I pretty much stopped eating after my last post. All things considered, I may be taking in 400 to 500 calories per day in coffee creamer, sugar-free handy candy and gum, soup broth, and raw apples (small) and baby carrots. Aside for a salad at social occasion on Thursday, I am meal-free.
The results are mixed. I am never hungry, because of the candy/gum, but I am always bloated, so I don't feel any less heavy than when I stopped eating. I expect this to pass in time. Even so, I have dropped 11 lbs. That's incredible. More than a pound per day with extremely minimal suffering. I miss cooking. That's my suffering. Along with the bloating.
My blood-sugar is in the normal range for the first time in a while. I am still taking a multivitamin and drinking plentiful of fluids. My energy level is unchanged, except that caffeine seems to give me a slightly bigger boost. I am concerned about the lack of protein, but I think if I add light tuna that might take care of it. I am sleeping well and dreaming of mostly pleasant things.
My birthday is tomorrow. I do not plan on eating anything in celebration, but I am banking the day, so to speak, for when my weight is under control again. Then I'll splurge. Maybe a full-sized apple. Kidding! Whatever and whenever, it will be something with chocolate involved.
I'm not especially worried about disordered eating on a clinical level. At the end of the day, I love food too much to give it up forever.
Because repetition is inevitable and transformation is not.
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
More on Noom App
Quick refresher: Noom is a weight loss app with both free and premium versions. I tried the premium, because I had a spark of hope that this might be the thing that helped me conquer my plateau. Let's start with the positive:
Cost. I paid $24.99 for a lifetime Noom subscription. Supposedly, it is refundable. I just put in my request this morning. Considering how expensive some of the monthly subscription apps are, this is a pretty good deal, if you're willing to buy apps for your phone. I tend not to do so. I've been playing the free version of Triple Town for over a year now. Just FYI.
Functionality. Noom will not let you down or give you up. No, seriously now, the app itself is well-designed, functional, reliable, and unobtrusive. It does not crash, hang-up, or drain my phone battery. These are all good things, ne? Overall, it is enjoyable to use and in the beginning, even kind of fun, although that wears off a little bit.
Now more the negative:
Philosophy. Noom bases its dieting philosophy on Volumetrics, a fairly ancient and hoopty method of weight loss that may not be suitable for many people. To be fair, a person over 300 lbs who is just beginning to try to eat differently would almost certainly benefit from this (and all other) means of weight loss that's based on calories restriction. It just makes sense. But for other groups it is likely to be needlessly frustrating and harmful. If a person basically has their dieting ducks in a row, but still can't lose that last 10 to 20 lbs, I seriously doubt this would help them in any way.
Additionally, Noom is likely to cause severe harm to anyone with a slew of preexisting conditions who uses their diet, which is extremely carbohydrate heavy and allergy-unfriendly. I'm a Type I diabetic. If I ate as they recommend, I would either gain weight or die from complications from high blood sugar. I would also die fuzzy-headed, cranky, and emotionally detached because of the excessive amount of grains (gluten) touted by this diet. People with celiac's...I think it could cause them severe harm too, but I'll let them speak to that one.
Noom goes through a lot of trouble to try and smear people who use low-carb or low-glycemic diets. It is actually pretty damn disgusting the amount of misinformation they are willing to spread on this topic. I lost all respect for their system once I started reading their anti-Atkins articles.
Partnerships. If you knew that your dieting app was in bed with a homophobic organization, would you keep the app? I have a pretty unflinching moral compass when it comes to groups that participate in anti-gay hate-speech. I marched in college. I gave in my twenties. I will again someday. So help me.
That's why I find Noom's partnership with Curves so utterly unbearable. I naively used the gym in my area...no, tell you what we're naming names here. I used the Curves in Fayetteville, Georgia. They routinely played homophobic music, mostly about murdering gay people - yes, I'm serious here. I mentioned that I thought it wasn't cool. OMG...snide. I quit going. Also, no, it didn't help me get into shape.
Not cool, Noom, not cool.
So that's it in a nutshell right there. I just requested my refund a little while ago. I will let you know if they don't cough up, like they advertise they will.
