On home fitness equipment, does the "Calories Burned" counter show exaggerated numbers for marketing purposes?

A friend told me that the "Calories Burned" indicators show inflated numbers, with no basis in reality, because the manufacturer wants the consumer to think that particular machine is helping them burn lots of calories. Is this true, or a conspiracy theory?

Public Comments

  1. I've never considered that theory before, perhaps it's true since it makes sense in the marketing world. (though, i'd be bumbed if it was)
  2. I've heard that they are over exaggerated but not for marketing purposes, i think because each person burns calories diffrently .
  3. When I took physics in college one of the problems was to calculate how many calories Bob burned while on a stationary bike utilizing a magnetic flywheel for resistance. This is a very straightforward calculation if you know the strength of the magnet and the speed (RPM's) at which the disk is turning. The values I calculated were ballpark accurate with what the readouts tell me when I use a machine. Treadmills and elliptical machines are also simple. Basically you can calculate how much work is being done to move a given weight a certain distance. These numbers are very simple to calculate using basic laws of physics. I think, if anything, they'd usually be a little LOWER than the true value, as friction and equipment wear and tear will result in more energy being required to overcome uncalculated resistance. The calories burned indicator might cut some corners on how it calculates the number, but for the most part they're pretty accurate.
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