Noom vs. Military Diet

By Summer Banks FNS, SPT on Jan 04, 2022

Noom vs. Military Diet – The world of weight loss is expanding rapidly with technology and artificial intelligence leading the way. At the heart of the best programs are healthy eating, sustainable lifestyle changes, and permanent weight loss. When we looked at Noom vs. the Military Diet, we immediately knew the two are nowhere near comparable. Noom is about lasting weight loss with whole foods, and the Military Diet is packed with processed foods with no nutritional value.

Let’s take a closer look at these two programs.

What is Noom?

Noom is a novel weight-loss app that uses the power of psychology to guide users through a weight-loss journey customized to their needs. Each user is partnered with a personal coach who helps along the way with advice and check-ins. The program encourages healthy eating, exercise, and education for permanent results. Noom has been clinically tested and proven to support weight loss in more than 75% of people who use the program.

The two programs from Noom are the Healthy Weight Program and the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). Healthy Weight is a 16-week plan, and DPP lasts 24 weeks. DPP has also been clinically tested and proven effective, including helping patients lose weight.

What is the Military Diet?

The Military Diet is a 3-day diet that claims to help followers lose upwards of 10 pounds in just seven days. For the first three days, calories are limited, but days four through seven allow normal eating, up to 1500 calories. In addition to limiting calories, there is a specific food list to be followed for the first three days.

Noom vs. Military Diet Customer Testimonials
History

Noom vs. Military Diet – History

Brief History of Noom

Noom was started in 2008 by the duo Artem Petakov and Saeju Jeong. The company has secured multiple rounds of funding, with the latest being in March 2020. Some of the big names funding Noom include Samsung and Sequoia Capital.

The Noom app has been called the millennial’s weight-loss program because it uses the power of technology, which millennials have grown accustomed to, to promote weight loss.

Brief History of the Military Diet

There is no history of the Military Diet. The diet wasn’t developed by, nor is it supported by the US military. There’s no indication that the diet was developed by doctors or any other professionals. Based on research, it looks like the Military Diet is just a fad that’s stuck around for decades – like the cabbage soup diet.

Noom vs. Military Diet – Who’s Behind the Plans?

Who Created Noom?

The men at the heart of Noom are Artem Petakov and Saeju Jeong. As technology and weight-loss research advanced over the years, the duo took a novel approach when creating the app. Noom was developed with psychologists, trainers, nutritionists, and doctors and encourages a whole-body and mind approach, as opposed to focusing solely on food or exercise.

Jeong started out in Korea, where he founded the business BuyHard Productions. He stayed for six years before partnering with Petakov to create Noom.

Petakov first worked with Sun Microsystems as an intern before going to work for Google. He eventually founded WorkSmart Labs, the company behind Noom.

Who Created the Military Diet?

There is no history of the Military Diet. We don’t know where it came from, when it started, or who developed the rules of the plan. There’s no trouble finding information on the Military Diet. There’s even a website dedicated to the fad. Still, there’s no real history, and it doesn’t appear that anyone is rushing to stake a claim.

Rules

Noom vs. Military Diet – The Rules

Rules of Noom

The Noom weight-loss program doesn’t aim to set a series of rules the user must follow. Instead, users are encouraged to make small changes in eating habits and lifestyle choices while learning why these changes work and how to build on these changes for better results.

What you will find are three pillars on which the Noom program is built – tracking food, tracking exercise, and education. Though tracking is a common element in weight-loss plans, Noom just does things differently.

Food Tracking: The big difference between Noom food tracking and other programs is green, yellow, red categorization. Foods are placed into one of the three categories. Green foods are where you can get the most nutrition for the least amount of calories. Yellow foods are to be eaten in moderation – the calorie count is higher than green foods, and nutrition isn’t as strong. Red foods are only eaten on occasion. That’s because these foods tend to be high-calorie, high-fat, and non-nutritive.

