You can definitely start lifting while you have weight to lose. I started already and I'm still obese for my height. In fact, the general suggestions are that it is better to start lifting sooner instead of later.

What I did was search around for different beginner programs. There are a fair number to pick from between bodybuilding.com, stronglifts, starting strength, and new rules of lifting. Spend some time looking at your options, what you have available and what will work for your goals. If you go to a gym, having a trainer work with you once you pick a program will help you get comfortable with the moves and the form, as you want to get the form down before the weights start getting heavy. At home can be trickier with most programs unless you have a weight setup already, but there are a few options for body weights mentioned on the fitness part of the forums that you could check out if don't have any equipment or access to a gym.

As for the weight loss, that will be more influenced by your nutrition and where your body decides where to lose.

Definitely start now, you want to lose fat not muscle. I got a book from the library called burn the fat, feed the muscle and it has a lot of great information in it.

I had the same question to about losing some weight first and then starting to lift. You ladies have inspired me to start now.

If you are a VERY beginner, there is so much you can do with body weight alone for resistance. I am not intending to discourage lifting weights (I do heavy lifts 3x a week). You can start with things like push-ups (knees or toes) to hit chest and triceps (depending on your arm/hand position), dips (off a step or the floor), planks, crunches, squats, lunges. supermans, etc. Using your own body weight is a good way to start if you want to ease into it with minimal investment. I use body weight options frequently when I travel since many hotels have no or limited weight equipment. Feel free to send me a friend request if you'd like tips!

When I first started was at the very bottom. My trainer had me on a "push/pull" workout. For instance, I did 3 days of lifting, Day one: Back/Biceps, Day 2: Legs/shoulders, Day 3: Chest/triceps. Combining certain muscle groups is best. The other 2 days were cardio. As long as you hit each muscle group one time a week, you should be good.

Anyone got a good routine schedule to share

I follow the Body Beast program for weight training and have had pretty good results with it. Not a lot of body fat lost but I think that is my fault...sometimes difficult to eat clean all the time. But seriously, my entire life, I've always had fatty arms. Since doing Body Beast, my arms have really toned up and I can see muscle! My shoulders have also become more defined. I never used to be able to see my collar bone and can now! It does take time...results for me took at least 6 months to see, but stick with it. Eating right is a HUGE portion of it. The Body Beast program had me eating a lot, but it was worth it to help build muscle. Try not to pay attention to the scale and pay attention to how your clothes fit. You will be amazed how fit you can look at 175...people couldn't believe when I told them my weight and that is because of the muscle. For me, being a beginner, the Body Beast program was great because it has a schedule, dvds and meal plan you can follow to help you stay on track. You will be sore and that is a good thing. I try to lift 6 days a week and the times vary from 30 minutes to an hour. I also try to incorporate cardio at least 2x a week. Muscle is denser than fat which means it takes up less space, so if you convert 1 lb of fat to 1 lb of muscle, you will start to see a difference in how your clothes fit even if the scale isn't budging. Make sure to take your measurements before you start so you can keep track of inches lost instead of pounds. Oh, and I don't have a gym membership. I did it all at home! If you're a beginner, you can start out with light dumbbells and add additional equipment like a bench and barbell set. I'd recommend getting at least 3 different weights of dumbbells to start (5, 8, 10 lbs) and you can add more as you get stronger. That's really all you need. Good luck!

What are strong lifts? Is it an app of some kind?