Beginner's guide to Weightlifting plans: Part1 -Why you need to lift!

Hello all! I have been lifting routinely now for several years and have gone from 220 lbs, 22% bodyfat (inactive) to 178lbs, under 12% bodyfat and exercising routinely. I know that diet accounts for 70% of weight loss and getting fit, but I wanted to try to help anyone who is looking at how to fit in a strength/weight lifting routine into their schedule based on my own experience. First, though a few reasons why you should consider including weights and strength training into your life if you desire to be fit-

It is well known that a cardio-only routine is a quick way to being discouraged because although you can burn a large amount of calories- you only burn them for the time that you are doing work, be it running outside, on the treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical, etc.
Also, doing long periods of steady-state cardio can actually put the body into a catabolic state where you burn not only fat but also muscle! This is not wanted because the more muscle you have, the more fat your body naturally burns to maintain itself and without it, you will only defeat your intentions, stall your metabolism, or get frustrated!
Now, I am a firm believer that both steady-state cardio and its more muscle-friendly, higher-calorie-burning cousin, HIIT, have their place in fitness...but I am a VERY firm believer in weight/strength training composing 80% or more of ones exercise routine only supplemented by cardio.

When you lift and train muscle, and have a proper diet with sufficient levels of protein intake, your muscles will actually burn more calories at a higher rate for up to 48-72 hours after training which is a much better "return on investment" than going into the gym for just cardio! You may have heard of this as the "after burn effect" by internet celebrities like Mike Chang of sixpackshortcuts.com.

During my first two years of exercise, I did mostly cardio for 30-60 minutes with a few resistance machines thrown in from time to time with no real consistency. I lost a lot of weight, but ended up still looking undefined and pudgy...but a "smaller" version of pudgy. I started doing my homework on websites like Bodybuilding.com and accumulated a great deal of knowledge (not all "bro-science") and noticed that I was not only still able to lose weight, but also filled out proportionally and that the more muscle I put on, the lower my bodyfat% went and that I felt much better and had a lot more energy!

Also, women- you need not fear the weights. It is even ok to use the heavy weights instead of limiting yourselves to the pink ones! While some women are exceptions and everyone's body is different, the common excuse of "I don't want to lift weights because I don't want to get big and bulky" is exactly that, because the differences in hormones between men and women and the natural lack of testosterone will prevent that from happening. Just about every article that I have read advocates women lifting just like men, although obviously different areas of the body are going to be emphasized.

Stay tuned for the follow ups where I will first lay out a few different types of plans and then share what my current routine is in case anyone is curious or would like a specific example of a plan in action!