As you all know, I have been following the Weight Watcher Plan for over a year. I have lost 54 pounds, and became a Lifetime Member in early January! Part of the benefits of this is that I can go to a meeting free of charge anywhere in the world. Last night I decided to take advantage of this and go to a meeting here in Berlin.
As I have mentioned before, Germany has many more Weight Watcher products in the stores. Every time we have grocery shopped I look to see what items they have. I wish we had the number of soup mixes, fresh meals and deli cold cuts that are available here.
Okay, back to my story about last night. We drove a short distance to a local community center where the meeting was being held. Uschi served as my translator because my German is very poor, and I have found that many people under the age of, say 35 do not speak English too well. I think also, people who do not use their English here forget it or perhaps lose their confidence. In any case, my Uschi was there and translated it all for me.
We walked in and the leader greeted us and it turned out that she and Uschi are well acquainted! Uschi explained that I was a Life Member and that I wanted to come and share a meeting with them. I was warmly greeted and I went through their products (available only at meetings) and bought a few things, including a cook book with many German recipes and their point values.
Then women began filing in and all were seated as the meeting began. Our leader was a kind and gracious woman. She smiled a lot and she answered the questions that the women had. She introduced me as a Life Member from the “Fatherland of Weight Watchers, America”!
I smiled and told them I had lost 54 pounds, and then I passed around my before and after picture, which I had brought with me from home. The meeting lasted for 45 minutes and at the end I asked if it was okay to take a few pictures of their set-up.
I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to go to this meeting and to share the struggle of weight loss with women from another country. You see, it doesn’t matter where you are from in this big world of ours, most women want to be fit and trim and to feel good about themselves.
Today I will be packing up and getting ready to fly home first thing tomorrow. I cannot believe how the time has flown by. It seems as though I have just gotten here. I am also sad because I do not know when I will be back to see Uschi and her family or when she will be able to come to me.
I think I will not wear too much make-up tomorrow, for I know that the tears will fall when we hug for the last time and say good-bye.
