Noom

Wouldn’t it be nice to eat whatever you want and actually lose weight? Well, according to Noom, a goal-setting app that “combines the power of technology with the empathy of real humans to deliver successful behavior change and sustainable weight loss results,” yes, you can.

“No food is forbidden,” proclaims a recent Noom Facebook ad (see above). The ad features two things that may seem like polar opposites but apparently are not: a giant stack of pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and a testimonial from a woman who says she lost 35 pounds using the app. The ad doesn’t say how long it took Lori G. to shed the weight (or how many flapjacks she might have consumed along the way) but a disclaimer in the ad notes, “Typical Noom users can expect to lose 1-2 lbs per week. Results may vary.”

If you’ve tried the pancake diet, you’re probably well aware of how varied these results can be. We hate to be the bearer of bad/obvious news but if you truly want to lose weight, you’re probably going to have to give up at least some unhealthy foods, one of which may be pancakes. That’s dieting and claims that you can lose two or more pounds a week for a month or more without diet or exercise are what the FTC calls “gut check” claims that marketers should avoid.

Find more of our coverage on weight-loss claims.