About treadmills:
It really depends on how much you want to lose. Having "been there, done that", I can tell you, you get what you pay for. The cheaper machines are prone to disrepair, and they usually have a weight limit of <300 lbs max. When we got ours, DH was about 325, and it was broken in 6 months. Those machines are really for people who are in maintenance mode. Heavy duty models are more dependable and can accomodate a larger person, but they are around 2,000 and up. (We were thinking of replacing ours with a heavy duty model, since ours is broken
again, and found we would likely spend about 3500! We joined the
Y instead {at 500/year membership, my treadmill would take 7 years to pay for itself, plus they maintain the equipment, store it, and have more than one type of machine.}, and will have our lightweight fixed for maintenance when we get to that point.)
As far as features go, that also depends on what your usage will be. Pulse guided programs are nice, but that feature, even on the ones at the gym, can be undependable. My strongest recommendation is to get a folding model, so there is less surface area to dust off!
I don't mean to try to discourage you from making the purchase, just make sure you get one that will work for you. Maybe you could visit gyms on a guest status, and see what works for you. Also, consider other types of equipment. I really love the elliptical trainer. Nativetxn has one. Maybe she could share her opinion on that with you.
Whatever you decide, good luck and visit often!
Keep the Faith!
Tracy