Here is a short list of foods that fall into each of these categories.

  • Green Foods: green foods include most fruits and vegetables (asparagus, green beans, carrots, broccoli, apples, peaches, bananas, blueberries, oranges, and tomatoes). Also, non-fat yogurt and most nut milks are included.
  • Yellow Foods: the yellow category adds in low-fat dairy (cheese, milk, and cottage cheese), lean meats, fish, eggs, whole grains (rice, pasta, and bread), beans, avocados, and calorie-free sodas.
  • Red Foods: foods that should only be consumed on occasion include fried snacks, fried foods, white foods (rice, bread, sugar, pasta, flour), mayonnaise, and processed foods.

Exercise Tracking: Noom advocates exercise as a part of a healthy weight-loss program. To encourage the user to get those activity minutes in each day, 50% of the calories burned during exercise are automatically added into your daily calorie goal. That means if your daily goal is 1500 calories and you burn 300 calories on an afternoon walk, your new daily calorie goal is 1650 calories.

Lessons and Follow-Up Quizzes: This is the amazing part of Noom that sets it apart from other programs by leaps and bounds. The psychological aspects of weight loss are often left out in weight-loss plans. Still, you can’t lose weight and keep it off without the right frame of mind and, as Noom offers, education on how to live your new life.

Users are asked to use the Noom app for just 10 minutes a day to build lasting habits to improve weight loss. Articles are delivered daily, providing education and information on weight loss, mental health, exercise, and more. Short quizzes reinforce the lessons helping the small bits of new information stick.

You can check out how Noom works with lessons and quizzes during a free trial offer today.

Rules of the Military Diet

The rules of the Military Diet are strict and structured. For three days, there is no allowance for deviance, in most cases, though recent adaptations offer some substitutions.

On days one, two, and three, you eat a pre-written diet. Days four, five, six, and seven open up the eating plan to include all foods, but calorie intake must be kept below 1500.

There is a specific list of foods and drinks that must be adhered to for the first three days. These foods are:

Apples, bananas, whole-wheat bread, carrots, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, coffee, eggs, grapefruit, Greek yogurt, green beans, hot dogs, ice cream, meat, peanut butter, saltine crackers, tea, and tuna.

Eating Plans

Noom vs. Military Diet – Eating Plans

The Noom Eating Plan

The premise behind healthy weight loss with Noom is to change the way the user looks at food, but in a way that’s natural and not forced. Users are taught how to choose whole foods over processed foods and why whole foods are the better option. It’s best to fill your diet with a rainbow of colors from fruits and vegetables.

The Noom eating plan is not restrictive. There are no foods to avoid, so users are free to keep all their favorites in their diet. Guidance is provided for serving sizes and nutrition from a database of more than 3.5 million foods.

The Military Eating Plan

The Military Diet is one of the most interesting diets out there. Not only are many foods restricted, but the diet is broken into three days of eating specific meals.

Day One:

For breakfast on day one, you can eat a cup of caffeinated coffee (or tea), ½ a grapefruit, and a slice of toast with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

For lunch, you will dine on 1 cup of caffeinated coffee (or tea), 1 slice of toast, and ½ a cup of tuna.

Finally, dinner on day one consists of 1 small apple, ½ a banana, 1 cup of green beans, and 3 ounces of meat.

Dessert is 1 cup of vanilla ice cream.

The total calories for day one are about 1000. Any eating plan that provides fewer than 1200 calories per day does not provide what the body needs to function well.

Day Two:

Heading into day two, you can eat ½ a banana, 1 egg, and 1 slice of toast for breakfast.

Throw together a hard-boiled egg, a cup of cottage cheese, and 5 saltine crackers for lunch.

By dinner, you’ll be ready for 2 hot dogs (no bun), ½ cup of carrots, 1 cup of broccoli, and ½ a banana.

Dessert is ½ cup of vanilla ice cream.

