Are you considering Noom for weight loss? If so, then this review is for you.
By the end of this review, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to make an informed decision to achieve your weight loss goals.
Noom is a mobile app subscription that takes a behavioral approach to weight loss. The creators of Noom believe that most people don’t achieve their weight loss goals because they give up too easily. By focusing on your behavior, Noom believes it can help you achieve your weight loss goals.
They accomplish this in 4 ways:
Overall, Noom’s core philosophy comes down to 3 things:
Before we share our thoughts on Noom, we think it’s useful to highlight the real contributors to weight loss, so you can make an informed judgment.
Most people aren’t aware there are 3 key factors that contribute to weight loss:
The most misunderstood concept of weight loss is time.
Our body gains and loses weight over time, not overnight. When our body absorbs fats, the fat cells expand in size, contributing to weight gain.
The same is true when our body loses weight. Fats oxidize and disappear from our fat cells, so they shrink in size. This is why weight loss takes time.
Fat deficit happens when your body absorbs less fat than it metabolizes.
This means that you can achieve fat loss when more fat is leaving your body than entering it.
This is also how calorie deficit or intermittent fasting diets work. By taking in fewer calories, your body absorbs less fats and it has to turn to the fats stored in your body for energy.
However, you can also continue to eat normally and lose weight as long as your body is able to absorb less fats. We will share a few ways you can do this later.
You have probably heard this word a dozen times before. Generally, the higher your metabolism, the more calories your body is able to convert into energy.
However, did you know that you can also achieve higher metabolism by engaging in regular activities? The scientific phrase is NEAT or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.
Research says that by staying active, you can burn more calories even without hitting the gym. This is an empowering finding.
If you schedule regular activities daily such as going to the supermarket, window shopping, strolling in the park or garden, and just move around more, you stand a higher chance of losing weight than actually just going to the gym.
Here’s the bottomline: if you achieve a fat deficit daily (not calorie deficit) and do that over a prolonged period of time, you CAN achieve your weight goals.
And it’s more achievable than most people think. Since most of our energy is used up through casual, non-exercise activities, it is very possible to achieve fat deficit on a daily basis without resorting to heavy exercises or strict diets.
So, does Noom work?
Well, if you find yourself having lots of negative thoughts during your weight loss journey, you may find Noom helpful in calibrating your thoughts so you can focus on the journey and actions to lose weight and persist in your efforts. That’s why they sell annual subscriptions. They know that weight loss is a journey that takes time.
But if you can exercise some self-discipline and remind yourself to be patient, you can either save the money or invest it on other effective alternatives that can accelerate your results.
Made from safe and healthy ingredients, supplements are formulated to supply nutrients and other beneficial ingredients to the body.
In the context of fat loss supplements, these are designed to support and augment your weight management efforts over time, by targeting the root cause. The right combination of ingredients can help women naturally curb appetite, enhance metabolism, and prevent fat absorption.
This approach means it can take time for most women to experience results (typically 60-180 days) and it doesn’t require extreme diets and excessive exercise – and avoids harmful side effects inherent in most drugs.
But a fair warning – given that supplements are not tightly regulated by the FDA, watch out for unrealistic claims. Be skeptical of any product guaranteeing that you can “lose 30 pounds in 30 days” – a legitimate company will not make that promise.
Another way to lose weight is to subscribe to weight loss meal prep services. These services work in similar ways to Noom – they rely on calorie deficit to help you achieve weight loss goals.
Nutrisystem is one such service. It creates pre-portioned meals and delivers them to your door, making it convenient. The plan usually provides between 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day. Once you have reached your weight goals, it also offers a plan to help you maintain your weight.
The main drawbacks are that it’s often more expensive as they need to charge more for the value-added service they are providing and many of their foods contain processed and frozen foods which may not be good for health.
Whether it’s intermittent fasting… doing the ketogenic diet… or juice fasts, nearly all belly fat burning diets count on eating fewer calories than your body uses, in order to shed the excess pounds.
However, this gets harder for women over 40.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, women’s calorie needs drop as they age. That means you need to eat less to maintain the same weight – and even less if you wish to lose it.
But here’s another problem; most restrictive diets don’t last. Numerous studies prove dieters are prone to gaining back the pounds they’ve shed. Not to mention, hormonal changes can make older women crave food even more – making it extremely difficult to stick to a diet.
The truth is, lasting weight loss especially around the midsection involves lots of commitment and effort.
It may require overcoming sedentary lifestyles and undoing habitual patterns of unhealthy eating, all ingrained for years.
Here’s where weight loss programs can bring much-needed support – by providing a mix of goal-setting, accountability check-ins, behavioral support, educational resources, and/or done-for-you meal plans.
However, hundreds of these programs flood the market every year, but few undergo rigorous evaluation for long-term efficacy.
A study of 141 weight loss programs in the United States revealed only 32 featured behavioral and nutritional components – while just 6 met US Preventive Services Task Force criteria.
