For countless people, Mariah Hilgart’s story will sound relatable. As the years passed and responsibilities multiplied, she realized she’d lost herself.
“I hated where I was with myself,” she says. “Every day, I felt like I was on autopilot, just surviving. I remember feeling so heavy all the time and unmotivated. I didn’t feel joy within myself.”
The demands of her career and stresses of the pandemic took a toll, often leading Hilgart to turn to food for comfort. After giving birth to a daughter in 2021 and a son in 2022, she felt galvanized to make a change.
“I gained a lot of weight,” she says. “Once I had my kids, I remember telling my mom, ‘I don’t want to be the mom who sits on the couch and does nothing with their kids and doesn’t interact and make memories. I want to be that mother who can get up and run with her kids.’”
Exploring Options
Determining how to make changes often feels overwhelming for people, and Hilgart was no exception. Her first efforts proved frustrating.
“I was doing keto and working out all the time, but that’s only sustainable for so long,” Hilgart says.
Around the time she began trying to lose weight, GLP-1 drugs were becoming more popular. Hilgart grew curious. Trying to research them on her own, though, brought more questions than answers.
The overwhelming volume of information and opinions on the internet and social media didn’t help. Teasing out the facts among the falsehoods, biases and judgments proved difficult. For about six months, Hilgart deliberated looking into weight-loss medication. Finally, she decided to talk with her primary care provider.
“I was nervous to bring it up … but she was so supportive,” Hilgart says. “That made me instantly feel better because if she says it’s OK, then it’s going to be OK. It just went from there, and it’s been great.”
Specialized Support
Hilgart began taking a GLP-1 under the care of her primary care provider but soon decided to pursue the specialized services of ThedaCare Weight Wellness Solutions. An administrative assistant within the program, Hilgart was familiar with the team and services.
A turning point came for Hilgart when she began seeing Dr. Benjamin Duffy, an obesity medicine specialist and director of ThedaCare Weight Wellness Solutions.
“When I switched my care to Dr. Duffy, I was at a stall just because I was going through my primary care provider, and [obesity] is not her main focus,” she says. “Once I switched to Dr. Duffy with the Weight Wellness clinic, it really just opened an opportunity.”
ThedaCare Weight Wellness Solutions offers the services of a multidisciplinary team including physicians, advanced practice providers, dietitians and exercise physiologists. The medically supervised program provides a continuum of support and treatments ranging from lifestyle medicine to obesity medicine to weight loss surgery.
Expertise and Encouragement
As Hilgart worked with Dr. Duffy, he didn’t just oversee her medication. He also encouraged her to add strength training to her workout routine and provided guidance around navigating habits like emotional eating, or food noise, as Hilgart and others often call it.
“I’ve talked to him about food noise and when I feel my food noise,” she says. “Instead of making you feel like you’re the problem, he says, ‘That’s normal.’ Obesity is a disease … and this is what they’re here for.”
Hilgart says medication has helped retrain her brain when it came to food noise. She began to recognize and challenge her habit of going to her snack cabinet when she was stressed. Once she started to identify her triggers, they became easier to resist. The empathy and support from Dr. Duffy made all the difference for her.
“You tell him where you want to be, and he gives you the tools to get there,” she says.
Dr. Duffy would agree with that description.
“These medications that are very popular now are just tools,” he says. “They are very powerful tools in some situations, but they’re tools to help you do the things that you want to do, that you need to do, to be healthier, to live a better life.”
Transformed, Inside and Out
To date, Hilgart has lost nearly 100 pounds. Reflecting on the past couple of years, she says she’s undergone tremendous transformation.
“I used to not even want to look in the mirror at myself,” she says. “And now I’m like, I am beautiful. I feel good. I look good.”
Deeper than any physical change, though, Hilgart says she’s adopted habits that make her feel proud. Working out is no longer just a means to an end for her. It’s something she truly enjoys.
“I joined Burn Boot Camp, which I never thought I would do,” she says. “I was so scared because I’d watch videos and [thought], I could never work out like that. But once I could move my body better … it felt good. I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I want to be so skinny.’ I want to be strong.”
Her positive changes also carry over to her kids. They love steamed broccoli and snacking on cut-up veggies.
“I have those moments where I reflect, and I’m like, this all-around helps my whole life,” she says. “Look at what it’s doing for my kids. That’s going to show them how to be better too.”
Inspiring Others
With her role in the ThedaCare Weight Wellness program, Hilgart sees firsthand what other people go through as they begin trying to lose weight.
People often walk into the clinic surprised at the breadth of services offered, especially if they expected to only walk out with a prescription. From working with dietitians to one-on-one exercise support to classes that help people navigate grocery shopping and eating out, there’s something for everyone. The entire Weight Wellness Solutions team is there to help, cheer on and support.
Hilgart also knows about overcoming inertia. She has a message for anyone feeling overwhelmed.
“Just do it. Just start. If you feel like you could do better for yourself, why not do it?”
Dr. Duffy agrees.
“If … you don’t know where to start, our program is the program you want to be in,” he says. “We have professionals who are highly trained in this disease. We have access to any treatments that are available, whether that’s medications, injectables or bariatric surgery. No matter what you need, we will be able to point you in the right direction.”