The total calories for day two are about 1200. This is around the lowest calorie intake suggested without the advice of a healthcare provider, based on some weight-loss programs.

Day Three:

Breakfast on day three consists of 1 small apple, 5 saltine crackers, and 1 slice of cheese.

Lunch comes with 1 slice of toast and 1 egg.

Dinner leaves you with 1 cup of tuna and ½ a banana.

Dessert is 1 cup of vanilla ice cream.

By day three, the calorie count has dropped to fewer than 800 calories. This is not enough calories to get the nutrients you need, let alone sustain energy.

Days Four to Seven:

The rest of the week, you are free to eat any foods you like as long as you keep the total calories under 1500.

Plan Duration

Noom vs. Military Diet – Plan Duration

How Long Does Noom Last?

Noom is a 16-week program. The small changes introduced along the way add up to significant lifestyle changes for permanent weight loss. After the 16 weeks, users can continue to subscribe to maintain a connection with their coach and virtual community or move off the program taking the lessons they learned with them.

How Long Does the Military Diet Last?

The Military Diet is often called the 3-day diet, but the rules cover seven days. The first three are strict with specific meals, but the last four are a free-for-all up to 1500 calories a day. The diet is nutritionally deficient, and in the first three days, it sometimes provides fewer than 1000 calories.

Significant Differences Between Noom and the Military Diet

The most significant difference between Noom and the Military Diet is that Noom is clinically proven, and the Military Diet is not considered safe or effective.

We have no idea where the Military Diet started, but Noom is transparent about who worked on the program and the clinical research that supports the effectiveness of Noom.

Noom does not restrict foods on any part of the plan. The Military Diet strictly prohibits nearly every food for the first three days.

Noom supports eating whole foods that are packed with healthy nutrients. The Military Diet allows processed foods like hot dogs, and while Noom doesn’t prohibit hot dogs, users are encouraged to choose foods that are not processed.

Noom is available as a free trial offer so you can take this amazing technology for a test drive.

Can You Follow the Military Diet on Noom?

No, the Military Diet doesn’t work with the Noom program. Noom is a 16-week, progressive program that helps educate the user on healthy lifestyle changes for lasting weight loss. None of the rules and guidelines that come with the Military Diet fit into the mission of gradual changes for lasting results.

The Military Diet is a 3-day (actually 7-day) restriction that throws together a bunch of foods seemingly chosen at random.

Possible Side Effects of Noom vs. the Military Diet

The Noom weight-loss program has no side effects, but we can’t say that for the Military Diet.

The first three days of the Military Diet, calorie intake is deficient. This can lead to hunger, fatigue, headache, and binge eating. Following the 3-day diet for longer than one week is not recommended. Long-term side effects of the Military Diet may include:

  • Constipation
  • Nutrient Deficiency
  • Irritability
  • Dizziness
  • Low Blood Sugar
  • Low Blood Pressure
Research

Noom vs. Military Diet – The Research

Clinical Research on Noom

Noom has been clinically studied for both the Healthy Weight Program and the Diabetes Prevention Program. Research into both has resulted in some amazing findings.

A study published in Scientific Reports that involved more than 35,000 participants showed that the use of the Noom app and program improved weight loss. Based on the study results, around 77% of users reported weight loss. The study also found that logging dinner and exercise are two habits common in people who lose the most weight.

The journal Obesity Research and Clinical Practice published a clinical article on the effect of Noom on body mass index (BMI). BMI is a calculation used to estimate total body fat. The use of the Noom app reduced BMI by two points. The more the users interacted with the app and program, the more points lost.

Sometimes weight-loss programs can help you lose weight only to leave you hanging when it comes to maintaining weight loss. Research published in Metabolic Syndromes and Related Disorders shared that with the use of Noom, more people maintain weight loss than those who don’t use the program.