So if you think participating in a program will help, choose one with evidence-based success rates.
If you are already eating moderately and have an active lifestyle where you’re gardening, taking regular strolls in the park, or just window shopping, belly fat loss supplements may be your best companion to achieve your weight goals.
This is because most weight loss alternatives like diets, meal prep, coaching programs, and even Noom focus on caloric intake deficits that may not be realistic for you and it could explain why you may have not seen much success in the past.
On the other hand, there is an increasing number of supplements made of natural ingredients clinically studied for their weight management properties. These ingredients can help to lower fat absorption and stimulate cholesterol and fat metabolism, which can help your body achieve fat deficit without having to restrict your diet any further.
In fact, if you are a female over 40, you’re more likely to gain weight due to a decline in estrogen level from perimenopause and menopause than bad diets or a lack of exercise. In that case, dietary supplements can support hormonal balance and keep the weight off more effectively than Noom can.
One systematic review of 27 randomized clinical trials on probiotics, published on the National Institutes of Health, PubMed database, found over 83% reported significant weight loss.
But be aware not all strains have fat-reducing effects.
Choose strains with weight management properties that are clinically-proven to increase metabolism, prevent fat absorption and decrease abdominal fat by strengthening gut health, boosting microbial diversity and lowering inflammation.
Natural, safe and effective – belly fat & weight management probiotics are in a class of their own.
Examples: L. Gasseri SBT2055, L. Gasseri BNR17, B. Breve IDCC4401, B. Lactis R101-8, and L. Curvatus HY7601 with L. Plantarum KY1032
These ingredients naturally block fat from being absorbed from your diet or prevent storage in your body. Unlike prescription-strength fat blockers that can cause digestive issues, these natural ingredients are gentler. They either bind to fat molecules or intercept the fat formation process.
However, there’s little evidence to prove the long-term effectiveness of these ingredients.
Examples: Chitosan, garcinia cambogia
These are ingredients which stimulate or support fat breakdown into energy – especially useful for women who experience low metabolism and fatigue.
Just note that stimulants should not be consumed in excess – or you may risk heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and anxiety.
Examples: Green tea, caffeine, conjugated linoleic acid, capsaicin
As supplements can be sold without approval by FDA, reliable supplement manufacturers get third-party certifications to distinguish their products as trustworthy. These certifications verify the ingredients and quantities claimed on the product label, and that the product meets stringent manufacturing and performance standards. Established certifications to look out for include GMP, USP, NSF, Certified Organic, Non-GMO certified, etc.
Supplements that can’t be absorbed by the body are essentially ineffective. Unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of this, allowing manufacturers to get away with cheaply-made supplements with low bioavailability. Your selection process should consider supplements with ingredients that enhance absorption. Also, look for high-quality capsules that break down at the right time for nutrients to be fully absorbed.
Clinical trials help substantiate the efficacy of ingredients through proper tests. Look for a supplement with clinically-tested ingredients for real benefits, and avoid those based on anecdotal evidence. Even better if there are multiple studies backing the product. We based our top 5 weight management supplements on clinically studied ingredients supported by a solid body of evidence.
Sadly, according to the New York Times, one in four products sold on Amazon is fake. This is especially true of nutritional supplements. When buying from Amazon, ensure you do so from the brand’s Amazon store. Otherwise, purchase directly from the brand’s official website. Consuming fraudulent products may cause nasty side effects — so be extra cautious.
All supplements made in the USA are under FDA regulation. The same applies for Canada and Australia. Ensure products you buy come from FDA/TGA-registered facilities using GMP certified manufacturing processes. Many supplements, especially those purchased on eBay and Amazon are manufactured abroad, with little to no regulation. One study looked at 44 herbal supplements sold in North America and found 60% do not contain the ingredients or quantities claimed on the labels.
A risk-free guarantee lets you try supplements without fear of losing your money. If you try the product and don’t experience results, simply contact the manufacturer for a refund. A 60- or 90-day guarantee is the minimum a manufacturer should have as a show of confidence in their products. Also, avoid companies that make you jump through hoops. One common strategy that companies use is “bottle return” – they require you pay for return shipping and return the empty bottles before they process your refund.
One of the key reasons women over 40 gain weight especially around the belly is the decline in estrogen levels.
Provitalize is the only fat loss supplement formula that addresses the multiple aspects of estrogen decline, namely:
Provitalize contains L. Gasseri SBT2055, a probiotic strain backed by two studies showing a reduction in abdominal visceral fats by up to 4.6%1 and 8.5%2 respectively. More importantly, L. Gasseri SBT2055 works by blocking fat absorption and promoting fat excretion through the feces3.
Next, Provitalize contains two other clinically studied probiotic strains (B. Breve IDCC4401 and B. Lactis R101-8) that stimulate cholesterol metabolism4 and saturated fat metabolism5. B. Breve IDCC4401 was also found to lower total cholesterol and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels.
