etc. Something about sitting at the table by myself makes me restless and want to get up. Sounds odd, I know. :D

Having to limit or cut out white flour, creamy things, sugars, wine (I cheat with that too much), fried foods, starches, etc has of course made a big impact, too.

I’m naturally an intermittent faster, have been most of my life. I usually don’t consume anything but water after 7pm, and don’t eat again until around noon the next day. I just don’t have an appetite in between. Once in a rare while, I crave breakfast, and then I don’t eat much until dinner.

Maybe we can do a Noom or WW check in?

I would be in for a GW check in for those of us working on any new habits. Noom and WW wouod trigger a serious eating problem for me. I have to stick to three meals per day, mostly vegetables and lean meat to lose weight. If I start tracking calories, points, whatever, I go for the high/low score and make myself crazy.

Yeah, unfortunately, my state is one of the few state health plans that doesn't cover weight loss surgery or any follow up related to weight loss surgery.

What I liked about Noom is they have good behavioral content. I also liked how they shaped your diet to more of less energy dense foods.

I've thought about Noom, but in general I don't do well with apps. I hate fussing with my phone all the time. I signed up for daily menus from Cooking Light for dieting as calorie counting, even that didn't work.

I have lost 17 lbs, most of which was pandemic stress eating weight. That came off RELATIVELY easily. Just stopped stress binging! Jo you could probably lose five in a heartbeat and ten rather quickly. It's after that it gets tough.

I still need to lose at least five more pounds to get within the "normal" range for my height, and out of the "overweight" range. But after than, I'd love to lose five more and keep it off!

I have had success just by trying to adopt one basic habit each week. First was stop bingeing. Next, stop drinking juice, alcohol/wine and flavored soda and switch to unsugared teas or coffee and water and unsweetened but flavored soda water. That made a big difference, primarily the alcohol which was also me drinking more than usual because of pandemic stress.

Due to health, I had to dial back the saturated fats. That I'm still working on, but that has also been great. Not cutting out completely but limiting number of servings. Dialing back meats too.

I've cut back on carbs, that's been relatively easy, kind of went along with stopping the bingeing. Dialed way back on sugar, refined flour, breads.

Now, to get these last five off I know I am going to have to start regular exercise. That will be my biggest challenge!

So to summarize, I tricked my mind by not "dieting" but just adopting policies about food choices. I said, I'm giving up sweets, they are out of my life now. Next, I only drink non-sugared drinks unless it is a rare occasional treat. Next, I only eat one serving of meat or full fat dairy a day. And so on. I created a new set of rules for myself when it came to eating. Hardest part was putting my foot down with hubs and dad, for whom I cook. They are going to have to suck it up and eat my healthy cooking or make their own stuff!!

Having a bad full blown IBS attack helped motivate me too. I know if I eat too many bad foods I will feel awful, so that works! Sugar and wine are my big triggers for that . . . alcohol is basically sugar gone bad . . . I can have a very little sugar but more than that and I know I will pay in many ways . . .

I have to lose weight or I will have serious health complications down the road, so that also motivates me. Sadly, not to exercise, which is weird because exercise is the true fountain of youth and health . . .

I haven't read all the posts, so this may be repetitive. I lost 20 lbs. on Noon, and have kept it off with little effort since last Sept. My friend S also lost 20 lbs, though she swore she'd never lost weight on a diet before. Her husband T lost fifty pounds, and my friend G just went on Noom a few months ago and has lost 12-15 lbs so far.

My greatest takeaways:

1. Understanding that 'mouth hunger' is a thing for me, and can be as easily satiated with a 5-calorie fruity drink as a handful of oreos.
2. The impact of a hundred small decisions is what ultimately brings about weight loss.

Noom just recently laid off 25% of their coaches. Supposed to be changing up things from text coaching to video calls. Don't know what effect it has on the program, just wanted to mention it. Google Noom layoffs for more info.

@Bestyears I have absolutely learned "mouth hunger" as well through intermittent fasting. It's incredible how much less hungry I feel most of the time now. For me the key has been to stay busy and stop thinking about food when I feel that "mouth hunger" that isn't real hunger.

@l pinkmountain I thought I had IBS because I was constantly having digestive problems. Couldn't figure out what, besides too much oil, would trigger but it happened all the time. Finally one doctor asked about my digestive health and when I fessed up she suggested we do some tests. Turns out I had overgrowth of bacteria, including two nasty ones (giardia and h. pylori). Yikes. I went on a round of antibiotics and I cannot believe the night and day difference. For years and years I'd just assumed my gut was defective. Obviously everyone is going to be different, but I'm going to hold out hope that some doctor some day will be able to help you too. I honestly think treatment for my digestive issues has also helped enable me to lose weight because I feel less hungry all the time.

