Today, we meet a topic that generates a lot of controversy among fitness enthusiasts and professionals.

Some believe that applications designed to lose weight and improve your fitness are a scam from the start. Arguments for this group of people range from the apps taking an overly mathematical approach to weight loss to the idea that they are just selling you their products and making money off your fitness goals.

Over time, the reality is that, and with the evolution of technology, fitness apps have evolved tremendously. Indeed, some fitness apps are not what they claim to be, but others work very well according to their users.

And some apps like Peloton, aaptiv, Sufferfest or Zwift can give a much better exercising experience than exercising on your own; for example Zwift works with many exercises machines like exercise bikes and treadmills and it offers a virtual world where you can use your exercise bike or treadmill to exercise and have fun with other people, some treadmills come with incline and mimic going up a hill for added challenge.

Today we will compare two of the most popular fitness apps, such as Noom and Omada Health. We will see what benefits each of these apps offer and compare them to help you decide which one to choose to help you achieve your fitness goals.

Noom Weight Loss App

Like so many other weight loss and fitness apps, when you sign up for Noom, a questionnaire starts asking you about your age, height, weight, and lifestyle.

The app also asks you about some other preferences (eating preferences, reasons why you want to lose weight.) and creates a sixteen-week-long plan to help you lose weight at a pace of 1-2 lbs per week.

Unlike other systems, this one has a team of professionals behind it who analyze your case and provide the guidelines you should follow.

A study conducted by the University of Sydney also highlighted another factor: Noom offers a holistic approach to weight loss and, along with diet and exercise, deals with the psychological aspect, essential when you want to lose weight sustainably and change your habits healthier ones. 

Throughout the process, the experts in Noom (with whom you can talk directly) will give you guidelines for overcoming stress and analyzing why you eat what you eat.

How Good Is Noom for Weight Loss?

Not only does science support Noom as a weight loss app, but more importantly, the vast majority of its users seem to have had a positive experience using the app.

With over two hundred and fifty thousand positive ratings on google and 4.4/5 stars, Noom is on the podium of users' favorite fitness apps.

Here are some of the Noom user reviews we found on trustpilot.com.

In this review, we can see how a person who was going through a difficult time in his life found support in the Noom application.

The user highlights in this review the help that the psychological part of the app meant. He highlights how it can help you change your lifestyle and thinking patterns authentically.

We can appreciate how, for this user, Noom is not just a diet plan but an application that comes to propose a change in your lifestyle.

In this next return, Brenda points out how Noom enabled her to change her life, allowing her to incorporate her favorite foods into her weight loss plan.

This is not to be taken lightly, as most dieters find a balance between their favorite foods, and caloric balance can be a big challenge.

Noom will be of great help in achieving this goal, as it has a non-prohibitive approach that won't just tell you, "don't eat this, don't eat that!". Instead, it will help you intelligently include your favorite foods on your diet plan, and if you can't, it will help you identify the negative thought patterns that prevent you from doing so.

In this last rating, the user highlights Noom's motivation that the app gives him to face his weight loss goals every day.

Learning something new about food and how weight loss works every day, either through the regular use of the app or the coaches' advice, is a great way to motivate them to keep working hard every day.

Related Reading: Best Cardio Machines For Weight Loss

How Much Does Noom Cost?

Noom operates on a system of memberships that renew every month. The first option presented to us at the time of registration is $59 monthly subscriptions, which, again, will automatically renew.

The application also has other excellent offers to save on your membership. The Annual auto-recurring plan costs $199. You will be saving more than $500 if you sign up for it, compared to the monthly plan.

Noom Weight Loss Program - How Long Does It Last?

The Noom application is designed to be used indefinitely. However, during your journey using this application, it will constantly guide you, congratulating you for the achievements you make over time.

Most of the reviews remark how significant the weight loss can be at the 16-week mark.

Considering that you will set the app to lose between half a kilo and one kilo per week, we could see a weight loss of up to 16 kg in the above time. This is an outstanding amount of weight loss.

Omada Health App

Omada was created to help its users lose weight and reduce their risk of diabetes and heart disease.

This app also provides the tools and support you need to succeed by helping you break down your health goals into small, simple steps.

Omada helps you track what you eat and how much activity or exercise you do, offers lessons on nutrition and stress, and connects you with a health coach to support and guide your progress.

