Weight loss Archives - Mami To Five

Review ~ Noom Coach Healthy Weight Program

A few weeks ago I was asked if I wanted to test out Noom Coach, the updated version of the Noom Weight App that I tried out just over two years ago. I really enjoyed using it the first time round and was excited to try this newer, updated version.

What I liked about the original app was the fact it kept me accountable for what I ate. I found I was less likely to eat something unhealthy, like two chocolate bars in one sitting, because I didn’t want to have to log it in my food diary. It also made me aware of how much I move during the day and kept me wanting to exercise just so I could log it.

The new app has been given a fresh new look and is even easier to use than before! Everyday you will find articles on your home page offering helpful advice on staying motivated and ways to keep you calorie intake down, like planning ahead and managing portions. The side bar pops out with everything you need right there at your finger tips.

The Healthy Weight Program

The Noom Coach app itself is free to download on your Android or ios device and this gives you the ability to log your your meals. There are then two paid programs available, each offering specific coaching for your needs. There is the Healthy Weight Loss one I am on and the Diabetes Prevention Program. Each program is a 16 week long course and leads you from the learning stage, right through to reinforcing everything you have learnt for those healthier choices to become a natural habit.

The costs for the Healthy Weight Loss Program is a monthly payment of $44.99 or an overall payment of $199 for the whole course. At first glance this does seem quite pricey to me, but as well as being able to log your meals and have access to the groups you get a real life coach who is there to help you along the way. So when you take into consideration how much personal coaches are to see in real life, just for an hour a week, this cost works out at just pennies per hour!

Your personal coach really is there for you too, they even call you personally to find out more about you and learn the best way they can support you. Don’t worry if you are uncomfortable talking on the phone, this step can be done by messaging too.

The Groups

Your Noom coach chooses the right group for you to join. Which takes a little time but is much better than the last time I used it where I struggled to find an active group. Your coach also facilitates your group, setting activities and challenges so everyone really gets to know each other and gets a little push in the right direction to meet their weight loss needs. Having a tailored group of like minded individuals to support you along your weight loss journey is always a help and my group seems to be a nice active one. They reach out for support when they are struggling as well as being eager to offering advice, anything from ways to curb snacking to recipe suggestions.

Logging Meals

It’s really easy to log your meals, most food are pre-programmed in to the app and there is a much wider variety of meals available now so you can get an approximate calorie count. I would be wary of using the ‘serving’ size when you are choosing the amount you have eaten if you are at all unsure, because the chances are you will underestimate exactly how big a serving is. I tend to use the cups or weight options so I know I’m logging it right.

All of the meal information you input into your dashboard is fed back to your coach which means they can help you pipoint issues with your diet. So, for example, if you are on the Diabetes Prevention Program and your coach notices you need to decrease your total carb, and sugar, intake they can help steer you in the right direction to making healthier choices.

If you are forgetful, you can set the reminder function to remind you to log each meal. This is also helpful as a reminder to actually eat, not just log it!

In conclusion, I really like the updated Noom Coach app. Its a simple and effective way of keeping track of what, how how, you eat. Before I started I thought I was a big snacker. What I actually realised was that I was skipping meals, usually breakfast and lunch, then replacing them with unhealthy options, like crisps and biscuits, just to get a quick fix because I was starving!

I think I will continue to use the free version of the app, with just the ability to log my meals, so I can see exactly where I am going wrong with my daily food choices!

Have you used a weightloss app like Noom? How did you find it helped you?

***Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Noom, but all thoughts and opinions about the app is honest and my own***

Review ~ Noom Weight App

Last weekend I wrote this post about wanting to lose all the extra weight I have gained since I gave birth 14 months ago. I also mentioned that I have never really been successful at any diets I have attempted in the past. I have to be honest that these attempts have been few and far between and have never lasted more than a few weeks.

One of the things that really make it hard for me is my lack of maths skills. Seriously, even just counting sometimes flummoxes me, we recently took cash out of the bank to buy a van for Lee and it took me seven attempts to count 100 £10 notes! So calorie counting is one thing that my brain simply cannot do.

A few weeks ago I was asked if I’d like to try out the Noom Weight App. It is available on android and ios and is this great app that tracks your food intake and exercise. The Android and IPhone 5s versions also count your steps too, but the best thing is that it does all the hard work for you! All you need to do is programme in your age, starting weight, goal weight and whether you want to lose weight fast or slowly then it tells you how many calories you should aim for per day.

Time to Kick This Extra Weight & Find the Thin Me Again!

This post was originally going to be titled something along the lines of ‘New (school) year new me’ but I soon realised I don’t want a new me, I want the old me back again! Before I get ahead of myself let me explain.

I am not one of those lucky women who fit back into their pre pregnancy jeans within a week of having their baby. I am definitely not one of those mothers who breastfeed and find the weight just drops off them! In fact I am the complete opposite.

Breastfeeding makes me fat!

It’s true! My appetite is huge when I breastfeed. My supply has never been wonderful so I think my body needs those extra calories, even if its just on a subconscious level. But obviously when your baby is feeding frequently your sitting down doing nothing. Then they fall asleep on you, which means you daren’t move for fear of unleashing the wrath of the grumpy tired one, but most importantly for me; I enjoy having the cuddles! With my older children, I had twins first and the next two followed in relatively quick succession, I never had the time to sit and adore one baby and give all my attention to them and them alone. There was always someone else who needed my attention too.