Practical calculators, tracking guides and food planning tools to help South Africans understand their nutrition numbers and hit their health goals with confidence.
Content reviewed by HPCSA-registered dietitians and nutrition professionals.
22 Tools
Calculators and tracking guides
SA-Specific
Calibrated for local foods and lifestyle
HPCSA
Verified by registered dietitians
All Goals
Fat loss, muscle gain, performance & health
Daily energy needs (TDEE)
—
Loss
kcal/day
—
Maintain
kcal/day
—
Gain
kcal/day
Protein · Carbs · Fat split
—g
Protein
—g
Carbs
—g
Fat
Calorie Deficit Calculator
Target deficit for fat loss
0
Target kcal/day
0
Daily deficit
Maintenance TDEE: 0 kcal · Time to lose 10kg: ~0 weeks
⚠️ This target falls below the safe minimum (0 kcal). Reduce your loss rate or increase activity.
Macro Targets (Advanced)
Based on lean body mass
Lean Body Mass: 0 kg · Est. kcal: 0
0g
Protein
g/day
0g
Carbs
g/day
0g
Fat
g/day
Protein Calculator
Daily protein target by goal
–g
of protein per day
≈ g per meal (4 meals) · midpoint: g/day
Daily hydration target
—L
≈ — glasses of 250ml per day
Increase in hot SA weather or high-intensity exercise.
Protein Requirements (Advanced)
Based on lean mass & age
Lean Mass: kg · Factor: g/kg
g/day
g
per meal ×
~g
leucine/meal (MPS)
Age ≥65: using PROT-AGE recommendations (1.0–1.2 g/kg) to counter anabolic resistance.
Hydration Needs (Advanced)
Exercise & climate-adjusted
L
≈ glasses (250ml) per day
L
2hr pre-exercise
L
during exercise
L
post-exercise
Base daily need: L · Check urine colour — pale straw yellow = well hydrated.
BMR Calculator
Basal Metabolic Rate at rest
Primary: Mifflin-St Jeor (most accurate for healthy adults)
kcal/day
Calories burned at complete rest
Harris-Benedict (revised)
TDEE Calculator
Total Daily Energy Expenditure
BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor): kcal
kcal/day
Total calories burned per day
kcal
Activity energy (above rest)
kcal
Thermic Effect of Food (~10%)
kcal
If sedentary (1.2×)
kcal
If very active (1.9×)
Energy Expenditure Calculator
Calories burned per activity (METs)
MET value: · Burn rate: kcal/hr
kcal
burned during this session
+ kcal
EPOC (afterburn, ~9%)
kcal
Weekly (3 sessions)
Total incl. EPOC: kcal · Formula: MET × kg × hours
Metabolism Calculator
Full daily energy breakdown
RMR method:
kcal/day
Total daily energy expenditure
Metabolic ratio: × · age-expected baseline
Nutrition Tracking Calculator
Daily targets to log against
0kcal/day
Your daily target to track against
0g
Protein (ISSN)
0g
Fibre (IOM: 14g/1000kcal)
≤0g
Added sugar (WHO <10%)
0L
Water (35ml/kg)
Maintenance TDEE: 0 kcal · Sodium limit: ≤2300mg (WHO)
Food Logging Calculator
Calories from macros (Atwater)
Enter the macronutrient values per serving from the nutrition label or SA food database, then set your portion.
0kcal
Calculated via Atwater factors
Formula: (P×4 + C×4 + F×9 + Fibre×2) × servings
Meal Tracking Calculator
Macro distribution & timing
0
kcal per meal × 0
0g
protein/meal (ISSN 0.4g/kg)
0g
carbs/meal
0g
fat/meal
Total protein: 0g/day ·
Habit Tracking Calculator
Adherence score & habit strength
Self-monitoring adherence is the single strongest predictor of long-term nutrition success (National Weight Control Registry).
0%
Progress Monitoring Calculator
Weight timeline & milestones
Project your weight-change timeline using the Hall dynamic energy balance model, with plateau detection.
0kg
~0 weeks to goal (Hall model adjusted)
Wk 0
25% there
Wk 0
Halfway
Wk 0
75% there
Total energy shift: ~0 kcal · ~0 kcal/day deficit
⚠️ Plateau likely after week 12 — metabolic adaptation reduces TDEE by ~15–20%. Plan a diet break or refeed.
Linear estimate: 0 weeks · Adjusted for metabolic adaptation: 0 weeks
Portion Guide Calculator
Hand-based portions per meal
The Precision Nutrition hand-portion method translates palm, fist and thumb sizes into macro portions — no scales required. Calibrated to average hand dimensions.
Per meal (eat 4×/day)
0
palms protein
0g
0
fists carbs
0g
0
thumbs fat
0g
≈ 0 kcal/meal · 0 kcal/day · 0g protein/day
Calibrate periodically by weighing foods — hand portions are estimates (±15%)
Portion Control Calculator
Grams to hit a calorie target
Pick a food and your calorie target for that food — the calculator returns the exact gram portion using SA food composition calorie-density data.
No foods match ""
0g
of Cooked Rice = 0 kcal
≈ 0
cups (if grain/veg)
0
tablespoons
Calorie density: 0 kcal/100g
Serving Size Guide
Household measures to grams
Convert cups, tablespoons and teaspoons into grams for common South African foods — calibrated to SA MRC food composition standard measures.
No foods match ""
0g
0 cup of Cooked Rice
SA Food Guide servings
0 starchy
if grain (1 serv = 125g)
Weighing tip
Use a digital scale for accuracy within ±5g
Meal Planning Tool
Weekly plan & grocery estimates
Generate a weekly meal framework — calorie distribution per meal, macro targets, and SA-calibrated grocery quantity and budget estimates.
0
meals planned · 0 kcal each
0g
protein/meal
0g
carbs/meal
0g
fat/meal
Weekly grocery estimates (raw weight):
0kg
protein src
0kg
starches
0kg
veg/fruit
Est. grocery budget: ~R0/week (single adult, moderate tier)
Total: 0 kcal over the plan period
Plate Method Calculator
Harvard Healthy Eating Plate
The Harvard Healthy Eating Plate translates plate area into gram portions — ½ vegetables/fruit, ¼ protein, ¼ whole grains. Choose your plate diameter and goal focus.
0%
0g
veg/fruit
0 kcal
0%
0g
protein
0 kcal
0%
0g
whole grains
0 kcal
≈ 0 kcal per plate
Add 1–2 tbsp healthy oil, a glass of water, and fruit for dessert (Harvard guidance)
Dietitian consultation vs meal plan app South Africa cost — rand prices, PMB cover, and when professional advice is clinically essential.
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Connect with HPCSA-registered dietitians, sports nutritionists and biokineticists across South Africa who can personalise your macro targets, interpret your tracking data and build a plan that actually works for your lifestyle.
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Understanding your nutrition numbers is one of the most powerful steps you can take toward achieving your health goals. Whether you’re trying to lose fat, build muscle, improve your energy levels or manage a health condition, knowing how many calories, grams of protein and litres of water you need each day gives you a foundation to work from. HealthLab’s Macro Tracker & Nutrition Tools section provides HPCSA-dietitian-reviewed calculators, guides and frameworks to help South Africans eat with intention — using locally relevant food data and realistic targets for the South African lifestyle.