Cost. I paid $24.99 for a lifetime Noom subscription. Supposedly, it is refundable. I just put in my request this morning. Considering how expensive some of the monthly subscription apps are, this is a pretty good deal, if you're willing to buy apps for your phone. I tend not to do so. I've been playing the free version of Triple Town for over a year now. Just FYI.
Functionality. Noom will not let you down or give you up. No, seriously now, the app itself is well-designed, functional, reliable, and unobtrusive. It does not crash, hang-up, or drain my phone battery. These are all good things, ne? Overall, it is enjoyable to use and in the beginning, even kind of fun, although that wears off a little bit.
Now more the negative:
Philosophy. Noom bases its dieting philosophy on Volumetrics, a fairly ancient and hoopty method of weight loss that may not be suitable for many people. To be fair, a person over 300 lbs who is just beginning to try to eat differently would almost certainly benefit from this (and all other) means of weight loss that's based on calories restriction. It just makes sense. But for other groups it is likely to be needlessly frustrating and harmful. If a person basically has their dieting ducks in a row, but still can't lose that last 10 to 20 lbs, I seriously doubt this would help them in any way.
Additionally, Noom is likely to cause severe harm to anyone with a slew of preexisting conditions who uses their diet, which is extremely carbohydrate heavy and allergy-unfriendly. I'm a Type I diabetic. If I ate as they recommend, I would either gain weight or die from complications from high blood sugar. I would also die fuzzy-headed, cranky, and emotionally detached because of the excessive amount of grains (gluten) touted by this diet. People with celiac's...I think it could cause them severe harm too, but I'll let them speak to that one.
Noom goes through a lot of trouble to try and smear people who use low-carb or low-glycemic diets. It is actually pretty damn disgusting the amount of misinformation they are willing to spread on this topic. I lost all respect for their system once I started reading their anti-Atkins articles.
Partnerships. If you knew that your dieting app was in bed with a homophobic organization, would you keep the app? I have a pretty unflinching moral compass when it comes to groups that participate in anti-gay hate-speech. I marched in college. I gave in my twenties. I will again someday. So help me.
That's why I find Noom's partnership with Curves so utterly unbearable. I naively used the gym in my area...no, tell you what we're naming names here. I used the Curves in Fayetteville, Georgia. They routinely played homophobic music, mostly about murdering gay people - yes, I'm serious here. I mentioned that I thought it wasn't cool. OMG...snide. I quit going. Also, no, it didn't help me get into shape.
Not cool, Noom, not cool.
So that's it in a nutshell right there. I just requested my refund a little while ago. I will let you know if they don't cough up, like they advertise they will.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Noom update
Here's what I've learned so far: it's the opposite of Paleo/Primal, except that it eschews processed foods. Everything I consider healthy is a red food. Everything they consider healthy does bad things to me. Example: grits. They're basically ground, usually GMO corn, processed and super-fast-burning carbohydrate. Noom thinks they're healthy! I add butter and cheese to slow down the carbohydrate digestion. Noom thinks those are bad.
I think part of the basic problem here is that it refuses to think about macro-nutrients, by its own admission, even though a lot of people have metabolic issues (diabetes, celiac, mood disorders, etc.) that really mean that they should.
Noom is not diabetic friendly, in other words.
That said, the pedometer function is nice for anyone lucky enough to be able to carry their phone all day.
The leveling-up system really boosts the motivation of my inner-gamer. I am already to Level Four, almost to Level Five. I enjoy reading the articles, although I do not agree with some of them.
Most of the challenges are pretty freaking weak. I have a hard time taking any of their recommended steps seriously. I eat a good diet. I exercise frequently. I keep moving. I hydrate. I get almost enough sleep. So everything that Noom tells me is so faraway non-applicable, it almost makes me laugh sometimes. I have already done all this!
Noom also recommends keeping a detailed mood journal to help with emotional eating. This is a really good idea. HOWEVER, Noom does not provide this as a feature. Users have to go fetch their own pen and pad. OMG! You stupid, app! Why can't I track my mood with you? Keep all this in one place? Very disappointing.
