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I’m on Week 7 of Noom, Here’s My Thoughts

Have you been curious about Noom like I was? I’ve seen quite a few people asking if they new anyone that has used Noom or what it was about so I figured I’d write up a post to help out. This is not something I got for free. I’m personally paying for the program so I’m a regular customer.

What I’ve Tried In The Past

I tried just dieting and exercising on my own but it didn’t work. I tried MyFitnessPal, it helped some but not much and I fell off with using it. I bought into Beachbody’s 21 Day fix. While it did work, doing the same exercise program every single day for months got monotonous. I was bored of it. I could get into a different program but I had to pay for it again. Plus, I felt like if I gave in and at a couple cookies one day I was a failure. Autumn would always say “Don’t undo what you just did in the kitchen” during workouts so I felt like if I had a scoop of ice cream then I just undid everything and I had no will power. I did Personal Trainer Food. Again it worked, I lost the most weight with this program but I couldn’t afford to keep the prepackaged/measured food coming and never really learned recipes and how to really eat. When the holidays came around I fell off hard and gained everything back.

Finding My Motivation To Try Yet Again

I was looking for my motivation to get back on track and it came in an unexpected place for me. I ordered my bridesmaid dress for my brother’s wedding around the end of June. It fit perfect in the store. When it actually came in in August the girl helping me with my dress barely got it zippered. I was mad at myself and embarrassed. If I gained any more weight I wouldn’t be able to fit in the dress.

I had been tempted to try Noom before. I was afraid of spending money on yet another program that I would fail at. There was a 2 week free trial. I thought, well I’ll do the 2 week free trial and see if it’s for me. If it’s not for me I’ll cancel it before I get charged. The same day I signed up for Noom I went as a guest with my friend to Planet Fitness. I signed up for a Planet Fitness membership the next day. I new I needed to work on both my nutrition and my activity level.

When I Realized It Was Different

Noom uses psychology and technology to help people make a lifestyle change. They offer psych tricks to help you get past the hurdles. No food is necessarily a “bad food” it’s just not a good choice all the time. Eating a piece of cake on your birthday does not make you hopeless. They give helpful information on how to pick out good studies and research in regard to diet and exercise. They offer exercise suggestions. Lots of good info. You use the app each day with a daily “checklist” for lack of a better word. The app use might take about 10 minutes a day but you can break it up throughout the day. It’s easy to do while sitting at your kids practice, waiting for your water to boil, or sitting in the bathroom (hey I’m just saying).

You’re assigned a coach after 2 weeks to help keep you on track and motivated. The coaches are not over-bearing cheerleaders but instead offering encouragement, tips, and lending an ear. Not long after that you’ll meet the group, fellow Noomers in about the same stage of the program as you that you can swap recipes with, encourage and receive encouragement, problems solve with and more.

Do the Trial to See if It’s Right For You

I highly encourage the use of the 2 week free trial to see if it’s something that works for you. If you feel it’s just not for you make sure you cancel before your two week trial is up. I personally love the program but everyone is different. If you go through my Noom referral link you’ll get a 2 week free trial and 20% off if you decide to stick with it!

I personally have lost 7 lbs so far, I’ve lost an inch around my butt and abdomen, my clothes fit better, and I can totally see a difference. I’m able to fit into that bridesmaid dress I need to wear this weekend!

If you’ve been thinking about joining Planet Fitness too, you can get a free day pass to try it for yourself.

Penn State Extension Offering “Dining With Diabetes” Course

If you or someone you care about has recently been diagnosed with Diabetes, it can be hard to wade through all the information rushing at you. Medication changes/additions, diet changes, lifestyle changes, can all be overwhelming. Talking to your doctor or a dietician can definitely help. Penn State Extension wants to help with their “Dining with Diabetes” course.

