After being on this site for so long, I am now convinced that lifting weights will be good for me and make my body leaner, help with excess skin when I lose all my weight make me stronger etc. I'm for it, plus I would enjoy it a whole lot more than running... I hate running. Plus, I get enough cardio while hiking. So, that being said, does anyone have any ideas about how to start lifting? Like good dvds or something? I can't go to the gym (no money or babysitter). And, as a side note, I don't want to end up being super bulky, no offense to anyone, I just don't think that look is for me. Thanks so much!!

Check the exercise or lifting sections! Tons of information in there.

You won't end up bulky if you lift heavy I can deadlift 130lbs and I don't think I'm bulky considering I can wear an XS

I also hate running! I love lifting and have dived into that instead!

I second seagirl's suggestion—check out the weight lifting forum for lots of tips and tricks.

How big are your kids? You can even use them as weights.

I'm a novice when it comes to lifting weights, but I did firm up well without having to spend hours working out by doing some exercises every night from one of Joyce Vedral's books. Her routine concentrates lifting so you don't have to work out for hours. I found her book at the library.

You can start with exercises that use your bodyweight only - no equipment or weights needed. You might be surprised at how challenging these exercises are when you are new to strength training. Exercises like:

Squats
Lunges
Lateral Lunges
Planks
Side Planks
Wall Sits
Pushups
Tricep Dips (on a bench or chair)

... will give you a really good workout without you needing a single piece of equipment or a trip to the gym. As you build strength and this routine (or parts of it) become less challenging, you can think about equipment.

Give these a try - I mean it. I was already doing strength training exercises and considered myself pretty strong when I switched to an all body-weight workout of the above exercises and I was surprised at how challenging it was. These exercise are great for building core strength and functional strength - strength for tasks you actually do with your body.

I agree with Carter. My ex only used his own body weight and was seriously built. He found a tree in a park the perfect height for chin lifts as well as doing what Carter recommended. No equipment and completely free.

A great option for me was wall push ups and you can pretty much do them anywhere at any time. I'll do them against the kitchen bench, in a lift, against the car...etc and I've found them to be great. I have noticed more flexibility and strength.
Here is an example.

Also you could have some dumbbells around where you watch tv and just grab them and do some different workouts with them while watching tv.

I agree about just using your body weight to get started. When I was doing a lot of yoga, my arms got so strong! Just from plank, arm balances, low push ups, hand stands, etc.

ITA! Great post! Body-weight exercises are great for shaping up and gaining strength when you can't get to a gym or afford all of the equipment for lifting weights.

thanks for all the ideas! I'm excited about starting weight training. I thought I was really strong from lifting my 30 pound daughter all the time, but I tried to do a push up and literally fell on my face lol. Guess I wasn't as strong as I thought!

I am wondering thought, I know that lifting and building muscle will help burn more calories while resting etc, but does it take longer for the weight to come off??

This is just what I was talking about - bodyweight-only exercises sound like they should be lame and easy, but they engage so much of your body for both strength and balance that they really are surprisingly hard.

No, not in a meaningful way. That is, you might see some fluid retention when you first start incorporating strength training - any change in an exercise plan can cause fluid retention. So it might look for a couple of weeks like your weight loss is slowing down. But you already know that a couple of weeks is not a meaningful time scale on which to observe weight loss! . After a month or two I'm confident you'll be very happy with what strength training does for your weight loss, for the shape of your body, and for your functional strength and balance.