Our Story

The Beginning

Hello! I'm Jimmy T, the creator of Skinnyr. What began as a personal project to track my own weight loss journey unexpectedly turned into something much bigger.

Back in 2006, I created a simple weight tracking graph for myself, with my records in a spreadsheet. When friends saw it, they immediately wanted one for themselves. During a conversation about the rising "Web 2.0" trend, my friend Frank jokingly suggested "Skinnyr" as the name — a playful jab at the era's tendency to drop vowels from brand names. To our surprise, the domain was available, and Skinnyr was born.

From Weekend Project to Growing Platform

The first version of Skinnyr came together remarkably quickly. Working with Chris Casper, we built the initial site over a single weekend. It took about six hours of focused coding and design work. We launched with modest expectations but were pleasantly surprised by the initial reception.

Early coverage from Mashable (then, a relatively small tech blog) and a quick mention from TechCrunch brought our first wave of users. However, the real turning point came when Allen Stern of CenterNetworks (RIP, we miss you, Allen!) used Skinnyr for his public weight loss challenge. This exposure catapulted our user base to 1,600 people, a number that signaled this hobby project had real potential!

Growing Through Adversity

Recognizing the opportunity, I invested time in a comprehensive redesign to better serve our growing community. Ironically, this redesign period coincided with TechCrunch declaring Skinnyr "dead" (thanks for that, Mr Arrington!). At that time, we had about 1,700 users, a number that would soon be dwarfed by what came next.

Despite the premature obituary, Skinnyr not only survived but thrived. Our user base expanded dramatically in the following years, proving that focused utility and genuine user value can outlast tech industry skepticism. The current user count at the bottom of this page speaks volumes about that growth.

Evolution and Reinvention

As our community grew, so did the platform. I completely rebuilt Skinnyr from the ground up several times, with a significant overhaul in summer 2008 that featured both design and code improvements created entirely in-house.

The site changed hands around 2012 to my good friend and cofounder Chris Casper, whose belief in the project kept it alive and well for over a decade.

For 2025, I've reimagined Skinnyr once again with modern design principles, enhanced features, and new AI-powered tools to help users achieve their health goals more effectively than ever.

To better align with our expanding vision, Skinnyr now operates under the Neon Ink LLC umbrella, joining my other digital projects in a consolidated brand family while maintaining its distinct identity and mission.

Thank You

Skinnyr represents countless hours of passion, learning, and dedication. What started as a simple personal tool has grown into a platform that helps thousands track their progress, celebrate their victories, and stay motivated on their health journeys.

To everyone who has used Skinnyr over the years — whether you've been with us since 2006 or just joined today — thank you for being part of this journey. Your support and feedback continue to drive Skinnyr forward.

Allen Stern

1973 — 2013

In memory of Allen Stern, an early tech blogger, innovator and entrepreneur who passed away in 2013. His work inspired many features on Skinnyr, and his friendship continues to inspire me to this day.We miss you, Allen!