Welcome to Potbellied Princess Aeryn's Blog!
Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a young princess named Aeryn. She was young and spunky, full of life and excitement. She had blonde hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled, even in the dark. She was a sweet princess, always ready to help anyone, and willing to do whatever it took to make others smile. She was never super skinny, but she was confident and loved herself as she was. She had a very bubbly attitude that let her overcome any dragons that came her way (there were a lot). But despite everything that happened, she was happy.
One day, however, she left the safety of her castle to live with the evil witch Bimbette. This vile creature was a long lost relative of Princess Aeryn, and over the years the witch had become bitter. The sole purpose of her life was to make others feel as terrible as she did. Unfortunately, Bimbette was successful with the princess. The young woman became self-conscious and uncomfortable in her own skin. To add to Princess Aeryn's problems, the witch was abusive emotionally, physically, and verbally. So to cope with her problems, the princess began eating emotionally. If she was sad, she ate. If she was angry, she ate. If she was happy, she ate. The emotion didn't matter; they all led to eating.
Princess Aeryn realized that she had a problem and tried to lose the weight she'd so quickly put on. She played softball, took conditioning in school, and even tried weight training. But it was all to no avail. The princess had aquired a pot-belly. At first, it wasn't bad. If she sucked in her stomach, no one could tell. But the older she got, the more it grew and the more depressed the princess got.
Finally, after many attempts, Princess Aeryn escaped from Bimbette's evil spell. She returned to her kingdom, although when she returned, she brought a new arrival along. His name was Prince Jonathan, and he was her new heir. The princess loved her child, and wanted the best for him. She also decided that no new heirs were in her near future, so she went to the wizard and recieved a remedy that would prevent an unplanned arrival. Sadly, the remedy was not without its side effects; the princess gained 50 pounds in three months.
And this is where our story brings us to reality . . .
My name is Aeryn, and tragically, the fairytale is true. I became an emotional eater when I was sixteen and living with my aunt. She was horrible, in every way possible. I raised her children for the year and a half I first lived with her, despite being just sixteen and going to school. I wasn't allowed to go with my friends, I wasn't allowed to stay after school, and I wasn't allowed to have sleepovers. I felt isolated from the world, so food became my best friend.
I moved away and went through some very rough years. I lived in a shelter for a year, and I was on the streets last spring. Surprisingly, I was able to stop eating emotionally. That's when I found out that I was pregnant. My family wouldn't help me, so I had no choice but to move back with my aunt. And my emotional eating resumed. I had my son in January of 2009 and in February, I moved back to my family's house. But the scars of the past haunted me and I kept eating.
I didn't want anymore children any time soon, so I got the Depo shot from my doctor. That was the worst mistake ever. I gained 50 pounds in three months! I can honestly say that it was from eating. I never stopped. If I was in school, I was eating. If I was in my car, I was eating. No matter what time of day it was, I was eating. At one point, I drank a gallon of Diet Pepsi a day. That's 128 ounces of soda in 24 hours.
I quit drinking soda and eating junk food on November 5th, 2009. So far, I've lost 6 pounds. This blog is a way for me to share my story, successes, and failures. I know it won't be an easy path, and that I'll hit bumps along the way. But if my trials can help one person, then this won't be a loss.
~Aeryn, the Pot-Bellied Princess
