Virtual Weight Loss Images

January 14, 2009 5:53 PM

Is there a website/web app that allows me to plug in different measurements I take of my body, then shows me an image of what I might look like at different body weights and/or physical conditions?

I'm in the (slow) process of losing a significant amount of weight, and getting in better shape physically in general. I realize that everyone's body stores fat and bulks up on muscle differently, but it'd be a great inspiration to be able to see what I would look like at different milestones on my journey.

Normally, I'd just find people of similar skeletal structure and height and infer from their bodies what I might look like. But that's the trouble: I have a somewhat unusual skeleton proportion-wise (very short legs, wide shoulders, wide hips), so it's tough to do that.

It was actually that weird breast-implant software that's used to show women what their new pair would look like that got me thinking about this. I would imagine that with the right data (e.g., the width between my shoulder blades, my height, the places my body tends to distribute fat), a computer could show me a picture of what I might look like at different weights and muscularity. But is there anything like this on the web?

posted by Rykey to health & fitness (6 comments total)

I remember reading about a UK company that would digitally retouch old photos to show the subject at their ideal weight, then print them and send them back. So you would then have a supposedly realistic picture of a skinnier you... I guess the idea is that you put it on the fridge or wherever, for inspiration. I think cosmetic alterations are bound to be less accurate than the kind of program you describe though. Sorry but I can't recall the name of the service...
posted by Weng at 6:18 PM on January 14

You can get a bit of an idea with the virtual model from the Land's End website.
posted by betterton at 6:31 PM on January 14 [1 favorite]

I was going to recommend the My Virtual Model thing too. You can enter your measurements, but they're the standard Chest/Waist/Hip ones.

This might be interesting too: http://www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodies/heightweight.shtml
It's a grid of photos of real people at various heights and weights.
posted by apricot at 7:06 PM on January 14

I used Mefi Jobs to hire a fellow Mefite to Photoshop me at a thinner weight, and I was pleased with the results.
posted by WCityMike at 10:25 PM on January 14

Yeah, that Lands End thing would be exactly the kind of thing I'm thinking of, except taking into account a few more factors. But that's pretty cool--thanks!
posted by Rykey at 3:16 AM on January 15

Try this:

Motivation comes is many different forms. One particularly savvy idea is WeightView - a digital and personalized motivational tool which coverts a real photo into what you would look like if you lost say, 20 lbs - for free! It's a relatively simple process - fill in a few bits of information, upload a photo and wait. Within 48 hours you get your results.

http://www.weightview.com/new/index.asp
posted by schoenbc at 11:59 AM on January 15