Blogger Aims to Drop 100 Pounds, Report Progress

Oct. 20, 2009 — -- After struggling with her weight for more than 20 years, Stacy Woltmann has decided to put down the macaroni and cheese and pick up her computer to blog her way to better health.

Woltmann's goal is simple: for one year she will diet her way to losing 100 pounds and into a size 14, the whole time reporting her progress on her blog "Am Skinny Jeans."

Since starting her journey Sept. 1, Woltmann, 30, who weighed 419 pounds, has already lost 17 pounds and shows no sign of slowing down.

"I'm trying really hard to stick to a schedule," Woltmann told "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts today via Skype from her home in Tampa, Fla. "One of the biggest problems is that I don't have enough time to eat. I need to get in several small meals a day."

For Woltmann, it's not just about losing weight; it's about losing weight in a healthy way that will enable her to keep the pounds off.

"I've tried Slimfast. I've tried Atkins...like the citrus and grapefruit diets. I've tried all of them," Woltmann said of her previous weight loss attempts.

But this weight loss plan, Woltmann says, is decidedly different. After being inspired by the movie "Julie and Julia" – in which a New York woman decides to cook and blog her way through all of Julia Child's cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," in just one year – Woltmann decided to set, and write about, a yearlong goal of her own.

"I'm blogging my way through weight loss. My initial goal is lose 100 pounds in one year. I've always wanted to write. And I thought a blog would be a great way to be able to do that," she said.

With the whole world watching, and reading, Woltmann is hopeful she'll succeed.

"The outpouring of encouragement and support has been overwhelming," she said today. "So many people have shared their own stories with me … I find them to be an inspiration."

Losing Weight One Blog at a Time

Also inspiring Woltmann through every step of the weight loss journey, she says, is her daughter Amelia Ruth, now 6 months old.

"I'm so excited about her future. And I really just want to be a part of that and an active part of that. And I feel like at my weight, I wouldn't be able to do that," Woltmann said.

She struggled after Amelia's birth to manage her diet.

"Things were really hectic," the first-time mom said today. "There were a lot of fast food meals coming through the house, eating late at night."

Woltmann's weight loss plan has meant a huge lifestyle change, but it's one that her entire family has been willing to shoulder.

"I'm in it with her. I'm right there with her. And her effort is phenomenal," her husband Eddie said.

Woltmann has cleared her kitchen cabinets of all of the guilty pleasures of old. Gone is the macaroni and cheese, the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and the chocolate cake.

"Who -- who doesn't like chocolate cake?" she joked. Her more moderate diet-friendly dinner now typically consists of chicken breast and vegetables.

Woltmann also adopted an exercise regime. She now works with a personal trainer, takes part in water aerobics, and walks several times a week.

Though her goal of slipping into a size 14 may still be months away, Woltmann's attitude and determination is steady.

"I think this is different because I've chosen something, and feel like I can stick with it for the rest of my life," she said. "I don't consider this to be a diet change. I feel like it's a lifestyle change."

To follow Woltmann on her journey, you can go to her blog: amskinnyjeans.blogspot.com.

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