Pictures used with permission of Penn State Extension via PR contact

“Dining with Diabetes” is a nationally accredited diabetes education program that is geared toward anyone who has type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, has a family member with type 2 diabetes, or is at risk for developing diabetes. Trained extension educators, in consultation with registered dietitians and diabetes educators, lead the discussions.

Each class offers information on healthy food and physical activity choices, food demonstrations and tasting, and guidance on important numbers to know for managing diabetes. In addition to program-related booklets, participants will receive the Dining with Diabetes cookbook and have the option of having their A1C tested at the first and follow-up classes. A1C is a nonfasting blood test obtained by a finger stick. Results show a three-month average blood glucose level.

For more information or to register, visit the Penn State Extension website at extension.psu.edu/dining-with-diabetes or call 877-345-0691. You can search the courses by county to find one near you.

Individuals who want to learn how to better manage diabetes are invited to participate in a course offered by Penn State Extension from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on November 1, 8, 15, and 22 at the Ross Library, 232 West Main Street Lock Haven, PA. This class will be offered for free. Reference the link above to find more availability at other Penn State Extensions.

When it comes to your health, classes like these can be a fun and valuable way to learn from experts on what to do. It’s a great venue to ask questions. Why would this choice be better than that choice? I love (insert food) what can be a good substitute? What exactly is A1C? Etc

If you know someone who could benefit from these courses, please share this post with them.

We Had a HuePets Party with Tryazon

I’ve co-hosted giveaways with HuePets on my blog a number of times but I never really tried out the app. Tryazon gave me the opportunity to have a HuePets party and try the app out with my friends and family.

The idea of HuePets is that it’s a fun interactive app that encourages kids to make healthy food choices by eating foods in different hues or colors. They can actually scan their healthy choice foods to hatch and grow their own virtual HuePet via the app.

You can watch this video that explains the updated version of the app, HuePets 2.0:

What I did for my HuePets party was to buy fruits and veggies in as many of the colors as I could for the app. I had purple cauliflower, green grapes, red raspberries, orange baby carrots, white dragonfruit, green broccoli, red bell peppers, and lots more. The kids loved seeing all the color fruits and veggies and really chowed down.

Their parents dowloaded the app. They were getting so excited over their HuePets evolving and adding new features and accessories. You can also set rewards for making healthy choices like movie night, game night, etc or choose rewards from the HuePets store.

If I’m to be honest, my kids don’t normally turn their nose up and fruits and veggies. I purposely bought some “different” ones that we don’t normally have though like the purple cauliflower, dragonfruit, and starfruit. Most people were interested in trying the more unique offerings.

There were squeals of delight and lots of “look at mine!” shouts when HuePets would evolve. There were some pretty cool looking HuePets with all the vibrant foods we had available.

HuePets is a free app that is available on Google Play and iTunes app store

This is a free app that is definitely worth downloading. It’s fun, it’s engaging, and it encourages your kids to make healthy choices.

We received some HuePets swag as a member of Tryazon. Any opinions expressed are our own.

Over 40 And Not As Active As You Should Be? Penn State Has The Answer

I’ll be 40 years old in October. I can’t believe it. But I’m also realizing I need to be more active. The idea of going to the gym intimidates me. I have workouts at home but I’m usually distracted by my kids or things I know that need done around the house.

Penn State Extension is offering a program called LIFT. It is geared towards those over 40 that are inactive or only moderately active. Ideal for someone like me. I know I’d feel more comfortable in an exercise group knowing everyone is basically the same level as me.

LIFT actually stands for “Lifelong Improvement through Fitness Together“. The programs runs two days a week over the course of 8 weeks. This is the opportunity to get back on your fitness track.

Strength training offers physical, mental and emotional benefits including increased muscle mass and strength; improved bone density; reduced risk for osteoporosis and related fractures; reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, depression and obesity; and improved self-confidence, sleep and vitality.

The LIFT program includes a warm up, 8 core-strengthening exercises, and cool down period. The cost is $60 for the 8 weeks of classes. Register for LIFT program here.