I used the Noom weight loss app to help me create life long healthy eating habits, but I found a lot of helpful tools, books, resources and even JEWELRY to help keep my focus on my health.
That is what today's post is all about. Because Noom doesn't really want you to rely on the app for the rest of your life…You are supposed to learn your good habits and be done.
I don't know about you but I love having tools, books and even accessories to serve as reminders of all the hard work I've done, and as a reminder that my work is not over.
Living a healthy lifestyle doesn't end when you hit your goal weight. It is forever. So that is why I'm sharing these ideas today. To help keep our motivation high, and to remind me to make healthy choices every day.
Never Heard of Noom?
If you are already using Noom, you can skip past this part, but I wanted to mention for anyone who doesn't know what Noom is…it's a super popular weight loss app (I shared my Noom Review & Results here, and there are tons of reviews from other people at the bottom of my review post).
Noom uses psychology to help you break bad habits and learn new good habits. I read a book about habits recently that was FULL of amazing advice. I feel like I highlighted half the book, but one quote really stuck with me. It said something like, “Habits remove the need to make a decision, and therefore they remove the need for willpower.”
Woah, right? You can ACTUALLY bypass willpower and just go straight to the GOOD thing you want to do…IF you make it a habit.
Most of us don't need to decide to brush our teeth, or put on shoes before we go to the store. Those are habits. It sounds obvious…but what if we can make eating healthy and exercising as automatic as brushing our teeth each day!? That is what Noom is ALL about.
If you want to try Noom and check it out, they have a trial option. (I knew right away I was going to do the paid version. I had finally decided my health was worth time, money and effort.) You start the trial by taking this quick quiz to start your customized Noom program.
If you want to see the things I used while I was on Noom- and since I've been off it- to help me maintain my weight loss, keep on reading.
Meal Planning Resources for Noom Users
Meal Kits vs Meal Planning
As many people like to point out, on Noom there are no meal plans, per se. You choose all your foods, so even with all the good stuff Noom did for me, I still needed to PLAN MY MEALS every day!
I have never been great at meal planning. I was always much more of a “Remove from fridge. Put in mouth” kinda eater. But one lesson I learned from Noom is that making food that is healthy and good for me might take time and effort. And that's okay. Again- I'm worth it.
Meal Delivery Kits
My husband is a bit more…”particular” about food, bless him. He likes what he likes, and recipes have to be well-tested. So it was also a struggle to plan meals that he would eat, week after week. I work from home, and he gets home from work late. He loves to cook but but if we want to eat before bedtime I really needed to be the one making dinners.
This is what caused us to try Meal Delivery Kits.
If you have heard of things like Blue Apron, or Sun Basket, well these really saved us. We have been using them for years. He chooses the meals, then I cook them and we'd eat when he gets home. It works for us.
If you need help planning healthy dinners while on Noom, a great short cut as you get started on your healthy lifestyle is to use something like SunBasket. Their meals are clean, healthy, calorie conscious and seriously delicious.
Meal Delivery Kit Resources:
The Best Meal Delivery Kits for Weight Loss Learn More About Sun Basket in my Full Sun Basket Review Give the Gift of Sun Basket – Gift Cards for Healthy Meals Delivered
Meal Planning Apps
I feel like as I go through life, I have found there are type types of people in the world: Meal planners and non meal planners.
Meal planners have this system in their head. They just get it. Then there is me. I just don't. But that is ok. I'm learning!
In the mean time, if meal delivery kits are not your thing and you like to do the grocery shopping, use coupons, etc…there are still some handy tools out there to help you cut your meal planning time down to NONE.
I have used three different apps that do meal planning, and I love each one for different reasons.
