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Four Reasons We Can’t All Follow the Same “Healthy” Meal Plan

by | Jul 24, 2019 | Last updated Feb 15, 2022

Author: Stephanie Santoro

So you’ve decided to lose some weight. Congratulations – you’re in great company!

But with all the meal plans and diets out there, where should you begin? They all claim they’re the most healthy and effective. You could go with the latest fad, try your friend’s diet, or just toss a coin… but ultimately, you’ll probably find that dieting itself isn’t working. Here are five reasons to avoid one-size-fits all meal plans – aka “diets”: 

1. Healthy for you doesn’t mean healthy for me

When it comes to your body and nutrition needs, you may have lots in common with others trying to get healthy and lose weight. But ultimately, we’re all unique in terms of our food preferences, body composition, metabolism, genetics, etc. So what benefits will you gain from a fad diet or health gimmick designed for the broad population? It’s better to seek out something that is designed for you precisely. 

Most weight loss programs depend on diets that deliver fast results (and sometimes even offer a healthy approach to meeting those goals). When enough people gain some traction with this method, it’s touted as an effective approach to weight loss. But that’s just an average result. Just because some people lose weight by following certain guidelines doesn’t mean you will.

2. Our lifestyles are unique, too

It’s not just our bodies and nutritional needs that make us special. Your sleeping patterns, meal planning habits, and even something as seemingly-trivial as the time you spend driving add up to significant differences between us. In other words, each person’s lifestyle is unique. It’s one more reason we don’t thrive with generic “healthy” meal plans designed by people who don’t know us.

To make sure you’re managing your weight in the healthiest way possible, it’s best to consult your doctor first and foremost. With their blessing seek out a comprehensive weight loss approach that includes personal consultations with experts trained in fitness, psychology, and nutrition. Make sure you’re getting healthy, custom meal plans, coaching, and community support that are informed by your individual needs. In other words, an off-the-shelf product or gimmick just isn’t going to meet your lifestyle.

3. Strict meal plans cause mental & physical stress

Diets and strict meal plans, no matter how healthy the meals are, can be stressful. After all, you’re not eating what you want – you’re eating what someone else tells you to. That’s why many people’s bodies perceive dieting as a famine and try to conserve your body fat. 

Additionally, dieting can cause mental stress in the form of anxiety, fear, and obsessive tendencies toward food and your body. Feelings of guilt and shame when going off-plan or feeling undeserving when certain exercise goals are not met can trigger even more stress. Compare this to Noom, where you’re coached to be accountable to yourself and learn a new sense of self awareness around your own psychological relationship with food and wellness.
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4. Diets aren’t sustainable

Eventually, every diet ends. And what happens then? For almost everyone, the answer is that you return to your prior weight. 

Even if you intend to stick with a diet forever, can you really find one that’s perfect now and grows with you as you change? In order to meet your individual needs, you’ve probably compromised in the past with plans that seem “close enough” to your needs. You may have experimented with modifications or different approaches to try to tailor that diet. You may have even found yourself putting up with problematic aspects of a generic diet plan because you thought you couldn’t afford customized healthy meal plans or the level of support you really need. All of these factors can lead to slips in dedication, stress, and endless yo-yo dieting that isn’t good for your health. 

At Noom, your experience is just the opposite – which is why “diet” isn’t even in our vocabulary. We meet you where you are, and coach you with small, healthy, weight loss goals that you can maintain and succeed at, long term.

The only truly healthy meal plan is the one you choose

At Noom, we want to help you eat the food you want in a way that fits your lifestyle. That’s why our meal planning takes individual lifestyle, health, nutrition, fitness levels, and mental health into account. It’s all about helping you personally in your weight loss journey! That means healthy meal plans tailored to you, exercise routines that are appropriate to your fitness and physical needs, and expert resources and tools to support you through it all. So forget about dieting ever again, and learn how different the Noom experience can be.