Very interesting debate
I guess we have two kinds of posters here. Those that want people to face their mistakes and perhaps even wear the hair shirt for a while. That can actually make some members feel better. I remember being caned at school (quite a few occassions
). It was quite a positive feeling. I was absolved from my sins, and the headmistress was always really kind to me after.
But then we have the other sympathetic members, who suggest they bury the mistake...and offer an arm of support everytime. Put it behind you hun and move on. We are here to support you. Arm around until the next mistake and always there to help you dig the hole so you can forget about it.
That's also very positive insomuch as it makes people who are feeling down, feel better about themselves.
Does either way help the person become successful dieter? I'm not so sure. They might make them feel better, but only until the next time.
If someone cheats, then what they really need to do is to look at why they did it, and see if they can find an alternative way to deal with how they felt at that time. Nobody really suggests that...and anyway, I'm not sure even the suggestion would go down very well
So perhaps these forums are here to give sympathy rather than constructive advice? Perhaps that all it can do without the benefit of eye contact, body language. Shame though.
Meanwhile, I'll continue to ask people why (when I feel brave) and stop threads in the process LOL