In addition, Omada gives AltaMed patients a valuable gift: a small scale that connects to the app.

A notable aspect of Omada is the slightly different focus on general health and weight loss than Noom.

After testing both applications, we concluded that Omada is more interested in general health issues and the prevention of common health conditions among people with unhealthy habits.

This approach is neither better nor worse, in our opinion, but it will be a different way to visualize our way to our fitness goals. Today, the focus is very much on the physique, strength, and other performance attributes, but we forget that everything else will be complicated to achieve without good general health.

Weight Loss with Omada Health App - Is It Easy to Achieve?

There is some evidence that these types of programs work.

A study with Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare involved about 200 people who had a high risk of getting diabetes. The study found that most participants achieved enough weight loss to reduce their risk of developing diabetes by 60%—around 5% of their body composition.

So, Omada Health will help its users lose weight, but it will also be effective in preventing conditions like type two diabetes.

In addition, Omada will send you a digital scale that connects directly to the application to simplify the tracking task upon accessing your membership.

And, if you qualify, you get everything, including the program, for free.

What Do Omada Health App Users Say About It?

Following up, we’re going to look at what the users of the Omada Health App are saying about it on the Appgrooves website’s review section.

This review shows how the user found a long-term solution for his fitness and health in Omada. This user also points out how, even though his group was not the best, the application gave him what he needed to stay on track.

Remarkably, users of the application notice an improvement in their ability to intuitively discern good habits for their health.

In the second review, we will observe how the user agrees with our perception of this application, in the sense that the main objective of the application is to promote health and general well-being. That weight loss will only be a charming side effect.

It also highlights the work of the coaches in sending regular reminders. There are no excuses for not tracking your progress in this way.

In the last review, we can see that this Omada user is also happy with his app. He even compares it to Noom, the other application we are reviewing today, and says that he did not feel supported, or at least not as much as with Omada, where the coaches were quick to respond and provided constant support.

How Much Does Omada Cost?

The program’s cost is $140 per month for the first four months and then $20 per month after that.

How Long Do You Need to Use Omada to See the Results?

The Omada program requires 16 weeks of dedication to the ‘Fundamentals’ phase of the program, followed by eight months of self-paced involvement in the ‘Focus’ phase.

During the first 16 weeks, Omada sets an automatic weight loss goal of 5% of your starting body weight, which is a healthy amount of weight loss for that period. The user can personalize this goal to their liking.

Most Omada users find the automatic goal suitable for their needs. It’s not too drastic, and it will incentivize you to learn more about healthy life during this time.

Noom Vs. Omada - Which Is Better?

These two apps will help you on the road to your fitness and health goals.

Omada has a more general approach to health and not so focused on weight loss. Instead, the app will guide you to make the right lifestyle choices, and, as a result, you will lose the weight you need to stay healthy.

Noom, on the other hand, concentrates on weight loss with a more specific focus. When using the application, you will notice that it is designed to make tracking a much simpler task.

As we have already seen, both apps have scientific backing. With Omada, you have the benefit of being able to apply for free if you meet the requirements. However, if this is not the case, your membership will be more expensive than Noom.

Which of these applications you choose to help you meet your goals will depend on your objectives. If you lean more towards the general health and wellness side of things, Omada is probably a better choice for you.

If you're more interested in targeted weight loss, Noom will be more efficient for you.

Related Readings:

• How Much Weight Loss Causes Loose Skin?
• Treadmill Vs. Bike: Which Is Better for Weight Loss? What About Muscle Building? Which is Cheaper?
• TrainerRoad VS Zwift – I’ve Used Both Here’s My Ultimate Comparison
• Full-Body Workout Every Other Day: Can You? Should You?
• Zwift vs Sufferfest – There’s One Clear Winner – My Personal Comparison

Resources:

1. https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/02/11/experts-rank-the-best-apps-for-weight-loss.html
2. https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news/2016/07/ama-omada-health-intermountain-healthcare-partner-to-reduce-diabetes/
3. https://appgrooves.com/app/omada-by-omada-health-inc/positive?p=3
4. https://case.edu/wellness/facultystaff/sites/case.edu.facultystaff/files/2018-09/omada%20FAQ_0.pdf