Noom Review: How Does It Work (& Can It Support Metabolic Health?)

As an editor in the well-being space, I'm attuned to the basics of weight loss. Yet putting these habits into practice is always easier said than done—which is why I jumped on the chance to try Noom Weight.

The unique weight management program focuses on psychological principles rooted in behavioral changes.

Translation? Noom teaches you how to fuel smarter with a focus on balancing calorie density, with an emphasis on also closely tracking sleep, exercise, and stress.

This education is paired with personalized coaching, progress tracking, goal setting, and accountability buddies. The end goal is long-term, sustainable change.

Noom is a digital health care company that aims to support metabolic health by building a long-term, sustainable approach to weight management.

Founded in 2008, Noom launched as a way to help people take health care into their own hands. Today the brand is known for its psychology-based weight program, which combines nutrition education, personalized coaching, and daily tracking.

Over time, Noom has expanded its offerings to include programs focused on stress management—since mental health is so closely tied to physical health—and medical weight loss support.

Joining Noom is a straightforward process. When you download the free Noom app, you'll be prompted to start your free seven-day trial or to enter a Unique Program ID for a preexisting subscription, like those from your health insurance.

New users will be led through an initial intake questionnaire, which includes questions about your weight loss goals, gender, age, height, current weight, and lifestyle (e.g., employment status or current health concerns).

During the sign-up process, Noom will inquire whether you've previously dealt with disordered eating. Noom will not let users join who self-reported diagnosed eating disorders.

From there, you'll be asked about your long-term weight goals and how you prefer to achieve them (a focus on diet, nutrition, or building good habits).

At mindbodygreen, we believe in a holistic approach to health that would incorporate aspects of all three options—so I checked all three!

Afterward, the brand will ask about your preferred weight loss method (rapid or slow & steady), along with any big life events.

While I felt comfortable taking the rest of the questionnaire, this section gave me pause. Noom's entire methodology focuses on long-term sustainable change, so the option of "fast weight loss" felt like the antithesis of the goal. But I know for many people the catalyst for change is often a big event in their life.

Once your questionnaire is finished, the app starts to build your ideal Noom plan. You'll also take smaller surveys with holistic lifestyle questions (e.g., sleep or stress levels) to explore optional plan enhancements.

The cost of your Noom plan depends on the length of your subscription. Users can choose to be billed annually, monthly, or somewhere in between.

Reminder: All plans are billed upfront and are auto-renewing (but you can cancel anytime).

It's a holistic approach to health.

Noom doesn't just address diet; it also emphasizes the importance of physical activity, mental health, and stress management. We talk a lot about these pillars of health at mindbodygreen, so I really appreciated the 360-degree approach.

It's not meant to be a quick fix.

By helping users understand their eating habits and triggers, Noom promotes lasting change. You're not meant to keep deleting and redownloading Noom. The app is built to make you a long-term user with incentives like Noom coins to keep you coming back. And once you stop using Noom, the hope is that your habits are changed for good.

It makes weight management easier to follow.

Noom encourages users to incorporate healthy habits into their existing routines. By focusing on small, manageable changes rather than drastic overhauls, it makes the program feel manageable even if you're newer to understanding nutrition.

It finds unique ways to motivate you.