I know a fellow (guy in his 20s) who lost 65 lbs on noom and is doing well so far with keeping it off.

Noom was started by ex-WW people so it's not surprising there's a lot of similarities. I think WW is cheaper in that it's more pay as you go vs. Noom wants $ up front. WW does a lot more with financial incentives to keep your weight off once you reach goal. Noom does not.

Also Noom is geared more toward younger people where as WW ... at least at my weekday meetings ... are full of ladies like me though there is some diversity of women with children, men, worker bees, etc. WW has a larger network to rely on, has in person workshops as well as zoom sessions, and has incorporated a lot of technology and psychology into the weight loss program. Points are designed to take into account a food's contents of calories, protein, sat fat and carbs so you don't have to. But the real keys are learning portion control, the tracking which helps you hold yourself accountable, the weigh-in, which has you accountable to someone else, and the encouragement and successes you share with others, as well as the support through your missteps. The sharing also allows for learning from others as to what works for them. (I started line dancing as a result of a WW meeting.)

Re stomach surgery, there's a gal in my WW group who had the surgery and not only suffered a lot of illness as a result, but also regained all the weight she'd lost and is back at WW to get it off again. She's very sorry she ever had it done and strongly discourages others who are thinking of it.

I did Noom and found success with it. Below is a snippet from a general update thread I posted about nine months ago.

"For those who asked about the diet and exercise, I started very simply with a 4-month membership on Noom. There must be something to the psychological underpinnings of that platform. It got me comfortable with taking things one day at a time, and with really being intentional about what I put in my body. I'll say that being single, and then in lockdown with little opportunity for socializing, simplified it for me. I got to where I ate the same basic things all the time (still do, really), so the eating is essentially on auto-pilot. I have little willpower at home, but lots at the grocery store. If I can keep it out of the basket/cart/buggy, I'm golden. When the original Noom membership expired, I just shifted to counting calories and logging my intake.

"In around month five I started adding exercise. Just walking. I would take the dogs and walk maybe a mile, maybe three days per week. In month 9 I got a FitBit, which simplified the calorie counting and exercise tracking on one platform. It also allowed me to notice my (poor) sleep habits and led me to get more of a handle on that component. I'm also fastidious about tracking all intake (there's no value in slapdash logging). I gradually increased the distance and frequency of the walks, and by month 11 I had added little sprints of jogging in with the walking. By month 16 I was doing a 3-mile walk (with jog sprints) every day, plus shorter walks throughout the day so I get to 13-15K steps daily. I do take weekends off now, but I'll have to get those days back into the rotation, I think, if I really want to lose this last 20-ish pounds."

For me, it's all about strictly tracking the calories and exercising as much as possible. There are dozens of different diets out there that emphasize or eliminate different things, and I'm sure there is merit to all of them. But I found that, at base, it's really just about calories in and calories out. If you're meeting the desired calorie gap to achieve the desired weight loss, then it really doesn't matter where the calories come from. They can come from a giant salad or a small piece of pie. There's no need to eliminate anything unless that makes it easier for you. What I think I learned from Noom was how to fill up on foods that are low in calories. Because calorie-dense foods (sweets, breads, etc.) aren't typically that filling, they wind up leaving you hungry, and then you're constantly struggling against that hunger. And when you're struggling against the hunger, you start to think that your plan isn't working, and it's easy to fall off the wagon.

I try to keep healthy snacks on hand at all times. My go-tos are mandarins, apples and 100-calorie bags of Orville Redenbacher kettle corn. These things give me a bit of sweetness and some crunch and don't take too much of a toll on my calorie goals for the day. I've fallen off the wagon myself over the last several months (never dropped the weight I picked up over the holidays and haven't really settled into how to not eat as much as my boyfriend eats) and I'm back to strictly tracking everything. Fingers crossed I can get this machine jump-started again.

In general, if you cut 500 to 1,000 calories a day from your typical diet, you'll lose about 1 pound (0.5 kilogram) a week.

To me, this was the challenge. In order to continue working hard to lose weight, I need to be seeing measurable weight loss within a reasonable period of time (every 1-2 weeks) in order to maintain motivation. As others have mentioned, I also needed to keep myself accountable by weighing daily or at least every other day. For some, a tracking app or other food journal really helps. I've used myfitnesspal in the past and had good results. I think WW and Noom similarly use tracking to help you create that calorie deficit and be realistic about how many calories you're consuming. They also create a support community and provide insightful content. For me it's taken some drastic changes to when I eat in order to hit this calorie deficit. For me, intermittent fasting has worked quickly and effectively enough at creating that calorie deficit to see measurable weight loss and help keep me motivated.

