Counting calories? Don't trust your fitness machine's estimates

There are so many fitness products on the market today, it is hard to know what works and what doesn?t. Unfortunately for the consumer, it isn?t easy to distinguish the difference.

At the 2012 ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) conference, some of the top researchers in the world took on the challenge of uncovering the truth behind popular fitness products and claims.

The promotional companies behind mass marketed fitness products are very strategic in their promise. They prey on our desire for health and fitness gains or changes to our physical appearance by leading us to believe the product is the magic cure. It usually claims to be simple to use, requires a short commitment and guarantees results. And based on the fact that it is seen on TV, it is legitimate.

The claim that has always had me in a quandary is the one regarding the number of calories burned during a specific activity. Claims that you can burn up to 1,000 calories in 60 minutes doing a specific workout program just doesn?t seem possible.

It is incredibly challenging to burn this many calories. Based on general guidelines for calorie expenditure, an individual weighing 165 lb expends approximately 350-400 Kcal per 30 minutes of high intensity interval training. This is at intensity levels that can only be performed by athletes and super fit individuals. Most workouts will be much less than this; in fact, it is more realistic to burn this amount of calories in 60 minutes.

The factors that affect this number are gender, age, resting metabolic rate, fitness level, intensity or effort level and body weight.

At rest, men generally burn more calories than women. Resting metabolic rate is influenced by a number of factors, such as muscle mass versus fat ratio and larger statures. As men by nature have a higher muscle mass and lower percentage of body fat than women, they begin with a calorie expending advantage.

As well, the intensity level you can tolerate greatly affects the overall expenditure of calories. For example, if you work out for 60 minutes at near maximum intensity versus an easy to moderate intensity, the calorie expenditure may double.

The other factor ? and the one that will tip the scale in the claims of fitness product promoters ? is body weight.

So, how do they get away with making the claims?

First of all, they only need one person to get the results. Typically it will be an extremely fit male with a high percentage of muscle mass and weighing more than 250 pounds who can tolerate a high intensity level of exercise.

So there you have it: the claim is true for only a very small select few individuals.

Fitness product promoters claim you will get the results seen on TV. However, the results may vary. The last line in fine print is the one that consumers need to take to heart. In many cases the results we see on TV are not normal, and the majority of people that have tried the product or program did not get the results that are being advertised.

Dietary factors are very important in seeing results. As diet is very individual and can be influenced by many factors it is unrealistic to think that the results being demonstrated are normal. Most often the results are based on very controlled dietary programs along with the use of the product.

As for the calories burned on cardiovascular equipment, you cannot trust what you see. The computerized console on cardiovascular equipment bases your calorie expenditure on your weight, age, the intensity and the length of time for the workout. This makes for interesting results because what if you lie about your age? The computer doesn?t know if you are stretching the truth.

Then there is the question of your weight. Even though the cardio equipment is not going to share your personal information with anyone, it is hard to input your real weight. The third factor is, what if you change the execution of the exercise from what the program is measuring. A treadmill is programmed for walking and running, but what if you hold on to the handrails? This changes the exercise completely as you are no longer using your total body weight in the exercise. In fact, the research shows that by holding onto the handrails you decrease your calorie expenditure by 20 to 25 per cent.

All these factors throw off the number of calories burned in your workout, making the number on the console meaningless.

The bottom line is you can?t believe most of the claims from fitness promoters ? or the results on cardiovascular equipment ? and, according to the research at the ACSM conference, we have to go back to what we all have heard before: if the claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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Helen Vanderburg, owner of Heavens Elevated Fitness and Yoga, is a renowned fitness trainer, motivational and corporate wellness speaker. Find her online at heavensfitness.com and helenvanderburg.com.

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