Self Care Recovery Model for Weight Loss: A Reflective Essay

This essay discusses the Self Care Recovery Model for weight loss, which involves identifying recovery goals, enlisting support, and developing a self care journey plan. The author reflects on their own journey to lose weight and shares insights on the importance of customer participation and effective therapeutic relationships in developing a recovery approach. The essay also includes a weight loss self-care recovery plan with goals, action plan, support, and challenges.

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Self Care Recovery Model –A Reflective
Essay
The idea of losing weight was always been relevant and important to me but I never
conceptualized how to do it. Losing weight means a healthy weight, being more confident with
my body, having the right body mass index, physically fit and reduced susceptibility to health
conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Having a managed weight also means dressing nicely,
better moods, better sleep, and contentment with how I look. Self Care Recovery is an important
approach that narrows to a self participation and getting the required support for the development
of a health recovery issue (Lucock et al., 2011). The self care recovery plan has enabled me
identify recovery goals, outline require support and embark on self care journey. The following
essay reflects on my journey to self care to lose weight.
I identified weight loss as my life goal that I needed a positive change. Identifying a self care
goal involved narrowing to what I have struggled to change for years but found it difficult
implementing the change. I think I was unable to change because I did not define the goal that I
needed to achieve. This step of self care recovery model led to identification of four goals that I
needed to work on to achieve weight loss. They were exercising at least 30minuties per day,
adopting a meal plan from a nutritionist, drinking 2litres of water daily and contacting someone
in the support group. It was a moment of recognizing an issue that I have to work out to get my
desired positive change. At the beginning, I was able to learn the need of a person participation
in identifying a healthy issue that need to be changed. One is able identify that one thing that is
beneficial to his or her life hence having more commitment to the recovery (Jolly et al., 2011). It
therefore important for medical practitioners to allow patients to participate in identifying own
health issues goals as it makes it easier to accept treatment.
To achieve the weight loss, I required a supportive group for guidance and motivation. I listed a
nutritionist, gym instructor and my parents as people who would help me stay on track. A
nutritionist was to offer guidance on meal plan that will align with weight loss goal. A gym
instructor was to help me train on techniques that burn excess calories. My parents were to
encourage me since they have for a long time desired to see me adopt positive healthy changes. It

was overwhelming to establish and maintain effective relationships with my supporters. The
nutritionist relationship was very professional and it involved drafting meal plans and shopping
list of food products that were healthy. I learnt that it important to establish effective
relationships with the supporter in order to get optimal support in the process of achieving a
positive health change. I have therefore appreciated the need of therapeutic and professional
relationships for supporting a patient recovery treatment. I also appreciate the need for supporters
for instance the family in shaping a patient attitude when undertaking a treatment (Stickley, &
Wright, 2011). I will therefore encourage patients to enlist their supporters and establish working
effective relationship to help them stay on track when taking a health treatment.
In collaboration with my nutritionist and a gym instructor, we developed a self care recovery
plan. The plan detailed what I desired to change and an action plan of achieving it. The plan also
detailed what support that I needed in place to achieve my desired health weight. In addition, I
outlined the challenges that I was likely to face and possible ways to address them. I also had a
chance of finding out supporting literature to weight loss and the effectiveness of a self care
recovery model. It is in this phase that I became comfortable with the self care recovery model
and confident that it was possible to achieve my weight loss goal. I was able to focus on my
strengths in achieving self care. This was important to as it enabled me do only what I was
capable of to achieving a health goal. This means that the model appreciated the differences that
different individuals have and need to only focus on the one’s abilities. The self care recovery
plan was important in putting in writing the actions that I needed to undertake to achieve my
goals. I learnt the importance of recognizing an individual strength and focusing on them when
planning for a positive health change. Focusing on strengths enables minimize personal barriers
that an individual has and instead shift focus on abilities that enable achievement of a desired
health change (Scott & Wilson, 2011). The self care recovery plan also enabled me to get a
comprehensive supporting literature about my health gaol. I was able to engage with the
nutritionist to find out what works best to reduce my weight while the gym instructor engaged
me on the evidence-based concepts supporting exercising as a natural method to lose excess
calories. Reviewing the supporting literature made me understand how the guidance offered by
my supporters was going to contribute to meeting my health goal. This enabled me to accept the
meal plan and exercises techniques as they were evidence based. Developing a self care recovery
plan has enhanced my experience is using and adopting the approach as an effective health

