I've searched and havent found a thread about this yet, if you find one you can post the link instead of answering but anyways...i was just wondering if the treadmill is really all that great with losing weight. ive heard a lot of times that it doesnt do very much and it just hurts your knees. im worried about this because once winter comes and im not able to go outside to the track to workout i might stop losing weight. also, does anyone know things i can do after the treadmill such as body sculpting techniques or anything. and how long should i stay on the treadmill to get results?

walking is a great exercise! I loved it when I had one in my bedroom in texas, jumped on it first thing every morning then did some stretches and yoga exercises on alternate days, other days would do lunges and crunches type of exercise. You get out what you put into it. Start at a slow pace and low incline, increase time, speed and incline gradually. When the weather is too hot or too cold for me to walk outside on my lunchbreak at work I go to the gym and put in 20-30 minutes on the treadmill. I've just started doing it again after being treated for a herniated disc and hip bursitis (not caused by treading!) If you're thinking about buying one check sites like craig'slist.com or a local resale shop like play it again sports for a good deal.

I used to do lots of walking outside, but I live on the side of a mountain and my knee doctor told me I had to give up walking hills. Now I walk on my treadmill every time I work out. I am up to 30 minutes, alternating between 4.0 and 4.1 mph. I feel like I get a great cardio workout. After I'm done, I do a workout video - usually something from The Firm.
Chrys Dayley

Lauren, the treadmill is an excellent calorie burner but you need to walk to get your heart rate up and keep it elevated to burn fat. You can also do interval training doing a walk-run-walk workout which also burns a lot of fat.

As for weight training if you can get someone knowledgeable or even better a personal trainer for a session or two to show you around the gym that would be great...

You can start out with machine workouts for 4 weeks then work yourself up to working out with free weights. To start you should work out doing more compound exercises squats for legs, chest press for chest , lat pull downs or seated rows for the back, bicep curls and triceps pushdowns for your arms... then some abs just basic crunches on a ball or on the floor is good... This should be a good starting point for a beginner and will get your ligaments and tendons ready for a more involved workout later on... Oh, and if you have time you can do this 3x/week either on the same day after your cardio or on alternate days...

Hope this helps keep us posted on your progress

If you walk to slow then your knees can be affected because you get lazy and hit the treadmill harder....GO faster and weight plays a big part too....When you are too over weight your weight hurts your knees anyway....

I use my treadmill and I have tendonitis- I bought really good shoes and have gotten to the point that my foot has stopped hurting me. I am very careful, stretch beforehand, and don't overexert myself- if I feel any pain that's the end of the workout- but now I"m able to go at least half an hour at a time

Oh btw I only spent $100 for my treadmill buying it on craigslist- it's a good one too I LOVE IT