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I’m a Noomer Who Is at Least Not Gaining Much Weight
By Mary MacVean
Today I heard a commercial for Noom, among the best-known of the dieting apps, saying it provides “the knowledge and the wisdom” to lose weight and lead a healthy life.
Count me among the skeptics.
My reasons? For starters, have you heard about it on National Public Radio, of which it’s a sponsor? The promises that Noom is not a diet but a path to a healthier lifestyle? That sounds good, for sure. But Noom is a calorie-counting regimen. And to me, that’s a diet.
I’m not suggesting that many of us wouldn’t like, or couldn’t use, some lifestyle changes. Hard to count how many times I’ve started a meditation practice. And people still smoke cigarettes. Keeping in touch with friends, drinking less alcohol, reading more, sitting less — just a few of the changes a lifestyle might appreciate.
However, I have yet to meet anyone who joined Noom without wanting to lose weight. Not to mention, it asks you to log every bit of food you eat. And then it rates what you log. Sounds like a diet to me. (Last year, the company introduced Noom Mood, which could pull in people with other goals.)
Not everyone shares my view. I have talked to enthusiastic fans, people who say the app got them to be more attentive to what they ate over…