See if one stands out to you, since we all have different desires when it comes to meal planning:
Meal Planning App Resources:
PlateJoy – This is a super customizable meal planning app. Got a big family? Add everyone! Just you? That's cool too. Got any super specific dietary need? You can select that. I even told the app that I hate cilantro, because, ew. The other nice thing is that you CAN connect it to make grocery store shopping services, which means you get your MPerks at Meijer, or whatever your grocery store perks are, and can take advantage of sales. (Use Code LALYMOM for a nice discount!) EMeals – So eMeals is kind of the exact opposite of PlateJoy. You can select a meal plan, like Low Carb Family, but otherwise it's like, “Boom, here are your meals for the week!” Some people might like having these decisions made for you. Like I mentioned above, removing the need to make a decision removes the need for willpower. If you just follow the meal plan, you don't need to make the decision to buy other foods that trigger bad habits. This app can also be used with some grocery store services like WalMart and InstaCart. LadyBoss – This one is TOTALLY different from the other two. Like. Way crazy different. The founder was overweight in her 20's and decided to not just lose weight, not just start working out and getting super buff, but then she made an app and program to help women around the world to take back their health. The app has many features, including a daily meal plan with exactly what to eat (no real flexibility, but it is really quick prep food) but also gives you workouts to follow, meal suggestions for when you go out to eat, motivational mindset exercises plus a super invigorating Facebook community of women of all shapes and sizes, cheering each other on. I found it when I was looking for an exercise app to follow after I finished Noom. Healthy Lifestyle Motivation
When it comes to motivation, I wish everything in life could help contribute to my healthy lifestyle. My clothes, my house, my books, heck- even my jewelry.
You don't have to go overboard but if you are looking for some ways to keep your healthy choices at the top of your mind, here are some of the ways I like to do it.
These would also make great gifts for any Noom User.
Healthy Books and Podcasts – I love to read as well as listen to audiobooks and podcasts. A good novel is wonderful for the soul, but lately I have been choosing titles to help build me up, pump me up and keep me motivated. Scan through my whole list of PodCasts and Books For a Healthy Lifestyle here.
Elephant Jewelry – Your inner elephant is a common phrase in Noom. I'm not going to spoil it for you if you have not reached that part yet, but trust me, having a daily reminder of your inner elephant- and how you have tamed it- is an amazing gift for yourself or someone else you know who is using Noom. There are tons of styles of Elephant Jewelry and Accessories on Amazon (hint: for gifts, you can select the price range on the left). Etsy is also an awesome resource for Motivational Jewelry….mmm handmade goodies!
Exercise Apps – Noom doesn't tell you what workouts to do, so I have tried a ton of exercise apps (I list a couple faves here, but I did a big rundown of exercise and weight loss apps, if you want to read more). I also have to be careful because I have wound up in physical therapy a couple times over the past few years. After trying a bunch, the ones I really used the most are this trainer-in-your-ear workout app, which has a HUGE variety of workouts at every level, including walking meditations and light workouts when I was fresh off physical therapy, and then this pocket trainer app, which has a whole program of its own, when I bumped up to more intense gym & weight workouts. Both offer free trials if you want to see which one you like better.
Home Decor – Wouldn't it be amazing to wake up every morning to a motivational quote to start the day on the right foot? I love sprinkling positive messages around the house (you can do this at work too!) to create an uplifting atmosphere. Etsy has a wide range of motivational wall art, ranging from super affordable printables that you can pop into your favorite frame, all the way to large wall decals and canvas prints. For a super inexpensive option that you can change out as often as you like, I LOVE using a set of dry erase markers to write on our bathroom mirrors. I got this set of colored EXPO markers for a steal from Amazon. You can write any message you want, but here are a few healthy motivational quotes that keep me going. I also leave affectionate messages for my kids on their mirror.
Fitness Gear – Noom has a built in pedometer but if you want another option, gift yourself a fitness tracker. I love my Fitbit, but there is a Fitbit for every lifestyle. I break down some of the top fitbit models by lifestyle to help you pick the right one. To take your exercise to the next level or mix it up, you could also add a new piece of home workout equipment. I get mine from this fitness equipment website because I know they sell only high quality equipment at affordable prices.
Got any other ideas, my fellow Noomers? Let's hear your tips, tools and faves for keeping your motivation high!
Pin this post to save it for later and share with others!
The post My Favorite Things to Use with Noom – Perfect Gifts for Any Noom User! appeared first on LalyMom.
#EverythingOnTheBlog #Fitness