Another feature is Groups, where Noom assigns people to semi-random groups to help each other with their goals. I just got mine today. I am really uncomfortable with it so far, because unlike with Fitbit, you aren't choosing your peers, so random algorithm is. My groups looks like Cell Block D. Creepy! But I'm going to try to give them some time.
Supposedly, if this doesn't work out, Noom will issue a refund for the cost of the Pro app. I may end up testing that, but like I said, I am going to give this some more time. So far, not terribly impressed.
I think part of the basic problem here is that it refuses to think about macro-nutrients, by its own admission, even though a lot of people have metabolic issues (diabetes, celiac, mood disorders, etc.) that really mean that they should.
Noom is not diabetic friendly, in other words.
That said, the pedometer function is nice for anyone lucky enough to be able to carry their phone all day.
The leveling-up system really boosts the motivation of my inner-gamer. I am already to Level Four, almost to Level Five. I enjoy reading the articles, although I do not agree with some of them.
Most of the challenges are pretty freaking weak. I have a hard time taking any of their recommended steps seriously. I eat a good diet. I exercise frequently. I keep moving. I hydrate. I get almost enough sleep. So everything that Noom tells me is so faraway non-applicable, it almost makes me laugh sometimes. I have already done all this!
Noom also recommends keeping a detailed mood journal to help with emotional eating. This is a really good idea. HOWEVER, Noom does not provide this as a feature. Users have to go fetch their own pen and pad. OMG! You stupid, app! Why can't I track my mood with you? Keep all this in one place? Very disappointing.
Another feature is Groups, where Noom assigns people to semi-random groups to help each other with their goals. I just got mine today. I am really uncomfortable with it so far, because unlike with Fitbit, you aren't choosing your peers, so random algorithm is. My groups looks like Cell Block D. Creepy! But I'm going to try to give them some time.
Supposedly, if this doesn't work out, Noom will issue a refund for the cost of the Pro app. I may end up testing that, but like I said, I am going to give this some more time. So far, not terribly impressed.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Do you Noom?
I'm trying out a new weight-loss app for my phone - Noom. It's available in a free version from the Google Play Store, as well as premium - $24.99 lifetime, on sale now. I tested the free version for a few days and enjoy the interface, although I'm not sure how well this style of ... coaching (?) will work to meet my needs.
The app is actually pretty sophisticated in terms of tracking food and steps (pedometer), but not as wonderful as the Fitbit, which I've probably mentioned before. The app mechanics are nice - extremely intuitive and interactive. In some ways, it's like Spark People and Fitbit had a baby, because Noom provides reading material and other perks too.
The calorie goals are more realistic, and unlike FB, Noom totally judges what I consume, although not necessarily by a criteria that meshes (at all) well with my South Beach (lost 30) and Primal Blueprint (lost 34) background. FB gives me a daily max of about 1600 calories. Noom holds me to 1200, which in modern thinking is much more realistic for moderate weight loss.
Noom doesn't focus on hardcore exercise, but more on moving around more. Given the news articles I've read lately supporting this view, I am not calling this a bad thing at all.
I'm still exploring the app and will update with periodic progress reports. If it doesn't help me break on through (read: get under 150 lbs), I plan to get a refund and try something else.
The app is actually pretty sophisticated in terms of tracking food and steps (pedometer), but not as wonderful as the Fitbit, which I've probably mentioned before. The app mechanics are nice - extremely intuitive and interactive. In some ways, it's like Spark People and Fitbit had a baby, because Noom provides reading material and other perks too.
The calorie goals are more realistic, and unlike FB, Noom totally judges what I consume, although not necessarily by a criteria that meshes (at all) well with my South Beach (lost 30) and Primal Blueprint (lost 34) background. FB gives me a daily max of about 1600 calories. Noom holds me to 1200, which in modern thinking is much more realistic for moderate weight loss.
Noom doesn't focus on hardcore exercise, but more on moving around more. Given the news articles I've read lately supporting this view, I am not calling this a bad thing at all.
I'm still exploring the app and will update with periodic progress reports. If it doesn't help me break on through (read: get under 150 lbs), I plan to get a refund and try something else.
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