Feature a Follower: Jessica Burch

I recently posted about how thankful I am for all of my followers.  My success depends on many things, my followers being one of them.  That being said, I thought it would be fun to do something I like to call "Feature a Follower."  My goal with this bit is to educate and learn from one another by taking a small snapshot of our featured follower's life and their journey in an interview format.

Our first Featured Follower is Jessica Burch who I learned is a very motivated, determined, yet gentle individual who has a wonderful and unique journey of her own.  I enjoyed hearing her story and I know you will too.

Tell me a little about yourself.

"I'm 33 years old. I'm not married, but I'm in a serious relationship with the love of my life and one day when the time is right we will get married. I have one beautiful daughter. She is 9 years and she's insightful and curious of everything! I was raised in New Albany MS and graduated in 99. I work for a garbage hauling company as a dispatcher and the people I work with consider me to be somewhat of a fire cracker! LOL"

When did your struggle with weight begin?

"I've been over weight my entire life. I grew up in the south, deep fried and covered in chocolate is the way of life. I learned really early on that if I hid what I ate, I could keep doing what made me feel good. (I learned the hard way what you do to your body in private is revealed by your body in public) I did not have a healthy relationship with food."

How is your relationship with food today?

"My relationship with food is better, but it is not mended completely. I truly believe I'm addicted to food. There have been times in my life that I ate so much I made myself sick, but it didn't stop me, I kept eating. There was a period in my life where the answer was purging my binge."

What are you doing to help make your relationship with food healthy?

"I'm working on my relationship with food, by working on my mental ability to see food as fuel.  I try to eat clean and paleo when possible."

Do you exercise?  If so, what do you do and how often?

"Yes, I TRY my best to do some form of physical activity 6 days a week for at least an hour. I like to change up my workouts, I really enjoy strength training and really enjoy running. I did my first 5K in October and will start training for a 10K next may. I work on Saturdays so I have to get creative!"

Your before and after picture looks amazing!  How much weight have you lost?

"Roughly 50 pounds, it fluctuates a little depending on how much or how little water I drink. I TRY not to get crazy over the number on the scale. It CAN deceive you."

How is your journey going?

"I'm currently in the hardest part of my journey. This is the place that I've given up before, the difference is that I'm determined to not give up."

What are you doing to ensure your success?

"I created my page (link is below) as a way of being accountable. I put myself out there so I can not only gain encouragement, but that other people can know the battle they face is not one they have to fight alone. I'm a work in progress and I refuse to give in."

What is the biggest thing you have learned on this journey, either about yourself or about the world around you, or both?

"What I've learned about myself is something I've always known and that's that I am really good at making excuses.  

I've also learned that not everyone who says they support you, does. Some people are waiting in the wings to see you fail so they can point it out.

Then there are those people who are so extremely encouraging that you just wanna wrap them up and carry them around. 

While doing my page, I have truly found a passion. I love helping others and I love being an encourager. The world is FULL of negative. I like giving out the positive!"

What piece of advice would you give to those who want to start their weight loss journey but are struggling to do so?

"JUST START. Do something SMALL everyday that changes. Choose an apple for snack instead of chips. That's a great way to start. Don't wait till tomorrow. START NOW. walk 10 extra minutes. Take the stairs and not the elevator. DO ANYTHING to get moving. Surround yourself with encouragement, but know everyday, only YOU can do this!"

You can follow Jessica's Journey on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/JessicasJourney13

Twitter: Kevinsgirl12

Instagram: Jessburrr

Thank you, Jessica, for not only being my first Featured Follower, but for allowing us to take a peak inside your journey.  You are inspirational and I truly enjoy following YOU!