I'VE JUST BOUGHT A TREADMILL

5 Miles a day?? That seems like a big start. It will take you more than an hour to reach that pace. That just seems like a lot to start out with. Anyhow, congrats on your purchase. I have a treadmill and an elliptical. The one thing that makes it easier to use, is to put it somewhere, where you will enjoy the view using it. It can get pretty boring pretty quick, so having it near the TV or a window facing outside is better than facing a wall.
Start out slow and increase your speed, incline and duration incrementally. It is not the same as walking outside. I used my treadmill and started the C25K program this year and when I went to run outside, it was much harder than on the treadmill. I like it better outside, but it is harder.
If you are looking at calories to count I would invest in a HRM too. The machines are not very accurate.

Good luck and happy walking.

I agree...5 miles seems pretty ambitious to start off with...especially if you are having problems with your hips.

you will burn calories while using the treadmill. you burn more calories the higher the effort. so, the faster you go, the more calories you burn per minute. however, you may not be able to go as far doing a fast pace...so, depending on your endurance, its hard to say whether a slow pace over a longer distance will burn more calories than a faster pace over a shorter distance.

as far as where you will notice this....any exercise burns calories. that, along with your diet, has the goal of creating a caloric deficit. creating a caloric deficit is the way to burn fat. however, you don't get to dictate where the fat is lost...your body dictates that. the longer you stay on the journey, the more likely it is that you will burn all of your fat wherever its located on your body.