I have been trying to loose weight for a handful of years. I tried counting calories, but did not have success on my own.
A Tipping Point
I weigh myself every morning first thing and log my weight. As the scale hit the 200 pound mark, I decided that I needed help. I saw a weight chart in my doctor’s office and the obese weight started around 190 pounds.
I had been seeing Noom advertised on TV, and decided to give it a try. I signed up for a two week free trial. They ask you how much you can pay for this up to $30, but when I clicked out, they offered the trial for $1.00, so I signed up. Thereafter, they charge $15 a week in 2 month blocks, so $15. x 8 weeks = $120. for 2 months.
Weight Loss Goal
They ask you your weight loss goal. I said 185 pounds, a 15 pound reduction, 7.5% of my body weight. The program then calculates a daily calorie budget you can eat, in order to reach your goal. My calorie budget was 1400 calories per day.
I knew that most people eat about 2000 calories per day, but I did not know from the food I ate, how many calories I ate per day.
The program has a built in calorie calculator in which you log all the food you eat. Even major restaurant meals like a Big Mac are shown in the calculator.
Daily Lessons
They have a daily lesson plan that takes about 10 minutes a day to read through. Good info here, as they talk about all the pitfalls of weight loss, the mental game and weight loss misinformation as well. I realized I had some things right and some things wrong. They say the program was put together by psychologists.
No Food Is Off Limits
The teaching is that no food is off limits, it is just that you have to have it in moderation and within your calorie budget.
They teach you that Water, has no calories. I probably knew that, but not did put that knowledge into action. You should therefore eat foods that have more water in them, like grapes.
Caloric Density
This lead to knowing about Dense Calorie Foods, and Less Dense Calorie foods. Peanuts are a dense calorie food, with a 1/4 cup having about 250 calories. But grapes are a less dense calorie food, with twenty grapes having 40 calories.
Green, Yellow and Red Foods
Noom classifies all foods into three groups – green, yellow and red, just like our traffic lights. Green foods are the ones you should eat the most, yellow foods you can eat in moderation, and red foods with a high calorie density, you can eat only a small amount of. A simple system to understand.
Food Analysis
Each day you can see how many green, yellow, and red foods you have eaten. The calorie count is increased if you exercise, hence a higher calorie target for any day can be obtained.
The 100 Calorie Meal
I found that a salad for lunch or dinner can have as few as 100 calories, if it contains – lettuce, cucumbers, mushrooms, tomato, artichokes, and a low calorie vinaigrette dressing. That I can eat everyday.
Did you know that a whole cucumber has only 40 calories, and a cup of lettuce is only 8 calories.
A Track to Run On
Within a few days, I got onto staying at or below the 1400 calorie per day budget.
And guess what ? I started to loose weight ! Each morning I would log my weight into the program, and it charts your progress. That graphic shows you day by day what has happened with your weight.
The great thing is, I keep loosing weight as long as I stay within my calorie budget.
I reached my weight goal in about 6 weeks !
Small Weight Loss Victories
Looking at the weight loss chart, the changes day by day are small, usually less than a pound. And all I had to do was stay within my calorie budget.
Next Goal
Now that I have got to 185, I can see myself at 180 pounds. So my next weight goal is 180 pounds.
If you are struggling to loose weight, check out Noom. It may provide the help you need.
