When you imagine of ramping up waistlines, the first people you think of likely aren’t the Japanese (unless, naturally, you are picturing a sumo wrestler). However, obesity is becoming a growing problem in a country known for a traditional low-fat diet of fish and rice. Last year, Japan’s Health Ministry estimated that more than half of men and about 20 percent of women between the ages of fourty and seventy are at risk of metabolous syndrome, a group of symptoms linked with obesity, high cholesterol, and risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Today a group of public health insurance officials in Osaka are trying a new formula of combat in the battle of the bulge. Dieters can use their mobile phone* to take photos of meals they’re about to eat, and then send the photos to a health expert who can then evaluate the meal for calorie count and nutrition. According to Yukata Kimura, a doctor who’s worked on a similar prgoram.

The only drawback is that it can take three days for the results to get back. Still, better late than never.