I think after I reach my next goal weight (nearly there after passing my first goal weight), I will need to keep myself accountable with continuing to weigh myself. And for me, I have a new technique to help make a correction if things start to go the wrong direction. I really really need to stick with it. I've typically had a cycle of lose / gain that seems to come around every 3-4 years. I need to work on doing better maintaining the loss once I've achieved it.

I did Noom last year and lost 35 pounds from January 1st to the end of May. I'm coming up on 1 year of having kept off the weight. Noom worked really well for me -- I had tried WW about 15 years ago when my kids were younger, but I didn't like the group weigh-ins etc. I'm an introvert and was more than happy with an app, though I'm not much of an app person either. I didn't know anyone who had done Noom, but I started noticing the ads on TV early in the pandemic and looked it up.

I developed a variety of bad habits over the years since having kids about 25 years ago -- not being active enough, not putting myself first, not drinking enough water, and, most of all, what I've come to call "recreational eating", which is apparently where A LOT of my calories came from. The activity/exercise has had little to do with my own weight loss (which surprised me) but it makes me feel better and less likely to eat more than I need to; when I started Noom, from January to April, I went for a walk every day with the dog. I started with around 4,000 steps and within a month and a half I was doing 10,000 steps. Once the weather got nice, between farming and gardening, I was able to manage at least 10,000 steps just from my work every day. The best thing about the weight loss is that I don't feel like a "new" me, I just feel like I have my old self back. I missed her : ) . And I've found the Noom habits and advice to be sustainable and sensible. I look at Noom as a re-set, a chance to get rid of bad habits and establish new, good ones. I'm 58 and I just can't eat the way I did when I was 40. Also, I agree with what Bestyears said about "mouth hunger". When I'm craving something salty and crunchy, some bread and butter pickle slices will satisfy me just as much as some potato chips or pretzels. And when I'm craving something sweet, some yogurt and fruit, or even my favourite rooibos vanilla tea with a splash of milk, will do the trick. I've also found that a bit of protein in the afternoon -- a small amount of plain Greek yogurt (they are not all created equal and I'm partial to Liberte) or a hardboiled egg -- keep me satisfied and from veering off track later in the day. One thing I still do that I started with Noom is have homemade vegetable soup or a salad for lunch; that gives me more calories to use for the evening meal. And I used to avoid potatoes, but learned from Noom that potatoes, and all fruits, are my friends : ) .

I wasn't sure how long I wanted to be signed up for, but I kept the subscription for a year; I appreciated the extra hand-holding for the rest of the year after I reached my goal in May. It was like training wheels, and it helped until a lot of the thinking became automatic. I did wait to sign up with Noom until I got a really good discount, so that helped a lot. Shortly after I reached my goal, I switched to a "quiet" group where the group leader would post something every day but the members weren't allowed to post. It was great. My personal goal coach was a lovely young woman.

For anyone who's interested in Noom, it's influenced not just by WW but also by Volumetrics. "The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet" by Barbara Rolls is basically Noom in book form, for anyone who's interested. Another book I found helpful was Mark Schatzker's "The End of Craving".

(The one thing that did drive me nuts about the Noom lessons were all the grammatical errors and typos.)

Sorry. This cracked me up. :D

I haven't seen anyone mention the Lose It app. My son suggested it for DH when he got diagnosed with diabetes -- which I feel convinced was from Covid snacking pushing him over the edge on his numbers. He was using it to count carbs and get a sense of portions. The education without me nagging him was well worth it, and he lost about 25 lbs in the process. He bought the lifetime upgrade, but he isn't using it daily now, which is fine for now.

I have a friend who recently started on it after looking at Noom. Last we talked about it, she was just setting it up and recording a normal week to get a baseline, but she really liked that it was pretty complete in terms of food intake, hydration and activity. Noom is big on the behavioral aspect and she didn't feel that applied to her. She seems to have become insulin resistant after steroid treatment. Intermittent fasting sounds like a good approach for her, but there seems to be conflicting views about it for people with Crohn's.

I want to add that purchasing and using a food scale was a game changer for me. I never really developed a good idea about what an appropriate portion size was and that scale really helped me with that. It also made tracking intake much easier with the FitBit, as most items can tracked by ounce.

Becky that is a great description, thanks for sharing! Congrats on the new you!

I don't know about Jo, but unfortunately I would buy the app and then ignore it. I tried to set up little goals for myself using charts and a timer (old school) and I don't stick to it. I don't carry my phone around and don't interact with it much, despite it having several helpful apps . . .

