Focus on health. Part 2: holistic weight control

The success of the holistic self-care approach rests with the nurse's and client's commitments to tailoring a new lifestyle which includes permanent weight control. One year of counseling is only a beginning; but the wealth of new-found information that the client can discover about self can be the motivation to continue one day at a time. The only "never" that the client is encouraged to say is, "I'll never go on a diet again." Going on a diet means that one will eventually go off of it. Instead the client is assisted in changing lifestyle by developing different behaviors that will include healthier responses. Nursing implications (integrated throughout this article) include multiple skills, a solid knowledge base, and expert communication skills. Until the nurse experiences or at least simulates the experiences of the yo-yo dieter, he/she cannot be an effective counselor. Unless the nurse practices a self-care approach in his/her life, hypocritical "nursing care" is being practiced. And finally, the nurse must be willing to make a longitudinal commitment to his/her client if the holistic, self-care approach is used. If you as a nurse have these qualifications and choose to adopt the approach, you, as well as the client, will receive rewards and insights about yourself both as nurse and human being.