A method of estimating properties of a resource bearing formation includes receiving, by a processor, a measured echo train generated by a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement device deployed in a region of interest, and a measured noise of the measured echo train, and calculating a T2 distribution subject to a nonlinear equality constraint, the nonlinear equality constraint dependent on the measured noise and a fitting error between the measured echo train and a modeled echo train. Calculating the T2 distribution includes estimating a solution for the T2 distribution that is closest to satisfying the nonlinear equality constraint.