The Missing Piece in Weight Loss? A Multidisciplinary Team

For anyone wanting to make a change, motivation can help. Dean Vanstraten was no exception.

Dean, a Shiocton resident, was in his 60s and retired from the construction industry. Though he’d long struggled to manage his weight, his job kept him active. Once he retired, he began to pack on pounds.

In 2024, Dean found himself weighing 345 pounds and facing multiple health problems. He decided he needed to do something different. His family helped inspire him to action.

“I felt miserable. My son had just gotten married, and they were expecting their first child,” Dean says. “I was going to have a granddaughter, and I wanted to enjoy that. I thought, I’ve got to do something about my health.”

Trial and Error

Throughout the years, Dean had tried many times and multiple methods to lose weight. Fad diets had led to little success.

“I tried them all,” he says. “I would take off 20 or 25 pounds, but then I’d fall off and gain it right back and more.”

Dean’s health was in a dire state. He had edema in his legs, atrial fibrillation and disabling joint pain. He also had a pacemaker, a left knee replacement and a right shoulder replacement.

“My family doctor told me, if you don’t do something, you’re not going to be around very long,” he says.

In late 2024, Dean worked with his doctor to try Wegovy (semaglutide), a GLP-1. It didn’t have the results he expected.

“I was thinking you could take that and just lose weight, but if you don’t adhere to everything that goes along with it, you won’t,” he says. “I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know how to do it.”

Breakthrough

Seeing little success with a GLP-1 alone, Dean’s doctor referred him to ThedaCare Weight Wellness Solutions. It changed everything.

Obesity Medicine Specialist Benjamin Duffy, DO, leads the program and works alongside a multidisciplinary team.

Dean completed the initial class within the program in early 2025 and immediately found himself surrounded with support. Soon, he met with Dr. Duffy, who switched Dean from Wegovy to Zepound (tirzepatide). He also connected to the care of dietitians and exercise physiologists, and was surprised and delighted to find genuine care and concern among his team. They even called to check in on his progress.

“Within the first couple of weeks, the weight started coming off when I started eating right,” Dean says.

Major dietary changes included prioritizing lean protein and supplementing that with fruits and veggies. Foods that tempted Dean in past — white bread, potatoes, deep-fried foods and pizza — no longer held as much power over him.

“I don’t eat until I’m stuffed like I did before,” he says. “I found out what sustains me, and I don’t crave those other things like I used to.”

The combination of the new drug and the support of a caring team has worked for Dean. He watched in wonder as he surpassed his initial goal of getting his weight down to 300. He set a new goal of 275. Today, 18 months after starting in the program, he weighs 235 pounds — a weight loss of 110 pounds.

“I feel just great. I feel 10 years younger,” Dean says. “Everybody compliments you. It makes you feel so good inside.”

Expert Insights

“I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know how to do it.” This feeling will resonate with countless people.

Key members of Dean’s team include Dr. Duffy, Nurse Practitioner Ashley Faulks and Registered Dietitian Ashley Krautkramer. Here, they share how they work with Dean and all the program’s participants to help them attain and sustain weight loss.

Are Dean’s initial experience and expectation around taking a GLP-1 common?

Dr. Duffy:

They’re quite common. A lot of people start a medication like Wegovy or Zepbound hoping it’ll do all the heavy lifting, and I understand why. When you’ve struggled with weight for years, the idea that there might finally be something that “just works” is appealing.

The reality is that these medications are incredibly powerful, but they work best as part of a bigger plan. They can lower hunger and quiet some of the “food noise.” This gives people breathing room to make changes that felt impossible before. But building habits around nutrition, movement, sleep and stress still matters. The medication can open the door. The long-term success comes from what you build once you walk through it.

How does the team approach benefit people?

Ashley Faulks:

Weight loss is rarely just about food. It involves habits, emotions, medical conditions, lifestyle factors and accountability. That’s why our program focuses on a multidisciplinary approach. Patients have access to a team that provides education, guidance, encouragement and regular follow-up. Those check-in calls and touchpoints help patients stay engaged, troubleshoot challenges early, celebrate victories and make adjustments when needed.

Many people have tried losing weight on their own before. Having a team in their corner can make all the difference in both their success and their confidence. I truly believe our multidisciplinary approach is what sets us apart from other programs in the area.

Dean feels great about the way he looks but especially how he feels: more energy, less joint pain and fewer health problems. How can the program help people improve their health?

Dr. Duffy:

Weight loss can absolutely improve confidence, and that matters. But what I hear most often from patients is exactly what Dean described: more energy, moving easier, sleeping better, less pain, fewer medications and feeling more like themselves again.

That’s why we focus on health, not just the number on the scale. We want to reduce disease risk and improve quality of life. If someone can play with their grandkids without pain, walk farther without getting winded or wake up feeling rested, those changes are incredibly meaningful. The scale is one measurement, but it’s not the whole story.

Dean said he needed to get his “head straight” and feel ready before he began. Is that important?

Ashley Faulks:

Readiness is incredibly important. Lasting change happens when someone is personally motivated and prepared to invest in their health. We can provide the tools, education and support, but the decision to make a change has to come from the patient. Everyone reaches that point at a different time, but there is always a common response: “I wish I would have started sooner. I wish I would have done this years ago.”

When patients are ready, they’re often more open to learning, making adjustments and staying committed through the inevitable ups and downs. Our role is to meet them where they are and help them succeed once they’re ready to take that first step. I always tell my patients we are in this together.

How do you help someone start to make dietary changes?

Ashley Krautkramer:

Typically, I start by learning about what they’re currently eating. There’s always something they’re doing right and I want to make sure to point that out. No one is doing everything wrong.

Depending on what’s going well and what needs work, we may focus on:

Eating consistently throughout the day: at least three meals and structured snacks, if needed
Learning strategies to minimize medication side effects, such as getting adequate fiber and hydration, avoiding excessive fat intake and eating slowly
Consuming protein from quality sources to help ensure fullness and maintain muscle mass
Ensuring people eat enough, which can be an issue due to not feeling hungry because of the medication or a belief that you must eat less to lose weight

We also look at what someone can do. People may have barriers to making changes with their diet, such as social determinants of health like income and access to healthy foods. We consider these factors when making recommendations for change.

Successful Solution

Today, Dean continues to lean on the support of ThedaCare Weight Wellness Solutions — through the wins, setbacks and everything in between.

Before starting the program, Dean says he had little motivation, and all he wanted to do was sit in his chair. Now, he enjoys riding his bike and helping around the house without getting winded. More than anything, he relishes playing with his granddaughter, now 18 months old.

He recommends ThedaCare to everyone who asks. “Dr. Duffy has been great. Everybody from ThedaCare and that whole program has just been wonderful. I give a lot of credit to them. The support they have for you is second to none.”