treatment method. The process has developed my skills on drafting a plan to meet a self care goal
and allowing a patient to focus on his or her strength. I will use the skills and experience from
developing my self-care recovery plan to guide patients in planning their recovery journey by
focusing on their strengths to a meet a health goal. Therefore, it important for a person who
wants to use self care recovery approach to draft a plan as it systematically outlines what is
required and strengths that one will use to achieve the set health goal while reviewing evidence
based literature on issues raised.
The last phase of the self care recovery model was the action phase and journaling the
experience. The self care journey was planned for 3 weeks and involved following the self care
recovery plan. The activities were exercising everyday for 30 minutes, cooking healthy food (lots
of vegetables), drinking 2 litres of water daily, and keeping in touch with my supporters. I then
recorded all the progress of the safe care journey in a journal. The safe care journey was
strenuous. I felt it was demanding to implement the self care recovery plan. The support I got
was excellence and enabled me to adopt new schedules and cooking meal plans that were
important for achieving my health plan. The nutritionist helped me with tips on how to avoid
sugary and fast foods cravings. The gym instructor guided me through the exercises techniques
which started and continued gradually that allowed by body to adjust. One of the hindrances on
the safe care journey was running low of budget. I had to sacrifice some expenses such as buying
new clothes, laundry and household chores. Some of social economic factors that influence the
self care recovery journey were availability of finances to fund the plan and access to experts
who offered exemplary support. The historical view of having a sugary and heavy breakfast
hindered my meal plan in the first day of the self care journey. I found myself getting into
temptations of having a heavy breakfast. The self care journey learning and experiences are
valuable to understanding the recovery. My self-care journey has enabled me to learn how to
adopt activities that positively impact my health. The recovery process focuses on identifying
own goals, getting support and developing a plan that is focused to strengths (Seed, & Torkelson,
2012). The self care journey therefore enabled me to recover from undesirable health condition
to a health goal that is beneficial. The self care journey, learning and experiences have made me
as a nurse to appreciate customer participation and leadership and need for effective therapeutic
relationships in developing a recovery approach to create a positive change in their life.

In summary, self care recovery model approach is an appropriate approach for achieving a health
goal by making a positive change. The self care recovery approach enable a person set own goal,
enlist support needed and develop a self care recovery plan that outline what will be achieve and
the actions to be undertaken. As a nurse, I have been able to appreciate the importance of self
care recovery approach in providing treatment to health issues that require an individual making
positive changes in their life. Therefore, self care recovery approach is an effective approach for
enabling customer leadership and participation in recovering from a problematic unhealthy
practice.
Weight Loss Self-care Recovery plan
An ideal body weight is a desirable state to everyone. The ideal weight means have a body mass
index (BMI) that is between 18.5 and 25. An overweight body is at risk of being obese and other
health condition such as diabetes type 2. Losing weight will mean having a body weight and size
that enables one to lead a fully satisfying life.
The following are goals to achieve weight loss for a period of 2-months;
1. Exercise at least 30minutes per day
2. Follow a meal plan from nutritionist
3. Drinking at least 2litres of water daily
4. Contact someone on support group at least once every day
In order to achieve the self recovery plan goals, an action plan will be required achieve weight
loss. First, exercising at least 30minuties every day will be achieved by registering for gym
session. A gym session will be convenient for exercising for physical fitness and burning of
excess calories (Daumit et al., 2013). The second goal of following a planned meal will be
achieved by visiting a nutritionist to draft a healthy balanced diet that will enhance weight loss.
The third goal of the self recovery plan of drinking 2 litres of water will be achieved by drinking
water by session. That will be half litre in the morning, half litre at noon, half litre at 4 pm and
half-litre before going to bed. Having a support group is important for motivation and
professional guidance. This will be achieved by calling my parent over the phone or visiting a
nutritionist in the place of work every day either all or at least one.

The support for the achievement of weight loss includes a gym instructor, a nutritionist and my
parents. The gym instructor will assist in exercising techniques that are will burn most calories
and keep the body fit. A nutritionist will be important for offering professional deity guidance
(Johns, Hartmann-Boyce, Jebb, Aveyard, & Group, 2014). This will include creating a meal plan
that healthy and meets the objective of losing weight. Parents will play the role of keeping in
check of the progress made and be source of inspiration.
The process of self care recovery will be faced by several challenges because of need to change
routines and eating habits. One of the challenges is seeing friends eat ice creams and desserts.
It’s tempting to see friends enjoy fast food such as ice cream while one is on a planned diet
aiming to lose weight. This challenge will be addressed by leaving such a situation and making
own low calories dessert. This will lower the cravings for such foods. The other challenge is
going out to eat. Going out to eat is both enjoyable and more convenient than cooking. To
address this challenge, one has to decide on restaurants that have healthy choice and creating
time to cook a healthy meal.
The self recovery plan is in line with the existing literature. Dickens, Weleminsky, Onifade, &
Sugarman, (2012) stated that a self recovery plan need a clear stated objective of the end results
that will motivate actions. This plan has to be directed to a beneficial effect in a person life.
According to Stickley & Wright (2011), the self care recovery plan should be built on precious
module. The goals have to reflect the desired state of one’s life and the action plan should
propose how the goals will be met. This increases the plan effectiveness to meet it objective.

References
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