Selfie app helps you watch your weight

18 June 2017 - 00:00 By Shanthini Naidoo

The use of body mass index as a measure of obesity is about to change - with do-it-yourself 3D imaging.
Currently, BMI is calculated using a person's weight and height. However, that does not take into account muscle mass.
Body volume indicator (BVI) is a new tool to measure obesity that was developed by the UK company Select Research, in collaboration with the US Mayo Clinic and the UK Medical Research Council.
The software identifies body outlines in photos and compares the images to a database to calculate factors including body volume, abdomen volume, waist-to-hip ratio, visceral fat and BMI. It then generates a BVI number.
It's less complicated than it might sound. You download the BVI Pro app, enter your height and weight, then take two photos (one from the front and one from the side). The app will tell you what your BVI is, and if it is in good range.
WATCH: how the BVI app works..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.