In this powerful episode of The Road to Transformation, Amy takes you through the emotional and practical journey of preparing for her weight loss surgery. From choosing the liver reducing diet and navigating NHS surgery scheduling around her family and business, to the challenges of anaesthetic recovery and waking up in intensive care—Amy shares it all with honesty and heart. Learn what the liver reducing diet really involves, how she prepped her home for recovery, and what happened on the big day. If you’re approaching surgery yourself or supporting someone who is, this episode is packed with real-life tips, insights, and support.

🔹 Inside the liver reducing diet
 🔹 The emotional prep for surgery
 🔹 Surgery day logistics and recovery
 🔹 Top tips to ease gas pain and sickness
 🔹 What Amy wishes she’d known beforehand

🎧 Tune in, subscribe, and don’t forget to join the supportive community in our Facebook group: Our Road to Transformation! Our journey to weightloss and beyond!

In this episode of The Road to Transformation: My Journey to Weight Loss Surgery and Beyond, I dive into the next stage of my journey — transitioning from Level 3 to Level 4 in the weight management programme. I share insights into the multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting process, what to expect in Level 4, and the key preparations you need before surgery. 

You'll hear about:
 ✅ Understanding the MDT meeting and its role in your progression
 ✅ Meeting with your surgeon and choosing the right procedure for you
 ✅ The important dietary changes you should start making before surgery
 ✅ The liver reducing diet (LDR) — what it involves and why it’s crucial
 ✅ Preparing for your surgery date, including your pre-op appointment 

I also discuss some of the surprising challenges I faced, from giving up fizzy drinks and chewing gum to learning the importance of timing your meals and drinks. Whether you're preparing for your own weight loss surgery or supporting someone on their journey, this episode offers valuable insights and practical advice. 

💬 Got questions or want to share your journey? Join our supportive Facebook group: Our Road to Transformation: Our Journey to Weight Loss and Beyond. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share with anyone who may find it helpful. See you next time! 

🎙️ The Road to Transformation: My Journey to Weight Loss Surgery and Beyond

Episode 2: Navigating the NHS Level 3 Weight Management Programme

In this episode, I dive into my experience with the Level 3 Weight Management Programme on the NHS — a vital step in my journey to weight loss surgery.

💬 In this episode, I share:
✅ What the Level 3 Weight Management Programme involves
✅ The specialists I worked with — including a dietician, physiotherapist, and consultant
✅ Why maintaining your referral weight is important (and why small fluctuations are normal)
✅ The challenges I faced balancing my chronic illnesses with weight management
✅ The steps I took to improve my eating habits, including introducing breakfast and increasing my protein intake
✅ My decision-making process when choosing between surgery or weight loss injections

🩺 Key Takeaway: This process isn’t rushed — be prepared for long waits between appointments and ensure you’re committed to following the steps to give yourself the best chance of success.

💬 Extra Tips:
I also discuss exploring alternative exercise methods, like Tai Chi and integrating movement into daily activities, to help manage pain from fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.

🔍 Support Along the Way:
I share my experience joining the Obesity UK support group — a vital requirement for moving forward with surgery — where I gained valuable insights from others on similar journeys.

💜 Your Journey is Unique:
If you're exploring weight loss surgery, know that the path is different for everyone. This episode offers insights, tips, and reassurance to help you feel better prepared.

🫂 Join the Conversation

Join our supportive community on Facebook:
 👉 Our Road to Transformation: Our Weight Loss Journey

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, review, and share with anyone who may find it helpful.

💪 Your journey is yours — embrace it at your own pace.

#WeightLossSurgery #TransformationJourney #RoadToTransformation #NHSWeightManagement

🎙️ The Road to Transformation: My Journey to Weight Loss Surgery and Beyond

Episode 1: Asking for Help – My First Steps Toward Weight Loss Surgery

In this heartfelt first episode, I, Amy Mandelj, share my personal journey towards weight loss surgery. From my lifelong struggles with weight to battling chronic illnesses like Henoch–Schönlein purpura, fibromyalgia, and anxiety, I open up about what led me to finally ask my GP for help.

🩺 In this episode, I talk about:
✅ My experiences with weight loss programs like Slimming World and Weight Watchers
✅ The impact of chronic illness and medications on my weight
✅ How being pre-diabetic became a wake-up call for me
✅ The emotional moment that pushed me to seek medical support
✅ The steps I took to start the process for weight loss surgery through the NHS

💬 Key Message: Every journey is unique, and asking for help can be a powerful first step towards transformation.

🫂 Join the Conversation:
If you’re on your own weight loss journey — or considering surgery — you’re not alone! Join our supportive community on Facebook:
👉 Our Road to Transformation: Our Weight Loss Journey

🔔 Subscribe & Review: If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave a review to help others find the podcast. Feel free to share this episode with friends or family who may benefit from hearing my story.

💜 Thank you for listening, and remember — all journeys are different. See you next time on The Road to Transformation.

Are you or a loved one thinking about weight loss surgery? Do you want to know the steps that you'll go through on the NHS and what, in my experience, goes on at your appointments? Then this is the podcast for you. Hello and welcome to the road to transformation, my journey to weight loss surgery and beyond. I am your host. Amy Mandelj, this podcast covers my personal journey through tiers three and four of the NHS weight management program, from my initial decision to ask for help to attending all my appointments all the way up to weight loss surgery, and, of course, beyond. So if you feel like this podcast is going to benefit you or a loved one, please feel free to subscribe. We really look forward for you joining us on this journey.