Self Care Recovery Model for Weight Loss: A Reflective Essay

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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