But do they live up to the hype?

Often seeming too good to be true, infomercial ads spruik the latest and greatest products for the home and body.

The Ab Circle Pro is just one of the wonder machines making big claims every day. It's the number one selling piece of fitness equipment in America, and it's estimated that 200 million have been sold worldwide.

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But now the truth is out. If you were hoping to get 'flat sexy abs' and lose the promised 4.5 kilos in two weeks, it’s virtually impossible.

Exercise physiologist from Southern Cross University Dr William Sukala says everything about the Ab Circle Pro - from the advertising to the exercise technique - is misleading.

“Infomercial products have been around for a very long time, and they all claim to burn fat and give you the body of your dreams, but if they worked in the first place we would all be thin by now,” Dr Sukala said.

“In order to lose four and a half kilos in two weeks, doing three minutes a day, a person would have to be running at approximately eighteen kilometres an hour, for three minutes a day, over the course of 79 weeks,” he said.

Dr Sukala has been studying and reviewing the infomercials for more than a year. his investigations last year lead to the machine being banned temporarily in New Zealand, and he's now calling on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to clamp down on misleading advertising to do with all fitness products and machines.

“I think there should be greater disclosure and greater truth by the ACCC to hold the Ab Circle Pro and other companies like it to a higher level of scrutiny,” he said.

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But mother of two Tamara Carlyon says she's living proof the Ab Circle Pro works. After the birth of her first child she has lost five kilos.

“The minute I start turning I can feel the crunch, and my abs start burning,” Carlyon said.

“I completely disagree with the doctor’s results. It has worked for me, and I am sure it has worked for other people. My friends are using it because they get results when they come over and use it.”

Each year Australians spend over a billion dollars buying products from the TV, and it's not just fitness equipment. Everything from slicing and dicing, to face creams and exfoliators, gets our interest and our dollar.

Mums Karen Opel and Kirsty Innes have tested out and rated the latest products on the box, including the Swivel Sweeper, H20 Steam Mop, Shark Steam Cleaner, the Magic Bullet, the Ped Egg, Proactiv and Zumba.

“Most of the products I used I didn't mind using them, however there are some products I certainly wouldn't pay for, and certainly would buy,” Opel said.

For Innes, Zumba was the product that definitely got the tick. “Zumba I rated nine out of ten because it was so much fun, and because I could get the girls involved as well.”

Out of all the products tested Opel’s top picks were Proactiv at $29.95, and Sheer Cover Mineral Makeup at $59.95.

“The product I liked the least was the Shark Steam Cleaner,” she said.

Opel scored most of her products well, but her favourite was the Magic Bullet at $130.

“Out of all the products we have tried, the Magic Bullet has been the best value for money.”

Dr Sukala warns that before you buy these products, you should make sure you read the fine print.

“I think it is important for consumers to understand that the advertisements strongly emphasise the use of the machine, when the results come from the reduced energy diet that comes with the program,” he concluded.

This reporter is on Twitter at @maddykennard