Finally, B. Lactis R101-8 was also found to improve two inflammatory markers6 and Provitalize also contains herbs with anti-inflammatory properties – 350mg of curcumin and moringa leaves.
To top it off, the same herbs are also phytoestrogens – curcumin and moringa leaves – which help to promote hormonal balance and supplement the estrogen decline.
The probiotics in Provitalize help to improve gut health and address gut dysbiosis, enabling the gut to perform its function of regulating the estrogen levels in our body and supporting hormonal balance.
Provitalize has also been formulated with absorption (or bioavailability) in mind. It contains BioPerine® (black pepper extract) and sunflower lecithin which are shown to enhance absorption of vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial properties of herbal formulas. Finally, these ingredients are encapsulated in DRcaps® capsules, a patented and costly type of delayed-release capsule that protects the ingredients from stomach acid and ensures their smooth passage into our gut where they are most effective.
According to their official website, over 1,200,000 women have shed the stubborn weight with just two capsules a day. The tens of thousands of glowing reviews on TrustPilot, Amazon, and Okendo are undeniable proof that Provitalize is worthy of our top spot.
Want 50% faster visible weight results from Provitalize? Then the Slim Gut Bundle is for you. This holistic bundle combines the weight-management powers of Provitalize with ‘super fiber’ prebiotics in Previtalize.
The probiotics in Provitalize feed on these ‘super fibers’ to multiply faster in the gut. This means women can see faster visible results such as reduction of belly fat & cravings.
These healthy fibers include fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, and inulin. Previtalize also aids digestion and stabilizes mood naturally.
We listed the Slim Gut Bundle 2nd only because it costs more than Provitalize alone. Other than that, we believe it’s the best-value-for-money bundle in the market right now.
Toniiq 200 contains 200 billion CFUs of 30 probiotic strains.
Among these strains are L. Plantarum LP90, B. Lactis BLa80, L. Gasseri LB08, L. Curvatus LCu109, B. Breve BBr60.
While they carry the same species (e.g. L. Gasseri) as some of the probiotics strains studied for weight management properties, they are not the same strain and do not provide sufficient proof that they also possess weight management properties. This is likely because they are cheaper to source and produce.
They also use vegetable capsules, which are generic capsules that do not guard the probiotics against stomach acid.
For these two reasons, we placed them in the third spot.
OxyShred Thermogenic Fat Burner contains 2003mg of “fat burning matrix”, a formula comprising of 11 ingredients, 625mg of “immunity booster and prebiotic complex” containing 4 ingredients, 851mg of “mood enhancer matrix” containing 4 ingredients, and 24.59mg of Vitamin B.
Some of the key weight loss ingredients include L-carnitine, garcinia cambogia, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and green coffee bean.
Most of these ingredients have shown mixed results in clinical studies. For example, Healthline conducted thorough reviews on L-carnitine7 and garcinia cambogia8 and found mixed weight loss results.
However, the good news is that some customers seem to be seeing good results with the supplement. They received a 4.6 star rating on Amazon, although we noted that they only received 178 ratings.
We wish they had provided a clearer breakdown of the ingredients in the supplement, so that we can better study the efficacy based on the amount of each ingredient in the supplement.
Golo Release works because it targets insulin resistance and metabolic health. It contains 7 plant extracts and 3 minerals including chromium in a proprietary blend that work together to stop further weight gain and starts working immediately to reverse insulin resistance so your body can start to release stored fat.
Golo Release was designed to be taken with the Golo Diet. While the reviews are mixed, Golo has withstand the test of time and has a sizeable fanbase. This is the reason why we think that Golo is good enough to round up our top 5.
Losing fat and weight is one of the hardest things to do and while there are FDA-proven pharmaceutical solutions, these solutions may carry negative side-effects or could be aggressive. On the other hand, weight loss programs take time but they also can require a lot of effort, a restrictive diet, and a lot of money.
After reviewing the science behind nutritional supplements, we think it is the safest and most sustainable approach for the average woman.
Also, women can gain belly fats more easily after 40 due to multiple reasons. While lower estrogen levels could be the root cause, the intermediate concerns are inflammation, leaky gut, and lower metabolism. We recommend looking for supplements that can address all three.
Individual results vary, but according to our research, people supporting diet and exercise efforts may shed an additional 5-10% of weight with the supplements listed in this article.
In combination with a good diet and regular exercise, the right supplement can enhance your efforts to eliminate stubborn belly fat. One study published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Nutrition, found that participants consuming Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 reduced abdominal fat (visceral fat) by up 8.5% over 12 weeks2.
Generally speaking, all of the belly fat burner supplements listed in this article are considered safe. If you have any health concerns consult your physician before buying.
A study published in Today’s Annals of Internal Medicine suggests aiming to eat 30 grams of fiber each day can help you lose weight16”. Prebiotic fibers have also been shown to ease cravings, balance moods and enhance the effects of probiotics.