I tried FlyLady for keeping house, her techniques are great but I just didn't keep up with it. I need a personal life coach to come over every day, I'm an extrovert . . . I need a deadline and someone to report to in person . . . that's why the pandemic has been so difficult for me. I have tons of goals but trouble figuring out how to consistently execute, since I have so many facing me. I do a little of this and a little of that, hard to get on top of any one specific goal.

One thing that is terrible for me is watching TV with cable. Commercial TV is nothing but ads for high calorie foods. I have got to stop watching at night to turn off my brain. It turns on the food cravings! Reading takes brain energy though . . .

@Jakabedy thanks for sharing your experiences -- your success is inspiring! One of the things you shared especially jumped out at me... when I am successfully losing, my range of foods is pretty small also. I have been viewing it as my disinterest in food/eating and a loss of creativity-- and I DO think that is at the core-- but it does make it easier to get into a groove and to consistently drop lbs when you find a pattern that works.

I do miss the variety in theory-- I love the idea of trying new recipes and planning meals for family and friends but in practice, it is so much easier and less time consuming to have a consistent shopping list and daily meal prep. Plus it helps me stay on track when I am on a successful run. I do get variety but in a very limited scope.

I don't really have a good range of snacks-- but I do best to eliminate snacks... but some of my meals have transformed into what many would consider larger snacks.

I quit smoking 3 years ago and put on about 35 lbs. Then 1.5 years ago was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic. Was put on Metformin and changed to a low carb and obviously a low sugar diet. I have since lost the 35 lbs I had gained plus another 10 lbs. No calorie counting, just carbs.

I want to add that purchasing and using a food scale was a game changer for me. I never really developed a good idea about what an appropriate portion size was and that scale really helped me with that.

I will second that, Jakabedy. Using a scale (which I use for baking) gave me a much better idea of how many extra, unnecessary calories I was consuming. I used to have a good idea about what an appropriate portion was, but that slid, and became one of those bad habits that developed over the years after having kids. And if something was really tasty, I would have a second (or even third) helping, which was truly unnecessary, esp because it almost always left me feeling overfull, and because those second and third helpings never tasted as good as the first helpings.

Thank you, pink : ) . I love having my old self back.

My game changer was carbs. I cut them all way back. Bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar, etc. Even the good ones like brown rice, whole-grain breads, quinoa, etc.

It's definitely weird at first, especially if you are a big sandwich eater like I was. I still order sandwiches out but usually, just eat the insides open-faced with a fork. And have one or two forkfuls of the bread if it's especially good.

The other two things that helped were eliminating processed foods as much as possible, even healthy things like snack bars. And I rarely drink calories. Coffee, water, and tea are my go-tos. When I get a drink with calories I make sure it's really worth it.

It's easier to do in the summer. Most of the low/no-carb snacks I like are from the fridge and I hate eating cold food when it's cold outside

The talk about snacks and recipes reminds me that the big takeaway for me from Noom, which has made it sustainable for me, is the concept of calorie density, which Noom takes from the Volumetrics and Dr. Barbara Rolls, which I think I mentioned in my original post above. This article is a good explanation of Volumetrics,

https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/advice/2021/01/05/volumetrics-is-the-best-diet-youve-never-heard-of-and-you-can-eat-cake.html

(If that link doesn’t work for you, try this, https://archive.ph/7MN9u )

A few excerpts from the article:

So, what are some low-calorie density foods? Anything that has a lot of water—soup, fresh green vegetables, berries and other fresh fruits and sugar-free yogurt. Rolls says these can be considered “free foods” and you can eat pretty much all you want of them. …

“I think one of the worst messages that we have out there is ‘just eat less’,” says Rolls. “When people have a half-empty plate, they look at it and, before they even start eating, they compute and think, ‘I’m going to be hungry’.

“The thing about Volumetrics is that it shows you how to have satisfying amounts of food while still managing your caloric intake,” she adds.

Rolls says that diets based around deprivation fail (at least in the long-term), because we like to feel full. Low-calorie density foods can make us feel full, both while we eat it and after. Studies have shown that we don’t feel hungry an hour later, as some critics have suggested.

The next category up on the pyramid includes starchy vegetables, lean fish and meat, rice, beans and pasta — the latter being food you can’t eat on practically any faddish diet these days. Granted, on Volumetrics, you’re not supposed to eat as much pasta as you would, say, kale. Jeha says, if you’re still thinking about it in terms of how it would look on a plate, the pasta might take up roughly a quarter of the space.