Clinical Research on the Military Diet

We spent a considerable amount of time researching the Military Diet. One thing we never found was a single shred of clinical proof it was safe, effective, or suggested by any person or organization. We also found that this diet has nothing to do with the US Military, or any country’s military that we could find. US Military doesn’t make it a common practice to reduce calorie intake below 1000.

Though we were unable to find research, we did find an interesting take on the 3-day diet. According to some, the protein on the diet can help stave off hunger, and if you drink green tea or coffee, you may get the benefits of caffeine. While these statements are true, they don’t support the Military Diet in any way.

Quick Facts

The Facts About Noom vs. Military Diet

Let’s recap some of the basic facts about Noom and the Military Diet.

Quick Facts on Noom

  • Noom is a 16-week program.
  • All plans are personalized to the user. No two plans are alike.
  • Education and quizzes are used to introduce and support lifestyle changes.
  • In a study of more than 30,000 participants, Noom helped 77% of users lose weight.
  • Noom has been shown in clinical research to help people keep weight off and maintain their new weight.
  • Noom encourages whole foods with excellent nutritional value while maintaining that no foods are off-limits.
  • The Noom DPP is also clinically proven to support weight loss.

Quick Facts on the Military Diet

  • On at least one day of the Military Diet, you consume fewer than 1000 calories.
  • Only specific foods are allowed on the diet.
  • Processed foods and sugar desserts are encouraged.
  • Exercise is not part of the plan.
  • Side effects like fatigue, dizziness, and headache are common.
  • Fad diets like this don’t lead to lasting weight loss.

There are apparent differences between Noom and the Military Diet. One is a program designed to partner technology with psychology for permanent weight loss, and the other is a fad diet that encourages processed foods and restricted eating. Sometimes there are diets that fit perfectly into Noom’s vision, but the Military Diet is not one of those.

Take a look at Noom. The program is personalized, and your coach is there to help you along the way. Check out the free trial offer today.

Noom vs. Military Diet Ingredients
Questions

Noom vs. Military Diet Questions and Answers

Let’s take a quick look at some of the questions surrounding Noom.

What exactly is Noom?

Noom is an app-based weight-loss program that spans 16 weeks. Users are paired with a personal coach and a custom weight-loss plan for the duration. The program has been clinically tested and proven to promote weight loss and weight maintenance.

Does Noom give you a meal plan?

No, Noom doesn’t give you a meal plan. The plan is calorie-based – though the end goal is to teach users how to naturally choose foods based on nutrition and not calories.

What are red foods on Noom?

Red foods on Noom are foods that should only be eaten occasionally. Red foods tend to be high in calories and fat, or they are processed.

What are the yellow foods on Noom?

It is suggested that yellow foods on Noom be eaten in moderation. These foods tend to be higher in calories than green foods, but more nutritious than red foods.

What are the green foods on Noom?

Green foods are the go-to foods on Noom. These foods should make up a large portion of your daily intake. Not only do green foods provide the best nutrition, but they also provide a larger serving size for total calories.

Does Noom send you food?

No, Noom isn’t a meal delivery service. The entire program is app-based.

How does Noom track steps?

Noom Walk Pedometer is a complementary app to Noom. Steps are tracked through the pedometer.

Does Noom really work?

Based on clinical research, the Noom app does work. In a study of more than 30,000 people, about 77% of people reported weight loss over 16 weeks. Additional research shows the app also helps people maintain weight loss.

How much does Noom cost per month?

Noom is priced based on the number of months you choose at checkout.

  • One month is $59.
  • Two months is $99.
  • Four months is $129.
  • Six months is $149.
  • Eight months is $159.
  • Twelve months is $199.

Is Noom really worth it?

If you want a program that is clinically proven to promote weight loss and weight maintenance, yes, Noom is worth it.

About the Author:

Summer Banks has researched over 5000 weight-loss programs, pills, shakes and diet plans. Previously, she managed 15 supplement brands, worked with professionals in the weight loss industry and completed coursework in nutrition at Stanford University.

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