“One thing I like about Volumetrics is that it’s not telling you to eliminate anything completely,” [Toronto registered dietician Laura] Jeha says. “Inevitably, you’re going to be in a situation where you have a piece of cake — and that’s okay. I tell people to think more in terms of an average over weeks or months and that, if you’re getting fruits and vegetables and eating well most of the time, that’s more important than one day when you had some fast food or something.”

I bought a copy of “The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet” Rolls for more in-depth info on the method and also more recipes in keeping with the low calorie density approach.

I can't comment on Zoom but I have lost almost 2 sizes since early last year. I haven't gone out of my way to exercise but I am a natural fast walker. Even in the house I walk fast, can';t help it. If you go for a walk outside, walk fast. I swear by it. My calves look pretty good!

Also I've gotten into the habit of eating a big bowl of bag salad once or twice a day, every day. I add tomatoes and onions, grated cheddar (a must) and bottled salad dressing. I'm lazy.

I'm not a big meat eater but I do love to snack on Summer Sausage to get some meat/protein in me. I just had 4 thin slices to keep my tummy from growling. The dogs each had two. :)

Some will say I can get protein from other foods, but your bowels will thank you for adding meat.

We don't eat a big dinner hardly at all anymore. I'm happy with a tuna salad sandwich, avocado/guacamole/chips. I will eat sweets, do not deny yourself something sweet. Ice pops are good to snack on.

Coffee, water, & diet pop.

I had to stop drinking milk and milk products...except cheese. Not sure if that helped or hurt but I did become Vitamin D deficient, so I take supplements.

The weirdest thing I noticed the other day is my underwear is trying to fall down when I have clothes on! LOL

Using a scale is key for me. 4 ounce servings of pasta look skimpy, but defintely fills me up, especially since we have switched to whole wheat pasta. We also made a rule; only fruits or veg for snacks. Unless it is Saturday night, which is our treat night. We might have some chocolate or a bakery treat or go out for ice cream. Key is just to have (or buy) one portion each. When it's gone, it's gone. Works for us.

nekotish, learning what constitutes a portion is key. I'm reminded of my parents who always said my eyes were bigger than my stomach. Eating out is especially crazy. Now they serve dinner on a serving platter and desserts on a dinner plate. I have DH's grandmother's dishes, the dinner plates are small and taking out the rim, the diameter of the eating area is probably less than 6". So to fill the plate was a very small amount.

And who remembers eating cereal out of the little boxes you ripped open and added milk? Remember how small they were? That's a portion. And then there were the old coke bottles at 6 oz....less than a cup. Pepsi made a big campaign about being 7 oz...a whole oz more! Stunning!

A year or so ago, after learning more about nutrition and the evil that is sugar, many of my favorite foods didn't appeal to me any longer. I wasn't a "bad" eater but decided my diet could be cleaned up a bit; weight loss was not a goal. Sweets are my downfall so before eating them I would stop and visualize how they would taste. Usually a bite or two will suffice. I also widened my intermittent fasting window. I wasn't trying to lose weight and I very seldom weigh myself but at dr's office I was surprised to learn I'd lost approx. 15 lbs. As we age, we need to seriously reduce the amount of food we consume; there's simply no way around it.

As we age, we need to seriously reduce the amount of food we consume; there's simply no way around it.

Increasing muscle mass helps with this problem. I really like to eat and would rather perspire than starve ;-)

NB Having celery, carrots, radishes and cucumbers prepared in advance to snack on helps me a lot.

"Increasing muscle mass helps with this problem."

It helps (and is a big part of my life) but portion control becomes more important as we age. I don't feel I starve myself and am unable to eat the portions I used to when I was younger.

As we age, we need to seriously reduce the amount of food we consume; there's simply no way around it. I have to disagree with this statement. It's not "one size fits all". The amount of food we need has to do with how active we are, for one thing. As Zalco pointed out, muscle mass makes a difference too. I agree with your statements on intermittent fasting and portion control. I do not want to eat early in the day. I eat around 11 and then dinner. Sometimes I have a small snack (fruit, cheese or nuts, popcorn, etc.) mid afternoon if I am hungry. I may not eat as much as I ate when younger, but I eat much healthier now that at times in my life. Sweets are also my downfall, and like you, I control how much sweets I consume. We do treat ourselves occasionally to a sweet treat, but usually my husband and I split a dessert. I love veggies, salads, etc. which I know are good for me, but small portions of protein (again, the cheese, nuts, etc. ) seem to keep me from filling hungry. My husband and I are still very active. Of course he can eat more bread, etc., more food in general than me and never gain a pound. Geesh!!